This is an updated version of a post that I originally wrote for Type-A Mom.
Does it seem like you spend more time with your online friends than your IRL friends? Is your BFF in another state? Do you discuss the TTC issues of sue_tryin4one (made up name) with your DH? Is your website booming because of all the connections you have on the web?
If you are like most modern moms around today you probably answered yes to at least 2 of those questions. And that is not a bad thing.
I have been an “online mom” for about the past 10 years. It all started on iVillage when my quest to have children started. Since then I’ve been on various social networking sites, but I have always maintained a connection with the first few women that I “met” on the CAM (Conception After Miscarriage) board on iVillage. Many IRL (in real life) friendships have sprouted from those connections. We have visited each other’s homes, been on the phone to POAS (pee on a stick) together, vacationed together, and sadly even buried 3 of our sisters that were taken from us too young over the past few years. I don’t know what I would do without them.
It is important for everyone to have a support network. For some busy moms these days that are juggling businesses, households, and family, the web is a godsend for making those connections both personal and business. Sites like Type-A mom, Moms of Hue, Mom Bloggers club just to name a few are perfect.
Now with the surge in popularity of “Mommy Bloggers” this whole online mom thing has taken on a mind of it’s own. Meeting a young (20s-30s) mom now WITHOUT a blog is more rare than meeting one with a blog. We have our own blogging business cards, we generate money from out blogs, we rub elbows with some of the top companies, and we even talk to stars on Twitter. We support each other through tough times, celebrate together, boost each other up when needed, and jump across the web like crazy promoting ourselves, each other, and entering giveaways.
A few tips for those new to the whole online support system/blogging thing.
- Don’t share too much personal info in online profiles unless you are comfortable doing so.
- Don’t believe everything that you read.
- Do be a giver and not only a taker. Those in support groups are more inclined to help you with your problem if they feel that you are giving back to the community as well.
- Don’t neglect your family or IRL friends! Take a break and spend some time with the real people around you.
- If you have a business, do use your new connections to drum up some business!
- If you blog, pay attention to the blogs of those that are “seasoned” and learn from them.
When did you get your start online? Where do you spend most of your time? Have you made any real substantial relationships that you cannot do without?
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