Social Media Monday: Coming out from behind the computer

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by Brie The social media possibilities are endless. Blogging, Twitter, Flicker, Stumble Upon and LinkedIn are just a few of the ways you can participate in social media. You can write, read, upload, tweet, share. Maybe you are just dipping your feet into social media. Maybe you have jumped in fully clothed. However you are doing it and for whatever reason you are doing it, there always comes a time when you move out from behind the screen and make it real.

Social media is a way to connect with other people. For Lara and I it has been a great way to connect with other parents. And once you start connecting online, there is also the interest in connecting offline.

I am happy to say that I have meet many, many awesome people in real life after knowing them first online. Like Lara. Like most of the fabulous Kids in the Capital contributors. Like some of our readers that have joined us for our play dates and meetups.

The hardest part of meeting someone in person that you have met online is getting over the worry. Are they the same in person as they are online? Will they think I am the same in person that I am online? Will we still like each other? I am happy to say that most people are exactly like I expect them to be in person after meeting them online. And that I now count many of them as friends.

The key word to remember about social media is social. You might have to give yourself a talking to, but it really is worth coming out from behind your computer. If only every  once in a while.

So, in keeping with the idea of connecting offline we want to mention two "in real life" ways of meeting with Kids in the Capital contributors and readers.

Meetup Join us Wednesday, January 19th at 7:30pmfor a meetup at Woody's on Elgin (330 Elgin). It's a chance to hang out and chat without kids interrupting the conversations. Woohoo!

Play dates We are having weekly playdates on Wednesday mornings around town. Everyone is invited and we hope you can join us.  This Wednesday, January 19th we'll be meeting at 10am at the Museum of Nature (at the boat on the second floor).  We'd love to see you there.  There will be a post with more details on locations soon and we will be updating the sidebar of Kids in the Capital with weekly information.

We hope to see you offline very soon!

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Social Media Monday: Write, read, comment

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by Brie As a new parent you discover the flip side of the city you live in. All of a sudden instead of knowing the hottest new restaurant, you can recommend the best playgroup in your neighbourhood. You may not know the latest movie playing, but you know the museum hours by heart. It's like this hidden world has been revealed. All you have to do is go out and explore it!

But there are times when you can't always be out at the park or the coffee shop or meetup with friends. Nap schedules, long nights and sick kids can keep you at home, no matter how much you want to be out. Stuck in a house with a baby that doesn't like to sleep and a toddler that doesn't like to stop, the lonely side of parenting can creep in. It did for me.

Enter social media.

Blogging, Twitter and Facebook are all amazing ways that allow you to connect with strangers, friends and other parents from the confines of your house. They are there waiting for when you have five minutes between changing diapers and doing homework. They are there when the kids nap or when they are happily occupied without you.

I love blogging because it has allowed me to find other moms to connect with that have kids of the same age, live in Ottawa or just plain fascinate me. I can peek into their lives when I have a moment, just as they can peek into mine when they find the time. While blogging is a great way for you to keep in touch with friends and family, and for them to keep in touch with you, it also opens you up to a whole other community of parents. They may not be the parents you would meet out and about in the city, but that doesn't lessen the connection.

There are three important things you need to do to build an online blog community: write, read and comment. Starting a blog and finding your voice are your contribution to the online discussion, but now you need to let people know you are here. Just like you would say hi to the mom pushing her kid at the swing beside you, say hi to all the bloggers you read and visit.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? When you read a blog, leave a comment.  But if you are used to lurking it can feel a bit weird to actually come out of hiding. I say do it! Think of it as a little thank you to the blogger. It's a thank you for sharing, for making you think, for giving you new ideas.

Leaving a comment is also a great way for other bloggers to find your blog. Chances are that the blogger you read will visit your blog, especially if you are a new commenter, and other readers might find you this way too. Two of my favorite bloggers are people I discovered when reading the comments.

While blogging may be something we do alone in the confines of our house, it is something that opens us up to the rest of the world. We write our words so that others can read them. By reading the words of others and commenting, you are beginning to build the connections that create online communities.

Am I right? Am I wrong? Tell me. Leave a comment. :-)

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Social Media Monday: Starting a blog

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by Brie You've decided to give it a try. I mean, why not! But now you actually have to figure out how to blog. Where to start?

The first thing you need to do is pick a blogging platform. There are two popular platforms for you to choose from: Blogger and Wordpress.com. The great thing is that both of these platforms are easy to use. I mean, even I can do it!

I started Capital Mom on Blogger because that was the first platform I came across when I discovered blogs. I wanted something free and simple, and it was both. Blogger is made for people that don't know anything about technology, so that was a perfect choice for me. I found it easy to navigate, user friendly and I liked that it was linked to Google. Since I started blogging Blogger has expanded the template designs available and now there is a greater variety and more customization available. 

Wordpress.com is equally as easy to use, although the dashboard may look more intimidating, and after hearing good things about it Lara and I decided to try it for Kids in the Capital. Wordpress has a large array of template options and seems to be easy for designers to customize. We had heard it was easier to move to self-hosting with Wordpress.com and we did find it easy to do. Well, as easy as moving text and dealing with technology can be.

If you are looking to self-host or expect to have a large readership, you might want to start with Wordpress.com. If you are wanting to have ads or Google ads from the start then Blogger may be a good option.

Here is some of the feedback I got over Twitter when I asked why people chose the platform they did:

AMotherhoodBlog: @kidsincapitaltried blogspot found it limiting. Heard good about wordpress thru Twitter, moved & love it.

KGrayDonald: @kidsincapital when with what I liked visually, was easy for me to use, and seemed to garner the fewest complaints :)

lana_stewart: @kidsincapital For me: lots of widgets/add-on and free themes to choose from and modify. And then my host made it a one-click install.

No matter which you choose, starting a blog is easier then you think. Both platforms are easy to navigate. Just click through to Blogger or Wordpress.com and give it a go. The hardest part might be picking a name and deciding what to blog about!

Here's a tip: think carefully about your blog name and URL. Even if you think that the blog is just for you or your family you may one day find yourself sharing it and then regretting the URL. Unless you want to be redirecting the link forever or exporting the blog to a new site, make sure you pick a name and URL you love!

Are you thinking of starting a blog?  Have questions and don't know where to start? Leave us a comment!

Do you have a blog? Why did you chose our blogging platform? And tell, us have you ever regretted your URL? :-)

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

It's an honour just to be nominated

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Woohoo! Kids in the Capital was nominated for a Canadian Blog Award in both the Collaborative/Multi-Author Blogs and Family categories.

This means a lot. It means a lot to us that someone took the time to nominate us. It means that the work we do and the posts written by our contributors are valued.  Thanks.

If you would like to vote for Kids in the Capital in either of these categories you can click here. Each person gets one vote for their favourite blog, in each category, per day.

And thanks. Again.

Look at me! Look at me!

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That's right, Kids in the Capital has a shiny new look. New logo, new colour scheme, new layout. Same great content and community. We promise! If you love Kids in the Capital like we do you might want to grab one of our fancy new buttons to proudly display on our blog:

If you read Kids in the Capital through a Reader or RSS feed, you will need to update your reader or dashboard with the web address www.kidsinthecapital.com. Email subscribers will need to resubscribe in the box in the far right sidebar. You can also sign up for our new newsletter on the far right sidebar.

Kids in the Capital contributors are able to sign into the blog from the Sign in link at the top right hand corner. And don't forget, if you have some great blog posts you want to write for Kids in the Capital make sure you email us at kidsinthecapital@gmail.com.

We hope you like it as much as we do!

Brie and Lara