Sunday, March 14, 2010

Honey, Don't Patronize Me.

Here's the preface:

-There are zero sponsors on Lulaville, as well as zero advertisements.

-I don't make a dime off my blog, nor has it ever been my intention to do so. Many of my fellow bloggy pals do earn revenue from their blogs, and for this I salute them. "Go, you!" is my mantra.

-If Lulaville has a "brand," it's certainly hard to sum up...is my brand...
*Random musings from this head full of useless information?
*I love Jason Statham more than you?
*Is there a bigger Sci-Fi lover than me?
*How is it even possible that you don't watch Lost?
*Southern belles who have tattoos and wear blue nail polish and hot pink Converse high-tops?

-I have no problem with Lulaville being viewed as a "glorified, electronic scrapbook."* Because...guess what? IT IS!



Got it? Good. Let's move on, shall we?

Two years ago I met the women whom I now consider to be my best friends and confidantes. At the age of thirty-three I found my sister soulmates. Women who, at the risk of sounding utterly and shamelessly cheesy, complete me. Women I've flown across the country to visit. Women with whom I've vacationed. Whose husbands I've met. Whose lives are entwined with mine, as we grow, live, love, laugh, cry, and celebrate the bond of friendship.

I met Heather Blair and Tiffany Romero because of blogging. I knew Heather and Tiffany before they started their wonderful site, The Secret Is In The Sauce, a community which fosters support and friendship amongst women (and a few men!) in the blogging world.

How thankful I am for SITS and the women I've met because of a simple website. Living in a small, very rural mountain town, I'm surrounded by wonderful people who are very much like me: caucasian, married, a parent, and evangelical Christian. Through SITS I have met women who are beautiful and intelligent. I'm honored to know ladies who labor at home as full-time mothers (such as myself), and women who are mothers and employed outside the home.

Because of SITS I have friends who are Evangelical Christian, Jewish, 7th Day Adventist, Mormon, Agnostic, and Atheist.

Because of SITS I have friends of all ages...single gals navigating their twenties, young mothers with new babies, women who have not yet become mothers, ladies who never plan to have children, and grandmothers who blog alongside their daughters.

Because of SITS I am friendly with Democrats. See, we all really can get along!
(I do jest...friendship is bipartisan.)

Because of SITS I am proud to be known as a "mommy blogger."

Rather than refute an article written by a New York Times author, about the recent Bloggy Boot Camp held in Baltimore by Tiffany and Heather, I choose to use this post to declare my love and support for my friends and fellow bloggers. Whether you're part of the "minivan crowd," or a mama blogger such as my friend, Fran, who happens to hold an M.B.A. (and uses this degree to be one excellent mother!), I salute you.

Regardless of whether I know you "in real life," or if we've only "met" via our blogs, I salute you.

To those of you who make a living off your blog...rock on! Have a particular brand, such as the brilliant Kathy, of Mama Kat's Losin' It, or Jill from Scary Mommy? (Two ladies I'm proud to call "friend.") Awesome!

Those of you who could care less about building a "brand" and instead use blogging as a creative outlet to celebrate your life and your loves, I applaud you.

I quote Kathy, in her post where she addressed this same subject, "We're women, and we're amazing, and we don't need a newspaper to validate us."

Precisely.

And to my family, particularly my husband and my daughters, who've supported Lulaville from its inception, I say to you..."Feel free to interrupt me at any moment...because you, my loves, are far more important to me than this blog."

But they already knew that.




*Quote from the article written by Jennifer Mendelsohn, published in the New York Times, March 12, 2010.














40 comments:

~kiMbeRLy~ said...

you tell 'em Lula!!!

SaraPlaysHouse.com said...

AMEN.
It is clearly obvious that this reporter hasn't a clue about the blogging world. A person on the outside will never be able to truly "get it".
You, my friend, GET IT.
XOXOX
The Democrat that thinks your Conservative butt ROCKS.

Busy Bee Lauren said...

I love you! And I am so happy we found each other through blogging. I was just talking to Ted today over dinner, how much I love you.

CynthiaK said...

A great post. A way to go taking the positive perspective - showing the love!

That's what being a momblogger (and a SITSta!) is all about.

Stay happy. :)

The Deal Fanatic said...

I love this post Lulu,
For many reasons. I started blogging personally years ago before it was "the thing" to do and became a monetizing fortune (which I'm not knocking). I couldn't for the life of me get my family and friends to connect in this manner. Wish I knew then what I know now. I've always been very personal but because of my up brining I was always told..."don't talk to strangers" so it didn't even occur to me to share my blogging & internet love with others that had the same interest. Funny right. This was also 6 years or so ago when I initially started.

I have since created a monetizing blog but I long for the days of just blogging being a place to share. Not a place to make a living. A place to connect and be free. I'm sure there are many bloggers out there that do. You are fabulous by the way. But for me now, watching executives come in and make "this special" place yet again a place with political chaos...it drives me crazy! I'm sure I might strike a nerve writing this but I have so much to say and my "coupon blog" never seems the platform for such discussion. But oh do I have much to say. Wishing you and your readers a blessed week and year!!

By the way, my coupon blog was created not to make money but to share what I already do. Finding out that you can make money from blogging was just icing on the cake. Now if we can just make the drama chaos & cat fights go away...all will be good again. :-)

The Deal Fanatic said...

Love my SITStas...my place to unwind!!

Lisa said...

Through you, I connected with some "mommy bloggers" and was introduced to the genius that is SITS. Though I'm not a blogger (well, not a consistent one), I have a friend who is a SAHM with a blog, Nilsen Life. She has a Master's degree in literature and is incredibly intelligent with a great writing voice. She wanted to do more with her blog, and I pointed her in the direction of SITS. She was at the conference you speak of, and I believe she has been really blessed with the support and interaction with SITS.

Why should my friend live in a bubble just because she has kids? Is it a betrayal to her kids if she interacts with adults during the day? If she is encouraged and strengthened by other mothers going through the same thing? If she can get in touch with her educated, intelligent side and feel fulfilled? Wouldn't that make her a BETTER mother? I can't see how this writer can criticize mommy bloggers. Unfortunately, sometimes women are still the ones keeping each other down.

Heather said...

First of all...

ADORABLE picture!!! I love your family.

And I love my family. Which is why this article vexes me so.

I'm intimately aware of the sacrifices we've made for them. Including putting aside our hobby to be with them.

Mommy Boots (formerly KarmaPearl) said...

The article didn't bother me in the slightest. Didn't ruffle my feathers. Just another off-base, snarky newspaper article meant to piss people off and unfortunately it's working. I chose to kind of ignore it and not let it bug me. Good for you for supporting the ladies of SITS! SITS is wonderful and has connected me with people whose blogs I may never have found!

Amy said...

YAY, Lula!!

I've missed you :)

Scary Mommy said...

I love your take on this. xox

Shannon said...

If it weren't for Tiffany & Heather, I never would have joined SITS.

If I'd never joined SITS, I would never have met you.

WE WIN.

Clearly.

Jen said...

This post is perfect.

John Deere Mom said...

Sing it, sister!

Heather said...

Ditto to what Shannon said.

I am proud to be a mommy blogger.

I love that we can "meet" on the internet, and travel hundreds of miles to meet in real life, and love each other just as much in person.

Of course, I love my mini-van, too. I am so "not cool".

Oh, well.

I'd rather be real.

Mayhem and Moxie said...

Our time in Phoenix is going to be a fun-filled, not-stop make-out session. I can't wait to see you!!

It is kinda funny that it took an article in the NYT for me to stand up and shout to the world how much I love my blog friends. I mean, I've always known, but this has really made me much more committed than ever.

xo

S Club Mama said...

Well, Lula my dear, you have written another lovely post. Thank you for standing up for what blogging is about. Because as far as I know, even the women who have a brand and make money (speaking of the ones I know), it's still about making connections and friendships with those that we have some common interest (be it kids, religion, The Hunger Games, The Bachelor...whatever). And I totally rock my mini-van!

High Heeled Mama said...

Very well written!

SouthernDogwoods said...

Amen! I loved reading your post! Said perfectly!

Karen M. Peterson said...

I have a hard time defining my blog, too. It's just about me and whatever I feel like writing about. But that's what I love about the blogging world. I love the random and the unexpected. I love visiting one of my friends and not having any idea what they're going to be talking about but knowing it's going to be wonderful and brilliant.

Oh, and that article was amazingly condescending.

And, seriously? How can anyone NOT love LOST? It's a mystery.

Unknown said...

A few things:
Tell Scotty I like his Oakleys
(hides)

#2- that woman is a biatch

#3
Random musings from this head full of useless information?
Love it
*I love Jason Statham more than you?
VERY true
*Is there a bigger Sci-Fi lover than me?
NO
*How is it even possible that you don't watch Lost? Give me time. I just found gossip girl
*Southern belles who have tattoos and wear blue nail polish and hot pink Converse high-tops? YES PLEASE

Live.Love.Eat said...

And
I
Salute
You!!!!!!

Didn't know about the article until now. Love your views, always!

Anonymous said...

i love that you call it an electronic scrapbook cause thats exactly how i imagine blogs. and if they make money in the process thats great but it's not necessary.

PS tell scott those sandals are HOT especially when paired with oakleys! ;) he loves us!

Ashton Dene' said...

I kind of teared up reading this (I've been emotional lately, forgive me) because it is so true. Blogging has lead me to some amazing people who I would have never called my friend, but now couldn't imagine not talking to.

Love it.

x, ash

Trish said...

I love you.

the end.


PS. People make money from their blog? Crap....where have I been?

Unknown said...

Love you.and I feel like I've known you foreverrrrr! In real life :) and now in blog life! You are one of my favorites! Xo-

Unknown said...

Love you.and I feel like I've known you foreverrrrr! In real life :) and now in blog life! You are one of my favorites! Xo-

Unknown said...

Love you.and I feel like I've known you foreverrrrr! In real life :) and now in blog life! You are one of my favorites! Xo-

Vicki said...

Who still reads the New York Times?

Vicki said...

Ok, I just read the article. I think it's fair to mommy bloggers overall. It presents both sides of the argument and provides both views. What's bothersome is her treatment of Heather in the first paragraphs. It doesn't complement the rest of the article. The article starts out sounding like a jealous outsider who doesn't get blogging. Then she admits she has a blog. Maybe she's of the camp that blogging should remain a natural, PR-free zone. I haven't looked at her blog to see if she has any advertising on it. But she does present the other side (albeit briefly) at the end that mothers can be productive, express their creativity and still be there when their kids get home. She mentions that blogging used to be like an electronic scrapbook but that it's grown to be so much more now. I'm guessing that she meant her writing to be "controversial" to get comments from both sides. That type of controversy would boost her popularity at the paper as a writer. Fortunately, the mommy blogging world and SITS as a community is a strong entity not dependent upon affirmation from petty articles like this.

Janet said...

Oh my that NYT lady is LAME. I may severly dislike her now. Whatever. You and your blog are awesome. Please continue your happiness. I will continue my happiness in reading your blog.....and by your books suggestions.

Andi said...

Awesome post!

Unknown said...

Good for you for reminding folks that the children and the husband are #1 ... not the blog ... I look forward to more honesty out of your mouth :-) thnaks! Oh, and I am visiting from SITS- Stop by my place when you get the chance- and yippee I am now following you :-)

Seizing My Day said...

Yep... I am pretty sure that reporter is neither a parent nor a blogger... and there fore ignorant on both subjects! ... she is probably feeling threatened b/c we write and gain 'readers'... blogging is a new form of journalism... it threatens her job security! ha ha!

Seizing My Day said...

Yep... I am pretty sure that reporter is neither a parent nor a blogger... and there fore ignorant on both subjects! ... she is probably feeling threatened b/c we write and gain 'readers'... blogging is a new form of journalism... it threatens her job security! ha ha!

SunshineBarlowe.com said...

I just went back and read this..wow lula.. I must really love you. I posted 3x's. ha ha

Tiffany said...

How did I miss this one?

Bless it. Love it. Surround it in a hedge of prayer. {Did I say that right?}

You are hands down one of the most fabulous things blogging has brought into my life.

PERIOD. {Your specialty.}

Anonymous said...

I may severly dislike her now. Whatever. You and your blog are awesome. Please continue your happiness. I will continue my happiness in reading your blog.
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