As I noted in yesterday’s year in review post, it has been a remarkable and humbling year for press and accolades. And 2010 started in a similarly humbling fashion when I hit the grocery store this weekend, picked up the January issue of Boston Magazine, and followed the front page teaser to see myself as the story lead in Elizabeth Elfman’s article on Boston mommy bloggers. Elfman did well capturing my story in the context of the amazing proliferation of local mommy blogs, and the potential relation to highly educated and savvy Hub women turning towards blogging following (late) motherhood. However, the concluding paragraphs drew my concern and I wanted to address that here.
Elfman segues from describing the Boston mommy blogging landscape as a highly opinionated one to the development of Blog with Integrity – a campaign that offers bloggers (all bloggers, not just mommy ones) a means to express commitment to a simple code of blogging conduct. As a stickler for ethics and standards, I was thrilled to learn about BWI before it went public; in fact, I was so on board with their mission that I designed the logo and website gratis. However, that (plus signing the pledge and posting the badge) is where my involvement with BWI ended.

That disclosure aside, here's my concern. Aside from the fact that Susan Getgood actually is the only local co-founder (the other three are based in New York City, Atlanta, and Denver), BWI is described as an initiative that has been met with a “tepid response” -- presumably a conclusion drawn from the accompanying statements that the campaign launched at BlogHer Chicago with 15,000 attendees, and that fewer than 2,000 BWI pledges have been signed.

However, the attendance at BlogHer was 1,500, not 15,000. And while not everyone who has signed the BWI pledge was at BlogHer, using the 1,500 number in parallel paints a very different picture. And if one takes into consideration BWI’s active engagement with the community via social media (responding to both positive and negative responses) and the various press they have drawn, and the fact that engaging the pledge requires voluntary blogger action (signing the pledge and/or taking the time to post a badge on your site), it’s pretty safe to say that the response -- both from the blogging community and the media -- has been anything but tepid.

You may be wondering why I care enough to post about this; I received incredible press, shouldn’t I just let it go? Yes, I’m truly grateful to be included in the article and I think that most of the article is really well executed. However, a critical error (re: BlogHer attendance and BWI pledge takers) led to a highly flawed conclusion. Second, once I got over my initial excitement about the article and expressed my concern about the BWI errors to Jon, he astutely pointed out that I have a way to address this issue that is easier and faster than submitting then waiting for a correction to be printed in a follow up issue of Boston Magazine. And third, as I mentioned, I'm a stickler for ethics and standards. I believe in Blog with Integrity and am grateful to be part of an amazing community replete with bloggers who are deeply committed to and passionate about ethical editorial standards.

In keeping with the understandably Boston-centric tone of the article, perhaps a more fitting conclusion would be that the response to BWI has been impressive, and that a lot of bloggers in Boston's blogging hub have opted to be part of that impressive initiative.

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Image credit: From the Boston Magazine article - illustration by David Brinley

I meant to write this post in advance of January 1 but instead opted to take a much needed break to enjoy downtime with family and friends. However, this week I'll hit the 1800 post mark at Boston Mamas -- a number that seems both arbitrary and momentous -- and it seemed fitting to peruse the 2009 archives and reflect on what happened this past year. So much of my life is set in the context of the work I put into Boston Mamas, and it truly is an honor to be here with you. I hope you enjoy this recap of my favorite posts and notable occurrences of 2009 and I wish you all a year full of joy and blessings and fantastic surprises!

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I love that in 2009 I was able to:

Harness the power of Twitter to create some very cool community-inspired posts, such as these about coping with kindergarten transitions and ideas for Halloween candy alternatives.

Continue sharing all sorts of cool eco-living finds, such as the adorable Dabbawalla lunch bags, all-in-one Citizenpip lunch kits, safe and colorful Piggy Paint nail polishes, magical Soapnuts, and a roundup of natural hair detanglers.

Celebrate life and passages by reflecting about my marriage, my dad, and my niece Alyssa.

Feature the amazing talents and voices of Jules Pieri, Melissa Roiter, Sarah Pike, Isabela Garcia, Mila Cole, Angelika Paul, Carol Fishman Cohen, and Tori Stuart through the Boston Mamas Rock! series. (Admittedly I am rather backlogged on nominations and need to get back on track with this series...)

Continue sharing super cool local leads that make me proud to be a Bostonian.

Develop new partnerships to offer readers additional coolness, such as discussion board functionality and a classifieds service.

Share interesting educational and developmental content, such as these tips on coping with separation, raising avid readers, finding math moments in everyday experiences, and negotiating sugar battles.

Find positive in the stress and frustration of the Boston.com Google debacle; most notably, the immense power of this community to enact change. I was so very moved by this experience.

Finally get to BlogHer.

Continue my philanthropic work by raising funds for the March for Babies and donating the written word via my role as a March of Dimes Mom.

Film a segment on giving more to relationships; a topic that I feel very passionate about.

Reflect on all things minimalist parenting (via my Shoestring Magazine column), such as parental purging strategies, six or less recipes, going back to school on a budget, and making the most of small spaces.

Share my passion for easy and yummy food, such as through recipes for granola, Korean mixed grill, pan seared tofu, banana bread/muffins, chocolate zucchini cake, apple crisp, and the best gingerbread people ever.

Interact with and learn from thoughtful and generous public figures such as Salma Hayek, Kimmie Meissner, Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto, Suze Orman, Gary Hirshberg, and John Ondrasik.

Provide cool ideas for party inspiration, such as this outer space party, teddy bear tea party, and cooking party for kids.

Feature creative and beautiful ideas by my contributing writers; for example, vibrant last minute Easter egg dyes, clever custom window treatments, and this food explorer passport.

Celebrate Korean culture while offering ideas for teaching kids about other cultures.

Engage with amazing local small business owners and entrepreneurs via co-teaching Kirtsy/Microsoft Office Live's Hands on Small Business in Boston.

Share 15 fabulous guest posts through my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series. I admire the talents of these bloggers so much, and many of the concepts translate beyond the holidays, such as these ideas for everyday philanthropy and shooting gorgeous photos, and this primer on CSAs.

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It also was a remarkable and humbling year for press and accolades. I was grateful and honored to be featured in so many fine media outlets this year.

Best-of lists are tricky. At best, they’re meant to be interesting, fun, and sometimes even inspiring; at worst, they cause ill will or seem random and/or contrived. In the former realm, I was honored and humbled to learn last week that I was named to Babble.com’s list of 50 Best Mommy Bloggers. So why is this list different and worthy of mention? First, it's purely editorial (not vote-driven), and second, there is a thoughtful editorial spread about why each blogger was selected. In addition to overall rank, there also are rankings for a handful of breakout categories; clearly, time and thought were put into this process.
Anyhow, I learned about this accolade last week -- technically old news in the online sphere. However, I wanted to share this link in advance of the holidays (when the web slows down a tad) in case you are interested in discovering some fantastic new blogs. Happy reading, and if you visit The Pioneer Woman, look up and try her tres leches cake; I’ve made it twice already and it’s spectacular.

Today I was included in a Boston Globe article about bloggers and the FTC’s new guidelines about disclosure in product reviews and endorsements. While I’ve witnessed a lot of panic and anger in the blogosphere about these guidelines (rumors of $11,000 misconduct fines will do that), they’re actually a good thing because ultimately, the goal is to protect the consumer; readers like you who read blogs and (rightfully assume) that what you’re reading is honest and objective editorial.
Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. I’ve seen a lot of bad practices by fellow bloggers (e.g., cut and pasted press releases passed off as original content, pay for play not disclosed, etc.) and I well remember when I started Boston Mamas in July 2006 and soon learned about advertorials (paid placements that are designed to look like real editorial). Someone wanted to buy an advertorial spot from me and I felt hugely depressed. (And of course I said no.) I wondered about all of the products I had bought in the past based on magazine or other “reviews” – how many of those placements actually were advertisements? I felt deceived and ever since have taken in product content with a super critical eye.

Since Day 1 here at Boston Mamas, I have been committed to transparency and 100% advertorial-free editorial. I can’t help but assume that my strict adherence to, and belief in, true editorial form is related to my former life as a scientist, where I used to describe all practices and cross my t’s and dot my i’s ad nauseam (submitting grants to the NIH will do that). Subsequently, when my contributing writers and I write about products, we write from the heart – about stuff we think is awesome, useful, and/or clever. Product reviews represent only a fraction of the content featured on Boston Mamas and as such I am extremely picky about what I’ll even allow in the door for evaluation (that's one of the reasons I don't include a free for all shipping address on my contact page). I’ve never sat down to figure out the numbers, but it’s probably safe to estimate that I bypass hundreds of product pitches for every one that I decide should move to the evaluation phase. And yes, even despite my rigorous screening, every now and then there are products that don’t work out for whatever reason (e.g., bad smell, breaks immediately) and I do not feature these items just because they were submitted. This is the reason products must be submitted for evaluation. "Evaluating" a hi-res JPEG just isn't going to cut it (you'd be amazed by how frequently products are pitched for editorial consideration based on hi-res JPEGs).

In short, I wanted to emphasize how strongly I feel about transparency and how important it is for me to know that you know that what you see on this site is honest and objective editorial. Your trust is more important to me than ad money (truly, I don’t rely on Boston Mamas to pay my bills…I leave that to my design work and freelance contracts). I have always maintained a steady editorial code – much like a magazine or newspaper – (see my contact and disclosure page for my possibly excessively explicit description of practices) and as such will not end each individual post with a disclosure line as you see on some blogs. The disclosure-per-post practice is recommended by the FTC for personal blogs but given that I operate Boston Mamas more like a magazine and have a clearly detailed editorial code, I'm leaving things as is (easy access button to contact/disclosure policy right in the header).

If you have questions or concerns or thoughts please feel free to comment in below or drop me a line at editor@bostonmamas.com.

And as always, thank you for reading.

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UPDATE 12/2/09: There are three points that I feel warrant mention in addendum:

First, as stated on my contact and disclosure page, many products featured on Boston Mamas are ones that we've discovered (i.e., purchased ourselves) on our own and loved. Obviously, in those cases there's no interaction with an agency; just us and the cash register.

Second, I am well overdue in updating my banner (at the time of this writing, it's a spring graphic...how embarrassing!). A redesign is in process and in the new banner I will separate out a disclosure button from the contact button (however, both buttons will link to the same page as I want those who are trying to contact me to also know my policies).

Third, while I understand the perspective that it's better to err on the side of over disclosure, at present I will continue on as I have been for the last three years: with a very detailed disclosure page that is easily accessed from the banner, i.e., not making an individual statement at the bottom of each post, similar to the way that magazines operate by a standard journalistic code and subsequently don't annotate every item in a product round up. However, in the future if I learn of objections from the FTC regarding this practice, I will address it here. From what I have read, and from what I discerned from the Blog With Integrity webinar with FTC Associate Director of Consumer Protection Mary Engle, I believe that the standards I set back in July 2006 comply with the FTC regulations.

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Image credit: Dina Rudick/Globe Staff

It's been so fantastic to meet aspiring and established small business owners and entrepreneurs through Kirtsy/Microsoft Office Live's Boston Hands On Small Business sessions. And the good news? Extra sessions have been added to this free, nationwide business development series and Angela and I will teach one more Boston installment tomorrow, December 1, in Cambridge. So register and come enjoy coffee and good company while you learn about cool free tools to help your business grow.
Also, Angela recently shared some terrific HOSB photos and an interview with local attendee and mamapreneur Susan Callahan.

Since launching Boston Mamas in 2006, I’ve made truly incredible friends in the blogging community; some who regrettably remain at laptop’s reach, and others who I’ve had the immense fun of meeting in person. And I’m especially lucky that a group of my talented friends have agreed to share their expertise on Boston Mamas in a guest blog series I’m calling Simplifying the Holidays; editorial focused on interesting, stylish, crafty, philanthropic, and/or time saving solutions to help your holidays be fun, meaningful, and less stressful. As the series progresses, I’ll link each guest blog to this post for easy referencing. Now, off to launch the first guest post in the series...

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Guest post #1. Melissa Massello of Shoestring Magazine: a strategy for prioritizing and planning holiday gifting that can result in major bargains, meaningful finds, and less stress.

Guest post #2. Jennifer James of the Mom Bloggers Club: everyday philanthropy where you can make a difference from the comfort of your home.

Guest post #3. Audrey McClelland of Mom Generations: ideas for getting the most mileage out of your favorite little black dress.

Guest post #4. Isabel Kallman of Alpha Mom: ideas for reconnecting with the spirit of the holidays through giving.

Guest post #5. Michelle Stern of What's Cooking: simple yet meaningful ideas for mindful holidays gifts.

Guest post #6. Allison Czarnecki of Petit Elefant: simple guidelines and great ideas for easy accessorizing.

Guest post #7. Marie LeBaron of Make and Takes: easy yet engaging holiday crafts to enjoy with your kids.

Guest post #8. Asha Dornfest of Parent Hacks: favorite holiday hacks.

Guest post #9. Roxanna of Miguelina: a wicked easy makeup routine so you can spend less time fussing in the bathroom and more time enjoying time with family and friends.

Guest post #10. Amie Adams of Mamma Loves...: easy and fabulous tips for capturing gorgeous photos this holiday season.

Guest post #11. April Paffrath of Wicked Tasty Harvest: a primer on local foods and CSAs, as well as a fantastic guide to CSAs in the Boston area.

Guest post #12. Kristin Brandt of Manic Mommies: an important lesson she learned from her mom, plus a series of holiday tips that have served Kristin well as a full-time working mom.

Guest post #13. Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks: last minute holiday shopping tips.

Guest post #14. Stephanie Precourt of Adventures in Babywearing: the nothing and everything of the holidays.

Guest post #15. Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom: three fast tips for creating instant holiday mojo at home.

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And also, check out my tips on how to enjoy minimalist and mindful holidays.

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Image credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Calling all small business owners and budding entrepreneurs! There are just two Kirtsy/Microsoft Office Live Hands On Small Business sessions remaining in Boston. HOSB is a series of 100 fun, FREE gatherings in 20 cities across the US and Canada, and covers free online and social media solutions to help entrepreneurs and small businesses build and promote their business. I’m teaching the Boston sessions with Angela from Mommy Bytes. The remaining two sessions are this Thursday, November 5 (7-9pm) and Wednesday, November 11 (1-3pm). Click here to register and hope to meet you soon!

After 3 years of resisting periodic friendly nudges from friends and family (primarily because I couldn't bear the idea of tracking yet another username and password), I finally joined Facebook. If you’re already part of the (addictive) FB craze, please consider visiting the Boston Mamas page and becoming a fan. The page imports this blog’s content so you can get your friend and fan fixes all in one place.

It’s hard to believe that Boston Mamas turns 2 in July, and that - over 1100 posts later - there’s still so much in my mental queue. I'm grateful to all of you who tune in to and tell your pals about this independently operated site; your dedication has helped put this niche blog on the map, both locally and nationally.

And since I love a good party, I’ve rounded up a fabulous line up of small and large companies to help celebrate our birthday. On random days through July and August, we’ll be giving away the cool stuff seen here (with even more items to be added shortly!). Check back daily starting tomorrow; each birthday draw will close at midnight the day of launch.