This is sort of a response to a recent post over at A Modern Mother called The Sate of British Mummy Blogging 2009 and predictions for 2010. It shouldn’t be interpreted as an attack however. Just an alternative point of view. And I promise I’m not sulking just because she said “Mummy and not “Parent”. This also isn’t a judgment about how anyone else chooses to write their blog.
Despite that caveat however I suspect that I’m still going to get jumped on and shouted at, but here goes:
There is currently a lot of hype in the UK parent blogger scene surrounding the growing influence and power of bloggers. People are pointing to the vultures circling print media and citing it as evidence that blogging will lead the way in the new world order. That blogs will become as widely read as newspapers and will be the new source of information in the internet age.
Which lets face it, is bollocks.
Ultimately blog audiences are very small. I, for example, am currently placed at number ten on the Tots 100 index, so theoretically I am the tenth most read and influential UK parent blogger. Last month I was even at number 4. Yet according to my statcounter the average number of unique hits I get a day is 88. Feedburner says that I have just over 200 subscribers. These aren’t statistics that are going to have The Sunday Times quivering in its boots.
Blogging is dying if anything. Maybe not the UK parenting blogs, but certainly in general. Twitter has killed, or at least seriously injured, a number of great blogs, from Raging Dad to Mere Bagatell, and I’m sure it will kill many more. And when people get bored of twitter, they will move onto the next thing – just like they have left blogging.
I may well be one of them. I may well abandon this blog and become a hardcore user of Flingding, or Beepaboop, or whatever social media trend is round the next corner. Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging and for the moment I’m happy enough pottering about in the blogosphere, blathering away about whatever happens to catch my fancy. The world of blogging is still very exciting to me, and still has a multitude of wonderful possibilities (take my brand new blog Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club for example. *plug plug*). But I’m not naive enough to think I’ll still be doing this thirty years from now – I’ll be far too busy playing on my hover-board and eating my dinner in tablet form for that sort of stuff.
I can’t help feeling that all this hype is just an enormous artificially inflated bubble. That the reality is that the only people reading blogs are the other bloggers. There may be over 800 members of the British Mummy Bloggers Network, and those bloggers may all have 200 subscribers each. But that does not translate into 160,000 readers because all of these people are simply reading each other. Lets face it, Bloggers aren’t going to be impressed by your positive review of the new clothing range at NEXT, because just last week they got offered the same £25 voucher to review it too.
Just as a way of an experiment, if you are reading this and don’t have a blog of your own raise your hand to be counted in the comments section. I will be very interested to see the ratio of non-bloggers reading this, but I suspect it will be under 20%.
As you may know, this spring Think Parents gave me a blu-ray player and a bunch of Disney disks to review. And every month or so they send a few more for me to take a look at. There is no way on earth that my reviews have made Disney back the money they have spent on me. No possible way. Even Dad Who Writes’ excellent UNISON metaphor post doesn’t convince me (as a quick aside: that UNISON post is also very relevant to an discussion Tysdaddy and I were having over on his blog. I’ve said it before, but I nominate Dad Who Writes for International President of the Internet)
So my prediction for 2009 is that this whole PR explosion and blogging hype is going to die a death, and the medium will return to the grass roots sub-culture from which it emerged (albeit with significantly increased numbers). Companies will realize that they could reach an equivalently sized audience if they set up a small stall outside the Packhorse shopping centre in Huddersfield, and then begin to wonder why they are bothering. I’m not saying that it’s a good thing, and I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing. And I know I’m certainly going to take advantage of it while it’s still here. I’ve abused my position on the Tot’s 100 to pries £190 out of PRs in aid of The Joseph Salmon Trust this month alone, and what’s more have managed to maintain a feeling of integrity – hurrah!
But this blogging is bigger than jesus thing is a bubble; and bubbles tend to burst.
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Rosie Scribble´s last blog ..Wish you were here?
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I too blog for the community of it, and would certainly carry on without the freebies (as you knw, I’m still not sure I even WANT the freebies). But I’m interested that you agree that there is a bubble
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Twitter surprised me with how great it was as a conference call, but it’s very different from blogging. Time spent on Twitter means less time to write or to read favorite blogs, but what attracts people to good blogs can only be found on good blogs.
When it comes to blogs replacing “real media,” I have to say I get to watch the news during the day, but most of my news comes from The Huffington Post.
And for now, everything is mixed.
A couple of months ago, a poll appeared on Facebook, asking people if they thought President Obama should be shot because he was trying to reform health care.
A blogger wrote a post about it and added screen shots on her blog. She then wrote about it on Twitter. It got so much buzz on Twitter, that all TV stations mentioned it and the blogger was interviewed on CNN, where her blog was mentioned. Now everyone knew about the story. And no one would have known about it without one of these: a blog, Twitter, CNN.
I don’t see how newspapers can survive unless they move online, though.
And I bet that even with 88 daily readers, Disney sees it as worthwhile, you know?
People in the Sun´s last blog ..Speaking of Bottom-Loading Water Coolers,
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I take your point about getting news from the Huffington Post, but in my oppinion that stopped being a true “blog” a long time ago. Certainly my own deffinition of a blog anyhow. Sure, it’s not a traditional print media type of thing, but it’s closer to that than it is to my blog.
And i take your point about the facebook story. But it was a non story really, a bit of filler rahter thna hard news. Although I’m sure hard news has been broken via blogs too.
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
There is 1% though, and I’m probably rounding up, that break through the circular blogging thing and get read by a reasonable proportion of the surfing public.
These tend to be in the social commentary or a specialty genre, which ‘parenting’ or ‘mummying’ is not.
Martin´s last blog ..The kraampakket
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
The exception of course is Boin boing, which manages to still feel like a community (although not one i feel part of)
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Martin Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 2:48 am
Martin´s last blog ..The kraampakket
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I would argue that once the writer stops knowing who 75% of their audience are then the blog morphs into an online magazine rather than a blog.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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Martin Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I think one plus point of blogs for advertisers is it’s cheap. Throw in the one in a hundred possibility that they jump on one of the blogs that breaks through to the serious numbers, then they have a real return on a small outlay.
But it’s hit and miss, playing with numbers and taking a chance that one will pay off.
Martin´s last blog ..The kraampakket
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I suppose my response would be that blogs may very well be a dead end for marketers – but if they colonize people’s creativity in the name of brands on blogs, whatever media follows will go the same way. Blogs aren’t threatened – independent, thoughtful, unmediated expression is – or the consumption of same. Think about the imminent arrival of product placement as a means of funding TV and the influence that gives advertisers, for example.
And I agree that it seems to be the same people talking to each other and trying to build an audience. At some point, that really is going to cause a massive Weimar style inflation cycle and then everything will go back to normal…
dadwhowrites´s last blog ..A night with little elf and her ear infection
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
DAD WHO WRITES FOR PRESIDENT!!
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
http://www.weimarbicyclerepair.com/
You are officially cleverer than google.
DAD WHO WRITES FOR PRESIDENT!!
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dadwhowrites Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 12:03 am
dadwhowrites´s last blog ..A night with little elf and her ear infection
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
When we posted at http://www.havealovelytime.com about the Frankfurt Motor Show, we were able, through Facebook and Twitter and other means to drive the traffic to that post up to around 10,000 hits. So the numbers are there – they aren’t being measured by a table though.
While these figures won’t ever rival the massive readership of a national newspaper’s website, what they offer is a selected audience that have already bought into the ethos of your blog and likely to be interested in the sorts of products or services that PRs are aiming to target at their chosen group, in this case parents. The ripple effect of a chain of conversation – the much sought after ‘word of mouth’ is what the PRs are after and they know bloggers are more likely to have the trust of their readers than a newspaper, because they have worked harder to build up a following and so on. I don’t think this will die out at all and as advertising budgets are shrunk, I think such strategies will increase.
Personally I’d love to see more diverse voices in blogging and in parent blogging – take a step back and it can all seem pretty self-indulgent, and very, very middle class as mums find time to blog while other people clean their houses. I don’t suppose the lady holding down three jobs has time to do it somehow.
Linda´s last blog ..Please help me raise money for children with cancer
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
And while others may get more readers than me, I would still argue that they are still from that same pool of people. Those 800 bloggers in a huge circle jerk (pardon my french).
I certainly don’t “trust” many reviews and promotions featured on blogs. Especially as I’ve often also received the bribing PR pitch offering vouchers, which strangely don’t seem to get mentioned on the post (despite a “blogging with integrity” badge). Take that Robinson’s panto promotion for example. I wonder why it is that various people are so frantic that people join in.
You’re right that blogging is a very self indulgent middle class (or at least lower middle class) platform. Much like twitter is. Facebook is the social media of choice for the working class (wow! huge sweeping generalisations here).
to be honest you may well be right about it all, you certainly are a lot more media savy than me. But then again it is in your interest for this not to be a bubble, so my opinion on your opinion is tempered by that :).
Lets all meet up in the year 2011 and find out.
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dadwhowrites Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 12:07 am
dadwhowrites´s last blog ..A night with little elf and her ear infection
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
The problem is not what people are reading, but that they are even reading at all. A blog just can’t compete with TV and radio for all the lazy people out there who want their Entertainment-Sports-Weather (in that order) laid out for their eyeballs at the end of the day.
Blogging has to remain a personal creative outlet, and a way to join the global conversation among like-minded parents (and homeschoolers, in my case). Any other expectation will lead to a slow burnout.
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Dan Reply:
December 12th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Blogging and twittering has become big news because the people who actually produce the news are doing it. All these media types are hyping up the medium to an extent far greater than it’s reality. Facebook is a phenomenon I grant you – but bloging and twitter – maybe it’s all pervasive for the cultural hipsters, but the majority of society the internet is for porn, facebook, and breaking copyright laws.
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Idaho Dad Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 12:56 am
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
Yeah it’s definitely in my interest to see blogging as important and influential and don’t forget it’s also something that helps me earn a living – one of the reasons audiences have been said to move to blogs over ‘old media’ is because papers don’t listen and don’t repsond etc – and bloggers do. As a reader I prefer genuine heartfelt voices and discovering beautiful writing and a sense of community through blogging has been a revelation. Blogs are also filling gaps not filled by mainstream media in terms of support for specific groups – that’s why my blog was set up in the first place and that’s why communities and sections of society can find a new voice in blogging – which is brilliant. I really hope that this doesn’t die out and can’t see why it would.
But yes the ‘parent blogging community as a circle jerk’ – I can entirely see what you mean.
For me a blog is any site produced through blogging software and I wouldn’t know where to draw the line and think about what was and what wasn’t a blog!
Hey don’t forget LinkedIn :) I once interviewed a businessman in Europe and he said that when he looked me up on LinkedIn and couldn’t see me, he wondered whether I existed or not!
I think having read what you’ve written and what I’ve written in the comments there is plenty you say here that I agree with – there are plenty of people in the parenting blogging ‘community’ who have never read my blog and have no intention of doing so. I’m a nosey old so and so and look at plenty. Good day to you and all the best. x
Linda´s last blog ..Please help me raise money for children with cancer
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Kerry has an account there though.
As for the agreeing thing – no we dont!! (oh ok, we do).
Good day to you too madam.
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
cartside´s last blog ..Winter in Pollok Country Park
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 12th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:42 am
However, you’re right – it doesn’t allow for the depth and involvement of blogging, and will never replace it for me.
Thanks for raising your hand :)
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:10 am
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am
Thanks for raising your hand:)
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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frank Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:33 am
rachel pattisson´s last blog ..Lyrics As You’d Never Imagined Them
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:30 am
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:45 am
However, I’ve been a journalist for many years, and I’m not exactly expressing a surprising opinion when I say that times have never been worse for the traditional media (except the BBC). Whichever way you slice it, there’s just a lot less money in it than there used to be. I suppose it’s possible some individual bloggers may grab a slice of that diminishing advertising pie, especially if they are former media workers who bring skills and contacts with them into the blogosphere. But they will be few and far between. And they won’t be able to retire on what they make.
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:53 am
But, reading “the same post over and over again” by other parent bloggers creates a buzz, or at least puts the product into enough heads, and that’s exactly what the PR people are looking for.
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:57 am
but I don’t think two posts (and two comments) in two years counts… does it? :)
But please, DO continue! You may have less readers than the Tasmanian Mercury, but you’re a far more interesting and entertaining read!
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:17 am
And thanks for raising your hand :)
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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essgeethree Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Hope it all works out for you; I love the place!
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 1:34 am
media in general are of course more likely to comment on blogs as well. We are more comfortable with entering a conversation. I would guess that most of my readers don’t blog. But the ones that comment do (or they are related to me). However some of that may be that I straddle the crafty world as well with a lot of readers coming through the ultimate in social media… Ravelry (facebook for knitters).
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:15 am
You think those guys would read my blog? I wear woolen jumpers occasionally, so that’s relevant right?
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 8:16 am
A Modern Mother´s last blog ..The state of British Mummy Blogging 2009 and predictions for 2010
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Just out of interest, how are you getting that absolute unique visitor stat? With my stat counter it counts you as unique if you haven’t visited my blog within the last hour.
And as for the “Mummy” vs “Parent” thing; that’s another post all in itself. I’m a strong believer that the word “PC” is completely interchangeable with the word “polite”. I give you that there aren’t many situations in this world where men are marginalized, but parenting is certainly one of them. How would it be if I set up a British Senior Management Network saying – “Don’t let the name fool you, some of our members have boobies!!”. I’m sure that the marginalization of fathers is not what you intended, but language is a powerful tool.
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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dadwhowrites Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:19 am
On A Modern Mummy’s assertions – well, she would say that, wouldn’t she?
BUT
(Sorry, running on here) I wonder how much it has to do with work status? I can afford to be sniffy because my blog is entirely about me and my concerns – I have a fultime day job and have limited attention to pay to blogging. I’d rather be writing than marketing it. Whereas the act of blogging for a lot of SAHMs or SAHDs seems to be as much about the building of an audience as a potential commercial base as the writing and conversing. I’d say audience building/writing concerns are about 20%/80% with me.
How about you?
dadwhowrites´s last blog ..A night with little elf and her ear infection
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:39 am
However, I am actively pursuing new readers – mainly because the more readers I get the more coverage the walk next year may possibly get. This is cold, and cynical I know, and to be honest it doesn’t sit well with me, but I justify it by the fact that it’s for a good cause rather than personal gain. And also I still am only connecting with people I find interesting and pleasant – I’m just trying to find more of them than i may have done otherwise.
I would say that my audience building/writing concerns are probably at around 30%/70%.
Dan´s last blog ..An Alternative State of British Parent Blogging 2009
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SingleParentDad Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
And I think this may be my favourite of your bashings, how I love to be thrashed by you, more, harder.
SingleParentDad´s last blog ..Sorting out the Christmas tool kit
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 11:08 am
Media companies are watching and waiting – experimenting too – blogs are still quite trendy hence the interest is exaggerated
The general view is that blogs and social media won’t work alone, but they will be part of an ‘integrated audience strategy.’
Media companies don’t really care about readership – it is only a means to an end – what they really care about is RESPONSE – and the open question is ‘ can blogs lead to more economic sales and product awareness.’ Sometimes the strategy is a reach a large audience, but not always – targeting your advertising is the most effective way to spend your budget – and it is this possibility that is behind a lot of the interest from agencies.
A big limiter to the potential of blogs is the poor content on most of them.
We also need more effective ways to download – be interesting to see what happens when tablet readers become more popular.
So in short – we need to wait and see – my money is on a limited role for blogs in popular media, but perhaps a greater role in specialist interest groups, academics and hobbyists.
Mark´s last blog ..Winter reflections
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I mean absolutely no offense to those who have decided to take up PR offers, for whatever reason, but I too get pretty disallusioned and bored of seeing nine posts about putting on a panto or buying a pack of Pampers or enrolling my child in a beauty pageant, err, ‘modelling competition’ for Next. It industrialises blogging in such a way that I no longer feel it’s a grassroots community but a free-for-all goodie bag grab, with stats and page rankings and number of comments mattering more than the quality of writing and unique content. That makes me sad.
And while I agree with what you (or was it Dad Who Writes?) to a certain extent when you talk about the intersectionality of class and work status as it relates to the time dedicated to blogging (i.e. the typical PR-totin’ mummy blogger is a middle class SAHM) and how that effects one’s expectations or hopes of what a blog can become or what kind of revenue it can generate, I think we have to be careful not to denigrate parents who are “hiring cleaners so they can blog more” or suggesting that their aims are more materialistic or simplistic because they are trying to make an income from it (though I am still unconvinced that more than a handful are actually making any real money from it, comparable to time spent producing and marketing it).
As for the term “mummy blogging” being exclusive and potentially marginalising, I fully agree. It is, in my opinion, harmful to make ‘parenting’ synonymous with mothers. Just as we wouldn’t like it if a business network assumed that all or nearly all of those interested or getting involved would be men (as per your example), it perpetuates unhelpful stereotypes to pigeonhole writing about parenting as the exlusive realm of mothers. That said, the fact is that, at present, women DO perform the majority of childcare and domestic duties so it’s sort of understandable that it feels like mainly a mothers’ thing and a way for them to bond together in what is an onerous and often unthankful task.
Personally, I’ve never liked being called a ‘mummy blogger’ because I didn’t start my blog to write about being a ‘mummy’, but a person who happens to have children and likes to write about them or the act of raising them sometimes, but who also likes and writes about many other things. But I don’t mind one jot if that’s what other people want to call themselves, or me, I suppose. All that matters is what I call myself and that’s a Writer.
Noble Savage´s last blog ..Letter to self, age 11
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Yup. That’s what really saddens me about how many blogs are going. And to a certain extent how my own blog is going, much as I keep fighting it I keep getting sucked back in.
As for gender stereotypes: I spend half my week being primary carer for my children, and the other half as a nurse – so can get a little sensitive around those issues :)
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
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Craig Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
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on Dec 13th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
another non-blogging and totally childless reader here, I am neither on Facebook nor do I twitter. I have a life of my own and read good blogs like I read books or magazines, though there are few that manage to keep me interested past the second post – whether it’s about parenting, fighting depression, or weight-loss. (The Top Three in blogging? And I am not a mummy or depressed or overweight. Boring.)
And I think it’s true that bloggers read other bloggers, I don’t know anybody else who doesn’t blog and reads about other peoples lives on blogs the way I do. The Blogosphere is a world apart, and it’s not that huge.
I don’t think I “know” the people whose blogs I read and don’t assume we’d hit it off right away, but there are some I can imagine having a beer with, if the opportunity arose. So look out, if I ever happen to be in the Huddersfield-area, I’ll totally stalk you.
And now I’m off to google maps, to check it out…
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Dan Reply:
December 13th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Thanks for raising your hand.
I never considered there being a top three blog topics, but you are probably spot on with your list.
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 2:15 am
I almost, almost agree with you. But not quite.
Let’s say British blogs are a circle jerk. Let’s assume many of them are only read by members of the BMB network (and who other question, when did “Mummy blogger” and “BMB member” become synonymous by the way? That’s a slightly dodgy assumption). Let’s assume many of them get 100 readers a day.
So what? If you’re a new parent looking to connect with other parents, or you’re a stay-at-home Dad or a single parent or any other sort of parent – then who cares if the people commenting are bloggers or not? Does it invalidate the experience? Does it make the blog less worthy of being read? Of course not.
What you’re arguing really, I think, is that PR agencies are somehow going to ‘come to their senses’ and realise that parent blogs aren’t a cost-effective marketing medium. Sorry, I talk to PR agencies on a weekly basis and have been tracking this for several years now, and I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
One of the first lessons of PR is that you don’t make friends with editors. You make friends with junior reporters. They’ll be grateful for help from a friendly PR and in five years’ time when they’re editing a section at the FT, they’ll still be your friend.
To an extent, that’s what we’re seeing in parent blogging. The PR agencies know full well that blogs are getting 100 readers a day, and that many of the audience is shared across blogs. They’re not stupid! But they’re looking to what’s happened overseas and they’re taking a punt that the same sort of thing will happen here – and let’s face it, it’s much easier to make friends with the bloggers now, while they’re ‘junior reporters’.
Let’s also remember that blogs are cheap. Sending £1,000 of product to 50 bloggers is nothing to most companies, who might spend twice that on a single press release. Rather than spending £10k on an SEO agency, the PR agency can send out £500 of vouchers and get links on blogs, which have a natural advantage in search engine rankings.
The companies I talk to on a daily basis also tell me that an audience of 100+ a day is considered acceptable for PR purposes – because the audience is so very targeted and engaged (see Linda’s comments, which are pretty on the button). Working with bloggers to get feedback on your products or services is also about 5% of the cost of a focus panel, let’s not forget. Silver Cross became the stuff of PR legend with its £500 lunch for parent bloggers.
Ultimately, I think your view of PR is overly simplistic. Believe me, the PRs know the score. And they’re mercurial enough that they’re not going to spend money unless they think it’s worth it.
Yes, the market will evolve and mature and consolidate and I suspect we’ll see an emergence of ‘premium’ blogs that take a more professional approach to blogging while you’ll have many ‘hobby’ blogs that are more akin to the early, grass roots blogs. And PR will naturally gravitate over time to the premium blogs. But as we enter 2010, nobody quite knows which blogs are going to go which way – so the PRs are taking a pragmatic approach and backing as many horses as they can. And actually, so long as nobody is spending too much money, I think it’s the smartest approach.
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 8:46 am
And you are right of course – Mummy blogger and BMB member are not the same thing, but it’s an easy source of stats for numbers.
I do take your point about the SEO though, in fact simple linkage is the way that I’ve got 50% of the donations to the charity (although I’m not sure if Google would approve of that).
I also recognise that my knowledge of PR is very limited – confined as it is to the ubiquitous Media Studies degree I half heartedly attended thirteen years ago. But I would also argue that you are one of the individuals who is financially benefiting from all this hype, and also one of the key players perpetuating it. So again, my opinion on your opinion is slightly tempered – just as it is with Linda and A Modern Mother’s.
As it’s been pointed out, we don’t now what the future brings. But I still think i’m right and you’re wrong :p
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 6:05 am
A Free Man´s last blog ..The ice is thick and my feet are clamped, I know how my cards are stacked
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 8:52 am
But the power comes from a tight community, not on the blog’s influence outside that community. which is why any pitch by PR companies is ultimately on pitching to a very small number of people who are certainly becoming cynical about such pitches.
As for political power in the short term in the UK there may be possibly some potential influence, as the blogosphere is very hyped here at the moment and it’s coming up to an election. But once the hype dies down that too will go – and it was only ever going to be manifesto promises anyhow rather than real change.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 11:22 am
One.
(I don’t have a blog, but I read yours, and several others’)
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Blogging will continue for those who enjoy the blogging aspect of it. Those looking to make a quick buck will leave. The PRs will move onto the next big thing. As a bit of a techno phobe, I don’t do the twitter thing (where do people find the time?), am not on face book (ditto) but see myself blogging in one way or another for a long time. That said, I do like the community aspect, so if that was to disappear then my enthusiasm may wane a little too.
Those who don’t blog are far less likely to comment too. They need to register, leave their names, email addresses blah blah. All too much hassle. I never commented before I had a blog. Ever.
Brit In Bosnia´s last blog ..A Dog’s Life
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
I would have thought that the attraction for PR companies at present will be to develop further learning about how (and whether) blogs and blogging can be used for effective marketing in the future, not to gain immediate returns.
Anyway – what do I know, I dont have one of those fancy pants media studies degrees.
Sam´s last blog ..Seasons
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
People are able to get that community kick a lot easier, and this is having an impact. Not in the UK parent blogger community true – that’s still growing. But ultimately it will tail off as well.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Holmes´s last blog ..Oh Right
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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Holmes Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Holmes´s last blog ..Oh Right
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I am not sure who the PR people are trying to reach when they get bloggers to advertise for them as, like you said, most readers are other bloggers who have either been offered or have seen the same pitch over and over. Its dull and repetitive and does not make me want to buy stuff. Plus we are all aware that they have been paid to write it and so there goes your trust, regardless of how many ‘integrity’ buttons they put on their blogs. I wouldn’t trust anyone that was paid to review something.
As Linda pointed out, yes this is exactly what happens when they review hotels or ski resorts or some such in newspapers and they don’t have to add disclaimers but to me blogs are different. At least I want them to be different.
Is it a bubble? I believe so, it must be, the majority of readers are other bloggers who are no doubt growing jaded and pee’d off with the amount of advertisments spreading through it in a world that is already filled to the brim with them. There are very few none-bloggers that read and therefore the total reach of all the bmb bloggers put together can surely be only a couple of hundred over the 800 members (and i’ll bet most of those are other bloggers that just dont happen to be members). so that’s a thousand bloggers/readers in a giant circle of advertising to each other. where’s the reach? where’s the diversity of people? As for when it will burst, as bubble are wont to do, I guess we will just have to wait and see.
I for one am hoping it’s sooner rather than later and i can get back to reading good blogs without commercial intrusion.
Heather´s last blog ..Liar, liar, pants on fire!
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Bingo. That sums it up exactly for me, which is why i can come across as a bit of a crank on these issues. A hypocritical crank, as I’ve bent over and grabbed my ankles for the PR companies too.
But even if I wasn’t a crank i think I’d still believe the same. That this bubble will burst at some point.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
If I can’t find a network of “mommy” bloggers without looking really hard for them I have to question their influence.
I have joined left and rejoined BMB and have dipped into other Ning networks but they don’t seem to have much purpose other than driving traffic to their founders sites. With the exception of a Scottish photography Ning where members have no interest in linking to any external site, they are forced communities… with rictus grins.
I’ve always blogged for myself. I treat it the same as I treated that purple notebook I carried round with me for years until I was 18… except I let people read my blog. And it has photos.
MrsW´s last blog ..He made it!!!
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I don’t blog for myself if I’m honest. I blog for Greg and Whit and Xbox and Singleparentdad and Erin and Jo and Lee and Arjan and every other person who I’ve got listed in my blogroll. but the key is that I blog fro my friends, not for an audience.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
*goes back to read rest of post*
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I agree with Sally, Rosie Scribble, A Modern Mother, Linda and Single Parent Dad. Hell I agree with most of what’s written above me. But not all of it.
As far as my own interaction with PRs goes – well, I turn down requests all day, every day. And I see no sign of PR interest abating – not for the immediate future, anyway. People are talking to me about things for next summer.
If people don’t like my blogs (either of them – like many on here, I have more than one) move on, read something else. That’s the beauty of the web. You don’t have to read it, and I won’t be offended if you don’t.
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Again, the people who are agreeing that blogging is this a medium driving forward a new age in marketing are the people who have a vested interest in that being true.
I agree, the immediate future shows no sign of the onslaught stopping. The bubble will continue to inflate. But it’s going to pop at some time.
As for individual blogs, I wasn’t really passing comment on those. but you are right, people will read what they like and not read what they don’t.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
However, it will eventually settle out – as Sally says, into premium and hobby bloggers – but also probalby niche blogs too. The best bloggers will probalby also be paid more regularly to write blogs directly for some of the big brands – it’s such a useful tool for driving traffic.
As an ex-PR person myself, I do think some of this might be, as Sally says, investing in making friends in the early days. However, I also think a lot of PRs do it because it’s very easy to appear to get a client ‘coverage’ for low cost and it’s in their interests to play up the blogs influence for this reason. Clients were always whingey sods who were never happy so anything to keep them quiet must seem like heaven sent.
Then again, I’m probably just horribly cynical and scarred from years of putting up with needy clients and angry journos!
Dawn/LittleGreenFingers´s last blog ..Kirstie Allsopp, gilded pears and telly rage
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
And there will be premium bloggers who start doing it professionally too – just like Whit over there in my own blog roll. But the premium blogs won’t be trusted as impartial, certainly not by me at any rate.
I’m very interested in the point you make about PR’s possibly hyping the influence of blogs in order to keep their clients happy.
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 14th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Liz (LivingwithKids)´s last blog ..Our magical Christmassy trip to Disneyland Paris
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Dan Reply:
December 14th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Dan´s last blog ..Sunday Morning Uketube
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on Dec 15th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I spend enough time reading them without actually writing my own.
Besides, it would get incredibly stressy trying to be as funny/touching/angry/entertaining etc. as fellow bloggers – because it seems that although many people claim to be writing ‘for themselves’ there does seem to be a competitive edge out there.
Oh, and check out Bridgetown in Western Australia. Beautiful, not hot and on the mainland!
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on Dec 15th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
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on Dec 15th, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Seattledad´s last blog ..Accelerated Depreciation
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on Dec 17th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I don’t blog.
I bake!
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Dan Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 1:22 am
Dan´s last blog ..Hey ho, lets go! Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club
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on Dec 17th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Especially as one who has turned her hand to some PR, social media, training and the dreaded “consultancy” to diversify and survive.
I think that overall as I said in my earlier comments, blogging is here to stay and so is the PR interest in it.
Perhaps what is needed on the part of PRs who are seeking to find ‘influencers’ is more diligent research as to whether their target blogger is going to be open to their suggestions/requests.
I also think that there’s some misunderstanding among bloggers as to what’s advertising, what’s PR and what’s sales! PR is not a direct sales tool and should fit in with a wider marketing strategy. Brands ‘engaging’ with bloggers are most interested in building communities around their products and the word of mouth that can generate.
Anyway, I’ve gone on a bit but I just read this and it reminded me of the discussion here:
I thought it was interesting:
http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2009/12/16/doing-less-with-less-what-are-you-willing-to-give-up-from-journalism/#ixzz0Zy4kizQE
Especially this highlighted quote:
You want ethically impeccable writers? Then don’t expect them to have to hustle for a living. Don’t blame them for getting bought, let alone for the potential appearance of having previously been bought, when you’re too cheap to buy them yourself. … We are in tough Times. But stop pretending. The Times has lowered its standards. Lower standards are cheaper than high standards.
I suppose the point I’m making is that your assertion that the ‘media types’ have a vested interest’ in emphasising (or even possibly exaggerating?) the influence of blogs is an entirely reasonable one to make but if you think about it, it’s also a reason that blogging and its influence will continue to grow as more ‘media types’ as you call them turn their attention to blogging – through economic necessity.
Linda´s last blog ..Want a copy of The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World?
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Dan Reply:
December 18th, 2009 at 1:30 am
I do object to the increasing industrialization of blogging, and yearn for the days that it was an armature sport. But I know those days are (temporarily) gone. And I can’t blame people for trying to diversify and find income elsewhere.
And anyway, as is often said – if I don’t like the PR pushing blogs I don’t read them. But as the commercialization of blogs becomes almost the focus of many of the wider communities (the BMB network for example), I feel increasingly disenfranchised from them.
I also think the scope of blogs to grow in influence is limited. I think their peak time was in 2008 and they have been tailing off ever since. This British mummy thing has been a bit of a revival, but it too will tail off eventually.
I know that this reply hasn’t really addressed <emany of your points. But it’s late so it will have to do :)
Dan´s last blog ..Hey ho, lets go! Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club
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on Dec 21st, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Anyway, I enjoy your blog. I stumbled upon it through Daddy Scratches, one of my favorites.
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