The UK always seems to be a little behind the US in many innovations and after several years of BlogHer conferences in the US (for female bloggers) it was only on Saturday that the first conference for 'Mummy' Bloggers took place. And I went!
I have to admit that I wasn't totally sure about going. I mean, what with 2 boys, one on the way, a PhD thesis to write and the day to day grind of daily life, I am never going to have the time to be a 'pro' blogger. The seminar titles were not filling me with excitement either, 'working with brands' and 'growing your influence' is an important aspect of blogging for many bloggers, not so much for me. BUT, the conference was being arranged by some really great bloggers AND many many many of my favourite bloggers were going. So I couldn't resist.
And it was worth every penny. First up I met a little band of expat bloggers (Paradise Lost in Translation, Not Wrong, Just Different, Potty Diaries and Pig in the Kitchen), mainly from Eastern Europe who had all come over specifically for the conference. We'd bonded in the past, tales of ex-communist state bureaucracy, traumatic flights with children and missing the family and friends support base are common to our experience. But to meet them, in person, well that was special. If I could just remember their real names and resist calling them Potty, Paradise, Pig and Iota then I feel people would stop looking at me so strangely.
The conference was very enjoyable. The seminars I wasn't so interested in I skipped and ate cakes instead and the ones I attended were fascinating. But the highlight of the day was the bloggers themselves reading their best post. Sandy Calico's post about her relationship with her father left not a dry eye in the house.
I met bloggers, bloggers and more bloggers. Some I knew already, some I didn't. All were genuinely friendly, warm, funny people. What a privilege to be included.
There were also loads of PRs and brands promoting their products, which touches upon an issue that I have never understood. Whilst I will gratefully accept sackloads of their goodies (who knew I'd got rid of so much stuff after Luke grew out of it, I mean, we'd always said that we were going to have another baby so why I thought it a good plan to turf everything out I have no idea), I still don't really understand what is in it for them. Gappy, DeerBaby, Baking Mad Mamma The Sardine Tin and Modern Dilemma all had a conversation about it (Gappy participating in between demonstrating her exceedingly excellent knowledge of pop lyrics).
So my question is, for those of you who know about these things, why are Mummy Bloggers being courted so assiduously by PR people and those looking to promote their products? I understand that blogs allow the PR people to target their products at a niche market, most people who read blogs about being a Mummy are probably also parents themselves. I get that you feel that a blog read regularly feels like a friend and when a friend recommends something you are more likely to listen to what they have to say than a glossy advertising campaign. But, my previous blog, Brits in Bosnia, which had a modicum of success and even reached the dizzy heights of 13 (or something like that) on the Tots 100 index of popular parent bloggers only ever had about 120 people reading the blog a day at its height. That isn't very many. And herein lies my confusion. Most of my readers are other bloggers. Who exactly are the PR/marketers hoping to target? And surely a blogging campaign doesn't actually reach that many people?
Is it that the PR people aren't interested in how many people actually read the blogs? Are they more interested in having a post written by a 'real mother' sitting in the annals of Google? And in the future, when someone searches on one of their products, their search turns up a little post by someone normal and people are more likely to believe that than a PR release?
That said, I still gratefully accepted the bagloads of swag on offer. There was some useful stuff in there, especially for someone preparing to be surprised by the arrival of a new baby in October. Getting it back on the bus was a whole other story.
But thank you Susanna, Sian and Jennifer for having the idea and the energy to realise it. The conference was so amazing, it far exceeded my expectations of the day. I'll be there next year, no doubt about it.
Before I forget, the Inspirational British Mummy Bloggers Carnival has just gone live, hop on over to Living With Kids to read many of the bloggers I got to meet on Saturday. It's worth it.