(this all made a lot more sense in my head where I can type in peace without children breaking up my train of thought)
I finally made it to a BlogHer conference.
I am very happy that I attended. I do not regret it for a minute. However…..
I DO wish I had been more organized about it all. I had been afraid to think about it too much…afraid to jinx it…so I tried to approach it sort of casual ninja style…it didn’t work.
I SHOULD have had a laptop or blackberry type thing. The twitterverse was FILLED with BlogHer chatter..it was the best way to communicate and find people during the conference.
Hence, I felt a tad out of it for the majority of the event.
…this is NOT dissing the FANTASTIC people I did meet.
Especially Liz from This Full House and Shannon the one and only PHATMOMMY …they could tell I was feeling a tad overwhelmed and they took me under their wing.
My flight was an hour late – nothing to some of the horror stories I had heard – but it WAS late due to MECHANICAL ERRORS and that was sending me into fits of FINAL DESTINATION GET ME OF THIS PLANE modes.
Anyway….this hour delay sort of frakked up my ENTRANCE to the show. I got in FINALLY to the St. Francis around 9 pm. The Newbies Party was winding down and the People’s Party was gearing up. I checked in, found my room – no roomie – brushed my teeth, changed my shirt and headed down to see what was what.
The social anxiety pretty much started right there.
The lobby was FILLED with women. I KNEW they were bloggers – you can tell – but I had no FRAKKING clue who any of them were.
I am not good with recognizing people from teeny pics.
I did zero in on the one FAMOUS blogger holding court – there was ERIN, THE QUEEN OF SPAIN herself….I practically crawled onto her lap with relief.
I had talked to her via video…that made us cool right?
Thankfully yes.
I was stupid and forgot to introduce myself to the other ladies who all were friendly and charming.
Erin mentioned she was heading to the People’s Party..did I want to tag..OOOOH YES.
So THANKFULLY I had someone in the know to trail along behind up to the party.
Erin was swarmed at the door by her buddies and other ladies (who I have forgotten – sorry) recognized me which was nice and I managed to slip from Erin and fill out my own name tag and there managed to run into Shannon and Liz who took me under their confident wings and hearded me around the party.
Thank you ladies. WHAT would I have done without you.
The party was very loud and there was a lot of reunions going on….lots of happy women….which was great to see…just a tad overwhelming.
The lovely Elisa Camahort recognized me and said hi..that was lovely….after the DISASTER last year…thank you again.
Table4Five is hilarious and warm and sweet.
Dana of The Dana Files is awesome too…so was Donna from SoCal Mom and many many many more.
A nod to Jenny Lauck of BlogHer too another one who has a good eye! Thanks for being so sweet to me!
Anyway….I am way out of practice being around grown ups. And it shows. I have forgotten how to mingle and chat…so sad.
The next day was the Opening Breakfast and Intro and then onto sessions…I was happy to find Shazia at breakfast before she headed to her own panel..so I didn’t feel like a total dweeb.
I am pleased that I managed to FLING myself into my first session – Is Mommyblogging Still a Radical Act?
It was fun to be surrounded by all these great mom bloggers. It was a great way to see that while motherhood and blogging is the underlying SAMENESS of us….we are all different, we all come from different backgrounds and we all blog for different reasons….hence different points of view that need to be respected.
The radicalness comes from the fact that there has been a fair bit of negative press for us ‘mom’ bloggers. The A-listers are constantly accused of exploiting their families for money etc. Or we neglect our children for our blogs. SoCalMom and I wondered if there is this much negative press for say ‘scrapbookers’ ….are they accused of neglecting their families?
I still get weird looks from people about my blogging. And any INCOME I make from it makes me either legitimate in their eyes or creepy. The ‘mommy’ thing does get used in a condescending way. I constantly read about how boring a mommy blog is…why would any one want to read them and all that…well look at some of the ‘moms’ out there with hundreds and thousands of readers…and we are not talking JUST about DOOCE here.
Blogging for me is about community building. About making friends. I also find it amazingly inspirational and it has opened up my eyes to new potentials.
Anyway..it was interesting.
Lunch was next and I hung with my crew from the night before.
After I attended ‘DIY Content Syndication and Promotion.’ This was a packed session…and sadly I think most people expected or needed more from it.
And this was the feeling I got from the whole conference.
While it was truly awesome to see and meet so many wonderful bloggers, to be moved by the fabulous COMMUNITY KEY NOTE SPEAKERS, to see the power of the internetz…the one thing that struck me was what a lot of really smart people….
…and so I sort of hoped the panels would reflect that a bit more.
I mean..heck I only attended four panels because of playing hooky the Saturday afternoon, but I think that other people may have felt the same way as I did.
Or I am waaay of base..you tell me.
I think that the speakers were all great. However, I think it would have been better to see more ‘experts’ – women or not – bloggers or not – to head up the panels.
It would be fun to see more ‘techie’ tracks or at least session tracks based on levels of blogging expertise and interest.
It felt that it was still geared a bit toward the newer blogger.
The DIY one did not teach me anything new. The panel were people who USED the social networking sites..but then so was the majority of the audience.
I think people wanted more. I felt I wasn’t getting the ‘dirt’…I don’t know.
I think with this sell out numbers this year, and the variety of women AND men attending, has shown us that blogging and women on the internet is a HUGE force…the amount of sponsors also showed that.
I think that the BlogHer conferences will just get bigger and bigger and therefore the quality of speakers must grow with that too. I think that the women attending (and men) deserve to hear the best of the best on the various topics..no matter what their gender is.
I don’t want BlogHer to just be about feminism and the bashing that that will let in. I want it to be a tool to show the rest of the world that women from all walks of life – be it moms, artists, designers, straight, gay, ceo’s, etc, etc. – are using the internet more and more and that is the medium and people to respect and be aware of.
Does that make any sense?
My Name is Kate had long ago talked about a BlogHer NORTH concept….Something that I would wholeheartedly support.
Even in a ‘reach out’ format like BlogHer has done. Something that would be based in JUST Toronto or Vancouver, but that could hit all the major cities across Canada.
Corporations and Advertisers in Canada seem to be lagging in their respect and knowledge for the power of the blog.
They need to see just how many people in Canada rely on the internet and blogs for their information on products and services, both techie and non.
There are many groups for bloggers in the various cities..but they have a ‘fringe’ feeling….and need something BIG to give them/us street cred.
Anyway….I digress.
Wow..this is a long post.
Suffice it to say…I managed to spend the majority of the conference feeling a tad ‘left out’ and shy and awkward.
I envied the friendships I saw there…..but hold no whiney grudges. My awkwardness is MY issue and no one else’s.
I feel it was up to me have tried to prearrange any sort of meetings with the bloggers I wanted to meet in real life. I should have been more organized.
I should have made sure I had cel numbers and emails….If I wanted to meet people I should have been more proactive.
But oh well.
I didn’t. And I am still glad I attended.
It was still an amazing experience.
Thanks and Hi to all those that I did meet.
Robin
Vivian
Jenny
Zip’n’Tizzy
Yertle
Melanie
Sarah
Jennifer
And the many others that I spoke to…that spoke to me…..thanks and it was really really great to meet you all.
Vered says
Interesting post!
I only went to the newbie party (I live nearby so it was just a matter of hopping in the car and driving 30 minutes).
I had only purchased the party package, because I wasn’t really interested in the panels – I assumed that all the info is out there on the net anyway and that I don’t need a conference for that.
I WAS interested in meeting bloggers in real-life. I met several whom I admire, and that was great. I did bring my husband along for support, which really helped with the awkwardness thing.
Next year it will probably be on the East Coast, so it is very likely that I won’t go… but the year after, if I still have a blog (heck, if I’m still alive! You never know, right?), I just might attend the entire thing.
Sharon - MomGenerations says
Found you on twitter! This is an excellent post. I haven’t been to a BlogHer event yet… and your perspective is honest and fair and fun. I am the “grandma” voice on a website/blog run by my 2 daughters and myself… and I agree that events such as this should show the world that women of all ages, occupations, etc. are VERY savvy internet and social media users. It is amazing how many of my peers are jumping aboard this communication explosion with such enthusiasm and expertise. Well, again… I enjoyed your perspective, and I hope to see you next year!
Sharon Couto
Gwen says
Next year we will both have to go together. Then you can be my guide. π With the number of people we know we should have a good time.
I heard at least one blogger say that it would likely be in SF again next year. I hope so, as that would make going with a baby a little easier.
Gwens last blog post..I am Savvy
jmb says
I’m sure it was very overwhelming for you but it was a great learning experience for you and you will enjoy the next one so much more as an old hand.
Very interesting to hear all about it Crunchy
jmbs last blog post..Saturday Photo Hunt — Hanging
lisa paul says
Excellent post. I think BlogHer is evolving, but it does need to schedule more nuts and bolts, info and tech-driven panels. I attended one that was excellent but could easily have been divided into three tracts (which the great panelists attempted to do on an ad hoc basis) to address WordPress, Moveable Type and other platforms.
As you’ve seen from my posts, I was heartily sick of the “Oh woe is me. People think I’m a character” moan from the various A-listers. In the future, I’ll avoid those sessions. But I will give BlogHer another chance next year.
roro says
Thanks for this super post – you really summed up what *I* wanted to say about BlogHer, but, you know, in a more eloquent way. And, of course, I’m totally behind BlogHer North. We should all discuss!
roros last blog post..Creampuff Blogs Her Truth
Kathleen says
I’m intrigued by your idea of BlogherNorth.
There’s no way right now that I could get to a faraway conference in the states, but I’m close to Toronto and would seriously consider attending.
Will you keep us updated about such a thing?
Thanks!
Kath
Tammy Warren says
I want to go next time. I have been reading so many post from people who went. Some had a great time and some did not. I was thinking that would be hard to meet up with people unless it was not prearranged. I am keeping a list of people that I have gone so that I can check in with them before I attend the next one.
I love your blog and glad I got in. My son in using the “good” computer. I am sitting in my little world using the old laptop.
Tammy Warrens last blog post.."Way to go" to a total stranger
GeekMommy says
Okay, next year you are NOT allowed to hide from me the entire time!! π
It was a bit overwhelming, wasn’t it?
If it hadn’t been for @sendchocolate, @califmom, and @shannonrenee – I think my head would’ve exploded… I met so many people I already “know” that it was hard to remember who I hadn’t found yet!!
And then people I was really wanting to spend time with (like you cough!) were impossible to locate ever!!
I completely agree with you on the panels. I took Saturday morning off and networked in the lobby instead.
The only one I really “learned” anything at was the open-source for WP & Drupal… and I was alone in that one! too many other desirable panels going on elsewhere for all my friends!
That said – it’s amazing, isn’t it?
I’ll sell my kidney to go next year if I have to! π
Liz says
It was great to meet you in person and I think that we both (if not, all) gained strength from each other as the weekend went on!
Lizs last blog post..Through a Child’s Eyes in Shades of Yellow and Orange