Minding My Business

Top Baby Names of 2007

2008-06-06T04:53:20Z

A couple of weeks ago while at a friend's birthday party, I found myself making small talk with the screenwriter for the hit 80s movie, Splash. Bruce Jay Friedman had no idea (seriously) that the name Madison had risen to be one of the most popular girl's names of the 90s and this century, having been in the top ten since 1997. Only now is the name falling in popularity with a current rank of five rather than *cough* number three. As a tween, I remember watching Splash in the theater and hearing Madison for the first time. Being a New Yorker, it was extra bizarre to accept it as a name. Now, though Madison is as ubiquitous as the data suggests. And, not just literally on the streets of New York. Looking at the social security data, Madison was not even in the top 1000 girls' names in 1984, the year the movie was released. By 1985, the name was ranked at 628, followed by a ranking of 366 the next year. In baby name terms, that kind of jump is very impressive, and according to Wikipedia, it's phenomenal. And Splash is the sole reason attributed to the name's meteoritic rise, which apparently was a very popular name amongst boys until the early 50s. According to the Social Security Administration, here is the most recent list of popular baby names: Top 10 Names for 2007 Female names 1- Emily 2- Isabella 3- Emma 4- Ava 5- Madison 6- Sophia 7- Olivia 8- Abigail 9- Hannah 10- Elizabeth Male names 1- Jacob 2- Michael 3- Ethan 4- Joshua 5- Daniel 6- Christopher 7- Anthony 8- William 9- Matthew 10- Andrew

You may also like to peruse: - Our Baby Names Database - Our Weekly Pregnancy Calendar by Amalah

M&A in the Parenting Sector

2008-05-22T19:57:28Z

Congratulations to Celebrity Baby Blog on its sale to People.com, owned by AOL Media. This is such great news for all us mom and pop entrepreneurs. I am a huge fan of Danielle Friedland, founder of CBB, who started her then fledging website four years ago while still an executive assistant at Avon, as a hobby. But, anyone who has ever met or worked with Danielle, knows that she is a smart and principled business woman. She was a pioneer in a niche area just as the celebrity baby boom was beginning, but was able to hold on to dominance in the space (8+ million pageviews per month) despite an ever growing number of copy cat sites launching by bigger players with deep pockets. Moreover, CBB held its lead without succumbing to snark and waving of the moral judgment stick which unfortunately is the trademark of most of the celeb posts written on the blogosphere. It's great to see the good guys win. Well done Danielle and Team CBB!

True Cleaning Confessions: what's your dirty little secret?

2008-05-18T21:27:24Z

Did you get all OCD after your firstborn? I read that post-pregnancy, new moms get all germaphobic and that it's not their fault. Apparently, it's part of the typical hormonal changes that many women get, along with varying degrees of postpartum depression (PPD). Luckily both are highly treatable. In my circle, we talk a lot about maternal depression as an issue, but not nearly enough about anxiety and OCD. Perhaps some health care professionals classify these as symptoms of depression? All I know is that I have had it all, anxiety, PPD and OCD as a new mom, as well as OCD on its own when I was a tween. I think when we see a germaphobe new mom, we poke fun rather than give her the supportive smile that she really needs. So, when I stopped by Method Home's NYC pop-up store (it's temporary, sniff), I couldn't resist jumping into their Cleaning Confessional Booth and sharing my dirty little secret: when I had my newborn, I couldn't stop washing my hands! Oh dear, the amount of soap, paper towels, water and time I wasted. But, I guess, I just couldn't help myself. I feel much better now that my secret is out in the open. If you need to get a dirty little secret off your chest, I suggest you stop by the Method Home store which is traveling around the country. It's in NYC's Soho neighborhood through June 7th, and then it's going to Minneapolis, MN and then Charlotte, NC. While you're there you can pick up most of their products and they have some cool kits that they've put together-- all at terrific prices-- and packaged in a hip reusable green market tote. They also have a "Toxic Turn-In" program where they will dispose safely of your caustic household cleaners and products and in return, you get a 10% discount at the store. But, if you're already green at home and just want to go in and shop, shop, shop use the code ALPHAMETHOD and get 10% off your purchases at the NYC Method Home Store.

Open Letter to the NBC: What are you doing to your Today Show Brand?

2008-05-08T20:11:04Z

Dear NBC, Most of the loyal readers of Alpha Mom by now have already watched (and gagged) as poor Heather B. Armstrong had to endure being questioned by Kathie Lee Gifford on the Today Show. The entire time Heather was on TV all I could think was I can't believe they are wasting Dooce's time. No less, as I live "Twittered" and "Flickred" the event I connected with the thousand other fans of hers as they watched the Today Show at 10:30am when normally they would be, um, mothering. Then, I had empathy for all of the collective lost "mommy & me" time. See, Heather is very important to us. Now, Kathie Lee (KLG) has had a nice TV career. She hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee for 15 years and that is damn impressive and nothing to sneeze at. But... she gave up that job in 2000 and so much has happened since. I nearly fell off my chair when I learned that KLG is now hosting the fourth hour (!!) of the Today Show. And, not in a good way. Am I the only one who doesn't think KLG should be hosting a news talk show any longer? Do you guys actually watch your own shows? KLG admitted to "not liking computers." Out loud, in 2008. Or, maybe I'm totally off-base, NBC, and you realize that KLG is who she is and she appeals to a certain demographic of woman that you want to reach in America at 10 am. But, why oh why, are you messing with the Today Show brand? Diluting it by 1) extending it to the fourth hour, and 2) having Kathie Lee host, does not serve you well. Instead, create another show, with another title for her. I have never considered the Today Show to be cutting edge, but at least it's always had bright personalities like Bryant Gumbel, Katie Couric, and Matt Lauer running the place. Now, we have seen the statistics about online news stealing eyeballs from morning TV shows, but you don't combat that by throwing in the towel and bringing KLG out of retirement thus weakening the Today Show. (There's nothing Today about her or her POV. She's all about yesterday.) Instead you go after the fresh stories-- like you did on the mom blogging phenomenon-- but you put it in the hands of capable journalists. Otherwise, your whole network falls into disrepair, as evidenced by the "Paid Programming" infomercials that kicked-in on the NY-NBC affiliate at 11am once Kathie Lee waved buh-bye. Respectfully, Isabel Kallman Chief, cook and bottle-washer Alpha Mom, LLC Just in case you haven't seen the footage...

Trademark Thy Business Name

2008-04-28T19:06:58Z

Lots of news and conversation lately about trademarks and it's made me think about this company's experience and the vigilance a business-owner needs particularly in a "hot" space. First, I read how there's "green gridlock" at the US Trademark Office with an overall 10% spike in trademark filings for green-themed marks over 2006. The most popular was for marks using "green" with 2,400 occurrences up from 1,100 occurrences in 2006, and following a 36% increase in 2006 and 23% increase in 2005. Whoa! Apparently, "with multiple companies filing for almost-identical marks at nearly the same time ...it's not easy being green, since a trademark by definition is a distinctive term. ... Many of these me-too filings will either not merit legal protection or will be very weak trademarks," says the AdAge article. This is exactly what my Twitter buddy, Dana owner of the trademark Mamalogues, has been dealing with. However, her trademark is already registered and approved, but that hasn't stopped the owner of a similarly named website to try and weaken her intellectual property rights. Then, I saw that my buddies at Sk*rt are going through a legal situation over their own business name. I don't know the story, apart from what they list on their website: "under threat of lawsuit, Morris Publishing, the owner of Skirt! Magazine, is forcing us to rebrand and relaunch our website. We pledge to do this in a way that will have minimum impact on you, the users." The message is clear folks: PROTECT THY NAME. And do it sooner, rather than later. Firstly seeking trademark registration is standard business procedure. As I understand it, before you launch a business or brand in commerce, Step #1 is to make sure you are legally permitted to use the name. Then, Step #2 is to protect your brand name by applying for trademark registration in the business areas where you have a bona fide plan for use. Visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Trust me, before we decided to use Alpha Mom as our business name, we spent money (lots of it) researching its usage in every state in the US. We were searching to see whether the name had been registered in other areas apart from trademark. Then, once we determined it was “cleared for trademark application,” very detailed analyses and conversations with our lawyers transpired. As you can read on the USPTO website, just because a name doesn’t show up on the trademark database doesn’t mean that it is going to be allowed for use by the trademark office. Extensive research is needed. Yes, I am over-simplifying a very detailed, laborious and (for us) expensive legal procedure. But, remember this. If you have a business name or brand name which you are or are planning to use in commerce soon, register it. Don’t let the amount of effort or money this company invested deter you from tackling a trademark application. I bet there are tutorials available that you can access to find out how to apply for trademark use that will allow you to minimize costs. (See that nice disclaimer in the right hand column, this is NOT legal advice).

Investor Meeting Update

2008-04-15T05:42:05Z

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes on my last post. When I last left you (see below), I was in a common business situation. What should I have done? What do you think I did? Luckily, I was prepared. The day before, while walking through our presentation, one of my business partners did a little role-playing, making believe he was indeed an investor with only 15 minutes of time due to a schedule conflict. When all was said and done, we were able to present in 20 minutes. So, when our first investor repeated back verbatim my business partner's script from the day before, I thought I was being punk'd. Nope. You guys unanimously surmised that I had selected the 20 minute option. That would make sense given my personality and fast-talking nature. But, no. We decided to reschedule for a couple of reasons, and herein lies the business lesson I would like to impart. First, our business opportunity does deserve more than 20 minutes to understand properly. We are proud of the innovation, commercialization and analysis we have put into our business plan and would like the opportunity to fully explain it, if we can. Second, the investor was clearly very preoccupied given that he was dealing with a business "emergency." We couldn't be sure he would be able to give us his undivided attention and that wasn't fair to us or ultimately to him. He, too, realized that. After walking out of the investor's lobby, even though no meeting had transpired, the "weight" of the initial meeting melted off my shoulders. Go figure. Just to tie up the story in a nice little bow for ya, I'm happy to report that we were able to reschedule the meeting and turn what would have been a rushed meeting into a fun and lively conversation that lasted two hours. Success!

Investor Meetings Begin

2008-04-04T05:37:49Z

Me and Geoff Vuleta, CEO of innovation consultant Fahrenheit 212, Alpha Mom's strategic partner So, we have our financial projections, presentation materials, prototypes ready and walk in for our first meeting. Our host comes out to greet us, but is rushed and immediately starts out by apologizing that he has some pressing business that needs attending. He only has 20 minutes to meet with us. How do you respond? A) "Let's reschedule as we think we will need more time to take you through our business." or B) "Of course we can explain it in 20 minutes. It's not like you're asking for an elevator pitch." What do you think we did?

Countdown to Investor Meetings

2008-03-26T20:27:02Z

So where have I been? Stuck at my desk working away and being mom. That's about it. Sorry guys. I'm starting to sound like a broken record about not posting. But I have been working furiously on finalizing the Alpha Mom business plan, financial projections, investor presentation, and the new website prototype. All of these cool items are for a series of meetings with potential investors that begin early next week. As such, I can't attend the Blogher Biz conference. Also, since I can't share any of my hard-prepared materials with you, I decided I would share pictures! Here's my "business head shot." Of course, it's been touched up in Photoshop. Because I'm vain like that. I'll try to post as often as I can about my meetings. Clearly sharing sensitive information will be difficult so I'll do the best that I can.

General Motors continues its Family-Friendly Commitment

2008-02-19T18:01:10Z

It comes as no surprise to me (and you too, I'm sure) that companies want to know what moms care about when it comes to goods and services. As I've written before, when a company or journalist asks me my opinion, heck, I offer tea and then proceed to talk their ear off. Because ultimately, moms' opinions are value-based. It's not just about whether it works for her. It's about her kids and her friends' kids. The ultimate winner here is every consumer, not just families. So, when General Motors asked me to be their guest at the Chicago Auto Show, there was no way I was going to turn down the opportunity to have top management's ear. During this trip, I was fortunate enough to spend quality time with the top executives of Chevrolet including a private dinner. The top guns at Chevy prodded our small group of parenting writers about what we and our friends care about. The conversations ranged from the micro-based such as the car needs of families to the macro, like the rising birth population. Moreover, management's enthusiasm for their craft and commitment to producing safe (but stylish!) cars at an affordable sticker price was inspiring. We heard about the “Garage Interviews” Chevy conducts when developing family-friendly cars. They visit with families across the country to better understand their needs, going as far as asking kids to show them how they climb in and out of vehicles, to see how kids really interact with multiple-row seating. One valuable insight Chevy gained (other than that kids are monkeys when they climb over seats) was that kids care about their own physical space, perhaps more than parents. We parents are accustomed to kids climbing all over us. Kids, though, battle for their spatial rights. MYSPACE, MYSPACE, MYSPACE! (ah, that's what inspired that name!) As such, for Chevy, backseat roominess is a really big deal when it comes to designing family vehicles. When it came time for Chevy to design their newest "family car," the Traverse, they zeroed in on the vehicle characteristics that are the most appealing to families today: 1) roominess, and 2) fuel efficiency. It's no wonder that the Crossover Utility Vehicle (CUV) is a hottttt segment in the auto industry right now. The term CUV may not be ubiquitous, but I will bet money it will be soon. During the press conference, Chevy’s Vehicle Line Director, Sue Wilson drove the Traverse on stage and introduced the CUV as her family elegantly piled out of the car one by one, unloading sporting gear and dance uniforms too from the cargo area. Her two teenage girls were actually in the third row which seats 6-foot adults rather than just kids (the car can seat up to 8!) Sue explained that in designing the Traverse, she took into consideration the direct needs of her family. Her attention to detail went right down to placing the back-up camera monitor on the review mirror rather than the navigation area. When sitting in the floor model, Kristen Varelas of MotherProof showed me how the LATCH anchors were easy to access, a key feature that she always looks for. I had my own safety checklist, which included: Electronic Stability Control (StabiliTrak)? Check. Side-curtain air bags for three rows? Check. Air bag sensors? Check. Proactive Roll Avoidance? Check. Seatbelt pretensioners? Check. OnStar? Check. All I'm waiting for now will be some important facts and figures: the sticker price and the fuel efficiency numbers. Those are expected to be released 60 days before the Traverse hits dealerships which is scheduled for the early autumn. The good news is that the same team behind the design and marketing success of the home-run Chevy Malibu (which inspired the Traverse's styling) is driving the ship behind the Traverse so I would expect it to be marketed much along the same lines: "Quality for Value." Now, that's family-friendly! Here's some reading by my new auto friends: General Motors Unveils the “BRIDGE” between Cars & Trucks Video: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse

Be My Valentine

2008-02-14T05:54:34Z

Kata Golda for Chasing Fireflies. I ordered this for my little boy for Valentine's Day. Luckily Kata Golda's art is widely available in specialty shops and online. I love the photo albums and children's tea sets.

Crayon Valentines

2008-02-13T04:49:10Z

Perfect Last Minute Gift Idea It's almost Valentine's Day and it's not too late to whip up a batch of-- wait for it-- crayon valentines. I've already received an email message from my son's preschool Class Mom suggesting that we limit valentine candy distribution as it looks like the Valentine's Day class party will be a sugarfest. Moreover, much like Melissa at the Buzz Off, I hate clutter. Can someone educate me on the law of physics dictating that the more space one has, the more junk one will accumulate to fill it? Anyway, I digress. The only thing I like better than gifts that can disappear through consumption are gifts that can be worn down to its last thread by kids' little busy hands. Enter, the Valentine Crayon. It's the gift we're giving out this year. I used the recipe that Melissa suggested for heart shaped crayons at Family Fun. Tip #1: I would recommend more-than-expected time to chopping crayon stubs. Unless you're like a Top Chef, or something. Tip #2: To keep your crayons strictly two-toned, keep the crayon shards from flying into the other individual molds. Tip #3: Buy smaller cellophane bags to keep your crayon valentines from looking puny. It's all about proportions. Related Posts: The Best Valentine's Gifts For Your Kids The Easiest Valentine's Day Crafts for Kids Kids' Valentine's Day Crafts and Ideas

Video E-cards: it was a matter of time.

2008-02-11T03:09:30Z

Carded.tv: New Video E-card Site It was just a matter of time before the free e-card movement would progress to free video e-cards. New service Carded.tv is brand-spanking new and quirky enough to pass the viral muster of Gen Yers. Forget about just plain-ol birthday video e-cards. No, here you can congratulate your friends for losing their virginity, or arriving to work with a hangover. Nice! Perfect video e-cards, just in time for Valentine's Day: Favorite Birthday video e-card: Star Wars-themed Video e-card:

Alpha Mom Lovemark: Lego

2008-01-28T21:37:15Z

Happy Birthday Lego! I am using the 50th anniversary of the Lego patent to highlight this brand as an Alpha Mom Lovemark. Its "birthday" even inspired the Google geniuses to decorate their homepage in the iconic colorful bricks today. Remember Lovemarks are consumer companies that touch your soul and exceed your expectations in performance. You have a relationship with Lovemarks and they inspire loyalty beyond reason. Staying power beyond 50 years is nothing to sneeze at. But more impressive is the way Lego has infiltrated our culture with their ubiquity. Lego elicits playfulness, fun and smiles. Here are some examples. Legos as fine jewelry. By JacQueline Sanchez Jewelry. Hat tip to Cool Mom Picks. Lego hand soap. Available on Etsy. Lego birthday cake. Read more about this Lego birthday cake on Melissa's Buzz Off, here at Alpha Mom. I personally love Lego for being one of the few toy brands that can capture my active son's attention for unbelievably prolonged periods of time. My son loves the very advanced structures, ones that are for older children. For adults, they're not difficult to put together. But they do require patience and developed fine motor skills for children. My son focuses and helps as much as he can. And, afterwards, plays and plays, and plays. For hours. By himself. Lego, I love you. I also love that even though Lego has licensed character figures from Harry Potter, Batman and Star Wars, they are all similarly shaped. There's something very egalitarian about that given the superhero-fueled world we live in.

US Auto Companies Are Going Green

2008-01-16T18:55:56Z

Sorry that I have been gone for awhile. As you can see from the picture, I've been checking out cars at the Detroit Auto Show, courtesy of General Motors. I was one of a group of social media writers that GM hosted, but I was the only one focused on parenting, while all the others were auto enthusiasts, technology or environmental writers. Although at times it was a bit intimidating, it was also an unbelievable opportunity to learn from these passionistas. The overriding theme of my trip was the desire by the US auto companies to accelerate production of alternative-fuel technology vehicles. I witnessed it when visiting the automakers' showcases and saw their near-term production pipelines and their longer-term plans, as expressed in concept cars. It was "hyrid," "biopower," "dual mode hybrid," "plug-in electric" everywhere. And, I heard about an honest commitment to go green. The majority of every conversation my traveling group had with with GM executives (Chairman & CEO, Vice Chairman, President of North America) focused on environmental issues or fuel economy. There was no polite dodging of uncomfortable questions. And, of course, GM put its money where its mouth is by investing in the production of an alternative energy source. That's right. GM is helping bring to the market a breakthrough technology that affordably and efficiently makes ethanol from practically any renewable source, including garbage, old tires and plant waste. GM is trying to help make economical and non-grain-based ethanol a reality. The truth is that GM and the other US car makers have been probably brought to this position kicking and screaming. The companies say that change in focus on "green" car technology and fuel-efficient cars is in response to 1) climate changes making it clear that the auto industry needs to do its part in reducing the carbon emissions, 2) cost of transportation has risen dramatically with the rising price of fuel, and 3) increasing need for energy independence. I'm sure the fact that Toyota Prius is a top-ten-selling car was part of the reason, too. But my new auto and environmental buddies (see below) tell me that this is the greenest auto show by far, within a movement that started around 12 months ago. Criticism of the US auto makers continues with naysayers citing their efforts as too late and that the US companies are doing more green talking, than walking. As I told the Detroit News, I applaud any change in the right direction. You don't criticize children if they are able to improve behavior a bit. You applaud their achievement and incentivize them to continue to do better. Here are some great write-ups by some of my new friends: - The 2008 Detroit Auto Show: the Complete Roundup - Most Fuel-Efficient Cars Still the Prius and Honda Civic - Detroit Auto Show 08 Goes Green? - Comprehensive Detroit Auto Show Coverage Next up: Car Eye Candy Picture Source: John T. Greilick / The Detroit News

My 'Not-to-Do List' for 2008

2008-01-03T20:15:25Z

That's right. I am starting off the year by composing a 'Not-to-Do List' for 2008. I already make a Daily To-Do List of five items before each work day. Only five items make it each day. These are items that will get completed before the end of the day, no matter what. And, I always have New Year's Resolutions. I will be sharing those very soon, once I narrow down my high hopes. I think I will limit it to five as well. Maybe less. Perhaps only three. It is only fitting that I start off focusing on what I no longer wish to do as well.

U.S. News & World Report writes that "Since time is finite and your work is not, deciding what you don't want to do can be crucial to getting things done."

So, here is what I have identified as what I need Not-to-Do in order to pave the road for successful accomplishment of my New Year's Resolutions. Not-to-Do List 1) Stay up excessively late. Yes, I am a night owl. I discovered my natural circadian rhythm skewed towards the late night during college when I exhibited enhanced studying and writing starting at midnight. Now that I'm in my mid-thirties I can no longer live on the extreme sleep deficit on which I have subsided for the past 15 years. I am going to start slow with staying up 15 minutes less each night for the first two weeks or so, and then increase it at a similar rate. I don't think I can ever 'get to bed early.' But, I can accomplish 'NOT staying up so late.' 2) Sit on my ass all day. How exactly did I get this way? I have gone from a teenage ballerina who danced 5.5 hours per day to a sedentary piece of mush and this upsets me beyond belief. Strength and well-being have been part of my self-identity since early memory. I am out-of-balance without it. Frequent work-hour walks around the block, here I come! 3) Forget my off-line friends. The past few years have been amazing in terms of forming friendships with moms and executives through the power of internet communities and social networking. What I haven't done is use those same tools to connect with my ol' friends from the past, the ones I met off-line. I will not forget thee. There are Twitter and dinner invitations coming soon. I promise. What is on your Not-to-Do List? Com' on, share.