Blogging as Mainstream

It's been slowly happening...the mainstream media is getting it. Bloggers have a lot to say, and they are reaching such a wide audience. An audience that buys stuff and who influences others to do so. As I watched the infamous dooce creator, Heather, being interviewed this morning on the Today show, I was a little surprised at how slow they've been on the uptake. Unfortunately, Heather was subjected to the interview stylings of Kathy Lee, who admittedly knows zero about computers, much less the nature of blogging. Because of the mommy-blogging topic, Kathy Lee couldn't help but express some "concern" about blogging about and posting pictures of kids up on the internet. Because being a tv personality who constantly spoke about her children for years on tv is so different? Luckily, she mentioned this at the very end of the segment, and Heather handled it with class, despite being cut off for the next puff piece about home fashion.

I'm not a mom, but I've posted pictures of my nieces plenty. And while I'm not about to put up their address for potential sickos, I simply don't see what the big deal is. A kid who has been on a popular website is no more a target for predators than the kid walking around with their parents at the local mall.

Now that the mainstream has picked up on the power of blogger moms, how long will it be until they begin to recognize that non-moms have the power to affect the marketplace as well? Some niche businesses have been smart enough to see it, like in poker and tech gadgetry, but I think it's still in the baby stages with most of the marketing world. What type of blogger will be the next to carry the weight of the mass media?