The Secret World of Dad Bloggers
I’ve been a blogger, social media specialist and content creator for years, but I’ve always seen other people in my field as the competition.
That was until I made the shift, and found my niche as a Dad Blogger.
A couple of years ago, I was at a conference that was talking to an audience of new bloggers about how to talk with brands. As I was there representing a company looking for bloggers, I was there just to mingle. When the speaker announced that (at the time) around 4 million mums in the US described themselves as bloggers and we’re of huge influential value to brands, I thought “What about the Dads?”
Skip ahead to a month ago, when my daughter turned one, and my social media/travel blog was getting stagnant. I thought I could provide a little insight into new fathers who might find what I’ve picked up, useful.
What was I getting myself into? Is it going to be a viciously competitive battle of the Dads? Who can get more traffic? Who’s working with the big brands and teaming up with the big-name Mommy Bloggers?
It turns out, no. The groups for Dad bloggers on Facebook are full of help, chat and support for topics such as a GoFundMe page for a fellow Dad Blogger who has fallen on hard times, workshops, or asking for moral support when ‘I’m pretty sure a spider bit my kid!’ – we were all waiting for news on that one, though so far so good.
As you may know, after university it’s almost impossible, for busy Dads and introverts to make another best friend. That last person in your life started off as being selected by a computer to be your roomate on campus and if you’ve drifted apart, then that’s it.
Loneliness and feelings of isolation are very real in men after they hit their 30s. Not in all cases obviously, but it’s not uncommon. That life of heading to the gym, hanging out with friends at the pub or making random plans last-minute have subsided to spending time with your partner, quiet evenings after a busy day at work, and taking your children out on errands, or to play. Don’t get me wrong, these are now my absolute favourite ways to spend my time, it’s just that those times are hard not to miss.
That’s where the support of the Dad Bloggers is so welcome. In just a few weeks, I’ve been accepted into the Dad Bloggers, The Dad Network Parent Bloggers, Canadian Dad Bloggers and Vancouver Rad Dads Facebook groups. I’m even number 54 on the DroolingDaddy.com list of Canadian Dad Bloggers!
Together, we’re opening up the stigma that Mums (or Moms to my N.American friends) are the only influencers in the house. We love our partners and are ever-grateful to them for bringing the best little thing(s) into our lives. And we have a voice too. Brands – are you listening? We do the shopping too, we clean up the stink, we proudly wear our little ones against our chest when we leave the house.
Are you a Dad-Blogger? Say hi and leave a link to your space in the comments. We’re in this together and we’re nailing it!
James Clark
March 12, 2017 at 8:46 pmHey James
Well said. It’s much the same here in the UK. Athough dad bloggers are getting a lot more credit these days than they used to that’s for sure.
I work from home and do a lot of the buying, cleaning, household bits etc like you mentioned.
Love your style!
James Clark
London, UK
http://www.dadandbab.com
@dad.and.bab
Bennny aka Daddy Poppins
March 13, 2017 at 2:24 pmHi James, Great piece. I’ve found loads of good folk to mix with since becoming a stay at home dad. These groups are great to chat to people in similar situations and ask questions that your ‘non dad’ mates just wouldn’t get. You can find me at http://www.daddypoppins.com where I tell dad jokes, rant and let out the inner secrets of my family.
Ingus
March 13, 2017 at 6:09 pmWe’re certainly a tamer bunch than our female counterparts when it comes to the blogging word.
I’ve been a dad blogger for over a year now and the network of dad’s have been fantastic.
Nice post and nice web design!
Thursday Dad Blog Roundup: March 16 - DADSENSE
March 16, 2017 at 9:34 pm[…] The Secret World of Dad Bloggers – Social Dad […]
Emanuel Kelly-Loulie
June 5, 2017 at 6:58 amGreat post, I’m all the way from South Africa. I’m still scouting for the other daddy bloggers in this region 🙂
Joy
January 13, 2018 at 2:36 pmHi, James. I’m a girl in my twenties and definitely not a parent but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! I think it’s high time dad bloggers got recognised. Glad to hear that there are support groups out there for your niche. Keep up the great work! Much love xx
The Dad Effect
January 28, 2018 at 4:55 amHi,
I’ve just started my own Dad blogging journey a few weeks ago. I realise this post is slightly older than that but many of the things you noted in this piece I’ve found to be true. I didn’t really know Dad blogging was a thing, I just wanted to write about my adventures and life lessons learnt with my wife and kids. It was surprising and encouraging to stumble upon the Dads of twitter.
I’m Australian but so far most of my social media contacts in the Dad blogging space are from the UK or North America. Thanks for the well written piece.