TMC welcomes LZ, author of the blog My Messy Paradise. I can’t remember exactly how LZ and I found each other but once we did we have been blogging together ever since. She was another one of those bloggers first to jump on board the TMC train and LZ was also an integral part in my move to WordPress. I emailed her with tons of questions and she was so helpful! She also motivated me to begin my own Facebook page for Theta Mom and was one of my first “fans.” She recently got an awesome new blog design which looks totally fabulous so be sure to check that out, too! Here is how she describes her blog in her own words:
“I’m LZ, and I blog at My Messy Paradise. I started writing simply to give me something fun to do and to document all the things I could forget about raising my girls. Speaking of which…I have 2. One is 5 1/2 and the other will soon be 3. They are awesome! I’ve been married for 7 1/2 years to Joe, who I picked up in a bar (10 years ago) with a cheesy line – true story. I live in Massachusetts, but am almost certainly relocating to North Carolina in the next few months. A scary yet exciting change for me, as I currently live 9 miles from the house I grew up in.
Blogging, social media and the friends I’ve met have truly helped me stay sane in the 5 years that I’ve been a mom. Some of the friends I’ve met in real life have become so dear to me that I feel like I’ve known them forever. Others, I know I’m going to feel that way about when I get the chance to meet them.”
So be sure to check out the blog and follow her on Twitter!
New to TMC? Join us! We LOVE new members!
The Negative Side of Blogging
Blogging has brought so many wonderful people into my life like the many women who I have connected with on multiple levels both on this site and throughout social media. But when I received that first negative comment on my blog a few months ago I was a bit taken back. Initially, I was disappointed to find that someone would leave such a “mean” spirited comment. I am not a controversial blogger nor does my writing portray a narrow minded point of view. I always write openly and honestly about my experiences in a broad context. However, the more my blog has grown so have the negative comments and unfortunately I have come to realize – this is part of the gig.
The reason why I wanted to write about this topic is because whether you are a newbie blogger or have been blogging for years, the reality is at some point in your blogging career you will receive some negative feedback. It may be in a comment, tweet or even an email, but nevertheless it will happen. I would say it’s pretty much a guarantee.
Now I don’t expect every single person to like me or even agree with me for that matter. But what I do expect is the notion that you can share a difference of opinion within a comment in a professional and respectful manner that would actually foster a mature, direct and rather interesting discussion. But when comments are blatantly made to degrade a blog or written in just plain nastiness directly aimed at attacking the person behind the blog – which is what I have experienced recently – that’s where I draw the line.
This is my space, this is MY house. If you don’t like it GET OUT.
Ironically, this also comes at a time when I have been the topic of discussion in three different communities recently and it’s now gotten to the point of sheer ridiculousness. One blogger had the nerve to link one of the obnoxious threads she started to my own community. This proved to me that in the bloggy world (just like in real life) people will continue to talk and talk is cheap.
I cannot control what is said about me but what I can control is my reaction to it. I refuse to further respond to these comments because ultimately, that’s what these “bloggers” want. They want attention any way they can get it even if that means trying to bring someone else down in the process. If I add myself to this mix I would be feeding into their drama and I have more class than that.
So if this ever happens to you, here is my advice. Ignore it. It’s not worth your time or even a justified response because you have so many more productive things to do and you are better than that. Don’t let it get you down. It is their issue, NOT yours.
And to the naysayers: You can carry on your obnoxious discussions about me and talk in circles in your own space because just as I stated in this post, I know who I am, I know what I stand for and I know what this blog is about – and so do the other 2,500+ subscribers so if you don’t get that, it’s YOUR loss. I am certainly not losing sleep over a handful of women who have nothing better to do with their time than to try and bring me down.
And in the end? I have become a more confident, self-assured blogger who will continue to rise above the nonsense.
And especially to the special group of ladies who decided to bash my name and every ounce of my blog in a very popular parenting message board recently, I thank you for linking back because I enjoyed the extra boost in traffic.
And my sponsors thank you, too.