The Classy Mommy Blog

Hooray! I've been invited to take part in a cool campaign sponsored by Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has invited a team of "11 Moms" to serve as experts and submit money saving tips via video as a part of their Money Saving Moms campaign to launch this September.

I've been vlogging ever since I launched Classy Mommy 2 years ago so this campaign is a natural fit for me. I'm teamed up with a dozen super interesting and diverse women who all have their own unique websites offering everything from couponing strategies, technology expertise, domestic advice, frugal tips, product reviews, and general mommyblogging tips.

Here's a list of my team!

http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/ - The "Cent"sible Sawyer - http://www.geekmommy.net/ - GeekMommy's WebLife - Lucretia

http://www.thedomesticdiva.org - The Domestic Diva

http://www.jessicaknows.com/ - Jessica Knows - Jessica

http://www.momadvice.com/ - MomAdvice - Amy

http://www.classymommy.com - Classy Mommy

http://www.beingfrugal.net - Being Frugal - Lynnae

http://www.dealseekingmom.com - Deal Seeking Mom - Tara

http://frugalupstate.blogspot.com - Frugal Upstate - Jenn
http://www.kingdomfirstmom.com - Keeping the Kingdom First - Alyssa

http://www.couponcravings.com - Coupon Cravings - Erin

http://www.fromdatestodiapers.com/ From Dates to Diapers -Christine

Our agreement to participate in this campaign has caused a bit of a stir in the Blogosphere - as we are unpaid for our video submissions. I tend to stay out controversy on the Internet, but obviously as 1 of the 11 Moms, I'm certainly smack in the middle of it as my decision to participate with these terms impacts the project and what people think of me.

I truly feel I understand both sides to this heated issue. My perspective is that the opportunity for the 11 Moms is one that would be difficult to turn down and I feel very fortunate to be included in this project. Wal-Mart has made it very clear that NOTHING is required of us - and all 11 of us are savvy Moms who did not just naively say YES let me work for you - for free. I've been vlogging for 2 years so this is a total fit for my skill set and a great way to generate new content for my website in medium I already enjoy working with. Wal-Mart has made it clear that "possibly" other revenue earning oportunities MAY exist for us in the future and that they would try to present opportunities to us if and when possible. For instance, I've been given a chance to attend BlogWorld in Las Vegas. I'm thrilled to go to this conference - and I certainly could not have afforded to fly myself there or pay the hefty conference fee on my own. Folks have commented that "what we are doing makes it harder for others to then get paid for their work." I completely understand this thought process but the dilemma is that if I did not say YES, I am certain there are 100 other Moms who could take my place. The 11 Moms Wal-Mart gig will enable me to possibly gain exposure for my own personal website, enhance my social media expertise, take an inside peek at the world's largest retailer, and perhaps influence future social media campaigns and money saving campaigns at Wal-Mart. How could I say no? Thus, I bet the majority of Moms after careful thought would also have agreed as did all 11 of us.

Are mommy bloggers an unlimited resource? The voice of Moms is finally being heard through blogging and social media - but just like being a stay at home mom does not "pay" , are corporations unjustly rewarding Moms for the work we do and the perspective we offer? Or does it not even occur to corporations with their magnificent marketing budgets to pay a stipend to mommybloggers for the consulting and perspective we offer?

In the case of our Wal-Mart project - I get the sense that Wal-Mart is trying to trigger an independent community - where we don't "sell" Wal-Mart- instead Wal-Mart is utilizing our skills to help launch this Money Saving Community. Personally, I feel our WalMart project and other's like it may SOMEDAY enable all of us to build our resumes for a return to the corporate world or for more PAID consulting opportunities as Corporations continue to realize the value of momfluentials, Social Media, and the "Mommy Blogger". So, that's my 2 cents.

We are all really excited to network with each other, learn more about Wal-Mart's corporate culture during a visit planned for this October, and hopefully gain exposure for our own websites via Wal-Mart's marketing muscle.