Comments on: The Truth About the Walmart ElevenMoms

By: Pop! Camera! Action! with the Pop Secret Moms!

Pop! Camera! Action! with the Pop Secret Moms! — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:26:16 +0000

[...] Christine is married to her best friend, Ray, and together they have seven very active children, all ages 10 and under. She’s a busy mama, spending most of her days homeschooling her crew in the Sacramento area. She is the proud owner and author of the Mommy Blog, From Dates to Diapers, where she shares about life with little ones, offers advice and encouragement, and writes her thoughts and opinions on some of the greatest products on the market – those that make family life FUN. In addition to being a wife, mom, teacher, laundry-hater, dish-washer, and boogie-wiper, Christine loves to connect with other moms in various social media spaces. She also enjoys building relationships with companies and brands on a daily basis. Christine was recently tapped as one of Nielsen’s Top 50 Power Moms, is a Backyard Discovery Ambassador, and one of the WalMart Moms. [...]

By: Mamanista (Debbie)

Mamanista (Debbie) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:16:03 +0000

Walmart 11Moms have every right to be proud of the work they’ve done. There is a lot of interest in their compensation and the form it takes. And I’ve seen many comments saying that when mom bloggers work “for free” it hurts other mom bloggers. These comments seem to be calling for solidarity or official standards for bloggers.

But unlike Actors or members of the Writers Guild of America, mom bloggers are not in a union. There are no blogging regulations. Given the difficulty of getting bloggers to agree to uniform standards for disclosure, I would imagine that establishing any kind of pricing regulations would be impossible.

Currently bloggers are free to charge what they like for services. This is both a blessing and a curse. If some bloggers are willing to write for free, it may make it more difficult for others to charge for writing and consulting services.

But quality is the differentiating factor. I work in marketing. I know that companies will pay to work with top bloggers such as The Pioneer Woman because of the quality of their writing and their influence. When I select bloggers to work with a brand, I evaluate their writing and their reach. And I am willing to pay for the best fit for the brand. If you have a quality product, you will be able to charge a premium for your services.

Rather than focusing on what the Walmart Moms are doing and how much they are charging, I prefer to spend time focusing on my own career goals.

By: MommyReporter

MommyReporter — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:15:17 +0000

This definitely seems to be a hot topic. I think it’s wonderful for the ElevenMoms to be involved in what seems to be a fun and interesting project. The expectations about what the ElevenMoms should or should not do is really what is driving all the negative reactions. I think you are doing a great job and thanks for giving us the real story.

Much success to you!!

By: Friday Linkfest: Hawaiian Luau Edition

Friday Linkfest: Hawaiian Luau Edition — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 11:02:26 +0000

[...] Readers have often wondered what I do as a “Walmart Elevenmom.” Instead of writing it all out myself, I’m going to link you to a post by fellow Elevenmom Christine, of From Dates to Diapers. She explains what exactly it is we do. [...]

By: Kristin

Kristin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:46:00 +0000

wow Shan @ Last Shreds Of Sanity you took words right out of my mouth.

Christine you’re fabulous!! You know this mannn!! mwah!

By: Shan @ Last Shreds Of Sanity

Shan @ Last Shreds Of Sanity — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:33:00 +0000

Christine, you are a brave woman for posting this. But I think it is very sad that you felt you had to do it.

There are certain members of this blogosphere that I love so much that cannot breathe without causing drama, hating on other Moms/bloggers or spewing their jealousy in the form of vitriolic posts or tweets. It is very sad that after all the protests/marches/bra burnings for equal rights, that women are still in that same place, clawing the backs of other women and tearing them down in order to get what they want.

Some vocal bloggers want to police everyone else and make them “do as I say, not as I do”. Still others just want to create flame wars for no other reason than they have not matured past the 10th grade. It is sad to see women victimizing other women and letting petty jealousies goad them into making viscous comments about those who are more successful than they are.

I can admit I feel a bit jealous when I see friends of mine get great opportunities that I wish I had gotten. But I can put that aside and be happy that they were recognized for their hard work. So you are an 11Mom and a Lifetime Mom…Good for you! Those are incredible opportunities.

I shop at Wal Mart because sometimes that is where the best deals are, but I do not agree with their employment practices. Unfortunately, I need to be able to buy the things my family needs and I cannot always do that paying higher prices at another store.

I DO NOT feel that ANY blogger should be required to disclose how much they make from their blogs. EVER. That is your income. And much like any “real world” job having policies about not discussing salaries with other employees, I believe the same should hold true here. I do believe in disclosing that a product was recieved for a review. However, any person reading a review who does not get that the line “Company X sent me the YZ to review” is, in fact, quite enough disclosure and rather self -explanatory, needs to have some reading lessons.

Here is a novel approach…How about those that want such disclosure, transparency and integrity in blogosphere start practicing those things themselves, instead of just commanding others to do what they themselves are not willing to do?

Kudos, Christine. Stay true to yourself.