IF the modern mother of today is defined as a person who incorporates a great deal of information and communications technology (ICT) into her career and family life, then Jasmine Chong Kwai Fun makes the mark.

Chong uses the Internet and computer extensively to telework, indulge in photography and blogging, and document the progress of her two young kids. She has even started digital scrapbooking for her kids, which now has become yet another hobby. Slowly, this has evolved into blogging for extra income.

Lim says there are many parents who are passionate about reading to their children but have limited budget to buy good children’s books. That’s how she got the idea to start her online bookshop.

Mas Atika with daughter Myra Aisyah.

The various designs of Kek Lapis Sarawak that one can order online from www.randau.net.

A resource manager at a global IT company, the 29-year-old uses the Internet and computer extensively to telework, indulge in photography and blogging, and document the progress of her two young kids.

“Although I have a full-time job, the flexibility at work allows me to stay at home and work when needed. This also allows me to be closer to my children.

“Apart from having a full-time job, I am a freelance photographer who shoots mostly family and pregnant mummy photos. I am a blogger as well, who not only blogs about my family and myself, but also generates some extra cash to support my photography hobby via blogging,” Petaling Jaya-based Chong shares with Tech&U.

She also enjoys sprucing up her digital scrapbook that centres around her kids, three-year-old Faythe and soon-to-turn-two Vyktore.

Chong started blogging in 2004 when she was pregnant with Faythe.

“My intention at that time was just to keep track of my pregnancy. Little did I know that it would become a hobby. It’s just like writing a diary or journal. You want to keep something which you can read when you are old, or let your children read and know how they’ve grown through the years,” she says.

“Then while I was surfing the Internet, I saw some nice Web sites loaded with digital scrapbooks which amused me. That was when I started digital scrapbooking for my kids, which now has become yet another hobby. Slowly, this has evolved into blogging for extra income.”

Chong feels that ICT and information on the Internet today have enabled mothers to make better decisions at work, in their day-to-day living and juggling with caring for their kids.

“Through the Internet, we are able to share ideas and read about experiences other mothers share through their blogs. The Internet has also helped bring people closer. My husband works overseas most of the time, and with technology such as the Webcam and SkypePhone we are able to chat and see each other no matter we are,” she says.

The Internet also has put her back in touch with friends, schoolmates and colleagues whom she had lost contact with.

Chong shares that blogging will soon be a platform for something bigger.

“I’m in the process of getting some paperwork done to start a dotcom company with a couple of bloggers. This would serve as a new channel for companies to move into blog marketing as a new tool to market their products. Bloggers will write about the products for these companies, and in return, they will get paid,” she explains.

“The Internet is probably one of the best marketing tools you will ever find, and it’s affordable. The potential is there, we just have to approach it correctly. There are great opportunities for stay-at-home mums who still want to earn a living and have the luxury of being at home to take care of their children. All they need to do is to spend a couple of hours a day blogging and they will get paid at the end of the month.”

From finding help to helping others

FORMER national golfer Lim Ai Lian considers herself a stay-at-home mum 80 per cent of the time, and a work-at-home mum the rest of the time.

“I have three very young kids. I chose to stay at home to focus on raising a family. Besides busying myself with keeping the house in order and caring for the kids, I run an online children and parents’ bookshop (www.valuebookshop.com),” she says.

Lim also maintains two blogs: http://mamasbagoftricks.blogspot.com, which is her personal blog but focused on tips and tricks for effective parenting; and http://blog.valuebookshop.com, her bookshop blog.

“The bookshop blog focuses on young children’s education. This is where I share activities, games, teaching ideas and book reviews. I do pre-school home-schooling, so I share some of the things that I do at home with the children,” she says.

Lim’s Net-based activities started when she was looking for cheaper options to buying books for the kids.

“I want my children to cultivate a love for reading, and ever since they were babies I read to them regularly. I love to stock up my home library with good children’s books, but buying new books is an expensive affair. So, I started to seek out cheaper options such as buying secondhand and overstock books,” she says.

“I realised that there are many parents like me who are passionate about reading to their children but limited in budget to buy good children’s books. That’s how I got the idea to start my online bookshop. I figured, since I’m already shopping for children’s books, why not buy more and help out other like-minded parents?”

Furthermore, with an online bookshop, there is no need to have a brick-and-mortar shop to showcase her products, she points out.

To create the online bookshop, Lim used the free software oscommerce for her shopping cart.

“I also used WinMerge. It’s another free software that helps you compare two documents side by side. It’s great help when you need to modify those code,” she says.

Once the Web site was up, Lim had to learn about online marketing.

“How do I get people to visit the bookshop and buy? Slowly, I learnt, and am still learning, about the different methods. Fortunately, there is plenty of information out there. You just need plenty of time to read and do research,” she points out.

For Lim, the online bookshop is a labour of love.

“I just need to step up on the marketing side and try to earn more pocket money through my blogs and affiliate marketing. It’s all about learn, learn, learn. And try, try, try,” she concludes.

Humble online startcooks up a cafe

MAS Atika Jaafar runs an Internet business selling cakes. The University of Missouri, St Louis, graduate is also a full-time mother of three.

Mas Atika is one of an increasing number of stay-at-home mums who have been leveraging on the Internet to find success in family and career.

Shortly upon returning to Malaysia in late 1996, she followed her husband to Bintulu, Sarawak, to set up an IT company. She also learnt to prepare local dishes such as umai, or Sarawak laksa, and the famous Kek Lapis Sarawak.

“With the knowledge gained, I started to reformulate the recipes and create new designs of layered cakes. I found it very interesting and initially started baking for friends. Then the orders started to come,” she recalls.

Living in Sarawak at that time and having most of her customers in the peninsula, she found that the best way to reach them was through the Web.

“I created a Web site at http://www.randau.net. I use e-mail and group forums to communicate with customers and post new information. By having the Web site, my customers can check out the cake designs and prices and submit their orders online,” she says.

Mas Atika also designs her cakes using specialised software.

“For my Web site, I have used a pre-designed template. It is easy to use, and I can upload photos from a digital camera and update the contents. Soon, I will implement a full e-commerce application to enable customers to pay online,” she points out.

Mas Atika and her family moved to Kota Warisan, Sepang, at the end of last year when her husband’s IT company expanded. Her online cake business also expanded into a cafe called Randau Bakery & Cafe in Kota Warisan when her Kek Lapis Sarawak had established its own market.

“I hope to share my passion and enjoyment in baking and cooking with everyone at Randau Bakery & Cafe,” says Mas Atika, who also takes part regularly in Yahoogroups, especially her alumni groups. - By Izwan Ismail