Parenting

Welcome to Scary Mommy 2.0

by Jill Smokler
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Jill Smokler taking a selfie while smiling and surrounded by 5 friends

For the last seven years, my goal has been to make Scary Mommy a destination for parents seeking support, camaraderie, information, and, of course, a healthy dose of levity. I’ve strived to give the site an authentic and relatable voice, where moms, dads, grandparents and other people on the periphery of parenthood can feel like they are part of a virtual community no matter where they might live.

Some readers have been with me since the very early days, when it was just me on my couch counting comments on my personal blog. These Scary Mommy loyalists are near and dear to me; I feel like we have raised our children together. There are readers who have joined the ride over the years, as Scary Mommy evolved into a parenting community that showcases different voices and perspectives. I am grateful to these supporters who have stayed with the site through many iterations. And there are many more recent readers who have stumbled upon the site randomly or clicked on a Facebook link on their news feed, and I love that every day new people with fresh eyes and strong opinions are discovering Scary Mommy.

Despite the growth of the site—today we average roughly 10 million monthly readers—it has always been important to me that Scary Mommy feel like a safe, intimate place for thoughtful discussion and playful banter.

Over time, as the demands for delivering fresh content and keeping up with the changing needs of the community have grown, so too has the Scary Mommy staff. It’s been a few years since it was just me in my pajamas (although I still wear pajamas while I work, because why wouldn’t I?) And now, as we embark on an exciting new chapter that I believe will keep the site relevant and exciting for years to come, the Scary Mommy family is growing again.

Today signifies more changes in the life of Scary Mommy, but I assure you that the goals and principles that make the site a place you choose to visit again and again remain the same.

I’m thrilled to announce that Scary Mommy is now part of a burgeoning and cutting edge digital content powerhouse called Some Spider, LLC​ (Founded by diapers.com co-founder Vinit Bharara​.​)​ The team at Some Spider brings an incredibly impressive and diverse set of experience and expertise to the website that will help make this place you know and love even more loveable. With additional resources, new talent and a passion for digital content, Scary Mommy 2.0 is going to rock your world.

Don’t worry—I’m not going anywhere. I still eat, sleep and breathe Scary Mommy, and the site will continue to be my priority. Only now, I have the tools to improve your reading experience. What will change? Well, for one thing, we’re excited to have the ability to tap into the Scary Mommy writers you love the most and bring you their essays more frequently. We’ll also be adding new, timely authors to the roster that I know you will love. You will notice some slight changes to the look of the site as well, as we work to make it the most visually appealing and easily navigable website of your day. I expect more exciting additions down the road that will further enhance your experience on the site.

When people ask me how I’ve been able to grow Scary Mommy into what it is today, I always say it’s entirely thanks to you, the readers. Without you, there is no Scary Mommy. This community is what makes the site a place that long-time readers want to stay and into which newcomers want to delve deeper. This community fulfills me in ways that nothing else does.

Thank you for your continued support. You all mean so much to me.

Here’s to the next journey! Xo,

Jill

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