Blogging is a legit job these days and many set up their own business right from home. So what are the pros and cons of working from home versus going in to an office?

What started out as a way for individuals and businesses to share their story has turned into big business. And I do mean B-I-G. Some high profile fashion bloggers are said to be making around $1M per year doing this gig. That is some real money.

Not all of us can claim a seven digit salary by blogging, but it is a way to make money doing what you love. One of the main benefits of blogging is the opportunity to work from home. This can be a boon or bust to your blogging career, depending on your home and, well, you.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of working from home versus heading off-site:

1  Flex Time // Possibly the main pro of working from home is flexibility. You can work while doing the laundry, setting up orthodontist appointments, paying bills, and whatever other household chores need to be done. And you can do it all with bed head. The con of this little side benny? It is very easy to get distracted and then *poof* it’s time to pick up the kids from school and your work time has vanished. There are many tools bloggers can enlist to help stay on track and get the most done.

So working at home can be distracting, especially if the family is home. But you can actually catch up on that work you sidelined during daytime hours by doing them at night. Or the weekend. Or whenever fits into your schedule.

2  Communication Skills // You will need to communicate with those you are collaborating or networking with, or writing for. This is most often done by email. How convenient. The downside? Sometimes the message does get lost in translation. Still, once you get your system down between those you work with, communication doesn’t have to suffer. And there are options other than email, like Skype meetings, Facebook chats or Google+ Hangouts, or good old fashioned phone calls.

3   Solo v Group Setting // The internet-only relationship is obviously less distracting than working in a busy office and people tend to get more done when they are alone. Research suggest that for those who are self motivated, privacy and not getting interrupted means greater creativity and productivity. But it can get lonely for the extrorvert. If you love to bounce ideas off of others or are more creative around people, a face-to-face office setting may be better for you. Yahoo Chief Executive, Marissa Mayer, feels working side by side with other employees works better for everyone. Mayer took some major heat over her decision to bring employees who’d been working from home back to the office, citing group communication and collaboration as the reason behind the move.

4  Dress Up or Down // Back to that working with bed head thing. Sounds pretty great, right? It is true, you can wear pajamas, stay in your sweaty workout gear, go make up free…when you work from home. A couple of years ago I was included in a story in a local newspaper about wearing pajamas in public and working in them from home. While I don’t make a practice of going out in public in my PJs (aside from the occasional early morning school drop off), I don’t mind working in them at all. Actually, I consider it a perk of the job. The only real con to this? Unless you are prone to unexpected visitors or take lots of video chat meetings, can’t think of one.

5  Cash Flow // Last but not least, you’ll save some cash working from home. Rent free and you can write off a portion of your home expenses. Talk to your accountant for details.

Whichever you choose, home office or off-site, the state of your desk is key to productivity. Keeping your desk free from clutter and office under control will help to make the most of your time. Happy blogging!

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Image by Craig Garner via Unsplash.com

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In mainstream media stories about women’s issues, men are quoted much more than women or even relevant organizations.

The past year has been a politically turbulent one for women’s issues with restrictive legislation over women’s health being proposed and passed in many states. The presidential election is heating up and print and online media is filled with news about all of these changes. With all of the debate, it would seem important to get women’s perspective on issues related to abortion, birth control and Planned Parenthood, yet a recent study shows that men are dominating the conversation in the mainstream media, with very little input from women or even the impacted organizations.

The 4th Estate studied the 2012 election coverage from November 1, 2011 to May 1, 2012, for a total of 2,750 print articles and TV segments that contained 50,754 quotes. And the numbers show that women’s voices are very, very faint, if they’re heard at all. The study reviewed 35 major national publications, including USA Today and the New York Times, and when talking about abortion, men owned 81 percent of the quotes, with women at 12 percent and organizations at 7 percent.

The numbers are only slightly better for stories about birth control (men 75, women 19, orgs 6), Planned Parenthood (men 67, women 26, orgs 7) and women’s rights (men 52, women 31, orgs 17), but overall women are extremely underrepresented in national media on issues about women. From this, it’s easy to see how so many of these measures are being not only proposed, but pushed through.

In Michigan, where some of the most restrictive birth control/abortion legislation is making its way through the legislative process, many women and organizations that came to the legislative session to ask questions and participate were not allowed to speak or ask anything. Two female Democrat Representatives were banned from speaking after they protested the bill and Rep. Lisa Brown said, ““I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but no means no.”

Although women are all but missing from those venues, there have been a few victories. In February, during the time the 4th Estate was studying election coverage, women did manage to make themselves heard when the Susan G. Komen Foundation tried to quietly sever ties with Planned Parenthood. The resulting uproar caused the charity to quickly reverse itself. While an overwhelming number of new legislative measures impacting women have passed in many states, some have been defeated.

Since men clearly control the conversation about women’s issues in the media, it’s no surprise that they control the conversation about other election topics, as well, including the economy and foreign policy. On general topics, men had 76 percent of the quotes in USA Today, 67 percent in the Washington Post and 65 percent in the New York Times. Major media has similar ratios and top TV news shows snubbed women even more with Hardball listening to men talk 81 percent of the time and Fox News, 77 percent.

Another study, The OpEd Project, found that out of 7,000 columns it reviewed from September 15, 2011 to December 7, 2011, women penned 33 percent of online opinion columns, 20 percent of print columns and 38 percent of college publication columns. The good news is that female authors are gaining ground. The study reports, “Overall we have seen approximately a 6 percentage point increase in some of the nation’s top commentary outlets in traditional media. This represents a 40 percent increase for women compared to women’s representation six years ago.”

If women aren’t represented in national media and our female lawmakers are punished like schoolchildren, what chance do women have? Brands understand that social media is a formidable tool for expressing opinions, and have learned to listen to consumers (which include women). Maybe politicians (especially those who use new media tools) will learn to listen, too. When the government ground to a halt over Planned Parenthood funding, women took to Twitter. And, while they don’t have a traditional national media platform, independent female bloggers/writers, especially mothers, are a huge presence on the internet.

In this election year, with so much at stake, women must be heard not only on women’s issues, but all issues to present all sides. Women make the majority of household purchasing decisions, we are more than half of college graduates and are half the workforce. We’ve shown that we do have an opinion (Komen), but now we need to work harder than ever to be heard through smaller channels, social media, and any other method at our disposal. Only then can the conversation include everyone, and decisions be made with the input of all citizens.

 The 4th Estate

Image: UMWomen, SMirk, Leader Nancy Pelosi

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Living vicariously through an American ex-pat in London.

It’s impossible not to develop a serious friend crush on Ana Maria Munoz after following her charming life “across the pond” on her blog, Anamu. Originally from Los Angeles, the self-described flea market fanatic recently relocated to London, where she documents her love for design, adventures in DIY, and weekend jaunts, all set to a soundtrack we want to adopt for our own lives. Apart from Anamu, Ana Maria also curates stylish vintage home accessories at The Pond Market and posts a daily dose of inspiration at Howdy Day! Plus, she’s a regular EcoSalon reader. Yeah, we don’t know how she does it all either.

Name: Ana Maria Munoz

Website: www.anamublog.com, www.thepondmarket.com, www.howdyday.wordpress.com

How did you get introduced to EcoSalon and what keeps you reading it?

From my best friend Google. I studied fashion merchandising in college and after a few jobs and internships in the biz I realized that I wanted more substance out of the industry. I think it was my Junior year when I discovered EcoSalon and I fell in love with the fashion articles and non-crunchy approach to eco living. The perfect balance of everyday topics and thought provoking content is what keeps me coming back!

You recently made the jump across the pond from Los Angeles to London. What are the major differences between the two cities?

They’re both so incredible in their own way but the most obvious difference is simply not needing a car. I lived car-less in LA for eight months before moving to London and got around via public transportation and a car share program, LAXcarshare, just fine (it can be done, people!). However, in London, I haven’t had a need for my own ride in nearly one year! I now have zero desire to ever be a car owner again. Another difference – and perhaps my fave – is that in Europe you don’t need to say “it’s five o’clock somewhere” to excuse yourself when having a drink before evening time. Pub culture is very casual and it’s nice to be able to relax somewhere that’s not a sports bar, swanky lounge, or a full on restaurant.

Tell us a little bit about your current projects, like The Pond Market.

I’m self-diagnosed as a flea market fanatic so as soon I moved to London I knew that I was going to have to do something about getting my treasure-hunting fix. Even if I don’t need it for myself,  I can’t deny the feeling of discovering something and bringing it home for a new lease on life. Because I had experience running an Etsy shop with my previous business of handmade clutch purses, I knew that I could easily set something up for my vintage finds and share them with folks back in the States.  But, since I can’t shop all of the time, I’m exploring a freelance career in graphic design and photography. I’ve always had a passion for both but my new expat status and recent travels have really motivated me to take them to the next level.

How you do source your finds?

Flea markets are my main source for buying but I do occasionally find items in antique stores or charity shops (thrift stores). As for how I pick what what I buy, it’s really as simple as “I know it when I see it.” I literally zoom in on pieces from afar like a hawk on prey. It’s kind of freaky.

Where do you get your design inspiration?

For the shop, I’m a sucker for brass so that’s always the first thing that catches my vintage-loving eye. There’s a very warm quality to it that brings so much character to a space. I try to buy pieces that are functional and beautiful, something that will make a statement on its own but also compliment existing contemporary spaces you may have at home. Design-wise I find a ton of inspiration in the lines and patterns of buildings. Just as in clothing from different eras, buildings give incredible insight into different design styles and what is culturally relevant in any given place. I do tend to lean towards simple geometrics so I went completely nuts in Morocco and fell back in love with the art deco and mid-century lines found all over LA.

What are your favorite flea markets/vintage spots around the world?

Hopefully there are many more to discover but I do love El Rastro in Madrid for its local and maze-like ambiance. It’s held in a residential area of La Latina where you’re surrounded by balconies draped with the day’s laundry. In Paris I love the Vanves Market because it’s super low-key, has an amazing selection of unique French bric-a-brac (as well as fine antiques), and is big and small enough to be manageable and satisfying for a morning outing. In London I love Camden Passage because in addition to their Wednesday and Saturday market, the pedestrian-only street is filled with well-curated vintage clothing stores and independent shops from local fashion and accessories designers. And last but not least, my ultimate favorite is the Rose Bowl Flea Market in my hometown of Pasadena, CA, USA. I’m not just being biased on this one – they really do pack a lot in there! It has by far been the best market I’ve been to for furniture and clothing. People in Europe seem to hold on to their furniture much longer than Americans so there isn’t much turnover for vintage lovers to buy into here. The next two trips are to Tuscany and Brussels so we’ll see what I find there!

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