Dear PR - NO, I won't write for free

I've never been one to PR bash but as I've spent the last 18 years of my life employed in that very industry, promoting a plethora of brands, it wouldn't be quite right would it?

But enough is enough and as the number of active UK bloggers goes through the roof the ever desperate, insulting PR requests increase ten-fold. 

I have the benefit of being able to see the situation from both sides of the fence but now it's quite frankly, out of control.

Here's just one example from the 37 PR requests that I received (for just one of my blogs) today. Names and brands have been changed to protect the guilty.

Hi Sian, I have an embargoed press release (below) that I thought would be perfect for your blog. Do give me a call for high-res images or more ideas and high-res images click on link (sic). 

That's not my grammar going astray there...

Press release on snazzy new (embargoed product follows). 

I love it. It's totally me so I ping an email back to say...

LOVE IT. Can you send me a sample so I can have a play and photograph it to the theme of my images?

PR's reply...

Hi Sian, I'm sorry but we have been inundated with requests and are really limited on samples as it's a new product. Is there any way you can work from the image in the release?

This is where I start to get really peeved. You see, I had a release from the same brand yesterday, about another brand new product, that was equally as awesome and equally me, that I would have loved to review. 

Yep, I got the same reply. Inundated with requests, new product, use pics, blah, blah, blah.

Back to today, ANOTHER email lands, from the same brand about ANOTHER new embargoed product that would be perfect for me to feature on my blog. Only this one I don't like but as I'm already half way through my essay of a reply to the suggestion that I review from their press release pic I carry on.

Me...

Dear PR, 

Thanks for coming back to me. I hope that you don't take this the wrong way but there really is little point sending out press releases to bloggers if you aren't willing to follow up with product samples.

We are inundated with coverage requests like this everyday but we are not magazines with publishing houses behind us (even though may of us have more readers).

Saying that you've been inundated by requests so you aren't willing to send me a sample, simply says to me that you don't think my coverage valuable enough to justify the return.

If that is the case, please don't spam me with one sided requests because they will not result in my blogging about your products.

If this is your definition of blogger outreach then you are way off track.

I pinned and mentioned the product in the release you sent yesterday (sorry inundated with product requests again) and it was heavily shared but as my coverage isn't worthy, I've removed the links and pics.

I'm sorry if this comes across as being stroppy, I really didn't intend it to. However, if your policy is to not send out samples to bloggers perhaps you should state that clearly in your releases (along with the option to be removed from your mailing list). Then everyone would know where they stand, you wouldn't be 'inundated with requests' and us bloggers wouldn't have our inboxes flooded with requests to sell our time, space and content for nada.

I'm guessing that you don't work for free, please don't expect us to do the same.

Kind regards, 

Sian

To which I receive a swift reply explaining that the releases are for brand new products, that they really do have limited samples and they just didn't factor in that so many people would be interested.

Like seriously? I'm sure that this global brand isn't paying peanuts to be represented by this agency. Good job they have so much faith in the products they are promoting eh?

To end on a positive note, I was also offered an old product to review, which is nice and current isn't it? They don't want to upset me and really would like me to post a review on my blog.

I bet they do. The last I featured of one of their products my post sat at the top of Google Search for their brand name for a couple of weeks and has to date had over 18,240 views.

Perhaps I'm just being grouchy today? But I'm not convinced. Come on brands / PR's - step it up a gear and stop being so unworthy and insulting.

Rant over.

Out of interest, how many approaches like this one do you get? How do you respond?

Off To BlytheConUK

Tomorrow is BlytheCon day, its also the start of Betty's birthday weekend. 

We are ditching the boys and heading off to London to spend the day shopping, knitting, dress making and staring in awe at all the other beautiful Blythe dolls gathered for this second UK Blythe fest. There will be pictures, quite possibly way too many of them and I will attempt to restrict them to my Instagram feed but I know that Biba will be snapping too!

The big decision that I still have to make is who gets to come with me??? (I'm talking Blythe doll here...)

I think it has to be Amy Lee, she's hit a 'dark phase' since she was photographed for my blog header back in January 2009. Perhaps its time for a new look for my blog too? Maybe its time to say goodbye to Mummy-Tips? Stay tuned...

Cybher 2012 is here...

The Cybher site is now live and tickets are on sale!

Cybher is the first all inclusive female blogger event of its kind in the UK. It will bring together the most influential bloggers and speakers from all corners of the blogosphere to network, inspire, share and learn.

There will be fashion, food, lifestyle, beauty, tech, photography, social good and travel to network, inspire, share and learn. There will be brands that interest all women and not just parents. In fact there will be so much on offer that you will question how we managed to fit it all in.

If you're a woman and you blog then Cybher is for you. Simple.

The schedule is coming soon, but you can expect workshops, debates, conversations, and aspirational speakers covering a whole range of subjects.

You can keep up to date with news and additions to the schedule at Cybher.com and you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook too.

Online Ticketing for Cybher 2012

Thank you to everyone who has shown me support over the last couple of months. You know who you are and you have been amazing. And an even bigger thank you to Yan, Claire and Emma - you guys rock.

Dear Bloggers...

I just wanted to say a very big thank you for coming to CyberMummy today. It means a lot to me and you all rock. 

It was quite an emotional day and this how I ended it - fast asleep on a sofa in the very noisy bar at The Hoxton, surrounded by fellow bloggers!

If you have a post about #Cybermummy11, do add it to this Linky and if you have any pics you can share them on the CyberMummy Flickr Group?

pic by I am Wit Wit Woo.

Xx
Sian.

Sarah Brown to speak at CyberMummy11

What an exciting day it's been. I've been sitting on the amazing news that Sarah Brown will be delivering the CyberMummy11 keynote and it has been killing me. I'm pants at secrets but now it's all out in the open and I can get back to working out what the next surprise announcement is going to be!

For those of you who don't know, Sarah is the founder and President of PiggyBankKids, a charity that she founded in 2002 that supports charitable projects to create opportunities for children and young people in the UK. She's also Global Patron of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and a leading campaigner for maternal mortality.

On the social media front she really is one of us... and if you aren't already following her on Twitter, you'll find her @SarahBrownUK.

She's been involved in some really inspirational campaigns and I'm honoured that she's taking time out of her schedule to join us. 

Her book about life at the UK's most famous address, Behind the Black Door is published in March, so don't forget to bring your copy for her to sign.

The other thing that I will be totally be screaming about is next week's Social Media Week.

This biannual event is a global platform that connects people, content and conversation around emerging trends in social media. And it truly is global. 

Events will be taking place in London, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Sao Paolo, Paris, Rome and Hong Kong. Last years events attracted more than 7,500 attendees and thousands more joined the conversation online.

On Thursday 10th February at 11am, Susanna, Jen and I (aka the CyberMummy team) take to the floor in a 'Meet the Bloggers' session hosted by LBi.

Here's what they are saying about us!

A Chance to meet the women behind the leading parenting and lifestyle blogs in the UK. get answers to your questions, including: How should brands interact with bloggers? What are the upcoming trends in 2011? What on earth is CyberMummy11? What does it take to become a respected blogger? Can you make a living out of it? Got a question you want to pose - sign up now and be a part of the conversation.

If you'd like more info - take a look at the Social Media Week site and wish us luck! 

Were you Born To Write?

Are you a blogger looking to improved your writing skills? If the answer is yes, pop over to the Save the Children site to register for their free Born To Write blogging conference that's taking place on 26th February in London.

The day is in celebration of their new Born To campaign that launched earlier this week and will be packed full of workshops that are relevant to bloggers from all walks of life. 

I'll be speaking at one of the sessions along with my fellow Blogladesh bloggers Eva and Josie and the highlight of the day is an exclusive writing masterclass by best selling author Melivin Burgess.

The class will be an amazing opportunity to pick up tips from one of the UK's best selling authors but places are limited so you need to register now!

What : Save the Children Born To Write blogging conference.

When : Saturday 26th February 2011.

Where : Save the Children head office, St Johns Lane, London

Time : 9.30am to 4pm

How : Register here - it's free.

What you can do to help

• Spread the word by getting a Twibbon for Twitter, Facebook.
• Follow the campaign on Twitter using the #BornTo hashtag.
• Display the BornTo badge on your blog 

See you there!

Is UK Social Media to be regulated?

One of the hot topics at last summers BlogHer was the imminent implementation of the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) guidelines on sponsorship and disclosure.

The few Brits in attendance sat back smugly thinking that will never happen here... 

Well it looks like we were wrong. 

I just stumbled across a post on econsultancy talking about a proposed amendment to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) that would give the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) the ability to start dissecting brand marketing activity on social networking sites.

The ASA says that two thirds of the complaints that they receive relating to online marketing activity are not covered by the current code and that has to change.

It will be an interesting time for the brands that have carved out a comfy social niche.

So bloggers, tweeters and lovers of pr freebies it looks like full disclosure may soon be on its way.

What are your views?

Balance... what balance?

I'm a wife, a mum, I run a business, I blog, I Tweet. I stay up too late and don't get up early enough. I ferry my children to after school activities nearly every day of the week.

I travel (more than I want to) with my trusty companions MacBook, Blackberry and dongle always by my side. The online merry-go-round never sleeps and I struggle with irony that my social media addiction has turned me into an anti-social work horse.

I no longer watch TV and I've been reading the same book for months and months as my business morphed from a regular 9 to 5 into a 24/7.

I'm eager to kick the balance into gear. To regain myself and take some time out with my family and friends but every time I try I'm thrust into computer hell and two days back from where I started.

How has blogging changed your life? How do you keep your work / life balance in check?

I know that I'm not the only one struggling to make it work and welcome any thoughts, tips and advice.

Help my domain name's been stolen

All my regular readers are aware that I have been having more than my fair share of computing issues recently. 
First I wiped my blog, then I found out that my custom url wasn't attached properly to my blogspot creating probs with my stats, then I lost all of my email when the cats decided to re inact a battle on my keyboard......

Then on Friday I had what was quite possibly the worst problem to date.

My work domain had expired. Usually you get an email or a letter from the people that you registered it with asking if you would like to renew. I didn't get a letter or an email and my domain relapsed and I stopped receiving email.

You would think that this isn't such a major problem, that you simply get in touch, pay your money and away you go. But things are never that straightforward are they?

After many calls it transpired that my domain - the one with the great natural Google listings (search for baby PR and that's me right at the top) had been bought up by someone else.

This kind of thing goes on all the time. These companies wait for active urls to lapse and they snatch them up and there isnt really anything you can do about it.

I tracked the company down to an address in Mumbai. I tried to go onto their website but my mac threw up one of those scary malaware warnings..'visiting this site may damage your computer, asre you sure that you want to proceed?'

Erm.... no actually, things are bad enough without causing more damage.

I contemplated the reality of having to change my web address. No one would be able to find me - as my old details would still be traveling around in cyber space and at that point I realised that your domain should be one of your most treasured possessions. 

I got onto the Indian site using my iphone, found the contact details and gave them a call knowing full well that they could potentially ask for £££ or simply refuse to give my url back at all.

I got away very lightly with paying just $100 and within five minutes my site was back and my email service resumed.

It was an awful experience though and one that I wouldn't wish on anyone else.

Before I go and stick my head in the oven can I ask if you have ever linked to my blog that you check your link?

I am having real problems linking my yummymummytips url to my blogspot address and I'm now fed up of trying!

So it's goodbye to YummyMummyTips.com as I will now be happily residing right here on blogger at http://www.mummy-tips.blogspot.com

If you could amend any links it will make a sad blogger a bit happier!

...... was only kidding about the oven.... it's electric.

The one where the public made me feel like a blogging tweeting freak...

This week I led a Twitter workshop at a clients conference. The aim was simply to teach the basics of how to sign up, find some peeps to tweet with and then to let them loose.

I was prepared. I had slides and everything. 

They listened, asked sensible questions, asked not so sensible questions - but that was the point... right?

Then I lost them...

Someone asked how you can be sure that the people you are tweeting with aren't crazy axe murderers....

"Well...." I answered... "obviously there are a certain amount of nutters out there but I feel that personally I have found an amazing group of people, with whom I have become very good friends."

Silence...

Then someone at the back piped up.... "What you have actually met them?"

"Oh, yes - lots of times, I 'speak' to them everyday and I had some of them come to stay over the holidays..."

Stoney silence...

I looked around and it was that point that I realised that the whole room thought that I was a total and utter freak.

The lesson to be learned here people is that the general population clearly pitch blogging and tweeting on the same scale as internet dating (not that there is anything wrong with that - before someone attacks me!).

Not surprisingly the workshop kind of wrapped itself up pretty quickly after that.

Was it me? Did I imagine their narrow minded response? 

I came away feeling a little odd. I questioned myself and my feelings but I'm confident that I've found a pretty amazing group of  friends online. Yes there are spats between bloggers - but we are all very opinionated and we do spend a lot of time talking to each other!

Have you had similar experiences when talking about your blogging or tweeting? 

Can you imagine what they would have said if I'd told them that all my buddies are turning into Blythe dolls? Straight jackets for sure!
SR2K6367529T

Blogging and me......

I've only been blogging for about six months but in that time my life has completely changed and as a result the lives of those close to me have changed too.

Gone are the evenings in front of the TV flaked out and snoring by 9pm. Now my evenings are spent sitting opposite my hubby at the kitchen table, both of us engrossed in our Twitter feeds or blogs.

Funnily enough we have settled into the same 'Twitter Tribe' and are often caught up in the same conversations.

He started a blog too. Inspired by an an amazingly kind act that shook the roots of everything that he believed in.

Then there are the people that I have met on line. People that I've bonded with without visual distractions. People that you know care for you and look out for you - probably more than you 'real' friends do. You find yourself looking out for things that you know they will like and you speak openly without the constraints of everyday life.

Surprise parcels in the post..... when was the last time you got one of those from your everyday friends?

Yesterday with the postman came a box full of lovingly sewn cushions and dresses for my children, made by one very special person who stayed up nearly all night making them for me despite having four demanding children of her own.

How many of you regular friends would do that?

Then there are the people that I have met and formed business relationships with. I have a fab new client who I was following on Twitter. She came to me for advice - not knowing that I was already watching her - and it took a while for us both to realise.

We are a couple of weeks into our business relationship and what a couple of weeks they have been! She is totally inspirational - with six kids in tow. You should stop by her site and have a look at her revolutionary new product. It's called easidream and it is awesome!

Then there is a lady over in LA. She has gone out of her way to help me in a project that I am setting up this weekend for one of my clients.

She didn't have to do that - we have never met. She has not only showed kindness to me - but she also sent @byyanto a stack of the Pearsons Salted Nut Roll that he fell in love with after me gifting him some on my return from Chicago.

She went out, bought them for him, packed them up and sent them to him here in the UK - all the way from sunny LA!

And then there is my boy - Sonny. What I have witnessed over the last few weeks has been nothing short of amazing. I have seen him blossom and grow and this is entirely down to his blog.

On Saturday we went to Drayton Manor Park - with free passes offered to Sonny. When we were back home after a wonderful day out I commented to him that he looks really happy at the moment and his reply totally shocked and surprised me.

He told me that he is happy for the first time in his life - that he feels like he has a purpose, something to look forward.

He is eight years old and I felt like a failure as a parent at that moment. All any mum wants is for her children to be happy.

But he went on to explain that he hadn't been happy at school - that there was someone in his class who was making him very unhappy but he now felt like that didn't matter anymore because he has his blog - he is TotallySonny and people want to listen to what he has to say!

The transformation in him has been nothing short of a miracle. I'm not saying that he went around under an Eeyore cloud before. He is popular, cute, clever and everyone loves him. He is just one of those kids that people take to. But he didn't have the spark that I have seen grow inside him over the last few weeks.

I wonder if he will think back to this summer and remember it as fondly as I will? I'm not sure how long his blog obsession will go on for but while it does I will nurture, encourage and promote the hell out of it. If he takes nothing more than this new found confidence then that's enough for me.

Blogging it seems is turning out to be a family obsession. The girls want a part of it too! Sonny tells FunnyGirl - "You will have to wait until you are seven at least." and to ModelGirl he is offering advice on what people would like to read if and when her time comes.....

So that is what my new life on the internet has brought me. A shared love of reading and writing and an amazing bunch of new buddies who I know will be my true friends forever.

Please do stop by the little fellas blog. He absolutely loves reading the comments that so many of you leave. You can find him at TotallySonny.com

Sophie4Sophie - you rock. xx

Sprmama - you are one of the kindest people I have known xx I hope that you enjoy your lunch at the Ivy on Saturday with annabel Karmel - you deserve it.