Am I really a “Blogger”??

Know what’s funny? I’m often introduced as “The Blogger”, Bantering Blonde.  I have a blog, which you know since you are reading it, but seriously people, have you looked at the date of my last post? I would love to blog more; I like to write and share my ideas but work sorta gets in the way these days.  You are likely to see more of me and learn more about how my mind works on FB or Twitter – there is no blog post to back it up or expand on my ideas.  Do you think that blogging has become my “beard”??? I don’t really do it on purpose but it seems like most people understand “blogging” more than they do “social media gal”. It’s easier for people to see me and introduce me as a blogger than for me to explain and for them to understand the facets of social media and whether there is influence or blah blah blah. Everybody blogs nowadays….

I blog for business and I work on client blogs quite a bit but, for the most part, my personal brand is stuck in 2009. For CRYING OUT LOUD, people, have you seen my header??? What version of the iPhone is that? My freakin’ header was awesome at one time and now it has a dinosaur on it and the irony intended by my font choice is totally lost. I need help. I need a new header.

I don’t have time to create a new header.

*le sigh* off to tweet my woes…..

Susan Egan, The Secret of Happiness

Last spring at the Disney Social Media Moms conference, we were introduced to Georgia Stitt and Susan Egan. Actually, Georgia and I actually go “way back”. We were in the same undergraduate class at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. We survived 8am freshman theory classes with Dr. Rose. Just imagine 8am at the exact opposite end of campus from where you live… and it was required of all incoming freshman. All 40 of us. We got know each other very well!

After Georgia and Susan presented/performed, a Disney cast member grabbed and brought me back to reunite with Georgia. I think I cried, and I’m pretty sure I babbled about how cool it was to see them up there. I always get a little crazy when I see my fellow music school friends doing great things. It is not an easy road and when I see where so many of them have ended up there is a sense of pride. Not the patronizing kind,but the awesome kind.

Even more awesome than hanging out with a Disney Princess? (Susan was the original Belle on Broadway). We pushed Susan over the edge and onto Twitter that afternoon, and she literally took to it like a fish to water! Georgia had been blogging since way before I had. In fact, her blog was the first blog I’d ever read. Now the two of them publish Glamour and Goop – a definite must read about two Broadway-types continuing to build their musical careers while raising their families.

Today, November 15th, Susan releases her new album, The Secret of Happiness, and Georgia Stitt produced the album and wrote many of the songs. It’s a compilation of songs that will speak to so many women who have known the joy and humor in that crazy transition from whole woman to whole mother. That phase of your life where you wake up one day and your entire outlook on life has turned upside down. If you’ve ever thrown a cardigan on to cover up the cookie drool stain on your shoulder, if you’ve ever cried the ugly cry of exhaustion while smiling and thinking you’d jump in front of a train to save the screaming creature looking back at you, if you think this sounds familiar then you’ll giggle, cry, and smile your way through this album. And if you should catch yourself tossing your hair, looking in the mirror, and belting out the last few lines of “All things in Time”… once or five times, well then, you are not alone-just sayin’

For me, the absolute BEST part of this album is Susan’s cover of a song we all know well. “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a gutsy song for any artist to take on. I mean really, who doesn’t know the song, who doesn’t have the Simon and Garfunkle version burned into their memory? I love it – I love Susan’s version of this song, in fact I love it more than Simon and Garfunkle. Her voice creates the most perfect ethereal sound (in harmony no less; I’m assuming there was a bit of studio work involved there!) and truly, my daughter dances around like a princess on a cloud when it’s on, which is often, since Susan and Georgia are now totally on my play list.

You can, and should buy Susan Egan’s new album at Amazon or if you order from LMLMusic.com and enter the promo code MOMBLOG, Susan is giving the fabulous a 20% discount.

A HUGE Congratulations to Susan Egan and to Georgia Stitt! Georgie, just remember I knew you WAY before the drool and goop!

Check out the music video for “Nina Doesn’t Care” …..

What is Klout Anyway?

So, I’m obviously in a major influencer death spiral. When everyone else was crying in their beer over massive Klout score drops, mine didn’t budge. I was just as influential as before Klout changed the algorithmic magic wand of truth. So why is dropping now? I’m not doing anything different than I have been for months.

I’ve been less active on Twitter and I haven’t had much time to write on ye olde blog for some time now. I know, it’s awful how much focus I put on my job. You know, the one that actually pays. Too bad I can’t get credit for boosting a client’s Klout.

And the perks? Does anyone actually use those? I’m not sure I trust the perks… and truly, the $25 Amex Gift Card perk was nice but I’ll be impressed when you can pay the mortgage with a Klout perk.

Should I be concerned about my dropping Klout score? Will friends begin snubbing me? Will the barrista at Starbucks stop winking at me when he asks if I want whipped cream on my skinny peppermint hot chocolate? What will happen now?

It certainly hasn’t stopped the daily onslaught of “Dear Influencer/mommy blogger/etc” emails and gosh darn it, I’m the same person I was a week ago. Well, actually, I did lose a few pounds because I started Weight Watchers.

Wait a minute! All of those studies that say thinner people are more influential, have more friends, and make more money must be totally wrong, ’cause my weight loss is exactly equal to my Klout loss.

HOLY SHIT! At this rate my Klout score will be in the 30′s by the New Year.

So, I’m sorry to disappoint you but my Klout is falling dangerously close to it’s lowest point ever. I’d be careful reading this post, it might be catching.

It used to be so easy…

I used think blog writing was so easy. Just sit down and go. Now I think about writing and put it off ’til later. For some reason there is never enough time to write exactly what I want to write.

I do think writing is good for my soul. You know, just in case I actually have one. It’s time I get to just sit down and have some fun. The greatest part about blogging when I first started was the excitement of seeing who would come and read and comment. I made friends, we connected on Twitter, and I eventually met many of those people in person at various conferences. Many of the people I met via the world of social media have become very good friends, some of them I’ve even done business with. Interestingly, I have met more people in person that I originally met on Twitter, than from any other connection. Why am I writing this? Not a freakin’ clue, I’m just writing because there’s a lot of empty space in here lately.

So there, I’ve written. Let the flood gates open. Or not.

Mamma Don’t Bluff