Mommy blogs grow up

The fifth-annual BlogHer conference held at Chicago's Sheraton and Towers this July may stand as a watershed for the event. Along with a crowd of 1,500 attendees, the conference drew its largest corporate contingent yet. Reps from CP heavyweights such as Disney, Hasbro and retail behemoth Walmart attended, looking for new ways to reach the influential cadre of mothers who have taken to sharing their thoughts with anyone interested in the trials and tribulations of childrearing - the mommy bloggers. Recognized over the past few years as key influencers of the women who usually control a good chunk of discretionary spend among US families, outreach to mommy blogs is now a standard component of most kids marketers' arsenals. However, as mommy bloggers become more established and influential, the rules for courting this crowd are also changing.