As a dad, it gives me such a pleasurable feeling to be out in public and witness other dads doing things that one would typically see the mom doing. For instance, walking in to the men’s room to see a dad using the changing table like it is no big deal. Men without kids will walk in and give an awkward glance or two. They find it odd. I find it beautiful.

As a social media fanatic, dad blogger, and social media influencer, there are certain responsibilities had to being an online personality. It is one thing to blog and write about being a dad, being involved and how-to baby care videos. It is a totally different thing to BE the dad that you write about on a daily basis. How can we expect to influence an entire group of people if we aren’t one of those people ourselves?

All over the internet, dads are showing up in force. From the blogging world, to the forum and Facebook world, and everywhere in between, more and more dads are showing that they are proud of who they are, and not afraid to say so. The role of dads in households the world over are changing, taking on new looks, new tasks, and new challenges. With the use of social media growing like a wildfire in the driest forest, it has become the go to place for dads searching for information about, well, being a modern dad.

What does this mean to the blogging community? Well, I haven’t exactly been around forever.  In fact, the one year anniversary of my blog is only next month. What I have learned though is that dads are out there, they are looking, and they look towards us.  One great thing about the dad blogging community is that it is a community of support and understanding. The fact we all write, some of us work with brands, and others have published books, all just side notes to the bigger picture. That support is an open arm invite to all dads who are seeking advice, guidance, or just a listening ear.

With this invitation, we open ourselves to criticism and accountability. We want to be the loudest voice we can be for the modern dad. We want to show the world that “dad” has a new meaning in the 21^st century and it is a pretty large undertaking. We must be vigilant not only in what we write, but how we live our offline lives. How we live, should become what we write. What we write should be our living proof to those who only know us online. This is how we live and blog with integrity and this is how we become the influence.

John (@TheDaddyYoDude) is the proud dad of two kids, Little Man(4) and Little Girl(2) and the honored husband to April. Cook and food service manager by day, blogger and social media addict by hobby. You can find John writing about dadhood and more on The DaddyYo Blog and find him on Facebook.