BlogHer - business - Comments

Just sent this to the list serv for my neighborhood

Britt Bravo — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:00:59 -0500

Thanks for this post, Elana! I live in a neighborhood with an amazing main street full of independent businesses. Sadly, many of them have been closing. I just sent info about the campaign to a Yahoo Group that exists for the neighborhood. Our local paper is doing a similar campaign called the Indie Revolution.

Would they miss me?

Daisy — Sun, 24 May 2009 16:51:53 -0500

Flanagan's Stop 'n' Shop, the local liquor store, would miss us. My husband is a beer lover, and he likes the unique brands and microbrews that he can only find on Main Street.

The local downtown diner would miss us, as would the independent bookstore. it's actually hard to spend $50 at the diner; lunch for three rarely tops $30.

You can tell; I'm a downtowner. The mall? Forget it. I'm only there if I have to go. Give me a good downtown any day of the week!

Daisy

http://compostermom.blogspot.com

:-)

Nordette — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:46:21 -0500

That kind of information is only important to people who think more deeply than the average bear ...

You've made my case. :-)

Nordette: BlogHer CE and NOLA Lit Examiner. Blogs @ WSATA & UMBOP.

It's All About Being A Smart Media Consumer

Megan Smith — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:56:52 -0500

Hi Nordette,

Boycotts are very tricky to pull off in this age of globalization.

I'm a big believer in being a smart consumer and especially
being a smart media consumer. From an early age whenever I read
something in newspapers or magazines I wanted to know a bit about who
wrote it. Then later I wanted to know more about specific writers and
their agendas.

Knowing who owns what may not damage a viewer's
enjoyment of their favorite TV program, but it may enlighten them about
why that program rather than another one made it on the air in the
first place.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

Nobody can beat just one, ;-)

Nordette — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:13:30 -0500

Whenever I think about boycotts, I think of the Christian teaching to "Love not the world or the things of the world" and the Apostle Paul's advice to not eat foods tainted by idol worship if the person notifies you that the food has been "tainted."

Boy that's a lot of stuff to avoid!

Sometimes, it's best not to know who owns what because so much is connected. My mind then goes to the people who make no decisions at all who would lose work when we boycott certain media outlets. Nevertheless, sometimes boycotts are fully warranted and necessary. So, no matter how much I like a certain show and feel I need to see it, if it's connected to something else that's feels unforgiveable, I may have to go Spock and say, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one."

But it's ineffective if the corporation doesn't know you're boycotting them. Effective boycotts make lots of noise.

That said, I think with the global interconnectivity of all things these days, we'll find it more and more difficult to boycott a corporation. We may have to boycott individual products or shows like no O'Reilly Factor if you're progressive and no Keith Obermann if you're not. No Wal-Mart period if you don't like its labor practices, but why boycott Sam's if Sam's Club doesn't work the same way as Wal-Mart although part of the same company? Too much to think about for most folks. (I don't know about Sam's labor practices.)

Informative post, Megan, and I'll be digging through your links. When I posted on Dickipedia, I let people know that it and Chickipedia (a site some feminists may find offensive) were owned by the same group, but I wasn't advocating any action, just making an observation. That kind of information is only important to people who think more deeply than the average bear or who are on some spiritual quest for media purity.

For most people it boils down to I like it, I don't like it. If they like it, unless the producers are eating babies for breakfast, they'll probably keep watching. But some people will watch no matter what, including shots of folks eating babies.

Nordette: BlogHer CE and NOLA Lit Examiner. Blogs @ WSATA & UMBOP.

News Coverage Is A Whole Other Story

Megan Smith — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:30:55 -0500

You're right about the news outlets.

The number of media companies that own multiple TV stations and newspapers in the same market is quite scary because a democracy depends on hearing a range of voices and not just a select few.

An excellent post from December 2007 by CE Kim Pearson covers the changes at the FCC that allowed these mega media companies to grow.

Megan
BlogHer Contributing Editor, TV/Online Video

Megan's Minute

....and "News" Coverage

Chgkim — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:14:41 -0500

So true Megan, your links are great....we just can't forget all the "news" (ok, infotainment) outlets these biggies own as well. For me, that is the truly scarey part of the planned media domination!

Melissa, thanks for telling us re: Latino Coalition's biz summit

Lisa Stone — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:57:36 -0500

This sounds terrific! Look forward to hearing what you all cover.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

Quality child care programs are as essential as quality K-12

debontherocks — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:47:30 -0600

This is a huge workforce issue and needs to be a consideration in economic stimulus plans. Smart states will beef up subsidies and continue to fund programs like TEACHand WAGES that make sure that providers have access to continuing training and compensation for their education and contributions. Too many child care and early learning teachers don't make a living wage. Child care programs are essential to the business community, and they should pony up as well.

(Just a note on language: I cringed when I saw the phrase "day care" used. Like many professions struggling for fair wages or respect, language matters to many people trying to advance the field. Child care provider or early learning teacher is MUCH more accurate to describe the professionals who work in child care centers or family child care homes. You'll notice that most of the professional organizations (www.naeyc.org) and advocates for professionalization, like Working Woman magazine, use the preferred "child care.")

Deb
www.debontherocks.com blog
www.3smartgirlz.com consulting

That was why I chose daycare

Kim Pearson — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:56:03 -0600

Like you, I wanted trained certified childcare providers -- with degrees, thank you. I was fortunate that my children got that. They are 17 and 24 now, so this is a theoretical conversation for me. But given the community that we were fortunate to live in when they were small, there were a lot of other parents who shared my values when it came to nurturing and educating children, and they had the cultural capital to put their beliefs in practice. I would be as worried about parents like us in a barter system. I'd be more concerned about parents who might not have the level of education or resources that parents in more affluent communites have.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Conceptually, it works...but must have structure...

tbrooks — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:02:41 -0600

For forty hours each week, I want my kids to be learning and growing with developmental activities - not just sitting around watching Seseme Street. It's not enough to just keep my kids safe and away from outlets. I want them to be learning in developmentally appropriate environments. Although I love "babysitting moms", I want trained professionals around my kids for majority of the time.

There are daycare certification programs at our local community college in Kansas City. I'm sure they exist in other states as well. That would be a critical element for any five day a week childcare program. Now, if we're talking "spot" baby- sitting every now and again, that's different.

Blog: "So Much To Say!!!"
Sisters Helping Sisters

I love the concept of bartering

Elana Centor — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:48:55 -0600

The thing about bartering is that it can have any ground rules that you want.If I could provide a valuable service in return for child care and I trusted the provider then I think it would be a win-win for everyone.

I think in this economy barter is a great concept marketing tool where you are exchanging something you need with something of value I have and vice versa.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Agreed. I was thinking the same thing

Kim Pearson — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:43:07 -0600

I agree, Teri, that there would need to be some sort of certification process.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Love the idea of bartering BUT...

tbrooks — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:37:56 -0600

Bartering is a great idea, but I can't help but be concerned about the potential compromise in quality and consistency in service-delivery.

As long as parents providing the childcare are licensed and adhere to a litany of quality standards, it could be a great thing. Otherwise, you could open a can of worms legally and socially by having networks that aren't "up to par" developmentally and programmatically.

People who are in economic challenges still deserve quality daycare for their children.

Teri

Sisters Helping Sisters.Org - Celebrating the Sisterhood of All Women!

This is pretty awful

Kim Pearson — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 13:25:29 -0600

I struggled to keep my son in daycare after going through major surgery and a marital separation. Fortunately, they were able to work with me to keep in school part time, and they allowed me to do some PR and fundraising work for them pro-bono in exchange. I wonder whether it might be possible to create some sort of barter network where parents can take turns caring for children? Not an ideal solution, but perhaps one way to help cash-strapped parents out.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|