Five reasons why dad blogs are the blogs to watch

March 26, 2:23 PMFatherhood ExaminerJoe Schatz

Previous Next

12 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Fatherhood Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

"Dad bloggers are going to be hot."

Mom blogs have spent a long time in the lime light with countless day time talk shows either referencing or featuring mom bloggers.  The ‘mom blog’ has become almost an iconic part of our pop culture.  Many mom blogs have fierce cult like followings with hundreds of thousands of unique visitors every day.  There are many networking sites dedicated to helping mom bloggers network themselves and many other sites dedicated to helping women.  The mom blog trend is hot, there is no doubting that, but what the mom blog fad has left in its estrogen laden wake is the start of the next big thing in blogging—the dad blog.

Here are the top five reasons why dad blogs are now the blogs to watch:

1.       The Numbers

Dad blogs have been popping up like crazy over the last couple years.  A study done in 2004 found that 40% of active blogs are written by men.  Now, compare that to the latest Technorati data which found that men in the US account for 53% of the blog activity and 73% of the Asian and European blog activity and you notice a huge increase.  Each day around 120,000 new blogs are created so for the men to jump so dramatically in the percentage of those who blog it is safe to say that most of those new blogs are being generated by men.   

Men don’t just blog about politics and sports either, according to the Technorati data 76% of men who blog have a personal blog and 50% of them have a professional blog. 

Stay at home dads are on the increase as well.  Each year more and more dads can be accounted for at home with the kids.  Many of these dads are turning to the internet for advice, to stay connected with the latest trends and news and to make friends. 

All statistical trends point to the dad blogs genre as one that will only continue to increase and for that reason a genre that companies are going to need to pay close attention to.

2.       Purchasing Power

With all the talk of moms and their purchasing power (estimated at 1.7 trillion annually) it often goes overlooked that dads account for 500 billion dollars of annual purchases (or half a trillion).  For a few years now, companies have noticed that an effective marketing strategy is to use the mom blog as a vehicle to advertise their products either through reviews, ads or product give-aways.  Recently, many companies have been seeking out influential dads and dad bloggers to spread their message.   Companies get it, dads are blogging now too and they are taking notice. 

3.       Dads are nerds

Dads are nerds.  Dads like to check the internet for advice and news.  The active dad is on the rise and many dads have turned to the internet to find out how they can be a better dad and a better husband.  The average dad blog isn’t just some sport laden beer fest of a blog, dad blogs are more often than not introspective and thoughtful.  Contrary to what the media portrays, dads are increasingly more involved parents and the dad blog is just a logical progression of this trend.  In other words, the fact that dad blogs are on the rise just shows more dads care about fatherhood.  Some great fatherhood blogs include Discovering Dad, Mocha Dad, Gunfighter, Being Michael’s Daddy, Building Camelot, D is for Dad and Real Men Drive Minivans (too many to name). 

4.        Humor

Dad blogs typically infuse a lot of creative humor in their posts.  As a genre it is hard to mention dad blogs without mentioning humor.  A majority of dad blogs are just funny which is understandable since dads are generally associated with having a better a sense of humor than moms.  Most dad blogs use humor to communicate their messages but some of the more popular ones include The Busy Dad Blog, Nuke Dad, Phat Phreddy, Out Numbered Online, and the all powerful Joeprah.

5.       The Underdog Mentality

Dads like dad blogs have been battling stigma for a long time now.  Yesterday, during a twitter survey, I found that many moms think of dad blogs as little more than a curiosity or ‘passing trend.’  Some dads account for this stigma by saying that moms and those who read parenting blogs tend to think mom blogs have all the answers and that dad bloggers are just blowing in the wind without direction and more childlike.  Even the media regards dads as lesser parents.  So, why is the fact that dads consider themselves underdogs or embattled a reason to watch out for the dad blog genre?  The reason is simple—dad blogs have a cause.

Dads write to bring respect to fatherhood.  Dads use their blogs as a way to fight back against public perception and decades of poor representation in the media.  Dads are on a mission.  I never bet against someone who is fighting for a cause—and that’s what dads have.

Summing it up

Dad blogs currently aren’t as prominent as mom blogs but my guess is that the gap will decrease with each passing day, month and year.  When I asked Pete Janelle, co creator of Dad Blogs (a social networking site for dads and dad bloggers), what his thoughts were on the dad blog genre he said:

Dad bloggers are going to be hot. We're seeing a rise in SAHDs, and the general consensus among responsible dads that we are tired of being lumped in with the stereotypical crowd. Dads also offer an important and untapped perspective in parenting issues. Overall, the trend will continue and the dad bloggers will take center stage.

What do you think?  Are dad blogs the ‘it’ blog right now?  If so, why? If I overlooked any great dad blogs--speak up and let me know.