Archive for April, 2008

Power

April 29, 2008 | BlogHer, Charity, Parent bloggers

crossposted to Marketing Roadmaps. Warning: long post

Power. Of the collective. Of the parent. Of the blogger. That’s today’s topic.

Let’s start with what the collective can achieve when we come together. In this case, for charity. As you may recall, about two weeks ago, in one of my Camp Baby case study posts, I suggested that companies interested in reaching women bloggers put their money into the charities that we care about. Not that we don’t like schwag or free products, or hell, even some link love. But I have yet to meet a parent blogger that doesn’t contribute what she or he can to charity. It’s why BlogHers Act has such resonance for the community.

Which is why I was thrilled to get an email from Kristen Chase this morning telling me about the latest Parent Bloggers Network BlogBlast campaign. PBN has teamed up with Johnson’s to promote Johnson’s Baby Cause, the company’s new charitable giving site to support the health and well-being of mothers and children worldwide. Details of the promotion are on the PBN post, but short version, blog about how you’d like to be recognized on Mother’s Day. Both Johnson’s and PBN are donating prizes; I love the PBN prize — a $25 credit to donate to the cause of your choice at Baby Cause. Ten winners. There’s also a charity auction for gently used celebrity baby goods on eBay that will benefit Baby Cause.

Why do I like this so much? To start with, charity. That will get me EVERY TIME. Which I am sure Kristen knew when she emailed me. And then there’s the Johnson’s component. I absolutely love that this Parent Bloggers Network campaign came about as a result of Lori Dolginoff from Johnson’s and Kristen meeting at Camp Baby, a fact which I confirmed with Lori before posting tonight. (And perhaps of Lori and Julie Marsh, Kristen’s partner in PBN, not meeting for all the reasons we already know.)

I’m sure the broader charity effort was well underway before Camp Baby earlier this month but as a direct result of the event, Johnson’s decided to team up with PBN to promote it. In short, it learned how valuable it is to work with people within the community, and that, my friends, is worth the price of admission.

Okay, you get here for free, but you know what I mean.

Another way we exercise our power as bloggers is when we help build our community. As Kim Moldofsky did today with a “link love” post for her Camp Baby friends on parentcenter. Yet another consequence, and hopefully not unintended, of getting 56 women with common interests together.

The power of the collective to effect change. Use it. Write a post. Help a friend with a little link love. Donate, to Baby Cause or BlogHers Act. But I’m thinking, buy a new diaper bag.

Parent bloggers have power. And that’s the segue into my next topic, which is to tell you about a project that launched its public beta today called ParentPower. Full disclosure: I’ve been consulting for the company developing ParentPower, advising them about the parent blogger space.

What is ParentPower? It’s an application for parenting blogs. There’s a lot to it – a desktop widget, an index of top parenting blogs, links to sites we visit all the time like Flickr, Twitter and parenting sites, an RSS reader, the weather, and more. More details in the overview on the site.

Why do I like this project? Because Active Access, the company that developed the app, asked. And they listened. And not just to me and my colleague Kami Huyse, who brought me into the project. They did focus groups with parent bloggers. They’ve started talking in Twitter. We’re talking with BlogHer about the best way to work with the community. And we are asking for even more feedback in the beta process. So if you decide to download the app, please complete the Polldaddy survey or send email to myvoice@parentpowerindex.com

As everyone who reads my Marketing Roadmaps blog knows, I have my concerns about indexes, but Active Access has done a good job here. There’s no subjective component in the Parent Power index and blogs that score the same get the same rank.

Personally, I’m LMAO that my personal/parent blog Snapshot Chronicles, which isn’t even a year old and has a very small number of loyal, wonderful subscribers, currently has a better ranking on ParentPower than Marketing Roadmaps (three+ years old, 1000 plus subscribers) has on the AdAge Power150. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions, but (hint hint) I think the ParentPower algorithm is better (no offense meant, AdAge 150), and hope those parent bloggers whose blogs are not yet included in ParentPower will add them and knock me down the pegs I probably deserve.

The power of parents. That’s truly what the folks behind ParentPower want to support, and I urge you to give your feedback. On the application, on the index, on whatever floats your boat. The feedback from the parent blogger focus groups was invaluable, and really, we just want “more, more…”

And finally, power. As in laptop power supply. Marketing Roadmaps readers will remember my sad tale, posted on April 3, of a broken iGo power supply during my trip to NYC for BlogHer, the 4-hour search for parts and the $130 I spent on new cables because, contrary to the information provided by iGo support, neither Best Buy nor RadioShack stocked the part I needed. Well, today I got an email from a marketing manager at iGo offering to replace my broken part. While I am tickled pink? purple? some other color? at the fact that finally, a company actually read my frakking blog and responded, customer support already sent a replacement part at no charge to my home. Which is great and much appreciated, but does not compensate for the added costs or the wasted time while I was in NY. Nothing really can, but if they respond back to my reply, I will tell them that I’d be thrilled with some free product to give away on Snapshot Chronicles. (Sorry Roadmaps readers, all giveaways happen on the personal blog.)

We do have power as bloggers. Our opinions of companies do matter, as this study by SNCR demonstrates, and companies are starting to listen. Slowly.

So use that power wisely. Don’t bitch to hear the sound of your own voice or read the melody of your own words.

Write to change things for the better.

That’s power.

—

Addendum - credit where credit is due (4/30/08)

Kim Moldofsky wanted to make sure everyone knows that credit for the weekly post sharing idea goes to Jodi at www.momsfavoritestuff.com

In my zeal to be transparent about my small part in the ParentPower project, it came across to some readers as though this was my project. While I think ParentPower is a great product and hope folks try it out, I simply provided some advice about the parent blogger space. ParentPower was developed by Active Access. Livingston Communications and Kami Huyse led the product marketing, strategy and PR, and Shannon Whitley developed the Index algorithm.

Technorati Tags: Camp Baby, Parent Bloggers Network, Baby Cause, Johnson’s, iGo, ParentPower, Active Access

Nice weather for ducks

Animals, Equipment, Spring

In our backyard this morning:

Also in our backyard:

Which is why the ducks are gone.

Magic, the cat, finally started to stalk them, so I had to intervene. The ducks flew away, and I doubt they’ll be picking our yard for their nest.

Photos were taken with my new Tamron telephoto lens, through the glass window of the slider. I forgot to readjust white balance on the first shot from indoor to shade which is why the grass seems so much bluer than in the subsequent photos. More on Flickr.

Technorati Tags: ducks, Tamron, telephoto lens

SciFi Sunday: Short Subject

April 27, 2008 | Science Fiction, Travel

Still getting over the jetlag from the trip back from California, so SciFi Sunday tonight is going to be a short comment that I was disappointed with last Friday’s Battlestar Galactica. Let’s call it the Cylon adjustment episode — the focus was mainly on the three of the frakked four who are still with the Fleet. I don’t dislike Tory or Chief, but I just wasn’t that interested in their turmoil, or not, at Cally’s death. Tigh, on the other hand, was more interesting but I thought they drew the device of Ellen/Six out way too long. Not enough Lee, Kara, Roslin or Adama.

Back to our regularly scheduled sci fi conversation next week. In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Douglas feeding Pewani, a 9-10 year old giraffe, at San Diego Wild Animal Park.

More photos from our vacation on Flickr.

Technorati Tags: San Diego Wild Animal Park, Battlestar Galactica

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my: our visit to the San Diego Zoo

April 22, 2008 | Animals, Douglas, Holiday, Travel

Zhen Zhen, 8 month old panda bear

Today, I am sitting in my hotel room in Santa Rosa while Douglas and David continue to enjoy San Diego and the Lawrence Welk Resort (tiny bubbles…) in Escondido. I’m up here for two days for New Comm Forum, flying back south tomorrow evening.

Sunday we spent the day at Legoland followed by dinner in Oceanside.

Monday, as the title of this post suggests, we went to the San Diego Zoo and had Mexican food for dinner in Old Town San Diego.

Technorati Tags: San Diego Zoo, Legoland, panda, legos

SciFi Sunday: Pre-empted by vacation

April 20, 2008 | Douglas, Holiday, Science Fiction, Travel

SciFi Sunday is pre-empted this week by our family vacation. I’d much rather spend time exploring the environs of San Diego California than waxing poetic about science fiction and fantasy.

Although I will say that Battlestar Galactica rocked last week. I didn’t even mind that there was so much Cally in it for once

Regularly scheduled rantings and ravings about science fiction will be back next week. In the meantime, please enjoy the pictures of our first day in California.

And don’t be confused by the picture of the dog and the cat, or our family room at home. They were on the same card as the CA pictures and I have a small person who wants to do Webkinz hanging on me, so no time to create multiple sets.

Technorati Tags: La Brea Tarpits, Lawrence Welk Resort, pillow fort

More Speed Racer

April 14, 2008 | Contest, TV/Film

Why? Because a twitter friend admitted she liked Speed Racer, and it’s more fun than what I should be doing right now.

Here’s the trailer for the film:

And here’s a clip with the details on MTV’s contest to give away a Corvette.

Technorati Tags: Speed Racer, Corvette, MTV, contest

SciFi Sunday: Go Speed Racer Go

April 13, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV/Film

The live-action Speed Racer film starring Emile Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox is slated to hit US theaters on May 9th. Douglas has already decided to defer his birthday celebration with friends until it opens so we can all go see it at Jordan Furniture’s IMAX Theater. I’ve watched a few of the trailers on the official movie site, and I’m guessing watching on the IMAX screen is going to feel like being inside a video game.

Before long, we’ll be inundated with tie-in promotions and contests for the film. The Speed Racer Legos are already on the market, and just this week, I learned that MTV is giving away a $100,000 tricked out Corvette. Details here.

Next topic: The Sarah Jane Adventures premiered on SciFI Channel Friday night. I have not been too enamored of Doctor Who of late, mostly because I just don’t like David Tennant’s portrayal. I know I am in the minority, but Tennant just doesn’t do it for me. For the Doctor to work, you have to believe he is capable of both the most wonderful and the most awful things. Tennant just makes me think of a little boy who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

I always liked Sarah Jane, the Companion of Doctors’ Three (Jon Pertwee) and Four (the wonderful Tom Baker), and probably the best-known, most loved Companion. It is great to see actress Elisabeth Sladen again, and I quite liked her two young side-kicks.

Grade for the premiere episode: B+

Finally, Friday’s episode of Battlestar Galactica, Six of One. Best moments: Adama’s fight with Roslin - I loved how he told her she could stay in the room but to stay out of his head. And Lee/Kara shipper that I am, you know I loved their scene. In large part because it underscored how much the characters care for each other without all the gnashing and wailing we’ve been subjected to in past. At the same time, they realized that they have to go in different directions to fulfill their destinies. Not together but in sync, whereas Adama and Roslin are together in some sense, but clearly not in sync at all. And finally, the Six on the Cylon basestar. Loved how she faced down that slimeball Cavil.

Grade for the episode: A

Reviews: Entertainment Weekly, TV Squad (source Galactica Sitrep, the best BSG fansite out there)

Next week’s preview at SciFi.com. (I’m going to stop linking to Battlestar clips on YouTube as they seem to get taken down very quickly.)

Bye bye Cally?

Technorati Tags: Speed Racer, corvette, Sarah Jane Adventures, Battlestar Galactica

Parent Blogger Karaoke

April 12, 2008 | Giveaways, Parent bloggers

Well, I finally had time to mess around with video so here is my contribution to the documentation of last Friday’s parent blogger karaoke meet-up in New York. I had a few more clips than the ones in this movie, but my video skilz were even more pathetic in those, so I decided to spare you.

Thanks again to Liz from Cool Mom Picks for getting us all together. See more pics and video at Joy Unexpected and Petroville.

On another note, folks seem to have had their say about the character of Daniel Jackson on SG-1 in my action figure giveaway — all good — so feel free to wax poetic on any of the other characters. Just be sure to leave the comment on my Ark of Truth review post by the end of the month. So far, we have enough comments that the Mitchell figure will be going to a new home on May 1st, but Vala and the Prior will still be stuck in my storage closet.

Tomorrow in SciFi Sunday, Speed Racer news, thoughts on the new Sarah Jane Adventures and my grade of Friday’s Battlestar Galactica.

Technorati Tags: Stargate SG-1, Cool Mom Picks, parent bloggers, karaoke

Christmas Video

April 11, 2008 | Animals, Holiday

Yeah, I know. Christmas was a while ago, but I finally got around to messing with some of the Flip video I took on Christmas morning. Now that I’ve more or less figured out the editor, I’ll try to get some of the video from last Friday’s karaoke party up.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Scottish Terrier

SciFi Sunday: Battlestar Galactica (duh!)

April 6, 2008 | Science Fiction, TV/Film

This post has spoilers for the first episode of Battlestar Galactica, He That Believeth in Me. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, and want to remain spoiler free, go read last week’s SciFi Sunday review of the Stargate SG-1 film The Ark of Truth and enter my SG-1 action figure giveaway.

Or go watch the ep on SciFi Rewind, then come back when you’re done.

—

A pretty good start to the season. As with most Battlestar episodes, there are three storylines. This year, it looks like they are going to play out as:

• The Adama arc: Storyline generally involving Adama, Roslin, Lee and Kara. Often includes Helo & Athena, and I suspect will include the Six/Sixes on Galactica
• The Baltar arc: Baltar’s storyline, including “Head Six”
• The Cylon arc: The seven, the four, the one

Let’s start with the A-storyline, the first he that believeth, Lee believing in Kara. My little shipper heart was warmed by the welcome Lee gave Kara (and the welcome she did not give Sam) as well as Lee’s immediate acceptance of her. Mary McDonnell’s performance was excellent, but I think the character is in the wrong this time. Think about it — she can have visions under the influence of drugs and send Kara on the mission to Caprica, but now she is completely closed to the possibility that Kara is right. Odds are, Lee is absolutely right — what they were meant to find in the nebula was Kara.

The two best scenes in this storyline were Adama and his children. When Kara asks him to believe her, it is heartbreaking that he can’t. That the counsel he seeks is Lee’s is heartwarming, especially given how estranged they had been over Baltar’s trial. Lee rewatching Kara’s “death” also evokes the episode Scar, another important episode in the Lee/Kara storyline. I loved how Lee makes it clear that it makes absolutely no difference to him what Kara is or isn’t. He has her back, literally and figuratively, and that’s all that matters.

Of all the characters in this episode, clearly the character of Lee has had the most visible character growth, although I expect that Kara has changed tremendously as well; we just don’t know the extent of it. Adama and Roslin, though, seem to be repeating old patterns. All this has happened before and will again….

Now to the B-storyline. Don’t need to draw us a map on this one. We get it. Baltar is a Christ-like figure, at least in that his followers believeth in him even though we know he doesn’t believe in much other than saving his own skin. I love watching James Callis perform, even though the character is mostly despicable. It will be interesting to see if/how Baltar is or is not redeemed. That said, I thought some of these scenes dragged a bit.

Finally, the Cylons. This episode focused on our friends the final, or frakked, four, and their determination to believe in themselves, as the individuals they’ve always thought themselves to be. Michael Hogan (Tigh) owns the screen when he is on it, so I for one am glad he is one of the four as that means he’ll get plenty of screentime. I thought it was particularly effective the way they had the four in various scenes discussing the possibility that Kara might be a cylon. Everything said, by them and others, in those scenes refers more to them than to her, and you can clearly tell that they know that. And what happens when Kara discovers that Sam is a Cylon…

Grade: A-/B+

Preview for next week:

Warms this fangirl’s heart, although I hope they resolve Starbuck’s headache soon. Katee Sackhoff is an excellent actor, but watching her scream “we’re going the wrong way” over and over is going to get old, fast.

Technorati Tags: Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1