Tag Archives: Twitter

Happy Birthday Momopolize (and the Real Reason I’m Obsessed with the Numbers)

Not many blogs get a birthday party.  But mine did.  Jim came                                            home with Momopolize First Birthdaycupcakes and a card.  OK, ok.  We look for any excuse to buy a cupcake, but still.  He definitely got brownie points for that.  Or cupcake points I suppose.

Some of you know that for the past couple of weeks I have become a bit “overly concerned” about some random goals I had set for myself.  OK, maybe it was more than “a bit.”  I couldn’t figure out why I was putting so much pressure on myself to meet these goals.  No one made me set them.  They were just numbers I chose.  Nothing was going to happen if I didn’t make it.  And nothing was going to happen if I did.  I couldn’t figure out why I cared so much.  

But now I do know why.

The goals I set were:

  1. > 1,000 Facebook Fans
  2. > 1,000 Twitter Followers
  3. < 100,000 US Alexa Rank

I became pretty obsessed with these numbers.  Just these three.  I didn’t care about the numbers for Pinterest, Google+, Bloglovin’ or any of the other 247 social media sites out there.  I didn’t even care about my number of email subscribers (which is arguably the most important).   But why?

A couple of weeks ago, it was pretty obvious that #1 was not reachable.  I was way more bummed about it than I should be.  But why?

With only a few days left, I decided I couldn’t throw in the towel.  I pulled out all the stops and asked for all the favors possible in a last-ditch effort.  I just HAD to get there.  But why?

My blogging buddies and real life friends came out in droves to share my page with their followers and friends.

And I made it!  The moment I hit 1,000 I immediately went running to my kids to tell them.  And THAT was the moment I realized why it mattered so much.

It was the look on their faces.

I spend so much of my time feeling guilty over being the “sick Mom.”  The Mom that my kids hear talking about doctor’s appointments and naps and aches and pains.  Others get to see the well-rested out-in-public me but my kids have to see the Mom that comes home exhausted.  I worry that one day their childhood memories of me will consist of only that.

They never got to see the businesswoman me or the musician me or the anything-that-would-make-them-proud-of-me me.  Until Momopolize.  They think the blogger me is pretty darn cool.

Facebook fans impress them.  Having more Twitter followers than them impresses them.  Being ranked in the top 100,000 out of the 650,000,000 websites that exist in the world impresses them (Alexa ranks all websites, not just blogs.  Google, Facebook, Amazon and the like are in the top 10.).  Yeah, I really have no idea if that is the actual number of websites but that was the number I saw most often in a search and it sounds good to tell them I’m in the top .01%-ish.

So those numbers weren’t important to me because I want to achieve fame and fortune (well, a little fortune would be nice).  It wasn’t to get that elusive book deal or attract bigger advertisers (well, yeah that would be nice too.).

Those numbers were important because for that moment I wasn’t sick Mom.  I wasn’t even average Mom.  In their eyes I was famous Mom.  And maybe THAT will be what stays in their memory.

I mean, I KNOW those numbers don’t really mean all that much.  I know of widely successful blogs that don’t even have a Twitter account.  And others that have a huge Facebook following but only a few of those fans ever click on their blog posts.  And my Alexa rank just shows me there must be a whole heck of a lot of websites that never ever ever get viewed.  Like, ever!  (You’re welcome for the Taylor Swift song that is now stuck in your head.)

But – shhhhhhhh – don’t tell my kids any of that.  Let me be famous Mom for just a little longer.

Oh, and in case you are as easily impressed as my kids, when I started writing this my numbers were:

  1. 1,047 Facebook Fans
  2. 1,772 Twitter Followers
  3. 114,117 US Alexa Rank (I didn’t quite make it under 100,000 but we are just going to gloss over that for now and celebrate, k?)

And my goal for the coming year?  To Momopolize the entire Blogiverse!!

(Or at least make my kids think I do.)

<insert evil laugh and cue world domination music>

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P.S. My next post will be more about my first year of blogging and the wonderful community that is out there, including a shout out to those who answered my plea for help on Facebook.  (I intended to include that list in this post but have to leave for an appointment for a sick kitty, sorry!)

P.P.S. For those who have been around for a while, you know that 47 is my favorite number (Always has been.  No idea why.).  Anytime I talk about any kind of numbers, I will add 47 to the end.  When I saw my Facebook number was ACTUALLY 1,047 it was like a blog birthday gift.  I guess I’m easily impressed also…

Happy Blogiversary

Not-so-new-newsfeed wrap up 3/25/13

Since I seem to be unable to get a new blog post written, I will at least post snippets from my Facebook newsfeed this past week.  Join us at www.facebook.com/Momopolize for even more fun!

After the (not-so-new) newsfeed posts is also info about Bloglovin’ and a book I’m in!

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For parents (like me) who are having snow during the kids’ spring break, here is a simple solution.  You’re welcome.  Really, it’s snow problem at all.

Spring break snow

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At a wrestling tournament yesterday, Jimmy came up and sat next to me on the bleachers and…

Jimmy:  Mom, thanks for not being an asshole parent.  I just heard a Dad yelling at his son as he came off the mat ‘What the hell were you doing out there???  I didn’t drive an hour and waste my day to watch you SUCK.’ ”

Me:  Why do you think I bring you to these tournaments?  It has nothing to do with wrestling.  It’s all about making me look like an awesome parent in comparison.

That conversation made the 12 hour day totally worth it.

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Me: Eric asked if we can buy more girl scout cookies.  Can you pick up Samoa?
Jim:  Sure.  I’ll see if Eric wants to Tag-a-long.

‘Cause we are just THAT cool.

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That awkward moment when you enter a public restroom stall with the toilet seat up and you wonder…was the bathroom just cleaned or am I in the men’s room??

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A lady sitting near me was endlessly gossiping to a friend.

Me (whispering to Jim): “Geesh, she is such a busy-body.”

Said while eavesdropping.

Pot.  Kettle.

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When I picked up Eric after school, he was grinning from ear to ear and holding up his much anticipated recorder he received today during music class.

My out-loud voice: Woohoo!!! I can’t wait to hear you play it when we get home!
My inner voice: For the next month I get to hear the sound of a duck that just got his wing yanked off.  Woo.  Hoo.

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Everyone please stop posting about spring cleaning.  The guilt is making me take desperate measures.  Like watching Hoarders.

Instead of cleaning watch hoarders

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The house is so clean Was the internet down

Actually, for me it is more like…

“Wow honey, the house is so clean!”  said my husband.  Never.

Maybe he should talk to Verizon to schedule daily outages.

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I think Jimmy has forgotten that I can see his Twitter account.  He tweeted, “I will never get over just how awesome some parents are and just how boring mine are.”

Oh, the love.

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Speaking of, you can show me some lovin’ by following me on Bloglovin’!  It is a way to keep track of all the blogs you read in one handy-dandy list.  For the blogs you follow, there is a list of all unread posts, similar to a newsfeed.  Below is a screen shot to show you what it’s like (and as an added bonus, you can see some of the awesome blogs I’m following.  I highly recommend you check them out also!).  Click the cute little Bloglovin’ button on my sidebar to the right or follow me here.

bloglovin screen shot

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Life Well Blogged book cover Parenting Gag Reel

<— Buy this book April 2.  Why?  Because I’m in it! 🙂

No, that’s not an April Fool’s joke.  I’m really in it.  Shocking, right?

It is the 4th book in the Life Well Blogged series.  The first 3 made it to the top 10 best sellers on Amazon for Parenting books.  Will you help this one get to #1??

I will post the link once it is up on Amazon and will have some copies to offer as giveaways too!

Don’t Talk To Strangers. Just Let Them Follow You.

Jake: You have more Twitter followers than I do!!

Me:  And I only know about 5 of them in real life.

Jake: That’s creepy.

Me:  That’s what bloggers want.  To get a whole bunch of people they don’t know to read what they write.

Jake:  Why??

Me:  …Good question…

(So much for the years spent preaching about “stranger danger” and not giving out any personal information on the internet.)

Do as I say, not as I do.

Bloggessesque

Me: OMG!   The Bloggess just followed me on Twitter!  Not a fan page thingy.  THE Bloggess.

Jimmy: Really?? (We had a conversation about her earlier so he was genuinely slightly impressed.)

Me:  Yes, thanks to your photos with Bob.  I will pay you royalties.

Jimmy:  And out of spite, I will spend it ALL on earrings.

…Yes, there is still tension in this house.  But royalties on zero dollars is zero dollars so at least I don’t have to worry about any new earrings.

And I TOLD YOU I’m related to the Bloggess now.  So HA!

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UPDATE: Conversation after Greg and Eric heard me say the Bloggess followed me…

Greg:  So you are finally famous now?

Me:  Yes, I’m finally famous after 2 whole months of blogging.  You want my autograph?

Greg: No.

Eric:  I want your autograph.

Me:  You do?

Eric:  Yes, I need lunch money.  So can you put your autograph on a check?

It’s tough being famous…

(Insert much sarcasm here.  I don’t actually think my 12 followers constitutes being famous.  Ok, a few more than 12. But not famous.  Far from famous. Infamous maybe.).