On Facebook yesterday, a relatively well-known mom blogger made some derogatory statements regarding other mom blogs and those blogs focused on giveaways and coupons. First, I was sad to see that she would place herself on such a high, “holier than thou” pedestal and consider all the rest of us mom bloggers doggy doo. She’s not Jenny Lawson or Heather Armstrong – far from it – and her grandiose self-perception is way off. Aside from that, I’m just really disappointed. Until yesterday, she was someone I admired; a blogger that I felt supported other bloggers, not one who secretly wanted others to fail.
I’m not going to name names because that’s just wrong – unfair. Two wrongs very seldom make a right. I mean, there are those rare moments when screwing up a few times leads to something unexpected and wonderful, but you get my point. I’m not going to be a douchebag.
This blogger’s comments and subsequent blog post that continued the rant and ill-mannered commentary caused me to stop and reflect. In my mind, some of the biggest supporters of mom bloggers are other mom bloggers. Because we can connect with what other moms are sharing through their personal stories and posts, we become fans – readers. And isn’t that what we bloggers hope for most? That someone will come along and love our writing and our stories and become a fan, a reader. That our writing touches others in such a way they feel compelled to come back, to follow our journey.
I guess that’s why I’m so baffled. Why would this blogger alienate other bloggers this way? Does she not understand the dynamics of this little world we all write in? Does she not know that hundreds of other mom bloggers follow her on Facebook to learn from her, to share her journey?
If there is one thing I am taking away from this, it’s that we have to support one another. Nothing is gained from degrading your fellow blogger. Maybe you view her as competition. Maybe she is more colorful and robust. So what. Be authentic. Be you. Let’s support one another so that we can all grow and learn and be the very best we can be, together.
