Picket Fence Post

Kimberley Clayton Blaine, a family and child therapist known on the Internet as “The Go-To Mom,” creates videos for parents about everything from potty training and handling a toddler who has a penchant for running away from mom and dad, to dining out in public with young kids. Now she’s become a book author/editor, compiling and recruiting mom writers and businesswomen to muse on the topics of the Internet, women, motherhood and business. Clayton Blaine, who also contributed her own essays to The Internet Mommy: Inspiring Interviews and Stories from Mothers Who Work and Play Online (Disclosure: One of my columns is included in the book), agreed to field some questions.

Meredith O’Brien, Picket Fence Post: Your collection of 13 interviews and 30 essays address a wide swath of subjects, from advice on how to start your own online business and blogging about  parenthood, to the pressure to do everything with aplomb — work, parenthood, romantic relationships, perfect homes and bodies.  What do you hope readers will take away from reading Internet Mommy?

Kimberley Clayton Blaine, The Internet Mommy: I thought moms would enjoy reading about other moms who work play online. But what I didn’t expect was for the book to be a guide or teaching tool to the extent that it’s being used. I’ve gotten feedback from mom bloggers who are highlighting advice and bookmarking pages so they can implement the ideas to further their online careers. I wanted to produce an “offline” publication in part to show the media what moms are really doing online — making friends, earning  money, obtaining parenting advice and making a name for themselves.

O’Brien: Why and how did you put this book together?

Clayton Blaine: As a producer of online women and family content, I regularly make a habit of watching how moms conduct their lives online. The moms featured in my book, who I refer to as the “circle of moms,” were introduced to me through my tenacious social networking. I bumped into them on Twitter, Facebook, from Google alerts, by being a fan of their blogs, or by directly contacting them as potential partners. A lot of these women believe in reciprocating — I’ll do for you if you do for me. It’s a win-win. The support that I received from these online moms is what really inspired me to create the book.

There are many amazing moms doing impressive things online — so many that there are times I find myself green with envy. Many of the women in this book have impressive visitor statistics, make good money, have high caliber advertisers, large publisher book deals or are highly regarded for their advocacy efforts around motherhood. Their successes were even more reason to bring them into the “circle of moms.” Some were easy to get to write an essay for the book, others were hard to contact or very busy that they barely made the deadline!

The “circle of moms,” in my book are women who have a successful online web presence. There are a few moms in my book who don’t generate revenue from their online endeavors, but who do clearly impact thousands of mothers with what they offer. However, the one thread that holds them together is the ever-so-popular, “non-compete” clause. We are all here to support each other, competing only holds women down. The Internet is HUGE, so I suggest we make room for all! There are so many other moms who should have been in my book, but I simply did not have the connection, time or mode to include them. I’m just thankful that they (and you) took the time to help out.

O’Brien: Do you see the Internet as the new frontier for mom-run businesses? Why?

Clayton Blaine: I think any business eventually has to have some online presence. The Internet is clearly a great way to market a mom’s business. Having a web page is not good enough. Businesses now need to commit to socially engaging their clients or post write-ups on their service or products. Social marketing along with networking is key, and women are particularly good at that!

O’Brien: A good portion of the essays and interviews dealt with women who started blogs about parenting and write some pretty personal stuff about themselves and their families. One essay by Beth Blecherman entitled, “Live Blogging Pillow Fight with My Three Boys” focused on Blecherman’s decision to post updates about her kids’ pillow fight on Twitter as it unfolded. Do you think that blogs and social networking has changed modern parenthood, if so, why?

Clayton Blaine: I truly believe that blogs and especially social networks have changed modern parenthood by bridging the gap between parenting and technology. I included Beth’s Twitter posts about her boys’ pillow fight because it’s a great example of how moms stay connected to other moms, which in the past could not have been done so easily. I have more friends now that I’m online running my business than I did eight years ago when I was not online. I have intertwined my business and social life. I don’t feel isolated online. When I’m in a rut, I pop on Twitter and get some quick answers from other moms. I just love that. Or I’ll drop a direct message to someone asking for advice. I’m more efficient at running an online business because I’m not in a rush to shut down the shop at the end of the day. I can play and work at the same time. On the flip side, since I work at home, I can leave the computer for a few hours and be with my children. The flexibility is invaluable.