Questions for... Linda Murray '88, Executive Editor, BabyCenter.com
 Linda Murray '88 has been Executive Editor of the popular BabyCenter.com website for seven years and co-wrote The BabyCenter Essential Guide to Pregnancy and
Birth: Expert Advice and Real-World Wisdom from the Top Pregnancy and Parenting Resource (Rodale 2005).
In a recent interview for the Barnard Web site from her home in San Francisco, she talked about the advice parents are looking for, the world of magazines (she previously worked for Child and Cosmopolitan, among others) versus online editorial work, her own views on the work-family balance, and what inspired her career.
What's the most asked question by expectant or new parents on the BabyCenter website?
The No. 1 question is: Am I pregnant? Women just don't trust the tests, even though they're extremely accurate. Our most popular content is fetal development information--readers are just fascinated by the baby's growth. The No. 1 question from new parents is whether the baby is eating enough, quickly followed by: When will my baby will sleep through the night?
The work-family balance takes up a lot of discussion today. What is your perspective?
Lots of women out there have to work; it's simply not a choice [for the majority of mothers in America]. I wish there was something we could do to end the bitter divide between working moms and stay-at-home moms. We're all trying to do the best we can. As a working mom, I wish I could spend more time with my daughter. I miss her and I also feel there's no time for me between my job and my family. Meanwhile, my stay-at-home friends feel a loss of identity and they feel lonely. They love being with their kids, but they're sometimes bored. No matter what choice you make there are pluses and minuses, and we're all just trying to do the best for our kids.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
In junior high I got interested in journalism and that never left me. When I got to Barnard, I interned for the Columbia Journalism Review as a first-year and then Cosmopolitan my junior and senior year. And of course I wrote for the Barnard Bulletin .
You studied political science at Barnard. What were you thinking then?
I knew I was interested in telling contemporary stories as a journalist, and studying political science was a great training ground for that. But no matter what your major, you're learning how to think and communicate, organize your thoughts and influence other people. Those skills teach you to be a critical thinker. So many great writers have come out of Barnard, and I do think there's something about Barnard that changes the way you think.
When I think about what I got out of Barnard I think about meeting so many fantastic female role models. I didn't have that in my high school or my family--I was the first woman in my family to go to college. Seeing those women gave me a sense that I could do whatever I wanted if I set my mind to it.
How does being the mother [of a four-year-old daughter] affect your approach to your work?
In fact, I worried when I became a parent that my personal experience would cloud my judgment of the subject [of parenting]. And occasionally there are subjects that I feel very passionate about because I've experienced them myself, but I hope I still keep my mind open to the variety of experiences parents have.
Do you think turning to the web for community isolates new parents, in a way they wouldn't be if they were, say, at the playground among other parents?
I don't see the web as a replacement for human interaction. Motherhood is isolating to begin with; it's hard to leave the house with a young child. Many of us have moved away from our families, which adds to that isolation. What an online community allows is for people to find other people just like them. I may go to a playground and start chatting up another mom, but we may have very different philosophies of parenting. If you go online, you can find someone who is struggling with same exact issue you've been struggling with.
You worked as an editor at Child, Redbook, Self , and Cosmopolitan magazines. How is BabyCenter.com different from print for an editor?
The print world is much more cloistered. As a magazine editor I talked about the stories I wanted to tell. At BabyCenter the mindset is that of our readers: What does she want to know?
We had eight million visitors to the website in January; no parent magazine has those subscription rates. Because of feedback mechanisms we have a ton of data on our members. We know what people are clicking on, what they're reading, how long they spend on a page. That information fuels our content. For instance, we'll write a story about enforcing bedtimes that we think is inclusive, and then we'll hear from a woman who writes, 'I'm a single mom who splits custody, how do I enforce a regular bedtime?' And so we know we have to now address her concerns.
You also edit international BabyCenter sites for the UK, Australia, Germany and Sweden. How does parenting (and giving parenting advice) differ across the pond?
With the international sites we've taken our core content and translated it, then provided each country a system for creating content specific to their readers' needs. Once a month we share content. A lot of interesting things are coming out of this. For example, the U.S. has one of the latest toilet training ages, so we're working on getting information about early toilet training to our readers. In the U.S. pregnant women are still treated primarily by doctors, whereas in the UK 90 percent of women see a midwife.
We understand naming babies after luxury brands is a growing trend. What are some of the most popular brand names for babies today? And do parents have to worry about copyright laws?
I don't think parents need to worry too much about copyright laws. I haven't heard about anyone being sued over a baby name. Also, many of the luxury brands being used as baby names today are actually family names and you can't copyright a family name. Armani, for example. The same can be said for Chanel, Dior, Harley. Mercedes was a girl's name long before it became associated with the car manufacturer.
Do you think about a second career? What might that be ?
I really love my work at BabyCenter so it's hard to say. I'm fascinated by medicine and science and I love reporting on those areas so being a doctor or a researcher might be a great alternative job for me. I've spent the better part of my career behind a typewriter or a computer so I could see doing something that gets me out from behind the desk more. Hosting my own talk show or travel program, teaching, or non-profit work with women and children's groups.
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