I was very excited to interview Lauren, who maintains three fabulous Web sites to help all of us Mommy bloggers out there. Be sure to check out Lauren’s sites which are mentioned below as well as my interview!
-Christy aka The Write Gal
Lauren is the creator of these Web sites which have very helpful resources for bloggers:
1) Mommybar Toolbar
http://www.themommybar.com
The bitoolbar for moms! The Mommybar has links to the best mom blogs, shopping sites, resources, coupons, and BUILT IN TWITTER! Other features include a google search box, an email checker which can be configured to any of your email accounts, weather and a pop-up blocker! Security is not an issue either with the Mommybar. It is free of spyware and viruses.
2) mommyRanks – DIGG for Mom Bloggers
http://www.mommyranks.com
mommyRanks is a platform for Mom bloggers to submit their new entries and vote and comment on others. More votes means higher placement on the running list – which should increase traffic to your blog.
3) Mommybid
http://www.mommybid.com
Mommybid is a marketplace for moms. If you have items at your house that you aren’t going to be using again there might be someone who would like to purchase or trade for it. Or perhaps you are a Mom Blogger and you need to get your site out there to the community. You can put up a wanted ad or set up a trade for the exchange of web 2.0 services to help eachother out. The possibilities are endless.
1. Congrats on your Feature Interview with MomDot! Why don’t you start by introducing yourself to our readers!
I am a 31 year old new mother living in Evanston, Illinois. I grew up in Long Island, New York, and moved to Chicago about five years ago and met my husband just 10 days after moving. We have been together every day since. I have been a teacher for the past seven years. Three years in Harlem and the past four years in Chicago. Zachary was born in May and I am currently a SAHM and run my three web properties: Mommybar (http://www.themommybar.com) , mommyRanks, (http://www.mommyranks.com) and mommy bid (http://www.mommybid.com).
2. Tell us what it is like maintaining three Web sites in addition to being a mom yourself.
It has been tough juggling the sites with little Zachary (especially with his stomach reflux). But the response from the community has been so great that it keeps me going. I just love the group of friends I have made as the result of my sites. I am able to email and tweet during the days and make site changes and additions at night. My husband Scott has also been very understanding although I still get the occasional “when are you going to get off the laptop” comment every once in a while.
3. How did you come up with the idea of the Mommy Bar?
I have always been someone who thought outside the box. Writing has never been my thing but I wanted to be part of the Mom blogging community. I asked myself what I could do to make it better for all the great mom bloggers that were already out there. I thought that creating an easy to use toolbar with all the links moms use would be a great idea. And I loved that there wasn’t already one out there. My goal was to make the first and best toolbar for Moms. Recently I added embedded facebook and twitter to the toolbar as well as the kids bar which is a toolbar for the little ones as well as, green bar for the eco-friendly web surfers.
4. How can we use mommyRanks to increase our blog traffic?
There are a couple of ways. For one, there are a few hundred moms submitting their links to the site that also browse, vote, and comment on the other submissions. I have received numerous emails from Moms letting me know that they have discovered new blogs from mommyRanks. The homepage is set up that once a mom makes a submission, it goes to the top of the homepage. So, by just submitting your link, it is right there at the top of mommyRanks. Another way is through search. For some reason. mommyRanks is a machine for SEO. And there is always the fact that I am picking submissions and linking to them on twitter throughout the day. The additional voting buttons and widgets that will soon be released will just increase the exposure for traffic.
5. Why would we want to use Mommy Bid instead of a larger auction site like eBay? What are the benefits to moms?
When I came up with the idea for Mommybid, I knew there was heavy competition from the likes of
eBay and Etsy. However, the competition does not cater to the Mom demographic. Sure there are mom items on their sites but they are not built with just moms in mind. Mommybid is built that way. I also know that no other site can match the low prices of Mommybid. There is a flat $2 fee for ANY TRANSACTION, no matter what the cost of the item is. And the $2 charge is just if the item is sold, not to just list it. It’s also free to create a storefront of up to 20 items. In addition there is a free exchange section to trade blog comments, stumbles, etc. I think the mom bloggers would be able to use this feature. Everyone has an extra toy laying around the house and in this economic environment it is nice to have some extra $$ in addition to the extra floor space.
6. What is up next for you? Do you have any additions to your Web sites in the works?
For now, I think that I am going to focus my efforts on promoting my sites (if you follow me on twitter, you have probably noticed). Hopefully they will get to the point where I can have a revenue stream and put some advertising dollars back into them. All three sites have been well received so far from the blogging community and I hope that continues!
Be sure and check out Lauren’s sites and tell her that MomDot sent you!
Richard (31)
Crystal @ Simply ... (1)
27 Comments
What a great idea! I wish I would have thought of it!
I love mommybid. I think it is a great idea.
Wow, I was a teacher in Harlem too several years ago. Looks like you’re doing a great job with your current sites. Have a great day!
What wonderful sites and excellent ideas!
trish,
i understand the problem with the $2 charge if an item is sold for a low dollar amount. I will make it so that a item sold for $10 or less is only a charge of $1. Do you think that is more fair?
Lauren
I’ve got a question for you. If you open a store on MommyBid, do you still have the $2 per item fee? Even if the item you are selling is like $6? Thanks!
Awesome interview. Three blogs, you must be busy!!
Great interview. I will have to check out the other sites you listed.
Great interview, I can’t wait to check out the sites!!
thanks everyone for the kind words. i hope you enjoy my sites. if you want you blog added to Mommybar, just let me know and i would be happy to add it. mommybar at gmail.com
lauren
Mommyranks sounds great! I’ll check it out.
Great interview! Lauren has it going on!
I think mommybid.com is a great idea. Sounds better than the creepos that are taking over craigslist.
Here is my preliminary comment! I hope I’m doing this right; I never understand the contest rules (too much Sesame Street today or something! haha)
Lauren is great! She comes up with such innovative ways to support mommy businesses!!
MomBid sounds interesting!!
What great sites..I love the idea of the mommybid!
Love the interview! Sounds like a great site — can’t wait to check it out.
Yay Lauren! You are the embodiment of a superwoman! 3 blogs and a baby! Gosh I couldn’t even keep up with one! You’re so talented, I wish I can absorb some of that from you!
mombid sounds interesting, im going to have to check these out
this was a great interview, I have all the links saved and as soon as I can get some quiet time I am diving into them all in more depth!!
Thank you for sharing them with us
I just submitted some of my posts to MommyRanks. I’m still trying to figure that out, but I’ll have to dive further into it.
I’m definitely looking into mommyranks! I love all the moms that help each other out.
I’ve visited all three sites but haven’t had a chance to really dig into them in depth yet. This was a great reminder to do so!
Yah for another Illinois blogger!
Thanks Trisha and everyone else here. I really appreciate the article and interview. You guys(i mean girls) rock – keep up the good work!
-Lauren
lauren, we are so glad that you area about helping mommies make their way online a little easier! You are amazing!
trisha
Great interview! I look forward to checking out all of Lauren’s site when I get a few free minutes. I can’t even imagine running three sites while juggling a little one. She must have amazing time management skills!
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