Think of your average blogger, and the picture that comes to mind may be an angsty teen or an opinionated youth.
But good ol' reliable Mum?
Local mummy bloggers may not be as organised and structured as the foodie bloggers, nor are they as popular as other bloggers like Mr "Benjamin" Miyagi,but they are also a formidable group.
More mums these days are using blogs as online scrapbooks to remind themselves of their children's growth phases, said the 11 blogging mothers Digital Life spoke to.
At the same time, many mums and mums-to-be interviewed said their blogging has also created a kind of support network - where their frustrations, queries and fears are answered and allayed by peers who have been there.
Many of them have also become good friends in real life, and often meet up for tea, play dates and parties.
But it is a little embarrassing whenever anyone asks how the Internet friends got to know one another, said promotions manager Angelia Tay.
"That is because online social networking sounds like something teenagers would do, "not working ladies like us", said the 38-year-old.
"Every time we explain, we get a lot of raised eyebrows."
Many mothers interviewed said they had been blogging for years, since they were girls.
On the other hand, there were also those who said they started blogging as a record for their children.
Like media manager Pauline Wong, 34, who started when she found that she was pregnant.
Said Ms Wong: "Some people use photographs and scrapbooks, but with a blog, I don't have to worry about it turning yellow or decaying."
Whatever the reason, mums rally around each other on their blog spots.
Mrs Adele Augustin, 35, said it helped when she was stuck at home during her confinement period, "when I couldn't leave the house, couldn't have showers, or had problems with the baby".
"At least I could go online and live vicariously through my friends for a little while," she said.
Or trade misery stories and "just commiserate", added the stay-at-home mum.
For instance, in the weeks leading up to producer Joan Leong's delivery, she was just "sitting around, in so much physical discomfort".
"And, from out of nowhere, that support and encouragement from other people really helps," said the 27-year-old.
Not just lip service either.
When freelance writer Jean Angus, 28, is sick or is busy, her blogger friend Ms Angelia Tay will babysit her daughter Alison for the day.
And some mothers even use their blogs to alert others when they have extra breast milk to give away to those who can't produce enough, said Ms Tay, a member of a LJ Mummies, a blog group of mums.
Kiddie confidential
The camaraderie has led to some unforgettable experiences.
Ms Tay, who has "no qualms about putting pictures on her blog", said a talent scout loved the pictures of her four-year-old son Aidan so much that he asked her to take him for an audition.
He made the cut to land a role in an independent movie and has also appeared in a corporate video.
Mrs Augustin, who is married to radio personality Joe Augustin, said her husband is "very on" and even posted entries on her behalf, to tell friends and family when her water broke and when she went into labour.
But mums, being mums, also have an eye out for the big bad wolf.
Recognising that blogs are public, the mothers said that they would not post confidential information on their blogs, such as favourite hangouts, their children's schools and their addresses.
Some of them even make sure that the kids are not pictured in their school uniforms - just in case.
When Ms Jenny Hiou converted her private blog to a public one, she took down many of the pictures initially there.
"I am careful of what I write on my blog to maintain our privacy, so I guess the danger that someone is watching us for bad reasons is quite remote," she said.
Mrs Laura Poon, 31, an IT specialist, will even warn other mums, if she sees confidential information about their children being posted online.
One whiff of danger, and she will close shop immediately, adds Angie Wong, also an IT specialist.
"If I see anything out of the ordinary, my blog will be shut down because I value my kid more than anything," said the 30-year-old.
Dangers aside, there's the other issue of privacy - their kids.
It is all fine and dandy when the young ones are young and cannot object. But with so many baby pictures (some naked ones too) being published, won't they feel embarrassed when they get older?
Ms Pauline Wong said that "the blog is more for me, than it is for him".
"I will tell him that it is all my treasured moments. And maybe he shouldn't go around showing or telling his friends about it."
Customer service executive Eileen Lim, 29, who has a picture of one of her sons submerged in the bath on her blog, waves the problem off.
"It's only the nipples showing. He's a boy, it's okay."
"If I see anything out of the ordinary, my blog will be shut down because I value my kid more than anything."
- Angie Wong, an IT specialist, on the dangers of posting her son's photos online for public viewing
"...When I couldn't leave the house, couldn't have showers, or had problems with the baby. At least I could go online and live vicariously through my friends for a little while."
- Mrs Adele Augustin, on her blogging.
Source:
This story was first published in The Straits Times on May 8, 2007.
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