Blog Pusher

I was just thinking the other day how ironic it is that I, of all the people in my family, has a blog. My dad wrote this in an email to someone recently..

"Nicole is a blogger, which is more than I can say for me, and she often tells me now folks actually make a living doing it. I guess if you write something that lots of people want to read, you can sell advertising space."

Because, really, all my Dad does is run his own non-profit, participate in most boards in EPA, rattle off the occasional editorial and win grandpa of the year award every single year (okay, he's the only grandpa in our family, and I might be a tad biased about that last one.) But that's not the point of this post. The point is my family is full of opinionated, smart and funny people who really enjoy writing, and I'm the one with a blog. I told my college interviewer that I wanted to go to MIT because I hated writing. I did learn to like it, but not really enough to dream about doing it as a profession.

My brother on the other hand, used to write short stories and dream of being published. My husband used to write poetry every Friday night at a neighborhood coffee shop. And my sister is a lawyer, chock full of opinions. And yet, who blogs? The person who refuses to read or listen to bad news and is the ultimate team player at work, rarely voicing a dissenting opinion these days.

Ever since I learned about this blogging thing, I've been pushing it on people I think would be excellent bloggers. The funny, brilliant mom who fantasizes about her fourth child starting kindergarten so she can go back to work, and who took care of three kids and supported her husband when he was trying his hand at stared a company. She's got stories about kids being dropped off at her house for 7 hours, but then friends afraid to have her family over because "their child has trouble sharing," and that doesn't even touch on her political rants. She is not one to stay quiet.

Then there is my brother and husband. They are both starting small business and are experts in their field. Both their businesses (soccer coach and teaching supply store) have a pretty narrow focus but a wide audience. And with their funny stories and advice, not to mention their need to supplement their income, I think they'd produce a great blog.

What mom or teacher doesn't want to hear about the best math workbook for 3rd grade or a useful present for a 1st grade teacher? What parent doesn't want to know about fun travel games for that pending road trip, or advice about starting a business designed to allow you lots of time with your kids? As for my husband he's got training in learning styles, how long kids can play without water breaks and what drills are designed to make soccer fun for a kid. He can tell you what to look for in a coach or soccer club, and share secrets of Brazil's success. And he can gripe about a stupid announcer or bad trade like nobody's business.

I don't know if it's the blogger in me, the business woman trying to help them capitalize on their talents in this Web 2.0 world, or I just feel like if I can't write a compelling blog post, I can take credit for getting other bogs started. But I'm not going to back off until I see them start churning out the posts.