Provided

Classymommy.com's Colleen Padilla '98, MBA '03, and daughter Mackenzie.

When Colleen Padilla '98, MBA '03, decided to start blogging about the products she used as a full-time mom, she never dreamed she would be where she is now: a social media consultant and the owner of a Web site, classymommy.com, with 2,000 unique visitors a day.

In 2006, after the birth of her first child, Padilla decided to leave her job as a brand manager for Ford Motor Co. and become a stay-at-home mom. "I quickly realized I needed some intellectual balance to full-time motherhood, so I started blogging," said Padilla, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from the College of Arts and Sciences.

She began writing about the products she liked, both for her kids and for herself, from her home in Phoenixville, Pa. But unlike many blogger moms, Padilla never intended her posts to be a diary; she wanted to use her marketing and business background to help other moms decide which products to purchase and which to take a pass on.

Within three months of launching classymommy.com, companies were sending Padilla products to use and review, recognizing that other moms were looking to her for advice. "The 'word of mom' is invaluable to companies as I'm a real person with an authentic opinion," says Padilla. She asks her children -- Mackenzie, age 3, and Alden, 1 -- to try the products, and then blogs about her and their likes and dislikes. She now receives hundreds of products directly from manufacturers and public relations companies.

She generates revenue by selling companies advertising on her site, using affiliate marketing and sponsored campaigns, and serving in spokesperson roles, including a recent vlog (video log) for Healthy Choice brand meals. The site has expanded from a simple blog to include a product finder, shopping directory and daily product giveaways to registered users. A portion of earnings from shopping through the partner sites goes directly to charity.

Just as "word of mom" social networking is valuable to companies, it also helps increase visitors to the site. Twitter, Facebook, vlogs and other blogs have all helped boost traffic to classymommy.com. "Social media is the wild, wild west of marketing," says Padilla.

Like the wild, wild west, the law has come into the picture. The Federal Trade Commission is now reviewing product-related blogs like Padilla's to ensure bloggers disclose if they are being paid to endorse a product or are simply voicing their personal opinion. A change in regulations could open the door to lawsuits from people who purchase a product based on a blog and have a problem or accident with it, said Padilla, who spoke on "Ethics and Blogging" at the Blog World 2009 Conference in Las Vegas. "By being upfront about what products you are personally using and when a company is paying you to talk about their product is incredibly important and the best way to avoid any problems," says Padilla. "You have to be genuine."

One thing that will not change is Padilla's commitment to being a mom first and entrepreneur second -- and embracing the constant change in social marketing, she said. "You may start with one thing in mind for your business, and then it morphs into something completely different."

Kathy Hovis is a writer with Entrepreneurship@Cornell.