Carol Greet does it from her ranch in Ten Sleep, Cathy Holman does it while her children are napping and Jill Winger does it as a full-time job.
All three Wyoming women write blogs on the Internet, where they may post articles, photos, recipes or craft projects. For them, blogging can be a way to share ideas, promote businesses or earn extra income. For the people around the world who follow their blogs, it’s a window into the Western lifestyle.
“I think we can offer a unique perspective,” said Jill Winger, who lives near Chugwater and blogs as The Prairie Homesteader. “People who live back East are fascinated by this lifestyle, whether you’re homesteading or not.”
Blogs provide a way for women to connect with each other, especially in Wyoming, where towns are few and far between and it’s not always convenient to meet friends for a coffee or a cocktail.
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“It’s been amazing to have that connection with people and show them a little bit of Wyoming,” said Holman, a Glenrock resident and author of Prairie Wife in Heels. “I think the blogs, the Internet and social media as a whole are a way for women to connect and get that quote-unquote adult time while they’re still home with their children.”
Although blogging has been around for many years, it is currently popular with those in Generation X and women, according to Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of BlogHer, a national online women’s blog community.
“Forty-six percent of the U.S. online population of women read blogs on an active basis,” Camahort Page said. “Only about 21 percent of women use Twitter.”
Blogging generally appeals to those who don’t feel their voices are represented in mainstream media, such as women.
“The joke is that history is written by winners, but it’s also been traditionally written by men,” Camahort Page said. “Blogs are an opportunity for us to hear women’s voices and have a window into women’s lives. That can change women’s lives and that can change the history that’s being recorded, because it cannot be ignored.”
WHY BLOG?
The most common reason people blog is self-expression, Camahort Page said. But people also write or read blogs when they are in need of a community to help them through life stages, such as parenthood, illness and work or to support a cause. Below are three women who each started blogging for different reasons:
She blogs to share ideas: Holman was a teacher before becoming a stay-at-home mother of four children. After a few pieces of her writing were published in local publications, she started a blog to keep at it. She shares her experience as a teacher and mother in her blog, but also discusses fashion and books, and posts reader profiles.
“It’s a mix of who I am as a woman who loves fashion and beauty, and the reality of my life in Wyoming,” said Holman, who pointed out she is not the cowgirl type.
Holman’s page gets about 100 to 400 daily views. It doesn’t have advertising, but that’s OK, she said. Holman blogs for the social aspect, not the profit.
“My hope is that my blog offers women support to be who they are,” Holman said. “All too often we put up a front that everything is great and everything is wonderful. It’s OK. If your 2-year-old throws a tantrum in the grocery store, it’s OK to cry.”
She blogs to promote her business: Greet, the woman from Ten Sleep, started Red Dirt in my Soul to promote her dog-breeding business but found people were just as curious about ranch life as they were about seeing the latest litter of pups. Today, she blogs about moving cattle, branding, calving, putting up hay as well as her hobbies, such as making crafts and raising bees. Dog lovers will still see plenty of puppy pics, too.
She often posts wildlife photos to her blog. Even though it’s not unusual for her to spot a deer or an elk while driving, her readers love it.
“I see a couple of does in the field and take a picture and think that’s kind of boring, but I have to remember that my audience doesn’t,” she said.
She blogs to earn money: Winger, who blogs about homesteading, works full-time on her blogging business, and earns an income to match.
She started blogging because she was so excited about her homesteading endeavor that her friends and family got sick of hearing about it. So, she took it to the web, where she found like-minded people. That was about three years ago.
Today, her blog gets nearly a million page views each month — an audience advertisers like to reach. Winger earns money by selling advertisements on her site and reviewing products for advertisers.
She works with advertisers, does research and networks in addition to blogging three times a week.
“It’s time consuming,” Winger said. “People think it’s easy money. It’s fun and you get to work from home, but it’s not easy.”
Winger’s situation is rare. Although blogging can lead to career opportunities and income, only a few bloggers find wide-spread success, Camahort Page said.
Carol Seavey is editor of Live Well Wyoming magazine, which is published six times a year by the Casper Star-Tribune. Contact her at 307-266-0544 or carol.seavey@trib.com. She blogs about weight-loss, health and other topics at trib.com/news/opinion/blogs/seavey/.
