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This week’s mommy blogger is Firemom from Stop, Drop, and Blog! This blog has been online since the beginning of 2008 when it was changed over from a previous domain name that had been online since 2004.

Firemom happily describes herself as a wife and mom, currently working from home as a freelance writer and editor, who has been blogging in various forms since 2001. Right now she is successfully managing and maintaining five different blogs.

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

This incarnation of the blog was planned to be a mommy blog. We chose a different URL from our previous, rather successful blog because it contained our last name. We had some privacy concerns with the other site. The previous blog accidentally became a mommy blog as we had the site for our wedding planning, left it sit for a bit and then began utilizing it as a mommy blog when we became pregnant with our first son.

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

I previously worked outside the home in our local news station. I am currently working from home as a freelance writer and editor. I’m working on a myriad of projects that keep me rather busy!

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

I do accept advertising and sponsorships. Why? To be honest, every little bit of incoming cash flow, however small, makes a difference in this economy.

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

On this blog, I publish daily on weekdays, though I’m starting a new Saturday series. On other blogs, it’s more spontaneous.

5. Do you consider your blog a business venture or just a mommy outlet for getting thoughts out of your head? Is it both?

I fall under both categories. As a freelance writer, everything I write, from a personal blog to a commissioned article, builds my reputation. So while this site may be more of an outlet, it also helps get my name out there for others to notice.

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

Paid blogging as in “pay per post” or reviews? I don’t have a problem with much of anything as long as bloggers are being transparent. I always have been and I expect the same of others.

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 family, my parenting and our trials as a fire family. Our extended family also reads the blog. That means, however, that you won’t find any in-law rants or complaints about my own parents. That’s not prudent!

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

I do not use our real names. We did on our previous form of this blog, including our last name. It didn’t feel safe. As such, we have pseudonyms. I am not against sharing our names with readers via email but I do not wish for my children to be Google-able.

9. What really inspires you to blog? Life. Writing makes me tick.

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

Not on this particular blog. On our adoption blog, yes. Trolls can be nasty.

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

I do read and comment almost everyday. I love other blogs. My readers are quite loyal with comments as well.

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

I have met some of the most wonderful people via blogging. In fact, my husband and I met via an early form of blogging in 2001. That said, my initial jaunt into freelancing came via my blog writing. Without that initial bump, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to branch out on my own and start working from home.

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

As I said, yes, my initial step into freelancing came from blogging.

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?

I hate being told that I’m not a real writer. I was writing before blogging and I’ll be writing long after my children are grown and living lives of their own.

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?

Yes, I have. I enjoy it when the PR reps know what they’re talking about, when it is obvious that they’ve invested a moment of time in my blog. When people pitch me via my OLD blog name, it is obvious that they have done no work and don’t really value my writing style. Otherwise, I mainly love working with PR reps for products that my family actually uses.

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

No. I have been coding sites since high school.

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

Wordpress, self-hosted. I knew I wanted my own URL because of the freedom it brings (for customization) and the respect it brings (because you own it).

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

Your own URL (for aforementioned reasons), good writing technique (grammar!) and a good Spam plugin (Akismet).

19. What is your favorite thing about blogging? The challenge.

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

Be yourself. Don’t let the drama weigh you down. Reevaluate yourself every six months. If you’re not where you want to be or writing what you want to be, set goals.

Those were my questions for you, but do you have anything to say about the concept and community of mommy blogging that perhaps we did not cover already?

If you are writing about anything controversial (adoption, WAHM vs. WOtHM, controversial news stories), be prepared for backlash. By be prepared I mean: be prepared for very nasty things to be said about you, your choices, your character, your family… and be prepared to ignore it all.

Nasty people exist and the anonymity of the Internet brings out the worst in people. As such, be the better person. Don’t ever resort to name calling or lashing back at someone for their comment or a reply post on their own blog. Be the bigger person. It will serve you well.

I think that’s very good advice for any blogger online. I hope you’ve enjoyed chatting it up with Firemom as much as I have. I know you’re going to enjoy her blog, her wit, and especially her photography. Her pictures are going to rock your socks off

Make sure you visit Firemom and subscribe to her feed at StopDropandBlog.com, and for all you Twitter addicts out there you can find her on Twitter @FireMom as well.

Happy Blogging!

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