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While Cool Baby Kid offers cool picks, these ladies posts are HOT! Check out what my favorite bloggers from around the web are up to this week:
Bling for Your Ears SayHelloDiamonds Giveaway – Thrifty & Chic Mom
Cool & Creative Valentine Cards for Kids – Stacie Haight Connerty
Men. Easier Fed Than Understood – Baby Lovin Mama
Pork Tenderloin Medallions Recipe – The Shopping Mama
Saving Money Without Extreme Couponing – Experimental Mommy
While Cool Baby Kid offers cool picks, these ladies posts are HOT! Check out what my favorite bloggers from around the web are up to this week:
Nursing Moms Must Have Products – Thrifty & Chic Mom
The Waikki Aquarium – An Island Life
Cabbage Soup Diet Review & Recipe – Jolly Mom
Ten Tips for Potty Training Boys – The Mom Buzz (on Social Moms)
Top 5 Inspirational Quotes on Pintrest – Experimental Mommy
As a Double Duty Diva, I’m always on the lookout for cool new blogs for families. This one caught my eye because of it’s pithy title, “Review Stew.” Sure enough, a fun site with reviews, giveaways, book reviews, and special holiday-themed posts, it wasn’t hard to find a fun Diva blog to love.
So Review Stew…you’ve been hopped.
Cool Tip: Fan on Facebook and follow on Twitter to keep up with what’s on the menu!
The Double Duty Diva bloggers, a blog network devoted to helping to promote and expose each other’s site to new readers and grow their blogs, is spreading the Diva love. In the spirit of the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday, we’ve chosen to share new sites we love with our readers. Often we visit the same blogs but fail to branch out, so without further ado, here are three that are worth checking out:
Cool Tip: Subscribe to CBK via RSS or email and follow on Facebookor Twitter for more cool tips and picks.
Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend’s wish!
At the top of my “Five Fabulous Blogger List” is Experimental Mommy, a friend, business partner and blogger who I met at BlogHer in 2009. Bridgette not only runs a successful product review blog but also works full-time and is a mom to two beautiful girls. Truly a Double Duty Diva, she manages many endeavors with professionalism and class making me proud to call her a friend and business partner.
A Fab Five Blogger List would not be complete without What Mommies Need, another Double Duty Diva who like Bridgette somehow finds the time to blog, work and parent. And while her blog focuses on reviews, family adventures and noteworthy news, having met Renne in person I think she should create another blog focusing on beauty since this girl knows her makeup…and is a beautiful too!
Next on the list, The Shopping 
. It’s creator, Kate, traded online legal research for providing product picks for babies and kids. I’ve watched her site evolve into a premier stop on the web for any parent looking for cool clothes, toys and more for themselves or their families.
When the Divas were looking to add a member to their team, we headed straight to Angie from My Four Monkeys. As she says, “It’s a Jungle Out There,” but we knew Angie was a cut above the rest. A product review blog with book reviews for kids and even craft idea too, the site is a wealth of information and a blog I subscribed to myself. A homeschooling mother of four, Angie epitomizes what it means to be a Double Duty Diva!
If you’re looking for a good deal Baby Good Buys is a must-visit. There’s a reason thousands of deal hunters follow her blog and Facebook page–nice looking, clean and filled with the best deals for parents and kids, the site is as delightful as it’s creator Marybeth who I’ve had the pleasure to meet in person.
Cool Tip: Follow this Fab Five on Twitter!
Don’t forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend’s wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.
Cool Baby Kid editor by day, Double Duty Diva moderator by night. You may have heard about the network Bridgette (Experimental Mommy) and I run with help from Renee (What Mommies Need). There are so many fantastic blogs in our network, and Twitter is a great place to connect with other Divas. I’m happy to introduce some of my fellow Diva bloggers in this Twitter-only giveaway.
Cool Giveaway: Enter to win a $20 Amazon gift card just by following some of the Double Duty Divas on twitter. Follow participating Divas with just one click, then comment back here with “I’m following the Divas!” Also list the name of one blog that is included in that TweepML link. Deadline 9/3/10. There are no additional entry possibilities for this contest.
With some great blogging tips under my belt, I set out with partners in crime Bridgette and Renee, fellow Double Duty Divas, a blog network we created after BlogHer 09, to make connections, discover new companies and network with the best of them. This second conference roundup highlights companies that stood out from the crowd sponsored by our favorite company of all, Corky & Co.
Attending an event thrown by an all-time favorite of our entire family, I was excited to learn about RL Gang, a new way to reach families to let them know about Ralph Lauren kids. Watch for a review of the new book and children’s clothing lineup. In the meantime, know that this classic brand is as classy in person as you’d imagine with story rich in family and tradition; we’re thrilled to partner with them thanks to Mom Central. Cool Tip: Play designer and create your own Ralph Lauren collection with boys classic polo on sale for just $24.99.
In the most festive atmosphere of the conference, Hallmark got everyone in the holiday mood. Decorated for the season complete with a Christmas tree and Santa photo op, attendees decorated their own sugar cookies and talked about how much they wish their own house looked so festive. Can you send over your decorator? Cool Tip: Send a mobile greeting from your cell to connect, wish or celebrate with anyone you love.
TideCall me a convert. From the P&G house to dinner and beyond, Tide knows how to party. While I previously bought whatever was on sale at Sam’s, I’ve decided to become a brand loyalist after hearing about their charitable contributions with Loads of Hope. And I hope, as Cool Baby Kid readers, you’ll give a second look to a company we can guarantee you would be proud to partner with if given the chance. Cool Tip: Tide Stain Release removes stains…the first time. Get a coupon.
OpenSkyUnfortunately we did not get a chance to hang with our favorite OpenSky guy, Ted Rubin. However, we did see him front and center in the conference festivities and are as excited as ever to open our own OpenSky shop on Cool Baby Kid…coming soon. Cool Tip: Companies, become a retailer!
As an English teacher, one company that I was pleased to learn more about was an all-time favorite–Scholastic. During a breakfast event we learn about some of their upcoming book releases and initiatives such as Read Every Day, Lead a Better Life. We also listened to Chief Academic Officer Francie Alexander who was obviously at one time a fabulous school teacher and learned about Scholastic Book Clubs which I use myself in the classroom. A morning surrounded by books…what could be better? Cool Tip: Connect with Scholastic on Facebook and their store on Twitter.
Disclosure: I attended events sponsored by each company where a sample product was provided for review purposes; all opinions are 100% ours. Read our full disclaimer and frequently asked questions and be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for more reviews and giveaways.
In 2009 I attended BlogHer in Chicago and forged a relationship with Bridgette and Renne that launched the Double Duty Divas. Incidentally, since 09 the Diva network has grown to include over 200 bloggers and the ladies in this pic are those who attended BlogHer 2010 at a very nice Coffee with the Divas meetup. This year the Diva editors-in-chief banded together to take on NYC and received plenty of vaule in the process. In Part I: Conference Sessions I’d like to share some quick tips for bloggers that I took away from conference sessions.
Video Syndicating: Consider video and syndicating your content for Google juice, to entertain or to build your brand. Make it short and well lit and use video syndications sites such as HowCast or Vimeo. Use all of these channels to get the most benefit and be sure to brand your videos.
Newsletter: Get one out every month or every other month, track stats and develop a relationship with readers.
Cool Sites: Check out Post Rank for data and publisher analytics and Topsy, a search engine powered by Tweets.
Time Saver: Sync your Twitter and Facebook updates to save time when sharing information. I used Selective Twitter and can now use hashtag #FB to automatically have your tweet upload to FB.
Elements of a Good Pitch:
1. Your Name
2. Blog Title (Not URL)
3. Nature of Blog (Be brief!)
4. Duration (New? Established?)
5. Readers/Audience/Exception/Engagement
Other tips:
1. Know the brand you are pitching and do research on the company or product.
2. Think about the portfolio the brand represents along with the companies they currently represent.
3. Understand your own audience first before pitching a company that you feel would be a perfect fit.
4. Be sure you include a clickable link in your email signature and an archive and search box on your blog.
5. Do not send emails which are TL/DR which translates “too long/didn’t read.” Be extremely concise in your writing.
Part II will highlight some of the companies and products as well as bloggers we were introduced to at BlogHer 2010. In the meantime, feel free to check out some of our other blogging tips and be sure to subscribe to Cool Baby Kid via RSS or email for other tips.
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