What started out as a fun hobby between best friends has grown into a passion that now seems impossible for me to repress. Melissa and I’s first co-blog debuted in April 2009, branded with a name that no one could remember (marketing 101)… http://tsibananas.blogspot.com. We boasted 15 devout followers and were overwhelmed by fan mail.
In December 2009, we were chosen to be part of a team of mom bloggers for the Omaha World-Herald’s momaha.com, a social networking site “where moms connect.” We submitted our applications jointly and asked the editor to either take us both on or reject us as a pair. Fortunately, she chose the former and we’ve been blogging for the site ever since.
A radio deal followed in January 2011 that gave us the opportunity to chat every Thursday morning on the Pat&JT Show on Q98.5 FM. Later that year, I got paired up with a local dance professional and competed in “Dance for a Chance,” representing momaha.com and raising money for Youth Emergency Services. It was on the night of the actual dance competition when a light clicked on in my brain. The social media channels I was part of (namely blogging and Facebook at the time) allowed me to raise awareness and a crazy amount of money for charity.
I realized then and there that social media involves more than sharing status updates and laughs. It is about building a community. A community of people who share your same interests and take your word for it if you say something is worth backing.
I just returned from the 5th annual social media for PR and communications conference last week in Vegas and my head is still buzzing. It was there when I heard one of the speakers say that, when it comes to social media, content is no longer king; context is. Yes, we have to continue to write well. But we must be extra mindful of how we are delivering our message because we are tapping into our reader’s already limited space. And if we aren’t relevant, there is a whole slew of competing messages that can snatch up our spot.
It is my goal with this site to be relevant in that sacred space of time I have with the reader.
Maternal Media is a phrase I’ve coined to describe the power and influence of moms in the social media landscape. You need not be a mom to participate in this blog.
maternalmedia 