Vancouver mommy bloggers will be writing for the vote next week as they try and snag the title of top mom blogger during the Vancouver Mom website's third 30 Fabulous Vancouver Mom Bloggers contest.
The website focuses on moms who have children between toddler to tween ages and works to connect urban Vancouver moms with the city. To be nominated for the contest, bloggers must live in Metro Vancouver, operate a fairly regular blog and not be a top 30 nominees the previous year.
Last year's winner was Karen Brackett's Adventures of the Sunshine Brigade, which chronicled the life of her premature daughter, Nyana, in intensive care. But Vancouver Mom content editor Amber Strocel emphasized that the contest is more about connecting and recognizing all of the mom bloggers.
"It's not really so much about choosing the one, single person who represents moms who are blogging in Vancouver," said Strocel. "It's about recognizing all the moms in our community, for all the things they do every day."
The blog content for nominees isn't limited to motherhood or parenting. "They could be blogging about travel or food or a whole variety of things," said Strocel.
Vancouverite Anna Cohen was in the top 30 last year for her blog, Simply Stylish Mom, which originally focused on blogging for moms about style and not dressing like a stereotypical mom just because they have children. While the blog was only a few months old when nominated, her audience has now grown to reach 400 to 1,000 hits per day. She has since expanded her subject matter.
"It kind of turned into a more of a personal blog, as well as writing about green living and how we look after ourselves, dress our children and dress ourselves, without spending too much money and not caring for the environment," she said.
Aside from giving other moms tips, both Strocel and Cohen see that blogging fulfills the need for networking. But Cohen said this type of networking is not likely to replace other forms that moms have united around, such as the coffee group.
"I don't think it's replaced them at all, I think it's added to them. I think it's created a new arena for moms to interact with each other," she said.
Strocel said that's a big part of their website, too. "We are trying to connect moms. We're not just connecting them with the city. This contest is just one way we do that."
For more information, visit vancouvermom.ca.
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