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Well F You Too

July 30, 2008 by 9 Comments

Instead of going on and on and around and around, I’m just going to present to you-loyal readers and asshats just passing by- a list.

Yes.

A List.

Sessions at SXSW Interactive 2008:

Sex, Intimacy & Online Relationships

Why Sewing and Knitting Still Matter

Diaper Diarists

Pet Blogging: Not a Fluffy Puppy Story

Sexual Ethics, Interactivity and Virtual World

Pro Gridiron on the Web

Gossip

Make Your Art Work For You!

Virtual Mentoring for Real Life Success in Music

Your MOM 2.0

Blog World Expo 2008

The Internet and the Olympics

CLOSING KEYNOTE Gary Vaynerchuck Wine Library TV

How Blogging is Changing the Way We Live Our Lives For the Better

GODBLOGCON: The Missional Church in the Internet Age

Sports Blogging

Marketing to MommyBloggers

BlogHer 2008

DIY Content Syndication and Promotion

Why Bloggers (Even Non-Programmers) Benefit from Participating in Open Source Projects

How To Take Names and Be Taken Seriously as a Political Blogger

Blogging with a Global Perspective

Two Concurrent Sessions: Progressives & Conservatives

How We Communicate: Video Blogging

Funding & Incubation Opportunities and Women Entrepreneurs

Building Traffic via Content and Community

Talking About War & Peace/Who Better Serves Women Like You: Obama or McCain?

There’s More to Monetization than Advertising

Tools for Online Fundraising and Activism

Open Source Participation: How to advance to the next level

Top-notch Political Opinion Commentary

FAQs for Beginning Bloggers

Green/Social Change

Race and Gender: What are the lessons of 2008

What? You didn’t know? Obviously you missed it in the New York Times Fashion and Style section. Maybe write them an Op-Ed or a Letter to the Editor or something.

I’m done now.

Filed Under: #suckit, BlogHer

Yes, I Felt It

July 30, 2008 by 3 Comments

We were in hell…I mean Chuck E Cheese when the 5.4 magnitude Chino Hills quake hit.

My friend Gidge, like many of you, checked in with me via phone, email, twitter -everything. She might have made me laugh the hardest though…

“…aren’t you glad you weren’t trapped in the rubble at the chuck e cheese? cuz like, you know SOME of the animatronics would’ve kept going…”

She’s right. They would have kept going.

I’m happy to report that despite me having to run across unsolid ground to reach my kids and their Nana, everyone and everything is fine.

Thanks for asking 😀 I feel loved.

Filed Under: Feeling YaYa, Stepford Crazies Tagged With: ,

A Lesson On What IS News, And What is NOT

July 28, 2008 by 9 Comments

“But it’s NOT NEWS…”

I remember it so clearly.

I was nearly screaming it at the top of my lungs.

I fought with my news director from 4am to 5am begging her to change our lead story to no avail.

She was leading with “Tabloid Talk Heats Up Over Alleged Clinton Affair” and I was cringing as I had to read the words.

I couldn’t believe our 24-hour news station was leading with a sex scandal alleged in a tabloid. I was disgusted. Baffled. Humiliated.

It took about 24-48 hours before it was all anyone was talking about and the name Monica Lewinsky leapt from the likes of the Washington Post and the New York Times.

It didn’t matter if I thought it was news. It didn’t matter if a mother in Orlando had been murdered that morning or if police had once again swept homeless off the streets of downtown…all that mattered was it was “sexy” and “sexy sells.”

Sexy cost this country millions upon millions of dollars while we all debated what the definition of ‘is’ is and several families’ lives were changed forever.

So now, every time I see a sex scandal splashed across my tv screen, or main stream media anchors alluding to tabloids…I realize we’re on the path for yet another “sexy” headline to whip news directors into a frenzy and distract for our attention elsewhere.

The MOMocrat love for Elizabeth and John Edwards is no secret. Their activism and contributions to this country inspire us without question. Their marriage, unless subsidized by my tax dollars, isn’t my business.

Maybe you think it’s yours. Maybe you think it speaks to character. Maybe you would never vote for a Spitzer or Craig or Clinton.

Maybe you find all of that more important than today’s real headlines that include:

Police: Killer Targeted Church for Liberal Views

Female Bombers Target Pilgrims

Or how about

White House Projects Record Deficit for 2009

I’m posting this because I do agree with my friend Lee Stranahan. It doesn’t matter what I think is important; the GOP machine will chug and churn and try and turn tabloids into multi-million dollar taxpayer time sucks. They will drag a family’s business through the mud and back. They will try and run the news cycle, the spin, and even the private lives of citizens.

It will be a story whether we want it to be one or not, and whether there is currently a reporter in a newsroom screaming ‘But it’s NOT news!!!’ at the top of her lungs.

It won’t matter of nothing comes of it, if everything comes of it, or if everyone involved is happy and content.

It won’t even matter if none of this is true.

It will be news.

I sincerely hope this is all I ever write on the matter, but I doubt. I sincerely hope there are no ‘legs,’ as they say, to this story.

I sincerely doubt it’s just going to go away.

It might not be news, but it sure is “sexy.”

So I will continue to point out all of the real news going on, while everyone else speculates on tabloids. I will continue to remind people we are at war and people are dying.

I will continue to yell “But it’s NOT news!”

And hope someone listens.

Crossposted at MOMocrats.com

Filed Under: Queen MOMocrat Tagged With: , ,

Come Talk Politics With Me…Live

July 27, 2008 by 3 Comments

Because clearly we don’t talk about that enough…ha! You can sign up to video chat with me on Friday, August 1st or Sunday, August 3rd-

SIGN UP HERE FOR MY SESSIONS! ooVoo Day Political Edition!

Also participating-

Filed Under: Holding Court Tagged With: ,

The New York Times Has NO Fashion Sense

July 26, 2008 by 23 Comments

Apparently I can push political agendas, but I’ll always be seen as an Oprah-watching, bon-bon eating, Katie Couric-esq, shoe-shopping, GIRL.

Even the New York Times will write about how powerful I am, and how I’m not getting my props-yet they will publish the article in the ‘Fashion and Style‘ section.

Sure they will write about about heart attacks and blogging and place it in “Technology.” But WOMEN bloggers? Oh, they belong next to “It’s Botox for You, Dear Bridesmaids” and “The BreakUps That Got Under My Skin.”

Perhaps, with all the talk of us being “…a corporate-sponsored Oprah-inflected version of a ’60s consciousness-raising group” they missed the part about 36 million of us taking over as power-users of the web while raising our children and supporting our families.

Perhaps, I need to remind or at the very least provide some additional information that may or may not affect the future placement of a piece on women bloggers.

Women are outnumbering men on the web.

Women control .83cents of every household dollar spent. That means from buying a lawnmower to buying laundry detergent, women hold the purse strings.

Women have been turning off DayTime television and canceling their subscriptions to ‘female’ based magazines in favor of going online.

Yet when we get together yearly to learn from one another on the business and practices of blogging, the NYT sees fit to discuss us in the same breath as “what women are wearing on their feet this summer.”

Maybe they missed the part where we discussed open source with 2008 Google-O’Reilly Open Source Award Winner Angela Byron? Or where we met to create a position paper to be submitted to the Democratic National Committee for inclusion in the party platform? Or what about the BlogHer/NBC Universal deal worth 5 million?

I am thrilled the New York Times sees fit to cover a women’s blogging conference. I look at it as a step in the right direction.

But you surely don’t see stories about men bloggers in the Sports section or an article on the latest strategic partnership laced with phrases like “And though women and men are creating blogs in roughly equal numbers, many women at the conference were becoming very Katie Couric about their belief that they are not taken as seriously as their male counterparts…”

Is Michael Arrington of TechCrunch very Rupert Murdoch? Is Jason Calacanis of Mahalo very Matt Lauer?

Are the men in tech and blogging consistently being compared to their male, traditional media counterparts?

Not so much.

For every article on women and tech and blogging, you will see the words “Oprah” and “Couric” and “Fashion.”

New York Times…thanks for coming out to BlogHer ’08. Thanks for taking some photos. Thanks for raising awareness.

Next time I’m hoping you’re over our lactation station and daycare and “nurturing messages,” because if that is all you see…you’re missing out on a tour de force, online and off.

Crossposted at the Huffington Post
Erin Kotecki Vest is the Political Director at BlogHer.com and writes a !gasp! MommyBlog at Queen of Spain blog.

Filed Under: #suckit, BlogHer Tagged With: , , ,

Reign Supreme

July 25, 2008 by 11 Comments

I’m listening to my mother and my brother discuss my daughter, and I can’t decide if I am thrilled or offended.

“She’s going to give you a run for your money.”

“She’s going to be the wild child.”

“The life of the party, breaking all the rules.”

“Battle of the wills. My money is on Princess Peanut- Erin, you’re going down.”

I just kept on slicing eggplant at the counter while they went on and on and on.

Needless to say the past few days with my 3-year old have been…let’s call them trying.

I’ve written about this before.Oh yeah and here. Oh…here too. And about 20 other times.

But she’s THREE.

3 sucks.

3 is worse than 2.

3 has phases.

3 can bite me.

3 can #suckit.

And so on. And so forth.

As I type this. our darling daughter is being sassy to her grandfather who made the mistake of trying to help her go potty.

NO.

I DO IT MYSELF GRAMPS!

And my Mom and brother are snickering from the couch and mentally pointing and laughing in my direction.

Everyone seems to be finding my ANGEL’s temper HILARIOUS.

High comedy.

The subject of very genuine belly laughs.

Me?

She might be more vocal than her brother before her…but no more difficult.

She’s certainly got more flair than her sibling…drama, shall we say…but no more difficult.

She is three. And three is killing me.

However…and this is a big HOWEVER…

I wrote the book on difficult.

The student must learn to respect the master.

The student needs to acknowledge the master.

The student still has a lot to learn about sass and manipulation.

If nothing else, Little Miss 3 needs a wait a few years before thinking she can take over the throne.

Filed Under: #suckit, Princess Peanut, Stepford Crazies Tagged With: , , , ,

Home

July 23, 2008 by 3 Comments

kids

Filed Under: BlogHer Tagged With: ,

Spoiled, Not Stupid

July 21, 2008 by 25 Comments

BlogHer ’08 squees have faded and hundreds of powerful women bloggers are now back home with their families.

Companies are furiously entering new email addresses into their databases and I am going through the three totebags filled with everything from gift cards for photo prints to thumb drives to toys for my children.

I’m used to it.

I’m not impressed.

I’m spoiled by the big stuff. The video game sytems and the hottest electronics. The humidfiers and the loaner hybrid SUV’s.

I’m spoiled.

But while I revel in my swag, I fully realize these ‘gifts’ are bribes.

I’m not stupid.

The assumption that I am, pisses me off.

Just like any business, some people will act professionally and some will not.

Just like any friendship, some people will latch on to a person to use them and some will not.

I’m not stupid.

There is an assumption floating around the internet that we silly mommybloggers have no idea how to handle all this ‘fame’ and ‘fortune.’

We are taking free stuff and not being transparent when we write about it. We’re taking free stuff and thumbing our noses at any offering that isn’t the best and most expensive.

I’m not stupid.

I’m wondering if the tech bloggers were all called spoiled when they started getting the new notebooks via UPS. I’m wondering if the fashion writers were called spoiled when new designers sent over their spring lines. I’m wondering if any publishing site, anywhere, at anytime, for any reason was called ‘spoiled’ when they were sent the ‘newest’ or the ‘latest’ or the ‘most recent innovation.’

I’m not stupid.

It might make some of these larger names or sites or companies uncomfortable that this Mom of two in her PJ’s, drinking her morning coffee, conducts the business of blogging from her laptop while the rest of the industry toils.

I’m not stupid.

I’ve spent 3 years now wondering why you didn’t take me seriously. Annoyed you refused to acknowledge the revolution occurring. Pissed off I had to jump up and down screaming to have you notice me. Then, while being called spoiled, I realize something;

We do it better. We do it easier. We do it on our terms.

You are jealous.

I’m not stupid.

Hate. Criticize. Do whatever makes you feel better. I’m going to conduct the business of mommyblogging. The best of my community will continue to rise, the less transparent will fall. The typical cycle of any new medium will play itself out from rockstar, front page headlines to being replaced with the next best thing.

I’m not stupid.

And while it all plays out, my spoiled self will have paid some bills, met some amazing people, engaged in some unreal opportunities, all while you called me spoiled in my oversaturated market.

I’m not stupid.

I will also continue to do what I do, WHY I do it- for this hobby that became a business, but was always about my friends, my life, and my community.

I’m not stupid.

Spoiled…but not stupid.

Filed Under: #suckit, BlogHer Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
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