Weekly reads is designed to serve as my reflection of things going on whether in social media, the tech world, or just personal favorites that I’ve come across in the web. This is a feature that I’ve been wanting to start for a very long time but there’s no time like the present, especially given the incredible highs and lows that I’ve felt this week as part of the blogging community. Please note that affiliate links are included in this post.
{Travel}
Coming off of a Type A Parent Advanced conference high after presenting a successful session with Sarah Caron where we taught others about the world of freelance writing and problogging, I started my work week having renewed friendships with those I usually only see online, energized by my to-do list from all the great takeaways, and brands to become reacquainted with and meet for the first time.
{Headlines}
Needless to say the high that came from a weekend of professional development quickly disappeared when the Wall Street Journal made fun of The Mommy Business Trip (complete with a condescending graphic) by belitting the professional work by me and my fellow colleagues. I ranted on my personal Facebook page about how trips- whether attending conferences for my professional development, fulfilling speaker obligations, or covering press events for publications I wrote for- are work.
The piece isn’t just insulting to bloggers. It’s a slap in the face to any woman who travels for work.
Kelby Carr does a fantastic job summarizing and curating pieces written about the WSJ article from around the web in Type A Parent’s Wall Street Journal Insults Moms Edition of Talk of the Parent Blogosphere. If you really want to read the original article, it’s easy to find via a Google search.
Notice how the above doesn’t directly link to the WSJ article?
On one hand, I feel like I should applaud the WSJ on what was a brilliant marketing technique to insult online influencers in an online piece as we helped drive clicks to their article from our Facebook pages and blog posts. On the other hand, I remain completely disappointed by a newspaper that I have held in such high regard for so long. Perhaps WSJ couldn’t be outdone by Time Magazine’s Social Media Manipulation? When “Indie” Bloggers and Businesses Get Cozy published earlier in the week.
As if that wasn’t enough, we closed the week with a reminder about why what we share online is out there forever comes via AdWeek. What was supposed to be a goofy photo, shared on a personal Facebook page, has now made its way around the internet.
{Recommended Reading}
Knowing what to share and not share online, as well as how to navigate parenting in a digital age is hard for parents and kids alike. Resourceful Mommy Amy Bair’s new book, Raising Digital Families, is a must-have resource for all parents as we weigh the pros and cons of various devices, allowing our kids to play online games, use social media upon turning 13, and staying safe while doing it.
The last three chapters, called Part of Tens, are incredible useful for quick hits of important information such as ten quick tips for parents, ten social networks for kids, and ten other places your kid may be online. This easy-to-read book is full of great resources and is currently available through Amazon either as a hard copy or a Kindle version for $9.99. Join Amy to talk about topics covered in her new book through her Raising Digital Families for Dummies book launch Twitter party tomorrow- Monday, April 29. For more information and to RSVP, click here.
Speaking of parenting in the digital age, TeachMama’s Amy Mascott has a new digital literacy series with helpful how-tos for PowerPoint, using iPads for interviews, and how you can make texting a learning tool.
Finally, even though we celebrated Earth Day last week, there’s never a bad time to teach kids about the environment. Last week I shared apps, websites, and programming to teach all ages about the environment and ways to e-Cycle unwanted mobile phones, computers, and televisions on Parents.com.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week’s Weekly Reads!
