Due to survey results that point to a likely defeat of the Australian Labor Party in the 2013 election, the party is tapping more into technology to win more votes. ALP leader and Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged Labor MPs to tap mummy bloggers on social networking sites such as Facebook.

Ms Gillard proposed the new strategy at the last party caucus meeting before the winter recess of legislators. The new approach to acquire more votes came after observers said the mummy bloggers were considered soft votes.

However, foraying into that social demographic group would mean the MPs would need to sign up in Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites, which for some of them are still unfamiliar territory.

Reports indicate that ALP members are still averse to technology. According to Perth Now, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was often ridiculed by party members for his frequent use of PowerPoint presentations to secure MP support. The daily said the MPs were surprised that Ms Gillard used the same Microsoft software to convince them to tap mummy bloggers.

With improvements in communications and the rise of home-office arrangements, many women have discovered the benefit of working from home as mummy bloggers. For some of them, being a mummy blogger has provided their families a main source of income, according to Jessica Smith, a mummy blogger and the chief mom advisor of MomForce.com as well as chief mom officer of Wishpot.com.

Mummy bloggers should be taken seriously, Ms Smith said, because most of them engage in it not just as a hobby but use their blogs to offer support and create a support network for other mothers to deal with ailments, tragedy and strife, as well as to build a brand around a business.

Ms Smith pointed out that most of mummy bloggers are former professionals who decided to stay home and spend time with their growing families, while using their blogs to keep sharp their business, marketing and writing skills.

"The creativity and writing chops some of them bring to the table would put some Ivy Leaguers to shame," Ms Smith said.

She added that not all of these women focus on motherhood but also write about fitness, business, advertising, travel and other interesting topics. "Moms are women before they embark on motherhood and being a mom and having other interests aren't mutually exclusive," Ms Smith said.

However, it seems that Ms Gillard would have a lot of convincing to do because some of the MPs who attended the caucus said they stopped listening to her when the PowerPoint screen came down.

The MPs may also not be sure about the political potential of mummy bloggers, and the results of the 2013 election may prove or disprove their thoughts about the importance of female writers in the growing world known as the blogosphere.

RELATED STORIES