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mom bloggers, continued ...Published: February, 2010

And there’s no doubt that bloggers wield influence over many a mother’s purchasing decisions.
   
“Personally, I trust a blogger’s opinion over anyone else. Usually when I’m looking for an idea, I will read a mom blog before I read anything else,” says Aracely Worley, who has been blogging for more than three years. The Yorba Linda resident writes Daytripping Mom, a blog about ideas of things to do in Southern California, and Kids and Mice, a blog devoted to Disneyland. “There are 15 blogs I check on a daily basis.”
   
Worley, 34, started her blog in part as an excuse to try new experiences with her two children. “Every week, we try visiting a new place. It’s a motivation. It gets me out,” explains Worley. Her day job as an auditor for an insurance company is quite structured, she adds, so “blogging allows me to be in touch with that creative part of me. And I love sharing useful information.”
   
One surprise that has come from blogging, says Worley, is learning which posts of hers generate controversy. A post that might seem benign – tips for viewing the Rose Parade – actually generates many comments from opinionated readers.
   
“Any of the posts where I do tips, or have opinions about food at Disneyland, tend to be controversial. Are the corn dogs at the red cart on Main Street really the best in the world, like I think they are?” she laughs. “People will insult you, and you have to kind of roll with it. There are people who like to get on the Internet and troll for trouble.”
   
Like many bloggers, Worley receives free product offers, such as free stays at hotels when she travels in exchange for writing about them on her blog. But Worley says sometimes such offers can present their own problems, such as one instance in which she angered the public relations representative of a hotel chain that Worley didn’t like; they had been hoping for a rave review online.
   
“I want to be honest with my readers. I’m not going to change the way I write, but usually most places have something pretty positive to say. A lot of times, I really like to pay on my own” to get a genuine experience, she says.