BritMum

Last week I was lucky enough to meet one of the women at the forefront of blogging in Britain. Susanna Scott is author of A Modern Mother and co-founder of BritMums, a network of 3,000 parent bloggers with an aggregated audience of 10 million. She started blogging three years ago and has been ranked by Cision as a top 10 mum blogger.

Susanna and me in SF's Chinatown 

Chinatown

Susanna, 46, lives in a small town near Newbury, England with her Scottish husband, an IT sales director and three girls (ages 6, 7 and 9). Two years ago she founded BritMums with Jennifer Howze, former Times "Alpha Mummy" columnist. BritMum connects bloggers and holds conferences in London.

We met through a mutual friend as Susanna is from the East Bay, California. She returns for six weeks every summer for some sun and to see her parents. We ate chow mien at Far East Cafe in San Francisco's Chinatown, then strolled to the park around the corner so her daughters could play while I bombarded her with questions.
 
Surprising thing about Susanna? In person she is gentle, incredibly helpful and low-key. And, endearingly, though she attends loads of premieres and parties, she seldom recognises celebrities.

1. How and why did you get started?
I started blogging three years ago because, I joke, it was cheaper than therapy. I had three children in less than three years, and two were premature. I left my job as an IT marketing director to be a full-time mum and I missed a part of myself. Blogging gave me back my voice.

2. What do you think is the perfect blog post? Number of words, number of pictures, frequency, topic? 
I’d don’t have favourites, everyone’s style is different and you either click with it or you don’t. And sometimes you are in the mood for different types of posts – funny, poignant, thoughtful, whimsical – you can find it all online.

3. Your most popular blog post?
My most popular blog post was one I wrote about our Polish cleaner. It was short, about 300 words, but has been stumbling around blogosphere for the past three years.

4. What is the best way to get more readers?
Join a community like BritMums, BlogHer, etc to find like-minded bloggers. Also, be a reader (and commenter). Do not despair, you WILL find your tribe, they are out there.

5. You mentioned you no longer have a nanny. How do you make it work? 
Erm, not very well. We have lots of playdates and some part-time help. I have nightmares of being asked to a meeting last minute and not being able to make it because I have to drop off at an after-school club.

6. I notice you don't post pictures of your children. Why is this? And what other things will you not do?
I don’t publish that many pics of my kids, I feel that I can control my privacy, and should give them the same option. I don’t write about sex, I’d get into trouble.

7. What should bloggers expect to get out of conferences?
The best part of blogging conference is connecting with so many people that you know online. Also, the energy and the atmosphere is contagious.

8. What are your favourite blogs? I usually hang out with expats, like The Potty Diaries, Expat Mum, Nappy Valley Girl in New York and of course your blog!

9. Sometimes it takes me forever to do a blog post. How long do you take?
If I get stuck on a blog post I just figure it was not meant to be.

10. Can you make any money from blogging?
You can make pocket money, and supplemental income, though only a select few with ever earn enough to pay their mortgage. I think you should blog because you love it, and anything else that comes out of it is a bonus. I also think that blogging can be a stepping stone to other things, like writing contracts, etc. But do it because you love it.

Thanks Susanna, see you when you're next in the Bay Area.

Now, gentle readers, how would you answer these questions?