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Welcome to the beginning of a new series and project that I’m working on. The majority of our clients and team members here at Easy Wahm Website can also be classified as “Mommy Bloggers,” whether we agree with that label or not, it’s how the internet identifies with us in a lot of cases.

Since I started the project, I figured it was only fair to throw the questions at myself as well, so I’ll get the ball rolling here with my personal blog, Just Not Martha, a blog that I’ve had for about 2 years now.

1. How did you come to have your “mommy blog”? Was it planned that way or did it just accidentally sort of happen?

When I originally bought the domain name I had the intention of creating a recipe site full of easy recipes that just about any one could make. While I still post recipes and accept recipe submissions from readers, the blog ended up turning into my own personal blog about family life, the kids, and just things in general, including the occasional rant. It took on a life and personality of it’s own.

2. Do you work outside the home or work from home? What are you currently working on?

I work full time from home and have since 2001. I’m currently focused on my transcription clients, and learning affiliate marketing.

3. Do you accept advertising and sponsorship on this blog? Why or why not?

I have in the past and I probably will in the future, it’s not something I really focus on for this site right now.

4. Do you have a blog publishing schedule or do you just spontaneously blog as the mood strikes you?

With Just Not Martha, I generally blog as the mood strikes. Although, from time to time for seasonal things I do schedule a series of posts, such as for 4th of July and Halloween when I have several ideas or tips that I want to share with people.

5. Do you consider your blog a business venture or just a mommy outlet for getting thoughts out of your head? Is it both? (any additional information you’d like to elaborate on that topic of business or not a business)

I’m of the opinion that it can be both. I have more than one blog, and some I look at from a business perspective. Just Not Martha on the other hand I really look at from a personal perspective to get things out of my head and socialize with other moms.

6. How do you feel about paid blogging and it’s impact on the mommy blogger community?

Paid blogging changed the blogging world without a doubt. I participated in and rather enjoyed the paid blogging bubble until burst. I had assignments and opportunities to write about things I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. It was blogging inspiration in a way at times.

I much preferred the way PayPerPost and Izea handled things to the way PayU2Blog handled things, but that is a personal preference. While I no longer participate in paid blogging, I am really impressed with the extra mile that Izea has gone to make sure they are doing right by their bloggers and advertisers. Ted Murphy personally met with the FTC recently to talk about things like disclosure and transparency in blogging.

7. Do you talk about your family in any depth of detail on your blog? Do they know about it and do they read your blog?

I do talk about my immediate family, Brian and our boys, and our life together. They know about it, but they don’t read my blog. They prefer not to. Every now and then one of them will throw me a comment, “Don’t blog that, Mom.” To which I reply, “Okay, but I think the blogosphere would really enjoy hearing about your……. ” fill in the blank LOL

8. Do you use real names and include pictures of your children on your blog? What brought you to that decision?

I do use real names and photos of the boys on my blog, Twitter, flickr, etc…. I’m not hard to find on the internet, so I figured why hide anything.

9. What really inspires you to blog?

It’s really pretty random. It might be something Ethan (my youngest son) says to me, or it might be something we see when we’re out grocery shopping, or it might be another article or blog post that I read somewhere on the internet.

10. Has a comment on your blog ever made you cry?

A comment on my blog, no. However, I’ve read other people’s blogs and been brought to tears by their stories.

11. Do you read and comment on other mommy blogs frequently? Do those bloggers visit your blog and comment as well?

Uh oh, I’m totally about to be busted here. I do not comment and participate as much as I should. I’ve been a bit of a slacker about that lately. But, yes, when I’m actively participating in comments on other sites I do notice an increase in comments on my own.

12. Name one thing about your lifestyle that blogging has changed or impacted?

It sounds odd when I say it out loud, but the way I process my thoughts has changed substantially. Granted, I don’t blog about everything, but the thought usually crosses my mind. I’ve also “met” a lot of other great bloggers and built friendships that I wouldn’t have likely had otherwise. It’s amazing thing, the internet

13. Has blogging led to other things online for you? (such as business ventures, job offers, additional blogs etc….)

Yes, yes, and yes. I’ve had people find me through my blog for work projects, for interviews, for all sorts of things. Every now and then I’ll get a product or a book to review and that’s always fun too.

14. What mommy blogger myth or misconception annoys you the most? What do you want to say to those people, even if you bite your tongue?

There seems to be a common misconception that mommy bloggers are just uneducated twits eating bon bons and playing on their computer. To those people I challenge you to a Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader showdown! Just like when I say I work at home and people give me that lok and say, “Oh.” I just nod and smile and go on with my day while they go to their job that they hate and feel miserable. They have closed minds and I’m not about to battle with them over it.

15. Have you been contacted by media or PR reps because of your blog? Is that something you’re interested in and enjoy, or not so much?

I’ve been contacted by a few places, usually to do product reviews. I’ve been asked to be part of product development panels for kid focused products, and I’ve been contacted for interviews. All of which has been very cool and totally fun so far. I’m not being hounded by press or anything like that, and I don’t think I want to be that popular. But, a little recognition here and there is definitely nice.

16. Were the technical aspects of getting started a hurdle for you?

I’m happy to say no to this one. Everything came together pretty smoothly on the technical side. Now, if we were to talk about design, that’s a whole different ballgame. I’m never happy with my design, even the designs I did myself I don’t really like on this blog. My other blogs I am totally happy with, but this one for some reason always looks wrong or out of place to me. I’m sure it’s just some strange mental block in my subconscious mind or something.

17. What blogging platform do you use and why did you choose that platform? (Wordpress, Typepad, Blogger, etc…)

Wordpress, hosted on my own domain (Wordpress.org) I have used Blogger in the past and it just doesn’t hold a candle to the features and flexibility of Wordpress. The options are just amazing and endless.

18. What three things do you *need* to have for your blog? (Plugins, tools, etc…)

My plugin preferences change all the time, because there are so many cool new ones coming out all the time. But, let’s see I’ll pick three that I have on all my blogs right now.

All in One SEO Pack, because it lets me tweak keywords and meta descriptions, especially on my niche sites that can be really important.

19. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

It’s easy! Anyone can do blogging if they want to. It’s a great way to break into having an online presence.

20. What advice do you have for someone that wants to break into blogging and has never done anything online before?

Just jump in and go for it. The nice thing about the internet is that you can always go in a different direction later on if you want. You can even change formats from Blogger and Wordpress and vice versa if you find one more comfortable than the other. Blogging is just flexible and fun.

The other thing I would say is don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck. Bloggers are very neighborly and we like to help each other out. Ask for help with plugins, ask for help introducing your blog to the blogosphere, ask for advice on Twitter. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the response.

See, that wasn’t too painful. I’m asking these questions of mommy bloggers all around the web. Stay tuned and subscribe to the feed here to read more of these Q&A sessions. You can find my “mommy blog” at JustNotMartha.com and you can follow me on Twitter @retta719.

Happy Blogging!

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