I was reading this (Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy Building My Brand.) this morning and just could not helped but be bothered by this article. The title implies that blogging is a past-time taking away from time a mother should be spending with her children. I'm sure there have been instances of this, but in most cases mom bloggers are trying to balance the challenge of building a business, which just happens to be a blog, with raising their family.

The New York Times would not dare write a similarly titled article about a working mother climbing the corporate ladder in this day and age without offending at least have of its readership. Can you see it "Not now honey, I've got a big client meeting in an hour?" No, of course not, because that is reality for roughly half of the workforce. So the message is that a blog is a silly hobby and mom's should focus more on their kids?

I am not a mother, but I know balancing professional aspirations with a family is a challenge faced my many women. For some women, a blog is an escape, for others its a compromise, a way to work from home and for still others it is the most exciting professional venture of their careers. A lot of these women have built influential brands and businesses, and though I don't support adults drinking anything from a sippy cup, I don't quite understand why title of the article would have us believe, that these mothers are somehow shirking their mom-duties for their blogs.

Start. Stop. Think. Wait. Start Again.

Wow... I published my first post a year ago and then decided that maybe I wasn't ready to blog, maybe I couldn't commit to a blog, maybe I should just wait. So, I waited but really there's no reason to wait. I'm ready. I'm back. I'm blogging!

Over the past year, I've delved deeper into this new world of social media, social networks and online pursuits, and in that time nothing has become any easier. In fact, it has probably become even more complicated. I firmly believe that the rules of engagement are still being determined and I want to have a forum for conversations about how this will move forward.

I promise it won't be a year until my next post... there is way too much to talk about.

How it All Began

So after starting a blog without a clear direction, I've changed the focus to address the many new/social media questions posed to me by friends, family and associates. I have to credit my friend Mark, who first posed this idea. I mulled it over for a few months, and I think he was on to something. So, my first post will be an answer to the question that started it all; thanks Mark!

Q: As an infrequent Facebook user, Mark wanted to know how to respond to the many b-day wishes (he's a popular guy!) on his wall that he didn't discover until a few weeks after the fact. Was he required to respond to each on individually? 

A: Although we can't understand it, regular Facebook users know that not everyone is as diligent in their status updating and notification monitoring. A simple thank you, and acknowledgement that you're delayed in in your thanks is sufficient. Most people just put a note of gratitude in their status update. You could also post a note of thanks and tag all those who sent you wishes, but I opt for the simple status update thank you; this way you're sure not to exclude anyone either!