I’ve found the gold standard of writer’s blogs: The Mommy Blog. It’s been around a while, but in the past few months they’ve undertaken a redesign. The result is a terrific site that builds the writer’s and the book’s brand, creates and enhances community, and is just plain fun to explore.

The site has so much content it could overwhelm a new visitor. Instead it’s easy to understand and get comfortable in, thanks to clear menus and friendly graphics. The graphics and general design enhance the hip-mom vibe and brand. I might fault the home page slightly for featuing the book so low that you have to scroll to find it, but probably when the book is out in print they’ll rearrange the page to give the book more prominence.

I love the many references to comments, and the suggestions that site visitors log in and participate — they emphasize the community aspect of the site so people want to comment, make connections, and come back, and the site owners can turn around and show prospective publishers all the registered users to demonstrate the pre-existing audience for the book.

My big question: Why isn’t the author’s name anywhere on the home page? Her first name is there (Mindy) but not her last. I can’t think of any reason to leave it off.

But if that’s my biggest criticism of the site, you know it’s got to be good. Visit, explore, and enjoy!