I don’t really label myself a “Mom Blogger” but I freely admit I’m a blogger who happens to be a Mom. I have young kids and am therefore the exact demographic most large companies are looking to work with. They want my opinion. They want me to help spread the word about their latest product. I’m the one they should be courting. Except they don’t. Because I live in California.
I get that the large PR firms are located in New York City, and most large brands have their headquarters on the East Coast. I understand that their business hours are generally 9 - 5 and they prefer to do that business during those times. My issue comes when they expect us California bloggers to adhere to THEIR schedule. Remember I said I was a Mom? As a Mom who primarily stays at home with my children, I have certain responsibilities. For instance, I need to take them to school in the morning. I need to pick them up in the afternoon. I need to feed them dinner. Simple things, really, but things that happen to occur at the EXACT times all the New York people want my attention.
When I am getting my kids ready to go to school and driving them there, that is exactly when people schedule early twitter parties.
No, I cannot attend your 9am event because I am still sleeping at 6am California time.
No, I cannot attend anything that is between the hours of 4 - 6pm because between 1 - 3pm California time I am doing carpool for two school pick-ups.
No, I cannot attend your 9pm twitter party, because I am right in the middle of cooking dinner for my kids at 6pm California time.
I am doing all those “Mom” things that are precisely the reason you want to work with me to begin with.
Here are the hours I am available.
Feel free to schedule anything you’d like between the hours of 9:00am - 12:00pm California time. Oh… you are heading out to lunch at that time? So sorry… maybe you can eat at your desk.
Feel free to schedule anything you like between the hours of 8pm - 10pm California time. Oh… you are sleeping from 11pm - 1pm? Maybe you could set your alarm to wake up and do that twitter party.
Feel free to schedule anything you want on the weekends. That is when my husband is home and I have help with the kids. Oh… you don’t work on weekends? Well, then you REALLY don’t understand what a Mom does. WE ALWAYS WORK ON WEEKENDS! It’s our job! We don’t get a break. Ever!
So while I really DO appreciate the fact that you want to work with Mom Bloggers…. how about a little sympathy for us California Moms who are three hours behind you.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
so true, so true… SMH
Rory, Chocolate Hair / Vanilla Care recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: A Girl and Her Kitty Expressing Themselves
You nailed it, Carolyn! And may I add, the various sports practices, games, and dance/piano/art lessons that we drive our kids to between 2 pm-5pm California time.
SO very true!!!
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At least RWA makes an attempt to spread things out so peeps can attend. Last year’s conference was NYC; this year’s is Anaheim; next year’s is Atlanta, then Texas, NY, and San Diego. (Would like to see some love for Chicago or the Northwest, but…)
Silly NY, it’s not the center of the Universe, after all.
Beverly Diehl recently posted..Better Off Rebekah for Steamy Vampire & Lesbian Romance
Who said New York isn’t the center of the universe? Them’s fightin’ words!
No, seriously, you’d think folks would know better. Then again you’d think a lot of things were more sensibly set up than they are. I just LOVE it when I’m in a conversation with a childless person and I have set up at the beginning of our call that I have to get off the phone at exactly 2:45 to leave to pick up my kid at school and at 2:45 they start in with a fresh topic of important business. And then they get all huffy and act like I’M the rude one when I politely excuse myself from the call.
Rant on. This one is for real.
Varda (SquashedMom) recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Shaggy No More
Thank you. I just don’t understand how people can claim they want mothers involved and then don’t give them any leeway for them to actually “BE” mothers. Of course, there are always other people willing to throw their kids in daycare or hire babysitters so they can grab an opportunity, but I’m just not one of them. That still doesn’t make me less of an influential blogger just because I have to pick my kids up from school.