Here are some details about the conference:

Type-A Mom Conference is a unique mom blogging conference designed to help you take it to the next level. The conference will feature some of the most influential, admired and insightful mom bloggers talking about topics like power social networking, branding, blogging, finding your voice, and turning your passion for blogging into a real paycheck.

When? Sept. 24-27

Where? Asheville, NC

Find out more at the official Type-A Mom Conference site.

And be sure to register before 11:55 p.m. July 1st. The current Super Early Bird rate of $100 is half the full price, and it ends (and bumps up $50) in mere hours.

_{Photo © National Rural account on Flickr, used via Creative Commons license.}

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Now to figure out how to not look fat and/or act stupid… Secrets anyone?

_{Photo of TV, &copy http://www.sxc.hu/profile/mzacha}

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1. They reply to people without actually using the proper format. (Hint: you want to use the person who you are replying to’s name, for example @username at beginning of tweet).
2. They complain about people who tweet too much. (Hint: when you’re new and only follow a few people, the really active and influential tweeters will dominate your stream. Instead of complaining and alienating people who can help you the most, get to know Twitter better and follow more people who are a good match for you topic or interest-wise.)
3. They automate their Twitter stream with their RSS feed, look at their stats, see no clicks to their blog, and determine Twitter isn’t useful. (Hint: an RSS feed isn’t a conversation.)
4. They interrupt Twitter news, parties or events to ask, “What is #inserttaghere about? (Hint: hashtags, or words/terms with the number symbol at the beginning, are conversations on one topic. You can often find out what they are about with a Google search of the tag. You can also search the tag to see the whole conversation.)
5. They don’t have a bio or avatar, or even a personalized background for that matter. (Hint: you should use a clear headshot, use your real name in the name entry and not a company name even if your handle is your company name, and you should include a bio with keywords to help like-minded people find you.)
6. They autoDM people who follow them. Yes, even with a thank you. Yes, it’s still annoying. Worse yet? AutoDMing with an offer to the follower to “feel free” to visit your blog or get your free email newsletter. Worst of all? AutoDM someone with tips on how to use Twitter, such as saying “to join the conversation @me or d me.” You just might send it to followers who know far better than you how to use Twitter. (Hint: you don’t need to automatically thank everyone. When someone interesting follows you, jump in the conversation and @them in reply to something they tweeted. Better yet, retweet them by quoting their quote with RT @theirname at the beginning.)
7. They use Twitter only to self-promote. All of their posts are about their business of blog. (Hint: Twitter is like a big networking event. You wouldn’t go around shoving your business card in people’s faces at a dinner party, would you? Then don’t do that online either. Mingle, get to know people, have some conversations.)
8. They tweet in all capital letters. (Hint: that is shouting, and very annoying. Tone it down!)
9. They get on Twitter to self-promote, and then protect their updates. And then follow people. (Hint: unless you have a major reason to protect your updates, keep it open. It’s a really odd experience to be followed by someone, only to ask permission to follow the person back. This is a social network, not an anti-social network.)
10. Tweeting non-stop minutia. It’s OK to tweet something silly or an odd observation, but people don’t need to know about every small detail of your life. (Hint: ask yourself if this might actually interest your followers. If you aren’t sure, some little details of life do really engage followers. See which ones get lots of replies, and that will help you determine which minutia is quirky and engaging, and which is just minute.)

The great thing about Twitter? It helped me write this article! Special thanks to @prCarrS, iFroggy, DougPiranha, goodlifediva, notdiyHeather, MomsWhoSave, and many others who provided feedback for this article. That is yet another hint for those new to Twitter. If you aren’t sure, ask. There are many on Twitter who are savvy at using it and happy to offer help and advice.

_{Photo of keyboard, © Nintaro at sxc.hu}

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The chat will be tonight from 8 to 9 p.m. EST.

Any time there is a Twitter event of function, it can be very challenging joining the discussion through standard Twitter.com. The easiest way by far is to simply click here!

You can also install Tweet Deck beforehand, or visit Tweet Chat or Tweet Grid. When you do, use the search, tag or enter room function to look for the hashtag #smallbizchat and then jump into the discussion. To keep up, it’s also very important to follow the hostess, Melinda Emerson, aka @smallbizlady.

Attending events, parties and functions on Twitter like this can be a great way to network. If you’d like to automatically follow fellow participants in the chat, you might consider visiting Twollo beforehand and adding the term #smallbizchat. You can always remove it again the next day so you don’t follow future people who participate in these chats.

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Here are some of the details:

WAH Marketing Bootcamp
Thursday, May 28, 2009
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Eastern Time/
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time
One low cost: $97

Register Now!

Here’s what you’ll learn at the WAH Marketing Bootcamp:

• What brand questions you should answer when you are developing your content and communities.
• How to build social capital to turn your social media relationships into business successes.
• Tested and successful techniques to bring attention to your brand on Twitter Who needs a Facebook page, and who shouldn’t bother?
• How to use Linkedin for more than just job hunting as a powerful B2B development tool.

Work at Home Marketing Bootcamp Ning
This session is jam packed with techniques, ideas and resources you can start using immediately to bring attention to your brand and find paying customers. But the learning doesn’t end when the webinar is over. You’ll also get:

• Membership in a private WAH on-line community filled with other people who attended the seminar.
• Networking with other WAH professionals and find out what has and hasn’t worked for them.
• We’ll also be posting news and links on social media developments that happen after the seminar is over. So you don’t have to spend your time scouring the internet for the latest social media developments.
• Access to tons of resources including the webinar recording, copies of all slides and a link directory of all of the web resources mentioned in the presentation.

We’ve designed this session with the stay-at-home mom or dad in mind.

• It’s scheduled during the school day and for many during nap time! (After all, we have kids to take care of too!)
• It’s short — only 1 1/2 hours of your precious time. It’s affordable. Only $97. And we don’t have a hidden expensive product we are hoping to up-sell you later.
• On-going networking from other WAH entrepreneurs just like you on a website that’s available 24/7, when you are able to get on-line.

Early registration bonus –

Register early by midnight Pacific Time on May 21 and you’ll get FREE access to a live follow-up chat with Kelby and Peggy to answer your question that come up after you’ve begun practicing your new skills. Why wait? Summer vacation is just around the corner and WAH Moms and Dads need every trick in the book to stay on top of a busy summer schedule AND grow their businesses at the same time. With the WAH Bootcamp, you’ll get a head start on taking your business to the next level. Register Today!

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So here’s how it will work. Anyone on Twitter can post a tweet to spread the word about the Type-A Mom Buzz Builder ad campaign option. If you use the Twitter tag #typeamombuzz and a company orders the Type-A Mom Buzz Builder social campaign using promo code #typeamombuzz, Twitter will get the commission! When the first social ad campaign sells, I will award the ad sales commission of $375 to someone randomly selected among those who tweet a link to the Type-A Mom advertising page with hashtag #typeamombuzz.

So are you ready to sell a social ad campaign? Here are sample tweets to copy and paste, but you can use any that uses the hashtag #typeamombuzz and the link:

Type-A Mom has social ad campaigns. Order Buzz Builder with promo code #typeamombuzz to get free extra week! http://bit.ly/typeamombuzz

@typeamom wants to see if Twitter can sell a social ad campaign! Get Buzz Builder at http://bit.ly/typeamombuzz promo code #typeamombuzz

Can a social network actually sell a social ad campaign? Get the buzz builder at  http://bit.ly/typeamombuzz promo code #typeamombuzz

Want to win a $375 social ad sales commission? Check out http://kelbycarr.com/a-twitter-experiment #typeamombuzz

After you tweet the first time, please leave a comment here to officially enter to win the commission IF a social ad sales (keyword if… of no ad sales, no commission will be awarded to the random tweeter).  You need not comment every time (each tweet is another entry), but I at least need a list here of people who are tweeting to assist me in searching for tweets to compile entries.

So let’s see if we can do this. Can Twitter actually, as a group, sell a social ad campaign? It will be really interesting if Twitter can!

The Rules:

• Anyone on Twitter can enter by following the instructions above.
• The prize will ONLY be awarded when and IF the first social Type-A Mom Buzz Builder campaign sells at the price of $1,500.
• The prize will be dispensed after I receive payment and the payment clears from the advertiser. To that end, there is no way to say the time limit or deadline for the contest. It will end when and if a social campaign sells on Type-A Mom.
• The winner can live anywhere on the planet, but payment will be made in US dollars via Paypal only.
• There is no limit to the number of entries someone can have, so long as each of the tweets/entries includes the hashtag (including # symbol) of #typeamombuzz PLUS either a link to this post or to the Type-A Mom advertising page at http://bit.ly/typeamombuzz

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Beyond that, I think everyone needs to remember that there are no clear answers on all of this. That’s the bottom line.

It’s easy to say bloggers can’t take money for any reason, but don’t moms who put time and effort into their blogs deserve to earn some money for them? Blogging is not traditional journalism. I’ve said it many, many times, but the key here is disclosure. And when I say disclosure, I mean obvious and clear disclosure. And a little soul searching before you accept a check from a company is in order because there is no secret code about when that is appropriate or not.

On the one extreme, we have far too many mommy bloggers who don’t see their value at all. On the other extreme, we have bloggers who do nothing but use their blogs to pimp out products and make money. I say to all mommy bloggers: you need to find a place between those two extremes. Where exactly we all belong is the tricky part.

I also would argue that if you call it a review, it can’t be paid to do it. That is highly misleading. On Type-A Mom, for example, the guidelines call for all reviews to have both pros and cons. I want to be sure that we are all fairly testing and writing about the products there. I would recommend any blogger who labels a post a review do the same thing. It’s one thing to get the product to review, which simply makes sense if a company wants items reviewed. It’s another to accept cold cash to do the review.

When it boils down to it, blogging ethics shouldn’t be all that complicated. Like in any medium, the reader should come first. That sounds nice on paper, but even traditional outlets stopped putting the reader or viewer first years ago. So let me break down a few of the angles and considerations here.

Because this discussion about blogging ethics is one that needs to happen, and now. In fact, several months ago I bought the domain BloggerCodeofEthics.com. I think it’s well past time to launch it. This will be a site to develop a basic code of ethics with a strong emphasis on disclosure vs. the traditional media emphasis on avoiding bias (which was never truly realistic anyway). It will not make anyone any money. I would love to have some contributors there on the various topics related to blogging ethics, so if you are interested please comment below and I’ll be in touch.

Bloggers and Ethics

Let’s start with bloggers. Queen of Spain Blog featured a great post, I’m Calling Out the Carpetbagging Mommybloggers. Bloggers, you need to do some soul searching. Why ARE you blogging? If it is just to make a buck, I would suggest blogging isn’t the way to go about it at all.

I would say, however, the idea that advertising and editorial can be separate in blogging like they are in traditional media is just not realistic. First of all, it isn’t entirely separate in traditional media. It is in theory, but not in reality.

I’m here to say that traditional media is NOT the epitome of ethics and standards we’d all like to believe. I always found it rather hilarious that the Journalist’s Code of Ethics stated journalists cannot receive any compensation, gifts, free travel, or items of value on the sources they cover, yet travel writers for years have gotten a pass on that rule by many newspapers and magazines. Why? Because media outlets cannot afford to pay the expenses of the high cost of travel. So basically, it works like this: we will be ethical until it is just too expensive or inconvenient.

I had to laugh to read what Jessica Smith posted. She was quoted in the Wall Street Journal and is taking a ton of heat about it. But she nailed it. The idea that traditional media would slam bloggers about ethics? Laughable!

Here is a snippet from her post, Blogging, Double Standards and Recommendations:

Bloggers are being scrutinized for transparency and disclosure issues but the same “traditional” media that’s reporting on it?  Pot.  Meet.  Kettle.

The other point to note there is that mommy bloggers cannot separate it. A newspaper or TV station has one whole part of the building filled with humans who sell ads, and a whole other part of the building filled with humans who report the news. They rarely cross paths.

A mom blogger is usually writer, editor, administrator, general manager, producer and ad sales rep all rolled into one. There is no true separation. So that makes it all the more important for we bloggers to establish ethics standards and guidelines.

Obvious, Clear Disclosure is the Answer

So I get back to my main point of disclosure. As I said a while back in my post about bias in newspapers, readers don’t seem terribly concerned that bloggers are biased. What is crucial is that readers get informed about those biases. It is a breach of reader trust if you do something for pay and don’t say that is why you are doing it. It’s as simple as that, and that part is not complicated.

I don’t mean with a sidebar or bottom of page button that links to a computer-generated page that generally states you might be paid to write certain posts. That’s not good enough. Any post that was touched by a payment or a personal bias in some way should say so. It doesn’t need to be detailed, but you should share. And if you would feel awkward or embarrassed stating it in the post, you probably are doing something wrong.

The main guide I always used as a newspaper reporter was this: would I be embarrassed if this was reporter in the newspaper? Could I defend myself? I say the same thing applies to bloggers. Whenever you are blogging for pay or any sort of benefit, ask yourself those questions.

I love the ideas that Amy Lupold Bair, a.k.a. Resourcefulmommy, put out there after reading the Wall Street Journal article and the Queen of Spain post. In her post, Resourcefulmommy Changes, she indicates that she will include a button that says “product provided” in reviews where that is the case.

Reality is this: if mommy bloggers have to buy everything they review, there will be very few reviews. A professional blogger can still do a fair review.

Anyone whose opinion can be bought with a free product probably should reconsider blogging or sharing opinions, for that matter. Because blogging is about being personal, interacting with your readers, and being real. If you stop being real, you should stop blogging.

Blogging Ethics and Companies

I also think companies, ad agencies, PR firms all need to be brought into this discussion. Believe it or not, they are not evil people. I have some friends and clients in these realms, and I am here to tell you that many of them are struggling just like the bloggers. I would even say more so, since they don’t have the insider sense of the blogging community.

Just a few months ago, many bloggers would lament that companies don’t take bloggers seriously. Well, hey, we won! They are slowly but surely getting it. Sure, they might have some etiquette blunders, but let’s all cut them some slack.

And there is a reason why issues like paid posts are coming up. We all know that advertising is not terribly effective. Companies are doing what we have been TELLING them to do for years. They are trying to join the conversation. But for them, there aren’t as many natural ways to do that. So they are getting creative.

They are not out to offend bloggers. They want to engage with bloggers. They want to help their clients enter the social sphere. They have staff meetings, they attend webinars, and they go to conferences just to get the slightest hint of how to do that properly. There are not clear answers on how best to do that.

This is really the Wild West, and we should all keep in mind that things were much simpler for these people a year ago. I always feel like no matter what is said or done, I want to encourage marketers who are making an attempt. That is monumental.

But to those marketers, I also want to say this: some bloggers do not have a media background and are not that savvy. You should not take advantage. Blogging ethics are your responsibility, too. You should insist that bloggers disclose. You should be sure the bloggers are comfortable with the arrangement. You should NEVER attempt to buy a blogger’s opinion.

Buy an ad on their blog, and you might see the blogger naturally talks about your company. Even the blogs that don’t mention direct advertising would probably consider it if you make a polite offer. Personally, I think giveaways are a great way to get involved in the conversation since the blogger gets added traffic, the company gets exposure, and the readers love them.

You can insist that they also disclose that the company provided the prizes. Providing prizes for contests is not something remotely new to the blogosphere. But seriously. Contests decades before blogging even existed have had prizes provided by companies, so I doubt many readers think the bloggers themselves are buying all those prizes out of their own pockets.

Navigating the Blogging Ethics Gray Area

This is no simple thing for bloggers. There are no clear cut rules about what’s acceptable or not. I would say go with your gut.

If you don’t want your readers to know your arrangement, and in simple, non euphemistic terms that can confuse, then you should say no. If a company paid you to post, say it very clearly in the text. Tell exactly what was involved. You don’t have to say exact dollars, but if you received a gift card to write about something, say so. If you were paid to post on a certain subject by a company, say that. If you are writing about a company you do consultant work for, say so.

There are some very clever ways you can disclose besides the obvious. You can say so in the post in just a sentence or two near the top of the post. Plus, you can add a button that is high profile and not buried at the bottom that says the post is sponsored. Newspapers, magazines and TV all have had advertorials and paid programming for years (and I would argue some are not so clearly labeled as such). Bloggers are not the first to invent this.

You can have regular posts on your site that feature an icon like Featured Client. There are some fun ways to be clear to readers. If you find this all results in less traffic and interaction on your blog, then you need to think about what’s more important.

Personally, I don’t see how a review can be paid and still be a review, so I would consider using different terms.

But it all boils down to this. As bloggers, we will encounter many occasions to consider doing something for money. Every time, think about what that means.

When you represent a company as a blogger in some fashion, that is not the same as doing other work. You are selling a piece of your personal brand. If the company is a good fit for you, fine. If it’s something you would blog about or spread the word about for free because it is something you like or love or believe in, then great. If it’s something that interests your readers anyway, cool.

If not, walk away. We all need to feed our families, but let’s not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs here.

Each and every time, you have to decide whether the money is really worth it and whether it benefits your readers. Each and every time, you need to examine whether what you are about to do is ethical. Because like it or not, you are part of a community and you will be judged by that community for your actions. Be sure you can defend yourself, both to the community and to yourself.

And never forget: without your readers, none of these opportunities would happen. You owe them.

_{Photo of mommy blogger, © Channah at Sxc.hu}

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So when Katja Presnal mentioned doing a test drive of the couponing site, A Full Cup, I was much more intrigued than I normally would be. She sent along a $50 American Express card, and I decided to see if I could really buy groceries with that. I seriously can’t remember the last time I spent so little at the store. If you read my previous grocery shopping post about my reverse shopping list, you know this is something that’s been concerning me.

What happened? Well, watch and see…

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There are a few reasons why we love taking the kids there:

• It’s cheap. It costs $6 for the whole family (as long as they fit in one vehicle, since the only charge is for parking). Better yet, it’s free on Tuesdays.
• It’s a semi-contained area to let the kids run free. There are a few places, like the bonsai garden, where it’s a series of walkways and bridges with railings, so for those of you with multiple kids like us, you don’t have to worry as much about each kid sprinting a different direction. In fact, the Arboretum was the first outing where we took the kids and let the twins go stroller-free when they started walking.
• They have kid-friendly hiking trails as short as a half-mile tound-trip.
• It’s one of the few attractions I’ve seen anywhere (not just Asheville, but in all my travels in seven countries) that actually caters to toddlers and preschoolers. They have a Wee Naturalist program for kids age 2-4 to encourage parents and kids to explore.
• They always have a cool, hands-on or personal experience type of exhibit that kids love. Currently, it’s an exhibit on bats. One of the coolest was a greenhouse filled with real live butterflies that the kids could walk into and experience.

The coolest part is probably that adults can actually enjoy this. With maybe the exception of winter, the arboretum is, beyond all the things I listed above, a very cool attraction for moms, dads, grandparents and pets, too. (I see lots of people walking their dogs there.) Each season is unique. Right now, spring is just emerging, and it’s gorgeous.

But my husband and I, and the kids, love the bonsai collection (the largest in the Southeast from what I have heard). Here’s a cool thing some people don’t really think about either, but these bonsais go through the seasonal changes as well. If you get a chance, I definitely recommend checking out the arboretum during the fall color change.

Here are several other pictures I took yesterday and last fall:

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The trap is caused by basically three very stupid aspects of Google Analytics (and if any of these three were changed,  particularly the second two, it would probably not be a big deal):

1. Google requires a Gmail account to get Google Analytics. That means it has to be tied to a person.
2. Google does not allow you to transfer a site’s Analytics data to another email address. You can export but you cannot import.
3. Google allows you to make someone view-only for just certain web sites in your profile, but anyone you make an admin automatically gets access to all your sites.

If this is all so geeky your eyes are rolling back in your head, let me be less so. In essence, you will likely have your Analytics account attached to a person you may or may not do business with anymore (or even like). And there’s nothing you can do to get it if they don’t cooperate. And even if they DO cooperate, they can’t really give you control of your Analytics account.

Here is what you see when you try to add someone as an admin. The list of your sites disappears, and you get this message (you might need to click the image to see the full size, and do note the requirement for a Gmail address and the warning that the person will now have control over all your sites):

Sure, you can export the data, set up your own account with Analytics, and start over. But you will start from zero with no history in your actual account (just in an XML or PDF file). So here is how best to avoid the Google Analytics trap:

• Create a special Gmail account for you (for an individual) or for your company or agency and insist whoever is setting up Analytics use that account. That way, a password can simply be changed but the data will stay with you.
• Make sure this is an account that stays with you (for individuals) or the company no matter who quits or is fired or moves on. Make sure it isn’t an account tied to any other unaffiliated personal Google accounts (that can be everything from email to webmaster tools to documents). This should be a Gmail account that is not attached to anyone it shouldn’t be anytime in the future.
• If you already have it set up improperly, you might consider starting over with the first bullet point. Just realize that your new account will not have old data when you’re in Analytics. You will also want to be sure to export all old data. It also might be possible to include two Analytics code snippets for a year so you have a full year of data for comparisons. I haven’t tried it yet, so I’m not sure if there would be conflicts or if both accounts will simply record all data.

I honestly thought I must be wrong. My experience is usually there is some kind of way to do anything if someone else wanted to do it online. But I see many references that prove it can’t be done right on Google’s own sites, such as a Google groups posting about transfering Analytics between Google accounts, this Google help answer about transfering Analytics between Gmail accounts, or this post at the Analytics forum about transferring one of multiple Google Analytics sites to another administrator.

I know I am talking into the void, but seriously Google. This is probably a major issue for many people and I can’t imagine it’s that hard to fix. The easiest and best solution would probably be an import option. Let people export a file from the old account and import it into the new account. Or a simple click to transfer all data from one Gmail address to another.

This is no small matter. Imagine a few scenarios. One, for example, has a disgruntled employee who gets fired. Suddenly all of your stats are gone in a flash, and there’s nothing you can do about it except change the tracking code (if you know how) and get stats from that day forward only. Not good. I hope Google will fix this, and soon.

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