Comments on A Mommy Story: Did You See The "Mommy Bloggers" On The Today Show...

I still haven't gotten over MY personal privacy is...

2008-05-17T00:32:00.000-04:00

I still haven't gotten over MY personal privacy issues yet, and don't know if I ever will, but I have no qualms with other mom bloggers sharing their photos, etc. It's a choice and to each his own. I also thought the segment was strange in a way. I think they clearly missed so much about blogging and glossed over the benefits you mentioned.

Kathie Lee made me sick. I really like Heather's ...

2008-05-12T12:09:00.000-04:00

Kathie Lee made me sick. I really like Heather's writing, and I thought she got a raw deal. No book promo (boo!) either. I get that they are going to spin and cut to get what they want, and I thought that even with that, the other segment was pretty decent.

On a side note, I'm disappointed that a show that really should appeal to me (30, mom, disposable income) even though I can't watch it every day, now has no meaning to me thanks to the addition of her. Seriously? Zero relevance to me and my life. She makes me want to hurl.

It was not just the pregnancy nausea that made me ...

2008-05-12T09:12:00.000-04:00

It was not just the pregnancy nausea that made me sick when I watched this. I agree- the first half was good but short but the second with KLG was awful! It is clear that they don't get it.

The air quotes? I wanted to punch someone after that. My jaw was just hanging open.

But I think it's true- they don't get it and it's too bad. But hey- one less corp to get used by right?

It's kathy lee (She'll never get it)... what would...

2008-05-09T19:27:00.000-04:00

It's kathy lee (She'll never get it)... what would you expect from a woman that had in her top ten not so many years ago going on a sailing playdate with "Tiffany" marla and the donalds child.

Her "community" is very different than ours, her comments and presence is just like hearing static.

Absolutely the best wrap-up of this whole thing. N...

2008-05-09T14:23:00.000-04:00

Absolutely the best wrap-up of this whole thing. Nicely done. I'm glad I stopped by your blogosphere.

When I first started blogging (last century!), I h...

2008-05-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

When I first started blogging (last century!), I had mainly writing blogs and no one knew for years that I even had a daughter (and now son) as my posts focused on propelling fiction word counts higher and higher. As friends in my writing-blogosphere started to publish books and I didn't, I gave up blogging until one day I discovered those "mommy blogs" and felt so relieved. Motherhood was why I couldn't finish a book or a story or a friggin poem (and, well, maybe poor time management). And while I'm not part of the mom-blog community save the occasional comment (uh, hi!), I do so love lurking when I am frustrated and harried and in need of some validation.

yeah, what you said.great post.

2008-05-08T12:04:00.000-04:00

yeah, what you said.

great post.

I had thought along the same lines as you with the...

2008-05-08T10:57:00.000-04:00

I had thought along the same lines as you with the clip that showed yesterday. It was a superficial, glossed over view of one specific topic they were going for there and the rest of it was 10 seconds of filler here, 10 seconds of filler there.

And boy did I notice Dooce being cut off by Kathie Lee. Would have been nice if she could have reacted to the comment made instead of being interupted!

All in all, I was unimpressed with the airing. It seemed more like an attack to mommy bloggers then anything else. Little light was shown other then we're exploiting our children and some of them are making money of of it.

i'm so sick of this debate. we should stop trying ...

2008-05-08T10:21:00.000-04:00

i'm so sick of this debate. we should stop trying to explain or defend our community. you either get it or you don't.

Thanks for posting the link to watch the video, I ...

2008-05-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks for posting the link to watch the video, I so missed it yesterday. You have to think also that when your daughters have children they can learn about how it was when they were little and know what we as parents did in there situations.

In defense of Kathie Lee, I think she has very rea...

2008-05-08T08:51:00.000-04:00

In defense of Kathie Lee, I think she has very real regrets about putting her children out there so publicly on Regis &. I'm not sure why, but she has talked and talked and talked about that not having worked for her.

There, that's over with. Not in defense of Kathie Lee, I thought the segments were ridiculous. There was clearly an agenda with Heather that seemed patronizing and biased at the same time. They clearly had no interest in letting her speak or answer real or perceived criticisms. To have those two people, who, let's face it, are way past the age of "mommybloggers" (I'm really beginning to hate that phrase), was a poor choice. I say that as a mom who is not on the young side herself. However, they clearly had no understanding of what blogging can offer a mom, and I think showed no interest in really finding out.

I agree with your comments. I am out there looking for community. I just want to talk to others moms who struggle with the issues I struggle with, and maybe help someone along the way with the hard-earned perspective I've gained. There aren't women on my street wth similarly aged children that I can become friends with, share advice and recipes with, cry on shoulders with, vent with...etc., etc., etc. I will look for community and take it wherever I can!

I agree completely - the whole Kathy Lee thing set...

2008-05-08T08:16:00.000-04:00

I agree completely - the whole Kathy Lee thing set me off b/c it started the whole segment off on the premise that maybe computer use is dangerous - add mothers, babies and money and it just gets more suspicious from there!
And yes, when we moved to this house we were told by our landlords that people on the street keep to themselves. And they do. Maybe all the other mother's are blogging too?

I didn't like the tone Katie Lee used at all. In m...

2008-05-08T06:31:00.000-04:00

I didn't like the tone Katie Lee used at all. In my book Kathie Lee should have been honored to be in the presence of someone who has done so much to make mommyblogging what it is.

My blog friends keep me sane. And how many of you guys have become my REAL friends? A lot of you.

I agree. The community is better than any mothers group I could imagine.

I wasn't impressed with the segment, but I totally...

2008-05-08T00:21:00.000-04:00

I wasn't impressed with the segment, but I totally agree with you about the community aspect of it. Everyone that I know who started blogging, be they mommy bloggers (and good lord, how I loathe that phrase) or just bloggers in general, started to get their voice out there, to find other people who felt and thought and lived the way they did.

I have met some amazing people thru blogging - people I never would have met otherwise. People I was drawn to either because of diabetes or because of being a mom. And they've all been fantastic, wonderful people and I am thrilled to know them. And none of it would have been possible without this blogging community.

And when did Kathie Lee Gifford move to the Today Show? Obviously I'm out of the loop there....

I think my main question is, WHO let Kathie Lee ba...

2008-05-07T23:06:00.000-04:00

I think my main question is, WHO let Kathie Lee back on TV!?

You know, every time I watch the Today show, I am ...

2008-05-07T23:05:00.000-04:00

You know, every time I watch the Today show, I am left disappointed. SOmetimes the promos look interesting, but the segments are so short as to be meaningless. I don't know why I always expect more but it's always the same: surface crap. You get more from the promo than the segment. All that just to say it's not just the Mommybloggers that get the short end of the stick.
But this post was extremely well said and I'm sure I'll agree with all of it if I ever get around to watching the video.

(Also, thanks, Christina, for leaving me such a kind comment this morning. It meant a lot. It's good to be back.)

You're SO right, Christina. Like WI Mommy above, I...

2008-05-07T22:45:00.000-04:00

You're SO right, Christina. Like WI Mommy above, I watched about a million hours of Today's various versions and permutations before i finally got to the segment. So utterly inane!

You have written about this topic so well. I am n...

2008-05-07T22:37:00.000-04:00

You have written about this topic so well. I am nodding my head in agreement.

I watched the segment and I got the impression that Kathie Lee was bored with the topic. That was a turn-off for me. Heather was great, despite the way her interviewers acted.

Great post on this topic. I saw the Today Show th...

2008-05-07T22:33:00.000-04:00

Great post on this topic. I saw the Today Show this morning and I agreed with everything you said.

Well put!

Points well made, Christina, as usual!I actually w...

2008-05-07T21:08:00.000-04:00

Points well made, Christina, as usual!

I actually went ahead and wrote about this for BlogHer along with my "inside" view (and citing your post), but bottom line, I was disappointed.

Nodding...I was happy for the ladies on the show....

2008-05-07T20:41:00.000-04:00

Nodding...

I was happy for the ladies on the show. It must have been so exciting! But I can see that it was really edited, and I wondered at what was cut...

Yeah, KLG SUCKED. I can't stand her, never could....

2008-05-07T19:37:00.000-04:00

Yeah, KLG SUCKED. I can't stand her, never could. And yes, she used to THROW her kids and her idyllic family life in our face all the time..until hubby got in a little trouble.

I was looking forward to seeing Heather, but was so disappointed that KLG took over conversation and barely let her get a word in edgewise. I actually felt sorry for Heather. What a waste of her time.

Well said, Christina. I am always astounded when p...

2008-05-07T18:27:00.000-04:00

Well said, Christina. I am always astounded when people assume that bloggers, especially parent bloggers, haven't considered the privacy aspects of blogging. I don't know a parent blogger who has not done so. Most have very strong, and personal, reasons for the decisions they made -- how much to share, whether to use real names or surnames, whether to post photos and so on.

As for Kathie Lee, I have to hope that she continues to not know what she is missing. :-)

Amen to that! I think Kathie Lee is a total tool....

2008-05-07T18:16:00.000-04:00

Amen to that! I think Kathie Lee is a total tool. She was doing the exact thing that we are now doing only more people saw her on tv than visit blogs. I hope that my kids are able to go back and read what I wrote and laugh at all the silly and funny things they did as children. I also hope that they are able to learn more about me as a mother by reading the blog.

hear flippin' hear.christina (and others), you hav...

2008-05-07T18:14:00.000-04:00

hear flippin' hear.

christina (and others), you have hit the nail firmly on the head.