Digital Motherhood

First there was the dishwasher, then the microwave oven; next came the VCR and the cordless telephone. Eventually the IBM Selectric typewriter was replaced by the personal computer and wow – did the Mom ever enjoy her new gadgets! Now in 2007 we’re living in an age of Digital Motherhood!

Remember when a ticker referred to someone’s heart or perhaps scrolling stock market data at the bottom of the television set? Now digital moms display tickers in their signature lines, on blogs and websites. They’re used typically to show progress or countdowns. Some of the types of data generally shown on web tickers include: Weight loss, pregnancy, exercise, debt reduction, days until wedding or big events. The Ticker Factory is one such web site to offer free, easy to configure tickers.

Blogs are becoming more popular with the digital mommies too. For those of you who are not quite sure what a blog is – it stands for Web Log. Blogs can serve many purposes and have a variety of appearances. Some are merely online journals. Some people set up blogs to keep readers updated on an event such as an adoption or a journey such as an illness.

Other blogs are set up with the purpose of increasing traffic and sales to business owners. Yet still others look very similar to a web page and offer a variety of pages and information. There are free blogs available such on www.blogger.com, www.wordpress.com and www.blogster.com just to name a few. Those who wish to have more unique site can download various templates and host them elsewhere for a minimum monthly fee.

There’s no better time to subscribe to your favorite blog or even start one of your own. Just about any interest you can imagine is represented in someone’s blog. It is important to note that if you are considering starting a blog you will need to update it with new posts regularly. Regularly means a couple times a week at a minimum. You want repeat customers, remember that stale information will drive them away – possibly never to return.

Equally as new and fun in the digital motherhood world are podcasts. If you think it sounds like a cross between a pea pod and a broadcast, you’re half right. As defined at Wikipedia, “A podcast is a digital media file, or a series of such files, that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers. A podcast is a specific type of webcast which, like ‘radio’, can mean either the content itself or the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also termed podcasting.”

That’s a mouthful for the uninitiated. To simplify try this definition: Radio programs you can listen to on the internet or on an MP3 or iPod. A great place to find some excellent podcasts can be found at Mom’s Radio Network. Some of the available programs include Work At Home Mom’s Talk Radio, Parenting My Teen, Mom’s Money, Good Pet Manners and a host of others great podcasts.

So welcome to the world of Digital Motherhood. Stick around, you’ll find that you like it. Change isn’t always easy; however any change that makes your life easier, better, or more enjoyable should be embraced. Wouldn’t you agree?