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These women were there to talk business — the business of social media.

The group, called MomzShare, is part of a growing trend of mothers connecting with each other online through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and through personal blogs.

Some have several hundred subscribers to their blogs, and are part of a culture of mom bloggers that is becoming more prevalent and sophisticated, which in turn, makes them appealing to marketing firms.

According to the 2009 Women and Social Media Study conducted by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, about 79 million women in the United States are online. Of this group, 23 million read, comment on, or post blogs.

Mediapost.com, a marketing and advertising site with more than 100,000 members, estimates this figure even higher, stating that 36.2 million women actively participate on blogs; about 16.5 million of those women have children younger than 18.

And Cision U.S., a provider of media monitoring and research in Chicago, notes a 50 percent increase of mom-written blogs between June 2008 and October 2009.

What does all this mean? Women bloggers are leading the charge in social media usage, and blogs are quickly becoming the main source for information, advice and recommendations among this group, according to Gerlock, one of the organizers of MomzShare.

"It's the wave of the future to connect. The modern day word-of-mouth," said Lara DiPaola, 38, of Severn. The mother of four started her blog, chickennuggetsofwisdom.

blogspot.com, as "an outlet" because she has always loved to write.

She partnered with Gerlock, 38, to form the nonprofit group MomzShare, which seeks to bring mom bloggers in the D.C. metro area together in person to share skills. The recent event at Gerlock's home was the inaugural event.

"MomzShare was founded after I discovered that there was a vibrant blogging community in the D.C. metro area and decided to create an opportunity for the amazing women I met online to meet up and learn from one another," said Gerlock, who is a mother of two and blogs at hipasiwannabe.com.

DiPaola describes MomzShare as a way to "put the social back in social media."

Amanda Rodriguez, 31, of New Market spent much of the evening photographing participants. She runs her own photography business, Then Again Photography, and maintains a blog connected to her company that showcases her work. In addition, she regularly blogs about her life and interests as a mother of three boys at parentingbydummies.com, a site that has 600 followers.

Rodriguez thinks many mothers blog as a way to "commiserate and share" with other parents.

"I think that's the main reason why a lot of stay-at-home moms are going to use the blogosphere, because you can connect to someone outside your home," she said.

Amy Mascott, 34, of Brookeville, is a stay-at-home mother of three who says often mothers "want to know what other moms are doing." Mascott spent time as a reading specialist and high school English teacher.

Her blog, teachmama.com, came about because friends were often asking her for educational activities to do with their children. Her blog has resources parents can use to teach their children and has more than 900 subscribers.

"It took me out of my comfort zone a bit, and for me, it gave my days a little more focus since I was blogging about the things I was doing with my kids," Mascott says about when she first began blogging in January 2009.

Mascott now spends from two to 15 hours per week working on her blog.

Rodriguez says she now blogs six days per week, up from three days when she first started. And Gerlock often ends up blogging late into the evening after her kids are in bed.

Deborah Hawn thinks the time is worth it.

A career specialist with Frederick County Workforce Services, Hawn says for any parent looking to eventually get back into the workforce or to transition careers, blogging can help.

"It's definitely another way of networking, to share your interests, your opinions, your subject matter, your expertise," she said. "It can also serve as a portfolio of your talent."

Rodriguez has always seen the value in using a blog to showcase her photography, but when she started to think about using her skills as a former English teacher to begin freelance writing, her parenting blog became her writing portfolio to send to prospective employers.

Gerlock's blog has created several career opportunities for her, including speaking engagements at conferences, freelance writing jobs and consulting work for companies. In addition, the skills she's learned blogging have helped her launch her own social media consulting firm.

"I've always worked in public relations and marketing, but through my new media experience I am able to further help clients market themselves on the Internet through social media marketing," Gerlock says.

Hawn suggests that parents who want to enter the blogosphere should start by first reading a variety of blogs that interest them.

"Read blogs at least as a way to start getting into that world," she says, and then post comments on the blogs you enjoy.

DiPaola says, as with most things, it is a good idea to research a variety of blogs to find ones that are a good fit. She recommends reading the blogger's profile and archive of postings.

"You need to research the blog you're looking at. It's the same as building any other relationship," she said.

When someone is ready to launch a blog, Mascott recommends the site Blogger.com, a free site with templates to get a beginner started. She also says a quick search on Google about starting a blog will result in several Web sites and a lot of basic information.

And finally, Rodriguez says new bloggers need to think about their objectives.

"You need to consider your goal with your blog." If a parent wants to connect with other parents, she says he or she will undoubtedly be successful.

But if a person's goal is to make money or launch a career, Rodriguez says standing out in the crowd is key.

"You definitely have to have something other blogs don't."

Her advice to newcomers to the blogosphere?

"The safest way to think about it at first is as a hobby."