Saturday 14 January 2012

#178: Granny Bloggers

Blogging is big business, especially for the four million young, blogging mothers out there.  This is just one of the things I learned last Sunday morning on the CBC Radio’s Sunday Edition feature, Monetizing-Mommy-Hood.

Some mommy bloggers – that’s what they are called-- have thousands of followers, so many that advertisers have come calling.  These bloggers, reaching far beyond the “my kids are driving me crazy” posts, are turning their blogs into virtual home based businesses, encouraging sponsors and writing about their great experiences using Brand X.  The payoff, aka blogola, is often in the form of product.  Love the new stretchy Pampers?  Blog about it and receive free diapers for your endorsement!

Hmmm.  I can’t help but wonder if there is a monetizing future for retiree bloggers.  Let’s see. 

First, there would need to be many more of us.  I know of sites that offer practical information about retirement – where to retire, money matters, etc.—but no other personal experience blogs, although realistically there have to be others that I just haven’t found.  Then we’d need a cool handle, but I bet “granny blogger” is what we’d get stuck with, and that has zero cachet as far as I’m concerned, especially since I’m not a grandmother.  And can you imagine our sponsors?   Ensure, Premier Bathrooms, Life Line, Alarm Care and RBC Life Insurance (for “final expenses”) are simply not as much fun as Fisher-Price.    

And as for product endorsement....Depend on it, I don’t think us grannies will be writing about incontinence products any time soon.        

1 comment:

  1. The "granny" products I now require are fine by me. I'm glad I can walk, think, opine, and contribute. The two finest people I have ever known were my two grandmothers. They saved me from a hellish life, gave me self esteem, wisdom and unconditional love. Now I spend time, money, and more time showing my love to my ten grandchildren as I absolutely know how important grandparents can be. Much of the world has spun crazily out of orbit. Thank goodness we have some sane senior citizens to bring order to the
    chaos with tried-and-true principles of living a good and happy life. I am a retired school teacher and remember the day someone asked, "What is the purpose of education?" The best answer I ever found was this: Education has two purposes: one is to help you be a success at whatever you choose to pursue in life, and two is to enjoy the journey." That says it all. May all we grannies be the true educators. God knows that the world needs us.

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