Mom Blogs Matter - Susan Getgood Joins the Roundtable

Jen Zingsheim and I were pleased to welcome Susan Getgood to the Roundtable discussion this week. Susan is a blogger at the Marketing Roadmaps and Snapshot Chronicles blogs and a longtime marketing professional with an expertise in online strategies. She runs a marketing firm, Getgood Strategic Marketing, and is a fellow with the Society for New Communications Research.

Click here to download our 35-minute discussion

BlogHer 2008: We kick off the show with an in-depth discussion of the BlogHer conference this year. Susan notes the massive power wielded by female bloggers, mommy bloggers in particular. With women making many of the budgeting and purchasing decisions of households with children, mom blogs are a powerful potential marketing force. We also touch on the minor controversy following the New York Times coverage of the conference, which was relegated to the Style and Fashion section. The reaction was that women bloggers were not being taken seriously.

Reading Online: Another New York Times story this week prompts an excellent discussion about the value of reading, and whether or not online content "counts". While we all agree there can be good enough content online, kids should also be exposed to traditional forms of media and literature, even the ones who resist. Reading is fundamental to good writing, argues Jen, and reading online could result in poor writing and grammar skills.

RIP Randy Pausch: The passing of Randy Pausch has prompted reaction from throughout the online community, something that Wired recently referred to as a distributed funeral. Jen and Susan remark on the qualities of community involvement in mourning, and we all discuss what made Pausch's "Last Lecture" video a YouTube sensation.

Click here to download our 35-minute discussion