Advice for Bloggerettes: Grrl Rulz

May is our anniversary. Yeah! I heart the lady bloggers.

In honor of said anniversary, I would like to share what I've learned in the past four and a half years of being a girl blogger.

1. The blogosphere (and burghosphere) should be warm and welcome, comfortable and cozy, soft and satiny ... a safe haven, if you would, for those who visit our blogs. Strive to use warm tones, gentle humor and a kind word to make your blog a pleasant, happy place to visit.

2. Sarcasm and snark are not womanly virtues. Should you go there, you risk being labeled a harpy/shrew/bitch. Be sure to use emoticons to convey that you are gently joking and avoid being cast into the realm of women who overstep. You want people to "heart" you.

3. Opinions are best left to the menfolk unless you are discussing other women's sexual behavior. What reader doesn't enjoy a little catty comment? But be careful not to stray into areas that force your readers to make conclusions about your capacity for independent thought. Try to envision yourself in the middle of a kitchen rather than a town hall meeting.

4. Politics is best left in the capable hands of those who've been doing the heavy lifting for the past 2,000 years, right? I have two words: Nancy Pelosi. Her life would be so much easier if she was focused on being a grandma and maybe running for school board. Picking out history books is more genteel than foreign policy.

5. Don't fixate on specific politicians, unless you want to date them. You might gently encourage them to consider your point of view, but don't go overboard. The status quo is good enough. This isn't Philadelphia.

6. Be sure to maintain a 9:1 male blog to female blog ratio at all times. You might want to slow the posting down a bit when others "close up shop" so no one mistakes us for Ms. magazine.

If all else fails, get a jaunty beret!