Silicon Valley Moms Blog

A Sick Mommy Blogger Lie

Watch a video report of this story from ABC.

In the mommy blogger circles, many of us are sickened by the recent news of Beccah Beushausen, a blogger who was caught faking her baby's death. Aside from the disgust and pity I feel for Beushausen, it is extremely disappointing because, although in some senses I feel sorry for this woman who must be so messed up in order to do something like this, this kind of thing is so incredibly hurtful to those who are truly going through such awful tragedies. Perhaps these types of lies are inevitable in a virtual world, where readers must simply take things as truth without having much in the way of verification, where people are looking for and finding support, where anyone can hide behind a computer and pretend. And this site reportedly got a lot of hits. A lot of hits.

It brings me back to a sharp memory of

Mommy Bloggers' Liability for Product Reviews - Will It Cause a Chilling Effect?

Mommy bloggers are some of the most active participants in social marketing. Companies have been tapping into the social media power of mommy (and daddy) bloggers, because there is a certain authenticity and trusting relationship that develops between moms and their audiences...oh, and there is purchasing power too. After all, moms control the pursestrings in many households. It is not uncommon for marketers to reach out to moms in a very active way, sending them products for free to review and discuss - honestly and openly - on their blogs.

It is not news that social media - blogs, twitter, facebook - still lives in the real world and that defamation law and trademark rights and copyright protections and, yes, false advertising law still apply to these types of communicaitons. But there are many untested applications of law to social media. One of the newest facets of social media law is the consideration by the Federal Trade Commission of guidelines that would hold not only companies, but individual bloggers, liable for false statements made in connection with product reviews. There is a fear by advertisers that there will be a chilling effect on what bloggers write about products. And rightly so - false advertising is false advertising, wherever it takes place. However, don't forget that bloggers are very vocal. Writing is What. They. Do. I'm not so sure this business is going away. 

Love in the face of tragedy

NieNie, a wonderful mom blogger from Arizona, was recently in a terrible plane crash.  A wife and young mother of four, she is in a chemically-induced coma, sustaining burns to over 80% of her body.  Her husband is also in critical condition.  The pilot of the plane has passed away.  NieNie’s siter, CJane, has been writing about the experience and keeping people up to date on their progress on her own blog.  Her posts are heartbreaking, inspiring, sad, wonderful.  Last night my husband caught me sobbing at my computer as I read about this young family and the unreal tragedy that has affected their life in recent days.

This story has aroused so many different feelings in my heart.  Sadness, for NieNie, her husband, her children, her family and friends.  Gratitude for each and every healthy, wonderful day I have with my own children.  And awe at the outpouring of love for this family.  And not just from friends and family in their immediate circle, but from the blogging world.  It’s amazing.  Another fantastic mom blogger has declared today NieNie Day and has spearheaded a silent auction project to raise money for the family’s inevitably high expenses.  Guess how many auctions started today?  20? Guess again.  100?  Not even close…nearly 300! 

There’s been so much talk lately about mom bloggers and the power that they have...

Virtual Hugs to Elizabeth Edwards Who Still Rocks Our World

Elizabeth Edwards took the stage at the Personal Democracy Forum in New York today virtually - via Skype. As her flight was cancelled at the last minute, she was unable to make her in-person slot for us or "Good Morning America" so she did them both from home. As I watched the program - questions from PDF cofounder Andrew Rasiej directed to Elizabeth, who was projected on a huge screen in the theatre at Lincoln Center's Rose Hall - I wanted to go up and give her a big virtual hug from all of us at the MOMocrats and the Silicon Valley Moms Blog & sister sites, but since it was no easier to do from that venue than this one, I decided it was better done from here. (It was the request everyone made when I said I was "going to see Elizabeth Edwards at PDF". They said "give her a hug for me!")

So here, Elizabeth, is a big virtual [**HUG**] from all of us, along with an official invitation to blog here any time you like. One of the apropos questions Rasiej asked of Elizabeth during the program (sorry, I just can't use her last name in this forum - seems too formal) was about what she was going to do next with "her constituency" and she, of course, replied that she would like to liveblog more and cross post more about policy issues important to her. So since I couldn't just stand up and yell to her that she could blog for us any time since she would have caught every third word, we're asking here. Please, pretty please!

Stay-at-home server not appropriate for kids

Microsoft has hit back at the funny Mac/PC ads with its own web site stayathomeserver.com.

The ads are funny, but also touch on a few more important Mom issues like the decision to stay at home being wimpy.  I am a stay-at-home mother. Ironically we have a Microsoft work server at home.  My husband works one day a week at home.

However the ads and the website mention little about security, my chief concern.  Due to my concerns about my children's safety, the Microsoft Media Server sits in our bedroom.  This is not my place of choice.  It's rather noisy.  It turns on at random times in the night.  My husband talks about tuffing it out to the study where our other servers live, but I refuse.  Microsoft has always had a poor record of security and in its line of media it's awful. 

Classroom blog teaching kids about writing and technology

I was chatting with a co-worker today over our internal instant messenger tool.  We were talking about the weather.  Rainy here in Silicon Valley and snowing in his Boston suburb.  Then my co-worker sent over a link to his son's blog.  What??? A third grader with a blog? 

Turns out, the blog is the brainchild of Mr Hammer - Roy's third grade teacher.  He keeps a classroom blog and encouraged the kids (with the help of their parents) to start their own blogs.  The blogs encourage the kids to write about their daily experiences which in turns makes them better writers.  The kids write a weekly letter to their parents telling them about what they learned in school that week.  And by golly, these kids are great writers already.  And I'm sure that they have better computer skills than I do at age 30. 

Props to Mr. Hammer and Roy for doing something totally cool (and educational)!

The post was written with permission from my co-worker, dad to the budding blogger.

The Jessica Seinfeld Mystery - Gym Romance, Vegetable Plagiarism and 21 Pairs of Shoes?

Yesterday morning after I slaved over serving my three boys oatmeal for breakfast, I sat down to have my cup of tea and read my favorite section of the Sunday New York Times: Sunday Styles. Yesterday's Sunday Styles had yet another celebrity mom gossipfest about Jessica Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld's wife, in an article called "How I Met Jerry Seinfeld, Scene 1, Take 2".

At first I was excited to read some juicy gossip, but then I wondered if this is just another attack on a celebrity mom, well, because she is a celebrity (wife). I guess the hot issues are that she met Jerry Seinfeld at the Reebok Gym in Manhattan while she was still married, she is a accused of plagiarizing another writer's recipes for her children's cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" and gave Oprah Winfrey 21 pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes as a gift for inviting her on the show to discuss her cookbook. A blogger at the Huffington Post even calculated the cost of the shoes to be $16,000 - $20,000.

First of all, after I came out supporting paperless thank-you's so how could I criticize someone for giving

Supporting Maternal Health With BlogHer Acts

Contributors from across our blogs wrote posts in support of Blog Day for the Mothers Act (today, October 24, 2007). Part of the action listed on the post was to tell fellow bloggers about the Mothers Act Blog Day so that they can participate. So here are our posts, take a read and pass on the word .....

An intro post from Glennia: BlogHers Act: Support The MOTHERS Act

Karianna shares that Mothers Can’t Carry the Burden Alone

Mommaof1 shares that she is 2 Years Later and Still Dealing

Beth B. shares that even working mothers in high tech suffer from PPD

JB shares that Mother's Act is Blogging for a Cause

Wksocmom posts about a Brief Interlude with PPD

Veronica posts For Melanie

PunditMom posts about Something In Common for adoptive parents

Devra shares that approving The MOTHERS Act would be one small step for our lawmakers and one giant leap for mom-kind!

I Left My BlogHer In San Francisco

BlogHer will be back. In the Bay Area, that is. Announced this morning, the BlogHer '08 Conference will be in San Francisco July 18-20 at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square, a wonderful conference venue. Silicon Valley Moms had a great presence in '06 in San Jose as well as in Chicago (with the Chicago Moms) in '07 so I have no doubt many of us will be there in SF. (See our reports from this year's conference.) On a personal note, BlogHer is a fantastic way to meet some really interesting women, and it's a very low key event - not at all intimidating like some other conferences can be. The speakers are excellent and everyone is friendly.

BlogHer '08 will include a 2-day conference followed by an Unconference the following day. For anyone coming from out of town or who wants to get a room anyway if you just want an excuse to get away from your kids for a couple of days, room reservations will open up November 26th. (BTW, the Argent Hotel in downtown SF is being turned into The Westin San Francisco Market Street, so there will be two within blocks of each other, but the one on Union Square is the hotel you want. Right across from Macy's.)

Chicago Mom Blogger banned from hospital

I can not read my friend and fellow Chicago Moms Blogger Mary Anne's blog from my son's hospital. Her blog now contains cute baby pictures,  but yes she does write porn. I'm amused by the idea of a hospital blocking cute baby photos and a bit sad since they do brighten my day.

I understand that the hospital doesn't want people even parents viewing photos of porn in what is essentially a public place.  Even in my son's room people walk in and out all the time.  I do agree that seeing a porn image without one's consent is sexual harassment and doesn't belong in a hospital,  especially a children's hospital.  But I read her mommy blog posts only. And I can read this blog and any other Mommy blog to my heart's content and some even talk about *gasp* sex. Ironically Mary Anne recently wrote a post Things I'm Scared to Blog About.