Quick Reader Question

I just spent the last hour or so going through press releases and PR inquiries for product reviews.  And after speaking to Jocelyn in Arizona last month, I have been thinking about how I might offer you (my readers) opportunities to develop relationships with companies.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, then you know what to expect when you see a product review on my site. You know the approximate ages and genders of my children and therefore the types of products I do and don’t review.  What you may not know is that I receive numerous pitches from interesting companies that simply don’t make a good fit for our family. But that doesn’t mean that the company or the product is without value. Sometimes the products are too mature for my children (this JUST happened with a very well-known company I’ve been working with for some time now).  And other times, I am in the middle of a themed series on my blog and the product is not a great fit for that series.  I can list reason after reason as to why I turn down more than half of the pitches I receive.  But that’s not the point of this post.

My question of the day is this…IF I were to start a program where you (my readers) would have the opportunity to develop relationships with companies (which would involve product reviews) would this be of interest to you?  Would you prefer to have the review written on your own site or on my site with links back to your site?  What thoughts do you have about this kind of opportunity?  I welcome any feedback you can provide as it will weigh heavily into this decision. : )

Site Maintenance

Just in case you’re wondering why my site, at times, looks a bit awkward.  By the way, it’s a work in progress…

She Speaks…

Writing, for me, is a passion…and outlet of sorts for a bit of creative expression and unleashing of the thoughts and feelings I can’t verbally express.  When I’m struggling with the frustration of how to deal with my toddler’s strong will and independence…or how to comfort a friend who’s world was turned upside down just a few weeks ago by life…or how to change the way we’ve been shopping and eating our whole lives because of a food allergy…I write. I have “blog posts” in my head, waiting to be unleashed at the keyboard.  Time, children, work, and life are my priority.  But when the kids are asleep (my toddler and infant are napping at the same time as I write…a rarity these days)…and my husband wants to watch The Office (boo!)…I write.  If only one person read my blog (thanks hubby!)…I’d still write.  It’s therapeutic for me.

As a little girl, my mother used to encourage me to write in a journal.  She always thought I’d write a book (so far that hasn’t come to fruition…yet).  All through grade school, high school, college and into grad school…I’d hear the same thing over and over….Caryn writes so well (or something along those lines).  This blog of mine…is like a precious journal to me…it’s a written and visual account of my life over the past 2 and a half years.  One day, I want to print off all of my “personal” posts and bind them…or scrapbook them…or somehow preserve them (any ideas on how to do this?).

In just a few weeks, I will be on a panel with some amazing women at Child’s Play Communications’ Third Annual Blogger Brunch in Los Angeles.  The topic at hand…Connecting With Moms In Social Media.  Here are the women that I am so honored to be speaking with:

· Jill Asher, Silicon Valley Moms Blog
· Ciaran Blumenfeld, Momfluential
· Maryanne Conlin (MC) Milker, The Not Quite Crunchy Parent

The written word becomes spoken in just a few weeks!

Guest Post: The Business of Blogging *Giveaway*

This giveaway is now closed. Congrats to the winners Carol #13 and Amanda #18!

Two years ago, when I started my blog (on blogspot), I had no idea that it would evolve into the site it is today.  I started a blog to keep my family members across the country in the know and up to date with the happenings of our family.  I had no idea I would meet celebrities or serve as a spokesperson for a major company.

Do you know how I started doing product reviews?  It began with a little (not!) company called Mom Central.  I even remember my first blog tour…  Needless to say, I never imagined I would have to keep track of the products I reviewed because I honestly never imagined I’d be reviewing them regularly.  But I’ve come to a point in my blog, where I must decide…is this a business or a hobby?  Now for all practical purposes, my blog started as a hobby.  While I absolutely love running this blog, I do have a part-time nursing job that I don’t anticipate giving up anytime soon.  But when it comes to taxes, the question begs…Is my blog a business? It has truly turned into one over the past couple years.

Today’s post is brought to you by H&R Block Tax Institute and written by Brenda Schafer.  If you have further questions on the matter, be sure to tune into their webinar on Tuesday March 30th from 8pm to 9pm. More details can be found on their Facebook page.

Special Rules Surrounding the Business of Blogging:

A) Is it a business?

The determination of whether your blogging activity is a business or a hobby is an important one. Whether your blog is a business or hobby directly affects how you report income and expenses from the activity.

Your blog may be directly related to a business activity, and that case, the decision is easy. All blog-related income and expenses should be reported along with the other business income and expenses.

If you’re blogging as a separate activity, though, things can get a little murky. As a general rule, to be a business, the blog should be done regularly and continuously (not just when you feel like it) with the intention and possibility of making a profit. It’s important to note, however, that you don’t have to actually make a profit to be in a business. It’s also important to note that even though you may be making some money, that blog of yours may still be considered a hobby in the IRS’s eyes.

You can find more information on hobby vs. business on the IRS website. The next section gives you some pointers about the kinds of things that help distinguish a “real” business from something you just do for kicks.

B) Operating like a business

There are some pretty straightforward things you can do to demonstrate you mean business – literally. Here are some of them.

• Contact other successful bloggers for tips on how to increase your blog’s exposure and get site sponsors. As successful as you may be, there’s always someone out there doing it better.
• Set up a separate business account at the bank
  • Use this account for all business transactions
  • Keep records of what makes up each deposit and  keep receipts and invoices for each check that you write
• Get a separate credit card for your business if you find that you prefer using a credit card to pay expenses
• Store your records in the order that the transactions occur
• Store paper records in a safe place such as a safe deposit box or a fireproof record box/cabinet
• Back up and firewall your computer records
• Complete and accurate records are necessary

• For financial statements and tax returns
• For proof of income and expenses if audited by the IRS

C) Income

Money you receive in your business or hobby is taxable. Period. Generally, the fair market value of a product or service you receive related to your activity is taxable as well.

1. 1. Fees – If another website pays you include your blog on its website or you sell a blog article to another website or publication, that income is taxable.
2. 2. Advertising income – Other websites may pay you to include a partner link on your blog page. Taxable!
3. 3. Product trials/endorsements – Manufacturers and service providers may ask you to try their product or service in the hopes that you will blog favorably about your experience. Even though they may give you the product or service for free, the value of what you receive is taxable. This is because the company expects something in return (the endorsement).
4. Isn’t there such thing as a gift? Yes, but not of a vendor’s product. Gifts are along the lines of a box of chocolates or a cute calendar that are sent as more of a warm and fuzzy for the vendor than a product push.

• So what if you chuck the product in the trash instead of using it or kindly decline the offer of a free oil change? No worries. This time it’s not taxable.
• What if you use the product or take advantage of the service and hate it? This time, it’s taxable. You got benefit of whatever was offered, as lame as it may have been.

D) Expenses

Every business (or hobby) has its expenses. Here’s a discussion of some of yours.

1. Blog hosting fee – Unless you use a free blog hosting site, you may be paying upwards of $100 month to your site host for such things as storage and/or data bandwidth. Fees are generally paid monthly and are deductible when paid. If you pay for several months ahead, you can only deduct the fees paid for the months during the year. In other words, assume you pay $300 for a one-year hosting contract from May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2011. Two hundred dollars (8 months/12 months x $300) is deductible for 2010. The remaining $100 is deductible on your 2011 return.
2. 2. Computer equipment – Here’s a sticky wicket. Chances are pretty good that you use your computer for non-blog-related things. A computer is an example of equipment that is expected to last longer than a year, so it generally has to be depreciated. If you’re using your computer for business and personal reasons, I hate to say it, but you should be keeping a log of the use. Come tax time, you’ll need those records to determine the depreciable business use percentage.
3. 3. Internet access – More bad news, I’m afraid. It’s likely that you are paying any more for Internet access than you would be if you weren’t blogging, so forget about writing off your Internet bill. You may, however, carry a separate data plan that you wouldn’t otherwise have. Now that we can talk about.
4. Other expenses – There’s no end to the kind of expenses you may incur. Keep track of them. Claim every deduction to which you’re entitled!

• Marketing and advertising – maybe you’re the one sending out the chocolates or the cute calendars!
• Books and magazines – More blog know how!
• Bank fees – for that separate bank account
• Legal fees – It could happen.
• Accounting fees – when things really get rolling
• Tax preparation – let the experts answer your questions and prepare your tax return that got a lot more complex when you started bringing money in

1. 5. Office in home? – If you have an office in home, it can mean a pretty nice deduction, but the rules are very strict, and the IRS tends to scrutinize home office claims. To qualify for a deduction, the office must, in a nutshell, be:

• In a room in your house
• Your principal place of business
• Used regularly and exclusively for business.

If you blog in a separate room, but use your computer for personal purposes, no office in home deduction. If you sit on your couch, your deck, and your bed to blog, it would be very hard to say you used anyone place in your home exclusively to blog. You get the picture. Check out IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home or talk to your favorite tax professional.

E) Your Tax Return – It had to happen. We had to get to the tax return. I won’t bore your with a lot of detail, but here are the basics.

If your blog is a hobby, you’ll report any income you receive on Form 1040, line 21, as other income. Just the income. The expenses you get to report are limited to the amount of income you have – and to top it off they are reported on Schedule A as miscellaneous itemized deductions subject to a 2% of adjusted gross income limitation. Wowsers! Special rules apply to depreciation and a home office deduction, too.

If your blog is a business, things are different. Assuming it’s a one person venture and you didn’t incorporate or form an S corporation, you report your income and expenses on Schedule C. Good news is that your expenses directly offset your income and you can show a loss. Bad news is that if you make more than $400 net profit, you’ll be paying self-employment SE tax.

The SE tax equals 15.3% of net earnings, but it’s credited to your Social Security account and can help you get more $$ from Social Security when you retire. Also, you can deduct half of your SE from your taxable income even if you don’t itemize. Hey, it’s something.

Because you’re getting income that doesn’t have any withholding, you may want to consider making estimated payments. You can pay with Form 1040-ES or make electronic payments. Sure, it’s tough to part with the cash, but you’ll have it pay it in eventually, and if it means avoiding an underpayment penalty, it’s worth it. Your tax professional can help you determine if you need to make estimates and how much you should pay in.

Win It! I’ve already filed my taxes with an accountant, but I would like to offer two readers the opportunity to win a copy of H&R Block At Home Deluxe Software ($59 value).  Simply leave me a comment with something you learned on the site or something you learned from this post.  Comments will close on April 2, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST (please note the short duration of this giveaway).  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.

Subscribe to my feed via email or reader.

Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.

Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!

I did not receive compensation for this post.

New Year, New Ventures

In just a few short weeks, Rockin’ Mama is going to have a brand new look!  I’m so excited about 2010 and I hope you’ll join me again for another great year.  Here’s a little summary of what I’m doing in 2010:

I’ve just signed on to be a Buzzmama…which basically means I get to tell you all about Mabel’s Labels, a company I’ve been working with for a long time now.  But you already know how fab they are right? As an ambassador for the company I’ll be sharing my experience with their products and give you an insider’s look on up and coming products.  But why wait?  You can get your read on right now:

Holiday Gift Tags (#2)

My 411 Wristbands

Custom Neat Freak Combo

Holiday Gift Tags (#1)

Sticky Labels

With a new baby and a toddler in the house, I’m excited to share with you my personal experience with Plum Organics, an organic, all-natural line of foods for babies, toddlers, and children.  My son was raised on their frozen baby food and my daughter will follow suit.  These days the company has expanded their product line to include finger foods and snacks for toddlers.  As a Plum Parent, I’ll be sharing more about the company’s products and why I’m raising my children on food free from harmful pesticides, chemical additives, and overly processed, genetically engineered ingredients. For more information, you can friend them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and take the Generation Organic Pledge.

For your reading pleasure:

Plum Organics Tots

I have much more to tell you about my involvement with Bumble Bee Foods as a member of their Bee Squad.  Stay tuned as I’ll have more exciting product and company news next week.

My Favorite Tuna Recipe

Finally, if you’re looking for an effective way to use Twitter, check out the 75 Top Twitter Tips from Today’s Small Business Moms.  Twitter is an effective way to network, build relationships, market, and promote your brand.  If you look closely, you might recognize one of the tips listed.    : )

If you have questions about any of the companies I’ve partnered with, please don’t hesitate to leave me a comment or email me.

I did not receive compensation for this post.  As a a brand ambassador for the above companies, I do receive product information and samples in order to provide feedback.

All About Blogging Events

I recently wrote about the importance of relationship-building when working with public relations representatives.  And just like any relationship, growth and development occur when that relationship becomes face-to-face, rather than simply via email or even phone conversation.  It would be impossible for you or I to meet every single company and their representatives.  But when given the opportunity, I do try to make an effort to further the relationship with companies I support by meeting their representatives in person and learning all I can about the company.

If you’ve noticed, I’ve been to a fair number of events over the past few months (most of them local).  And if you can believe it, I have also graciously turned down a number of events.  Whenever you see a post about a company on my site, you can be certain that I’ve spent some time researching and learning more about the company and have evaluated it’s fit for both my family and you, the readers.  The same is true for the events I attend.

So what happens at a blogger event?

Really, they’re all different.  Some are family-oriented, so I’m able to bring my husband and son which makes for a very different dynamic than an event geared solely towards the press (i.e. bloggers).  I always prefer that a company at least attempt to make the event family-friendly.  It’s not to say that I won’t attend an event, simply because my son or husband are not invited.  But it definitely makes it more likely that I’ll be able to attend, considering I stay home with my son.  One company, in particular, actually arranged child care (included with the event) so that we didn’t have to worry about that conflict.

When the event is more “formal,” there will likely be some sort of presentation (history, introduction, etc.) which details information about the company.  What I’ve found however, is that most events are casual.  There is no set “schedule” and plenty of time is allowed for networking.  My favorite events are those that are highly interactive.

Why attend a blogger event?

I believe I answered that question above, but in essence, it’s one more step towards building relationships.  It’s an honor to be invited to an event and I always remember that when deciding whether or not to attend.  This is an opportunity (which may or may not present itself again) to initiate or further develop a relationship with a company.  It’s also a step towards opening the lines of communication between yourself and the company (again…do I hear the word relationship?)

What about your family?

As I mentioned above, I am a huge advocate of family-friendly blogging events.  I’m not one to say that my husband and son should be invited to every event.  However, if a company truly wants me to attend an event, offering some sort of child care is definitely an incentive to attend, if it’s not feasible to bring a child.  As a side note, I feel the need to mention that my husband is 100% supportive of everything I do with regards to my blog.  In fact, I wouldn’t have it any other way.  If my husband tells me that it’s too much (and he has said that on occasion), then I respect him.  I would not be blogging at all if my husband was not supportive.  We actually do much of this together (he just stays behind the scenes most of the time).

Taken at the Disneyland Holiday Parent Blogger Event

What questions do you have about blog events?  What insight can you share about the events you’ve attended?

The Perfect Pitch…Going Beyond to Establish Relationships

This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for a long time.  And I do want to start by saying that I, in no way, claim to be an expert on public relations, marketing, or blogging.  What I do have experience with, is people.  If you’ve read my bio, then you know I’m an RN.  So why is a mom who works in the healthcare industry writing about public relations and marketing?  I ask myself the same question.   What I do know is that I’ve been blogging for over 2 years, and all of the conferences, seminars, briefings, research, and relationships I’ve developed with public relations representatives have taught me a thing or two about what we all like to call ” blogging.”  I hope that this opens up discussion to talk with each other and learn from each other.

I never started blogging with the intent of reviewing products.  In fact, I had no idea that people (women, moms, dads, etc.) utilized their blog for such a thing.  Blogging to me was about writing…writing about my son…keeping my family updated on what we were doing…sharing my experiences with parenting as a new mom.  And blogging was never started for the sole purpose of product reviews.  Blogging started as the digital age took off and more people were turning to the internet for everything from online banking, recipes,and shopping to online journals (i.e. blogs).

And then I stumbled upon Mom Central.  At the time, Mom Central offered moms like me an opportunity to test and keep products in exchange for candid feedback.  Since then Mom Central has grown tremendously and offers bloggers like myself opportunities to work with companies we might not get a chance to work with (i.e.Frigidaire).

It started with one email.  I don’t remember the product and I don’t remember the specifics of the email.  What I do remember is that someone had read my blog, liked what I had to say, and wanted me to review their product.  I was surprised and honored.  Two years later I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible companies…too many to list…but several noteworthy, including Kodak, Frigidaire, Nintendo, Walmart, HP, Seventh Generation, General Mills, Hoover and so many more (one day I may make a list just for fun!).  I don’t have the most traffic…or the highest page rank…but what I *think* I offer is authentic, well-thought out, well-researched reviews on products that have been tested personally by myself and my family.

I could write pages and pages about blogging…the why…the how to…  But mostly I want to write about relationships with public relations representatives.  There are millions of blogs online (I don’t have a specific number…maybe I’ll research it one day).  How are you going to set yourself apart?  How are you going to make your blog attractive to those companies you’d like to establish a relationship with?

First, I highly recommend evaluating your perspective on this thing we call blogging.  Why are you blogging?  Is it to review products?  Is it to express yourself and develop your writing skills?  Do you have a talent you’d like to share with others?  Whatever your reasons are, make sure you’re clear within yourself of your purpose…what motivates your writing?  To be clear, I firmly believe that if you don’t make one of your goals to establish relationships, you will never experience all that you can when it comes to blogging.

This post is geared towards those of  you whose goal is to review products.  As I write this post, I realize how much I really have to say on the topic of blogging.  But I’ll try to stay focused.  How do you interact with companies?  How do you “get in” with the “big” companies?  How do you get to the point where you are sharing your opinion on a DSLR camera or are asked to go on a cruise to provide feedback on their services?   While I believe there are many many factors that go into answering this question, one thing rings true.  The key is relationships.

I remember a time when I would NEVER approach a company.  I was afraid of being rejected…hearing the dreaded no….that my blog wasn’t “big” enough or I wasn’t “influential” enough.  And then…after finally getting approached by companies I wanted to establish a relationship with, I got the courage to write my first “pitch.”  Again, I don’t remember the name of the company I approached.  And I remember that I fumbled through the email (I’ve re written that email over and over again since).

I’ve pitched many companies since that day.  And while I’ve had my fair share of rejections, I’ve also had a number of yes’s!  One of the things I believe is key, is the desire to build a relationship.  If you’re pitching a company simply to receive a product, you’ll end up going nowhere quickly. In fact, if that is your sole purpose, you’d do better to purchase it yourself.  A true “reviewer” spends time researching the company and the product.  A true reviewer is transparent and provides constructive criticism when necessary (because you can’t love everything about every product you review).  A true reviewer doesn’t end the relationship when the review has been completed.  Writing a review takes time and effort.  Anything less than that and both you and the company are wasting each other’s time.  Companies are looking to build relationships…with you and with your readers.  If you approach your product reviews and pitches in that manner, you’re more likely to be trusted, valued, and respected as an influential blogger.

Perhaps you read the title of this post and assumed I would give you a step by step account of how to write “The Perfect Pitch.”  Maybe one day I’ll write my tips on what I’ve found to be successful.  Companies want to know who you are and how you’re going to work together to mutually benefit both their company or client and your readers.  It’s important to remember that even though you’re a mom, for them, this is still as much business as it is relationship-building.  In the future, I’d like to write a post to companies on how to work with bloggers.  For now, if you leave with one thing…I’ll have felt that this post was worth writing.  Just like in “real life”, the key to working with public relations representatives is to work towards establishing relationships.  Stay tuned for more blogging meanderings.

Sunday Stroll

Image Courtesy of Jason Rogers Fotographie

Sundays at the Baileys:  

Sleep in

Make breakfast

Go to church

Eat lunch

Nap

Laze around

Sundays are my lazy days.  These are the days I spend resting up for the week ahead.  

I’m not a meme person (you’ve probably gathered that already).  It’s not that I don’t like memes per se.  It’s that I don’t have time for them.  I could spend all day, every day online if I wanted to.  The internet is a never-ending wealth of interesting information.  But I have a family…an active two year old who wants and deserves every second of my undivided attention…and a husband who works incredibly hard for us and needs his wife to be there for him when he gets home.  So, while I would LOVE to participate in every meme, blog event, and twitter party…it’s simply impossible for me.  

So, I’m about to contradict myself.  I’m starting something that may resemble a meme, at first glance.  But really, it’s an opportunity for all of us to promote each other.  I don’t have a button (yet) and it’s going to be VERY informal.  I don’t even want to call it a meme because then it becomes this formal event.  Rather, I simply want this to be a weekly place for all of you to share something that inspired you or made you think during the week.  This is about promoting someone else’s writing…someone else’s work.  

With that, I’ll leave a Mr. Linky up each week (unless I’m tired, or in labor, or don’t feel like it…hehe).  So tell me, what have you read that made an impact on you this week?  I’ll start!

 

You Can Find Me Here!

Every week, Shannon from The Mommy Files, highlights a blogger for her Featured Blogger Friday series!   I love the opportunity to get to know bloggers on a more personal level…to find out why they blog, to glean blogging wisdom…  It’s a popular weekly feature and I was so excited that she asked to feature ME this week *blushing*.  If you want to know all about why I blog or what my favorite dessert is, head on over to her site (which is awesome and filled with tons of interesting articles!).  Thank you Shannon!  HUGS!

It’s Coming…

In a little over one week, we’ll finally know whether our little baby will be wearing pink or blue!  I am so excited.  I’m finally starting to feel regular kicks (at night of course) and the nausea is mostly gone.  I am still getting migraines, but otherwise, I feel good.  I definitely find that I have more energy, which is good for all three four of us.  If you look at my sidebar, you’ll see that I’m about 10 days away from the halfway mark (which really is more than half way since my c-section is scheduled for 39 weeks).

While I will be honest and say that I’d love a little girl, I think that my husband and our son would love a little brother.  Our prayers are simply for a healthy baby.  Once we find out, I’ll be holding a fun little “guess the gender” contest!  I’ll be sure to give you some clues to help you out along the way.  And maybe a belly pic!

And, be sure to come back on Monday, August 24th for what I think is one of the biggest giveaways ever on Rockin’ Mama.  Shhhh…it’s a surprise! And summer isn’t over so be sure to visit often for summer giveaways and back to school tips and product picks (which will finish out this series).

Oh…and one last thing…as if I wasn’t busy enough…I am getting ready to launch a new venture!   Again….more deets to come…  But I will say this…if you know what I’m passionate about, then you’ll likely guess what this new project is all about.  Stay tuned….

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