CEO Uses Social Media to Pick Baby Name: What do you Think?

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on all Lehigh Valley Patches in which local parents, caregivers and other members of the community are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting topics.

This week’s Moms Talk question relates to crowdsourcing baby names.

Let’s face it selecting a name for your child is tough -- at least it was for me and my husband. Take the whole part of the two of us coming to consensus out of the equation. That’s a whole other matter. What I have never understood are those parents-to-be who “test” potential names out on other people. From what I have seen, pretty much everyone has something to say about every name and inevitably someone will say something to ruin a couple’s absolute favorite name forever. My older child could have been Lukey-Pukey had I not read an article about picking a baby name in a parenting magazine late in my first pregnancy.

All of this is why Yahoo CEO’s Marissa Mayer’s recent decision to crowdsource baby names for her son has met with a bit of controversy. Crowdsourcing is a term born of the digital age in which people use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to solicit suggestions for and opinions about everything from movies to restaurants. Mayer recently used these technology tools to help her come up with a name for her son, born Sept. 30. You may or may not be surprised to learn that she isn’t the first to do so.

And, that brings us to this week’s Moms Talk question:

What are your thoughts on using social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to help name your baby? Would you do it?

Our Moms Council members include: 

• Lisa Amey of Upper Milford Township is a stay-at-home mother of two. A past president of the MOMS Club of Emmaus and longtime member of MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), Lisa is an Independent Consultant for Arbonne International. 
• Lisa Drew of Emmaus is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer, wellness and fitness coach with more than 17 years of experience. She is the mother of a 13-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy.
• Jennifer Elston of Emmaus has almost two decades of professional experience in child development and counseling. She is currently a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful girls. Together with her husband, Chris, she owns Christopher Elston Photography.
• Jeanne Lombardo of Nazareth is the mother of a 10-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. She’s new to the Lehigh Valley, having moved to Nazareth from Bergen County, NJ in January.
• Lisa Merk of Lower Macungie is a stay-at-home mother of four boys – a 12-year-old and 6-year-old triplets. Lisa is a past president of the MOMS Club of Lower Macungie East. In her “spare” time, Lisa teaches piano to school-age children.
• Zoila Bonilla Paul of Bethlehem is a stay-at-home mom to two girls – a 5-year-old and a 14-month-old. Zoila is a member of her local “moms’ club” and says she is “well-versed in the fun that children can bring.”
• Beth Sharpless of Emmaus works part time in a local emergency department as a nurse and part time from home as a customer support specialist. She has two children -- a boy who is 3 and a 6-year-old girl. She says they love spending time outdoors and dancing.

If you would like to become a part of the Moms Council and/or have ideas for future Moms Talk questions, please email jennifer.marangos@patch.com.