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MOMocrats exclusive: Screw George & Charlie, We’ll Ask Ourselves

April 30, 2008 by 3 Comments

There was a bit of an uproar after that last ABC debate. I’d say maybe it was only political junkies or those who really pay close attention to politics-but I’d be wrong.

My MOM called me to yell about FlagPins…

So guess what we did over at MOMocrats? Yeah, we took matters into our own hands…and Senator Barack Obama answered.

MOMocrats EXCLUSIVE with Barack Obama

MOMocrats step up where mainstream media and traditional debates let the American public down, “Things we wish they’d asked in the debates…”

Recently, MOMocrats asked the Democratic Presidential candidates the questions we all wish reporters or moderators had asked in any interview or debate. Today, Senator Barack Obama sent back his answers to the MOMocrats’ questions. This is the latest example of the influence political blogging groups are showing in the presidential campaign.

The most recent debate between the Democratic candidates was disappointing to most citizens. We felt that the questions were directed more towards mud slinging between the candidate rather than substantive questions about domestic and foreign policy. So the MOMocrats and their readers came up with a list of “Questions We Wish ABC Had Asked.” Then we submitted them to the candidates.

In a MOMocrats exclusive, Barack Obama answers the questions that should have been asked during the last debate. Click here to read our interview, in which he finally gets to discuss the issues, not his apparel or acquaintances.

 

“We were really frustrated with the questions that were asked in the last debate so we came up with a list of questions from our contributors and readers,” said MOMocrats Managing Editor Glennia Campbell. “We appreciated that the Obama campaign took our questions seriously and answered them thoroughly.”

We haven’t heard from the Clinton campaign yet, but the MOMocrats invitation for Senator Clinton to weigh in remains open.

_______________

I think CityMama says it best, “I don’t have the funds to attend every fundraiser that comes along, but what I do have are 10 fingers, a laptop, and enough marketing savvy to make me dangerous. MOMocrats is my phone banking. It is my check-book-wielding. It is my canvassing neighborhoods. It is all of that on a world-wide scale. Some people drop checks in the mail. I drop knowledge along with 21 other kick-ass women. It is the best way I know how to make change happen.”

Special thanks to Geoff Livingston for helping us spread the word.

As PunditMOM says:       MOMocrats-WORLD DOMINATION BY 2012! 

Filed Under: Queen MOMocrat

Permanent

April 28, 2008 by 13 Comments

I did it.

I put an Obama ’08 bumper sticker on the back of the Momvan, MOSTLY to reassure MYSELF this nomination is not going to be stolen.

See the bumper sticker is never coming off. Someone is going to buy the ‘ol Town & Country years from now and try scraping that baby off for days. I remember trying to get a Dead sticker off the back of my VW in college and it was NEVER COMING OFF.

So what pushed me to the permanent, van-ruining measures?

I can’t stop thinking about what will happen if by some insane (and entirely evil) move the numbers shift and Senator Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee.

What will I do???

Keeping in mind I always live in crazy fantasy land where things like MATH do not matter, I can not seem to shut my brain off to the scenario in which I am faced with Clinton or McCain.

Echoing the Sicilian from the Princess Bride, ‘clearly I can not choose the wine in front of me…’

Or can I?

I voted Nader before and watched the chaos. I can’t do that again. McCain ‘aka Mr. women just need more training and education’ is not an option. 100 years in Iraq and the Supreme Court. Too big. Too much.

So in all honesty we’re looking at having to vote for Clinton. There is no other ‘REAL’ option without possibly throwing Roe vs. Wade, soldiers and Iraqi lives right out the window. Could I seriously look at my kids and tell them I COULD have voted for someone capable of ending the war, capable of securing the Supreme Court for the next 40 years, capable of pushing through some sort of national health care plan…and yet I didn’t, because I wanted to take a stand against politics as usual.

But HOW can I vote Clinton in my crazy fantasy nightmare, knowing what we ALL NOW KNOW.

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGG.

So I put the bumper stick on. The uber-sticky, there for life, Obama ’08 bumper sticker. PERMANENT reminder about what this election season has meant for me.

Also a total bet that it will mean something come November 4th.

However I like to make bets, and I tend to get cocky about them.

Time to get cocky again.

Even if cocky means a bumper sticker on a minivan, hauling two kids to preschool.

Filed Under: Queen MOMocrat, Stepford Crazies

And I For One Welcome Our Mommyblogging Overlords…

April 27, 2008 by 32 Comments

From ignored, to mocked, to rockstar, to target of backlash-this business of Mommyblogging is getting heated. Who’s consulting? Who’s getting free stuff? Who’s writing a book? Who’s on tv? Who’s just blogging and hoping someone notices but wants the free stuff and gigs? And are we all exploiting our kids in the process as the checks start to come in and the offers become more frequent?

My phone has been ringing, my email overwhelmed, and the time has come to try and spread the Queen Love. I’ve been lucky enough to meet some amazing people and I want THEM to share their knowledge with YOU.

Don’t be fooled, all this does NOT just pertain to Mommybloggers. There are many of you blogging, creating businesses online, even developing some super amazing stuff that NEED to hear what all your posting, twittering, facebooking, ustreaming, and on and on and on MEANS or what it could mean.

Tonight, live on Stickam, I’m going to introduce you to Eric Litman, Managing Director of WashingtonVC. Why do we want to talk to Eric? He’s the guy with the money. He can tell us how to take our tiny online businesses to the next level. And we can bug him about what is making it big and what is fading into the background. I’m also guessing you might be able to sneak in a pitch or two.

Next up will be my friend Aaron Brazell, aka Technosailor. All that personal ‘branding’ stuff everyone is talking about? He can explain it, why it matters to our community, and tell you how to manage your own ‘brand’-the conversations he and I have are never boring, so don’t be surprised if we attempt to ‘out diva’ the other.

Finally Lee Stranahan is going to help transition us from yapping about social media business and into politics. He’s going to talk about how Senator Barack Obama’s ‘brand’ matters and discuss his 30-second video, which was one of over 1100 submitted.

Just as an added bonus-I’ve got FIVE super cute SanDisk Cruzer Gator 8GB Flash Drives to give away!!!! The nice folks over at SanDisk thought you’d give or get one of these for Mother’s Day-since women ARE the heaviest web users and all. I’ll announce details on how to win one during the show!

Sunday Night Live with Queen of Spain-7pm Pacific-be there! (register to chat with your cam or in text-you’ll need a headset or I’ll boot your feedback butt-you can just watch and listen from this post too)

Filed Under: Queen of Spain LIVE

Letter to My Body

April 24, 2008 by 8 Comments

*cross posted at blogher.com for the letter to my body exercise*

I get to step out of my news role today for BlogHer.com and participate in the “Letter to My Body” initiative.

This “Letter to My Body” thing is tough. I say that having spent the past few weeks reading letters to bodies across the blogosphere from women like myself struggling to make amends or remembering to praise this vessel which encases us.
BlogHer CE Deb Roby points to some fantastic “letters” to help get my feet wet in the exercise, Deb tells me “A letter that begins like this is going to be honest and entertaining:” a bit of Katie girl writes, “I’m sorry about the cake mix but i just can’t give it up. i know you keep suggesting that i add an egg or some oil…at least a little water, but i can’t give it up. dry funfetti is my refuge and you are just going to have to deal with the consequences. …. i feel you sometimes underneath the dregs of that long-ago failure. stirring. begging to be freed. how can we do that again? how will i find you? who is going to save us this time?”

And if that were not powerful enough, Deb then points me to an entire YouTube series on “Dear Body” which started with a video from MeMeMolly

So with all that in mind-here goes mine:

Dear Body, ( a parody of this post as seen through my life with an ample chest)

This is a very hard letter for me to write, so please bear with me.

I’d like to ask you, with all due respect and humility, to step down as my body.

Please understand this is not because I believe you can not or should not be my body. Please understand that I find you qualified, capable, and worthy. Please also understand I want nothing more than to see a your reflection in the mirror as I write about who will become the leader of the free world. I would be pleased and honored if you were that reflection.

However I am finding, right or wrong, many citizens of this country seem to react to you on an emotional level. Emotional, not practical. They can’t seem to see your freckles. They can’t seem to see your perfect wrists. They just see or read about your “tits” and venom or praise spews.

I thought that with your brain power, would come reason. I thought that you would be able to get a fair shake by bosses, by dates, by sexists, and by soccer moms. I thought over time people would begin to see that you really are an effective human being.

I was wrong.

Tonight, I’m typing as I watch you get ready for a party in Sonoma, California. I’m sad. There really is no other way to put it-I’m sad.

I truly believed you would be the best person for the job, and I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind that is now at the forefront: your large tits divide this country.

It’s not fair. It’s not right. And under just about ANY other circumstance I would go to the mat for you. However we are a wounded and deeply divided nation. We are a nation that praises young women in bikinis while denying equal pay to those in lab coats. We are a nation at odds with each-other as we push padded bras for our 7-year olds and Bratz dolls in halter tops to our 4-year olds. It’s ugly. I thought you could get people past it. I really did.

When I told myself it was gender that got people going, I refrained from asking and wanting you to step aside. Simply on principle, I wanted to see you be big boobed and smart because they said it couldn’t be done. Because it was my belief, this was all about being a girl.

It’s not, and I was wrong.

I firmly believe while the gender issue has given you a handicap I hope we all one day overcome, it is NOT the reason people have a gut reaction to you or your god given jugs.

In the end it’s media and it’s way of pushing that ‘sex sells.’

I wanted you and those knockers to be lifted and shoved together and in a lowcut shirt because for some reason they still get people very riled up, and not in the good way.

I really hate asking you to do this, but I want you to please step down and put on a better bra. One with less padding and a shirt not cut quite so low.

We’ve been too sex-crazed for too long and your boobs and your name brings a suitcase of anger to the blogging front door.

It is this time in history your nation needs you.

Our nation and it’s people need you to do what is best for this country. We need you to be true to what you say on your blog that nudity and sexuality should not affect one’s ability to be heard or NOT heard.

If you firmly believe that there is still time for you to change the hearts and minds of those rude and stubborn Americans who are clicking with their penis when they see “QueenofSpain” -then please, prove me wrong. I’ll be at some other web convention soon and I’ll push up my girls loud and proud and fall in line.

But I think you’ve tried. You tried with everything you had to overcome that one-track-mind-emotional reaction.

Let’s end the division in this country now. Right now. Let’s start with your blog and provide a united front against the techies months ahead of schedule.

Let’s take back this country for the people, with you and those large tits playing a much different role than you envisioned.

Sincerely,

Erin Kotecki Vest
queenofspainblog.com

Filed Under: BlogHer, Royal Hooters

Balance: I have none

April 21, 2008 by 12 Comments

There is nothing like sitting in the pediatrician’s office covered in vomit to knock you back into the real world.

In case you were confused, the ‘real’ world is the one where you make peanut butter and jelly for a sick 3-year old who insists her belly feels great and won’t upchuck Jiff on your couch.

Of course she pukes it and of course this comes after having thrown up all over the doctor’s office, the minivan, and the driveway.

Of course I am stupid for having let her eat the PB&J, but that’s not the point. The point is messy motherhood is a reality.

Messy, pukey, “I can get nothing done because kids have not been in school and I have laundry stacked everywhere and don’t ask me what is for dinner and no I haven’t finished all the thank you notes but hey did you see I BATHED one of two kids AND emptied the dishwasher” kind of reality.

I can’t do it all. I want to do it all. I TRY to do it all. However, I can’t do it all.

And with that in mind (snort) I’m going to be speaking at New Communications Forum in Sonoma Wednesday and Thursday. Because one session isn’t enough.

The only reason I will have clean clothes for this event is because my husband did the laundry. The only reason I’m ready for my sessions is because she helped with slides.

I’ll hook up the webcam a few times and pull over some guests for you to harass. Any suggestions?

…and did I mention I will be covering the PA primary from a hotel room. SIGH. I do see light at the end of the tunnel though, and it’s just down the way a bit…I think…I’m squinting…it’s there…really

Filed Under: Stepford Crazies, TweetQueen

Queen of Spain Sunday Night LIVE

April 20, 2008 by 10 Comments

I threatened it, you didn’t run away screaming-so guess what?

Live tonight at 7pm Pacific Erin Kotecki Vest, aka Queen of Spain, aka ME will be hosting a live show where we can talk politics, social media, parenting-and anything else we damn well please. Confirmed guests for tonight include:

Morra Aarons-Mele of Women and Work and BlogHer.com

Maria Niles PopConsumer will no doubt mix it up in the politics discussion -but also watch out for her during the social media hour because she’s a marketing guru 😉

Kristen Forbringer who’s been on the ground with the Obama campaign in Philly

Tony, CEO of Zappos.com

Karoli is going to try and chime in the text chat

Liza from Culture Kitchen is coming-you KNOW she’ll have something to say

****adding more guests hourly-keep checking**

Let’s talk Pennsylvania, flagpins (snort), and then switch gears and yap about social media. Tony can talk about Zappo’s blog and twitter effort and why it’s NOT a huge debacle (like some others we’ve seen) – you can participate via text chat, via webcam, or just watch you stalker!

Tune in here tonight or at http://www.stickam.com/queenofspain and make sure to register if you want to participate via webcam ! Everyone is welcome. (even you and you and you, ’cause that’s how I roll)

Filed Under: Queen of Spain LIVE

TechCrunch’s Arrington Blocks Mommyblogger

April 18, 2008 by 58 Comments

That would be me.

I’m not kidding.

Remember all the stuff I was saying about how the women in tech are ignored? They are never asked to speak at conferences, entirely overlooked, blah blah blah blah blah? I think I also touched on how the big bad tech boys who are so-called ‘in charge’ of this whole blogging/social media space are frat boys?

Uh. Yeah.

Meet one Mr. J. Michael Arrington. Note that his Wikipedia says “Magazines such as Wired and Forbes have named Arrington one of the most powerful people on the internet.”

Today Arrington (for those who still don’t know, he’s the TechCrunch guy) blocked me on Twitter.

Why?

For this :

@techcrunch ummm @mashable just scooped you. Just sayin’. Sorry, old school Journalist in me notices these things

I had been watching Techcrunch (aka Arrington) twitter for the past hour about the possibility CNN.com had been blocked in China. At last check, he said he had two confirmations and I was monitoring to see if it was true, and how it would be reported.

What do you want from me? This is what I did for a living-I LOVE breaking news.

Not long after a twitter from Arrington about having two confirmations CNN was blocked, Pete Cashmore of Mashable (a competitor) tweeted a link to the story they had posted on CNN.

Having watched the entire thing unfold -OF COURSE I showed Arrington he got scooped.

He responded with a tweet that has since disappeared and was here. So this non-techy Mommyblogger (who can’t possibly ever read TechCrunch) went and pulled it off of TweetScan:

“TechCrunch : @QueenofSpain haha. scooped us on the story we’ve been talking about here on twitter for hours? we’re not covering that. oh yeah. blocked. 2008-04-18 02:50:40 Reply”

My response (still in twitter, not randomly gone) was ” ROFL @techcrunch is cute with the blocking. Apparently censorship isn’t a big deal for them. kudos to @mashable for posting it”

Now on to the important part of all this…

The term ‘citizen journalist’ is yammered about a lot these days. Web sites like TechCrunch are discussing politics, they are reporting breaking business and technology news. They are influencing readers-a few million a month– (wow, not even as big as Dooce or BlogHer…just learned something tonight) and pushing themselves as an ‘all things tech news’ related site. They get cited for ‘breaking news’ and for ‘being the first’ yet when you actually call them out on having posted a story SECOND, they get pissy.

So it occurs to me that maybe Arrington, and some other web site owners, need to understand the very basic principals of Journalism, having very obviously skipped over it while en route to conquer the internet. Afterall, this so-called ‘citizen journalism’ is taking over the main stream media dinosaur. It is influencing news cycles and fueling on-air pundits. Therefore it seems to me these sites could use a few quick pointers on how to be responsible citizen journalists.

Mr. Arrington,

Hi, I’m Erin. We haven’t met. I get the feeling we may not meet now, but hey-I’m around if you want to chat. I also have a decent background not just in citizen journalism but in traditional journalism. Let me give you a quick J-school 101, so maybe next time you don’t get too uppity and block a Mommyblogger on twitter. K?

In traditional media it’s common place to be scooped or to scoop your competitor. In fact, its what the game is about. Eventually EVERYONE is running the story-what sets you apart is either the ‘exclusive’ (which I can explain in another blog post if you like) or being the FIRST. You will absolutely promote a story you post before anyone else (because man, sometimes getting confirmation is a bitch) and you will yell at your staff with a red face when someone else runs the story before you. Such is the life of a newsroom. And make no mistake, TechCrunch is a newsroom.

A couple other hints-if you are working on a story but it’s still not ready to publish, you might not want to discuss it on Twitter. Because later, after you’ve been scooped and you claim you were never going to post it anyway, we silly readers aren’t sure if we believe you or not. You’re either saving face, or all that past discussion on confirming if China was getting CNN.com seems confusing and misleading. Hell, I don’t know…maybe you just were super curious for your own knowledge about China and it’s censorship of foreign news media. I know I am, so you’re not alone. Either way, sure looks like you were working on a story.

Also, when the entire world watches you discuss China, and sees a competitor posts the story, and points it out to you-you might not want to just silence them on the spot like some communist regime.

Oh, the irony.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve blocked a guy on twitter-but he actually physically threatened me and called me some very nasty names. If you go around blocking everyone who criticizes your cute little website, you may end up with a legion of yes-men (yes-tweets?) and lose touch with what’s happening around you.

In fact, you might even lose touch so very much that you have a party with a beauty blog, having really done nothing with the actual majority of women occupying this whole social media, blog, web 2.0 thing you keep reporting on.

In short, Mr. Arrington, it may serve you well to take a few cues from old school media. They might be an aging dinosaur, but they at least know how to handle getting scooped.

If anyone needs anything else, I’ll be reading Mashable. Pete is much more handsome anyway, and since it’s clear on the web all that matters are looks, I might as well subscribe over there.

*updated with a twitPic of Arrington’s Friend Feed from @snobcrunch

Filed Under: Royal Pain, Stepford Crazies, TweetQueen

My Mouth? Yes, it gets me in trouble…

April 17, 2008 by 5 Comments

…but it’s usually for rather good reason.

Please come listen to me on NewsGang, in which I discuss the ‘frat boy pissing contest’ and on the ‘We Show‘ where I delve a bit deeper into this ‘business’ of Mommyblogging.

And if you’re not in the mood for either of those, Twitter followers will be thrilled to hear I finally got my LapTop bag and they should never have to help me shop online again. And if you have not given to the BlogHer/Global Giving initiative, I’d kiss you fully on the mouth with tongue if you would do so now.

Filed Under: BlogHer, Feeling YaYa, Stepford Crazies
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