Social Trends

Energizing, exhausting, overwhelming –yes, I’m talking about BlogHer, the world’s largest conference for women in social media. More than 3600 women (and a few courageous men) turned out last week for 2 days of networking and education, with a strong dose of primping and pampering (false eyelashes and a hand massage, anyone?) thrown into the mix. Each blogger had her own agenda, of course. “Newbies” came to learn how to get started, more established bloggers to see old friends and explore new corporate partnerships. Some bloggers spent all their time at the keynotes and seminars; others passed some hours sightseeing or at the pool. And of course, there were parties. Lots and lots of parties. It was, after all, BlogHer.

So how was this, my third BlogHer in a row (not counting BlogHer Business and local meetings) different from those in the past? For one, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak on a panel, called Bad Blogger Pitches (The Other Side of the PR-Blogger Relationship). More on that in a future post. In addition, based on the subject of my panel and some similar ones, there seemed to be more of a focus on professionalism — helping bloggers to realize that if they want to go beyond blogging for pleasure, if they want to turn their blogs into a profitable business, they need to understand what brands expect in return. Brands themselves, meanwhile, showed more thoughfulness in their approach to bloggers. Whether that meant offering the chance to settle back in a cozy room and cook up S’mores with Hershey or relax in a spa-like setting with HTC, some companies focused mo

 I can’t keep myself from smiling at the new TV ad from Toyota for Venza, all about the boomer generation’s lack of “sociability” in social media. In the commercial, a daughter laments the paucity of her parents’ Facebook followers. Interacting with online followers, in her view, is living. The commercial then shows scenes of her parents having a blast mountain biking with friends in real life (after driving to meet them in their Venza, of course).

Which brings me to one of my favorite questions: Do moms socialize in real life more as a result of social media, or less?

There’s no doubt that overall socialization, in the broader sense of the term, has improved as a result of social media. A University of Texas, Austin, survey of 900 current and recent college graduates concluded that Facebook provides opportunities for friendship, intimacy and community and in general causes us to be more social.

 But does networking on line make moms more social off line?

One dad — my husband, bless him — was a late convert to social media. His sole connection: Facebook. He started with it to “get up to speed” for work. And now… He spends a lot of his time not only catching up via Facebook but also meeting some of those folks he’s connected with– high school classmates or former work buddies – over lunch. I’d say that, for him, social media has created additional real life sociability.

I, on the other hand, definitely communicate online more regularly with people outside of my day-to-day circle, but don’t necessarily see them in person. While there is only so much time in the day to do anything – work, sleep, eat, take care of the kids – I wonder if that online time could be better spent over dinner or drinks either with those social media friends or others.

Blogging began as a way for women to connect with others virtually – then grew to conference after conference designed to bring them together in real life.

There are even new apps out there designed to take us away from the screens and into more “live” sociability. One called Sonar is said to link with your Facebook, Twitter, and/or Four Square account and send you alerts when you have a friend nearby. The idea behind the app, according to the founder, is to create a personal interaction and perhaps a friendship.

 Sherry Turkle, author of Alone Together, has a skeptical view of the Internet’s impact on real sociability. She believes that technology is dominating our lives to the point that it is causing us to become less human and providing us with a false sense of the real world.

 Moms, what is your take on social media? Does it make you more social in the real sense of the word – or less?

Marketers, what programs do you have to help bring friends together, live and in-person?

I still have just about all the art my son ever created. He’s in college now, and no longer interested in drawing or painting or trips to the museum to look at portraits of what he once disparagingly called “women in long dresses.” Yet, I still have the colorful self-portrait he produced at 10, on my living room mantle, the fading sketch he did of me for my birthday, prominently displayed on the piano, a VERY LARGE PORTFOLIO I finally bought at an art supply store, one equally giant-size box or 2 (OK, 4) in the closet and an entire chest of drawers stuffed with nothing but childhood versions of dinosaurs, motorcycles and more.

But is it all too much? Awhile ago I read an article that wondered if parents overdid it on the family “art collection.” Some experts feel that children delight most in the process of art, rather than in the final product – reducing the need to keep their daily masterpieces to avoid damaging their tender egos. Meanwhile, alternatives such as photographing and scanning your pint-size Picasso’s works provide space-saving options. Some families share the lessons of recycling – there’s nothing like drawing on both sides of the paper to reduce the pile. And some take those early signs of artistic talent and…sneak them into the trash when the kids aren’t looking.

Moms, do you save all of your children’s art—or are you a ruthless editor? How do you choose what stays and what goes?  And if you do save it, how?

Marketers, have you got some great new ways for moms to save and display the results of their children’s creativity? Feel free to share them here.

Who should be penalized when a child does poorly at school – the parents or the child?

While teachers have historically been the target for a child’s lack of success at school, there is a new movement to put the blame squarely on parents – by even, in some cases, imposing fines.

The logic behind these moves is this: The most successful schools have the most involved parents. As one of those very involved parents myself, I’d say that’s a premise with which it is hard to disagree.  The more a parent is involved in motivating a child to do his homework, show up to school,  get there on time and so on, the better. Yet others maintain that responsibility for these actions belongs to the child, not the parent.

In any case, several states have or are proposing legislation designed to force parents to focus more on their child’s education. Some examples:

• Alaska: Existing legislation fines parents for a child’s truancy.
• California: Extensive truancy by a child can bring a misdemeanor charge against a parent.
• Indiana:  To promote parent-teacher interaction, one legislator introduced a bill requiring parents to spend a few hours each semester volunteering either in the school building or at a school-related function.
• Florida:  Currently pending is a requirement to grade parents on their involvement in their child’s education and to post that grade on the child’s report card.

Moms, what do you think? To whom does responsibility for your child’s success in school fall? And what measures should be taken to assure that responsibility is fulfilled?

Apparently, the days when a woman would look forward to hearing the word “grandma” for the first time are now behind us.

Some folks feel that being called grandma or grandpa is the equivaelnt of being labeled old — and old is not how many of today’s active grandparents feel.

This seems to be especially true in the celebrity world. According to a recent New York Times article, actress Goldie Hawn, a grandmother herself, referred to the term as having “so many connotations of old age and decrepitude.” Actress Blythe Danner, Gwyneth Paltrow’s mother, wanted her grandchildren to call her “Woof.” Paltrow says, “My mom’s hot and she didnt want to be called Grandma.”

A celebrity-worthy new term — GlamMa — now appears in UrbanDictionary.com, defined as a “woman with a sense of self and style.” Sources such as Grandparents.com offer other modern alternatives from which to choose.

Although I’ve got, in theory,  a long way to go, I have no idea how I’ll react when the time comes for me to assume a name to go along with the grandparenting role. I also can’t imagine what new term would have the same special meaning as the traditional one. Although GlamMa does have its appeal…

Has the “g” word been an issue with your parents? What do your children call them?

Although it will be no surprise to moms themselves, according to a recent Nielsen study moms rule the roost when it comes to social media. The research found:

• Moms are 19% more likely than the general population to engage in social networking
• They are also more likely to become a fan or follow a brand (31% more likely), become a fan or follow a celebrity (24% more likely) and comment on others’ postings (27% more likely than the general population).

Furthermore, moms are responsible for a quarter of all video streams on social networks, and are also more likely to post their own content:

• 37% more likely to post photos
• 25% more likely to link articles/videos
• 33% more likely to give status updates

Talk about owning a space!

The study is an intriguing one. For more details click here.