AP Article on Elizabeth and John Edwards quoting me

Last Friday, a call went out via @skydiver on Twitter for ordinary people to comment on the John Edwards cheating allegations and his forthcoming interview confession.  I sent a note to the reporter with some thoughts, and after a follow-up phonecall with her, I wound up quoted in the piece.

Like many in Chicago at BlogHer 07, I was charmed and inspired by this warm, intelligent and witty woman.  Why can’t we be voting for her, we said repeatedly to each other after her keynote.  When she was kind enough to join us at the closing reception, I got a chance to talk with her one-on-one and she was gracious enough to pose for a picture with Little IT and a most squirmy IT Boy.  Notice him heading straight for her necklace.  She took it all in stride - boys will be boys, I believe she said. 

Mrs. Edwards and the family

Like many, we took a fall with her when the allegations about her husband’s extramarital affair came to light.  I’m not sure what was more head-shaking - hearing that he did this when she was fighting cancer, or that she was in on the cover up.  It’s disappointing, for sure, any way you slice it.  I for one am sorry that she had to deal with it then, and has to deal with this now.  Boys will be boys?  She deserves better.

 

BlogHer Recap in Pictures

Since people I work with have been asking for a BlogHer recap from me, I figured I better put something up here.  And what’s better than a post, that requires BIG THOUGHTS?  How about some awesome photos of me hobnobbing with celebrities?

Susan Etlinger, Charlene Li and me

This was after the MommyBlogging, Radical Act or Not, Let’s Discuss session.  Susan, who was to moderate her own panel the next day,  waited with me to get a picture with Charlene.  Fittingly, it was her last day at Forrester Research.  I’m pretty convinced Charlene was a little afraid of me.  You see, fangirls are to Dooce as I am to Charlene.  She may have thought me spooky, she may not have.  I’ll know for sure when I get served with that restraining order. 

Me and Y, down by the schoolyard

For some reason, 2 cosmos gave me the courage to go up to Y (who I met at last year’s BlogHer, and is tight with the Moxie Girls) and ask for a photo.  She’s kind of a big deal in this community, but when you meet her she’s sweet as sugar and you really just want to hug her (and y’all know how I feel about the hugging).  I think we both look pretty damn hot, despite the fact that my psycho-stalker aura is starting to come through.  I ended up the night eating cheeseburgers with her in Alpha Mom’s suite.  That’s a BlogHer thing, you kinda have to be there.

Just a couple of girls with cheeseburgers

I have to say, I love the new WordPress way of putting captions below the photos.  Anyhoo, that’s me and Tracee Sioux, who is an awesome new blogging buddy of mine.  We took about 10 photos before we got to ones where I didn’t look scary, but could have used a little lipstick.  Tracee’s just real cute, period, and hopefully, some of it rubbed off on me.

Charlies Angels Redux

Stephanie Klein’s husband was cool enough to take a picture of her with Neeti Maddan and me.  Neeti went to school with him, so they’re buds.  I was just an interloper.  This was after 2 cosmos + no food.  Not sure I even knew where I was at this point.

And finally, where would “Confessions” BlogHer recap be without a shot of my biggest celebrity encounter?

Aren't we cute together?

I love me the blue Muppets.  I would have posted the video, but it was enough of a struggle to talk to a piece of blue shag carpet without staring at the guy with his hand up Grover’s behind, and look cute at the same time.  Some things are going to have to remain un-recapped.

 

HOPE = the “Anti-BlogHer”

While I was attending BlogHer this past weekend (”Really?  You were there, because I haven’t read all that much about it on your blog or anywhere else!”) my colleague David was attending what was billed as the Last HOPE conference.   We both had the time of our lives at our respective conferences, but as we chatted real time we realized we were having very different experiences.  While BlogHer can be pink, soft, fluffy and pretty-smelling, HOPE seemed to be filled with guys in black t-shirts who didn’t smell all that good.  Nothing wrong with that in my book.  But of course, I wasn’t there, so I asked David to do a little guest posting on the blog with his report, in an effort to appeal to the testosterone laden among my readership.  Truth be told, I would have gone here in a second.  It’s in my backyard.  It’s my people.  But BlogHer got me first.  So HOPE got David.

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The Last HOPE Conference ran last weekend in NYC, attracting three thousand hackers from around the world.  The conference title is an acronym for Hackers On Planet Earth, and this was the “Last” HOPE because the hotel it has been in since 1994 is being replaced by retail space.

HOPE is run by Wiley author Emmanuel Goldstein, who also is the founder and editor  of 2600, the Hacker Quarterly, and the host of the weekly radio program Off the Hook.  To these attendees, he is the boy that pulled the sword from the stone, the hobbit that can be trusted with The One Ring, and the Rebel Alliance’s only hope against the Sith Lords.  Wiley was fortunate enough to sign Emmanuel to write The Best of 2600, which shipped just two weeks prior to the show.

While I was at the show to launch the book, and hundreds of attendees gladly lined up to buy that book, there was so much more going on than book sales.  Sessions started at 10 am on Friday and ran around the clock until Sunday afternoon.   I’ll get to the sessions shortly, but first a bit more about the ‘distractions’.  There were exhibitors selling soldering kits, lockpick tools, t-shirts, and assorted swag.  There was a huge Lego area for lonely boys to build dinosaurs and robots and such.  The relax & recharge area featured over a dozen hammocks.  I was amazed that these were frequently full; who sleeps in a hammock that a strange hacker was just drooling in?  One of the most exciting areas was Lockpick Village.  In this corner of the hotel vendors and hobbyists mixed, selling lockpicking tools and how-to manuals, or refining their skills with an assortment of locks.  I watched in amusement as an eight year old boy received and totally absorbed a lockpicking lesson; that kid’s teachers don’t stand a chance.

I was running the Wiley table solo, so I couldn’t get to sessions.  I would have loved to have attended the Biohacking session, which promised exciting new follow-ups to questions raised in the 2006 session “Sex Hacking”.  There was a session that discussed all of the many data-filled portable devices carried by business travelers, and what fun a bored hacker might have with these devices hanging out at a restaurant or an airport.  Another session talked about how to get out of the Feds’ new high-tech handcuffs.  The description of that session was priceless, and included this line: “everybody knows how to get out of the cuffs that local law enforcement uses, but the Feds have started to use new high-tech restraints.  Stop by and learn all about the design strengths and vulnerabilities of these new cuffs…”

If somebody manages to pull together another HOPE Conference after the hotel turns into a Claire’s Boutique, here are some tips for future attendees:

·         Be anonymous.  The badges were tombstone-shaped and no badge had a name on it.  Which reminds me, here’s a shout-out to my new friends Bunny, Shogun, Phreak, and Ph00zball; keep it real, players.
·         Wear black.  T-shirts are the way to go, and be sure to hit the Think Geek t-shirt store before heading out.  Favorite phrases on t-shirts:  “I think that stripper really liked me”  and “Resistance is futile (if < 1 ohm)”
·         Bring Red Bull, beef jerky, and adult diapers.  You really don’t want to use the restroom there.

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Thanks David.  That was more than I “hoped” for, especially that last line.  But don’t despair, HOPE appears to be poised to be reborn from the ashes….the NEXT HOPE is scheduled for 2010.  Mark your calendars now!

 

OMG OMG OMG

Being on the Blog to Book panel was more amazing than I could imagine. I was so nervous, but it seemed to go well. I’m writing this from the closing keynote where I’m half listening, half reading Tweets about what people thought of the session. The response was amazing, overwhelming, and most humbling.

For those who could not attend, you were missed. But you can view the transcript thanks to a very thoughtful live blogger.

For those visiting my site after the session, welcome.  This is a rather eclectic blog that isn’t necessarily all things to all people, but if you look at the tag cloud and the blog roll, you’ll probably find something that you’re looking for.  If you have a question I didn’t answer, ASK IT IN THE COMMENTS SESSION!  75 minutes have never went by so quickly, and I know we didn’t cover half of what we wanted to.  We did get some really good questions so I hope people found it useful.

 

Side effect of BlogHer - more great blogs to read

I just attended day 1 of BlogHer and I’m very happy to say it’s all I hoped it would be.

The last panel of the day (for me at least) was Mommyblogging: Mirrors: Ours, The Media’s, Our Cultures, Our Kids. The women who were on the panel were sharp, insightful, and very empowering.

People who know me know that my kids are everything.  Like many women my age, I didn’t grow up in an environment that made me feel confident about my body and myself.  I’m getting there, but it takes time.  My main goal with my son and daughter is to make them feel confident about themselves.  Strong, confident and healthy kids - nothing would make me prouder.  I know the biggest message I got in the session was that in order to break the cycle, I have to start accepting myself, and that will carry through, not just to my daughter but to my son as well.

Where to find inspiration for this idea?  You can’t do better than to start with the great blogs written by the women from this panel:

Mocha Momma

Empowering Girls

The Silent I

Body Impolitic

I got to chat with Tracee from Empowering Girls at the speakers information session.  Immediately I felt like she was one of my oldest friends.  She’s warm, funny and simply gorgeous in person.  I wish I could have time with all these women.

So many great quotes from this session.  So many great ideas.  Check out one or more of these blogs - you won’t be unmoved.

 

BlogHer Blog to Book redux

We’re just about one week, make that 7 days from BlogHer…and it’s time to get moving!

As you may know from my incessant blogging on the topic, I’m going to be speaking at BlogHer.  Not only that, I am moderating the panel.  Which means I have a good reason for the rash I just broke out into. 

But never fear, because as you can see from the description below, I have what has to be the coolest panelists hitting this session with me…

What We Do: Blog to Book ReduxThis session rocked the house last year, so we’re bringing in more bloggers, publishers and agents to dish about your opportunities to turn your blogging talent into a book publishing dream come true. Ellen Gerstein from Wiley & Sons has published many a blogger’s book. Neeti Madan is a literary agent with Sterling Lord. Jennette Fulda and Rita Arens represent two different blog to book approaches, one a memoir and the other a blogging anthology. Walk away with some insider info and effective tactics you can employ to get yourself on the published author path.

My mission is to make this the most rocking panel at BlogHer.  Which will be tough, but it’s a goal worth shooting for.  For everyone who has written a book, or considered writing a book, or, heck, even read a book, give me some feedback.  What would you want to hear us talk about?

*What would you want to hear from successful, published authors? 

How did you come up with your book idea, what were your challenges?  Did Oprah* call yet?

*What questions would you ask an agent?

How do you pick who you represent?  What does that 15% get me?  How can you get me on Oprah?

*What would you ask someone at a publishing house?

What kinds of books are you looking for?  Why don’t you ever return my phonecalls?  How can you get me on Oprah?

The more feedback, the better the session, so fire away! 

*this may end up being an “oprah free zone”, if such a thing can exist on planet earth!

 

We have a winner!

I’m pleased to announce that we have a winner in Wiley’s Who’s Your BlogHer Hero contest…here’s the official press release…

Wiley announces winner of “Who’s Your BlogHer Hero” contest

Hoboken, July 1, 2008 – John Wiley & Sons is proud to announce that “Melissa” of Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters, has been selected as the winner of the Who’s Your BlogHer Hero? Contest.

In March 2008, Wiley collaborated with BlogHer Inc., to launch a contest to find a “BlogHer Hero”. The goal was to recognize and reward a blogger that has made an impact in the life of women and how he or she uses that blog to inspire passion, innovation and ability to inspire a community. A team of six judges used these criteria to review the hundreds of entries received and arrive at the eventual winner.

“Melissa”, in the eyes of the judges, fit this profile completely. She writes a blog that is, in her own words, “about infertility and pregnancy loss, an exploration of adoption and donor gametes, a bitch session about daily life and books, an outlet for stories and baking lessons written by a sustainable-living, kosher, Jewish, mother of twins conceived via fertility treatments who is still trying to add to her family.”

“This contest has been an incredible experience from the beginning,” said Ellen Gerstein, Director of Marketing for John Wiley & Sons. “To see so many in the community of bloggers taking this chance to recognize one of their own was inspiring. Unfortunately, in the end we could only have one winner, but I think the judges did a fantastic job and selected a winner we can all be proud of.”

As the winner, “Melissa” will receive roundtrip airfare for herself and a guest to San Francisco and two-night’s accommodations, along with two full conference passes to the BlogHer 2008 Annual Conference. She will also be the subject of a chapter in the mini-book, BlogHer Heroes, that will make its debut at the BlogHer Conference in San Francisco on July 18, 2008.

About the judges
Chris Brogan is an Emerging Technologies Advisor and Vice President of Strategy & Technology at Cross Tech Media.  Susan Etlinger is a BlogHer 2008 panelist and can be found blogging across the web in her various blogs, BabyCenter’s MOMformation, www.momformation.com, Silicon Valley Moms, www.svmoms.com, and The Family Room, www.familyroomblog.com. Denise Tanton became addicted to online community and social media way back in 1997 when she discovered Parent Soup. The addiction became a job when she went to work for Women.com and it became a career when she moved on to WebMD. Today she lives, works and feeds her online community addiction as the Community Manager for BlogHer.com. Jason Marcuson blogs about books, brands, and technology at naptownjams.wordpress.com and is a National Accounts Manager at John Wiley & Sons. Ina Steiner is a featured blogger in Blogging Heroes and Editor of AuctionBytes.com, an independent trade publication for online merchants.  Ashley Zurcher is a personal blogger at purposefullycontent and Technology Marketing Coordinator at John Wiley & Sons.
About BlogHer
Founded in February 2005 by Elisa Camahort, Jory Des Jardins and Lisa Stone, BlogHer’s mission is to create opportunities for women who blog to pursue exposure, education, community and economic empowerment. BlogHer provides the number-one community and media network of blogs by women via a community hub (http://blogher.com), annual conferences and an advertising network of more than 1,800 qualified, contextually targeted blog affiliates. BlogHer provides the highest quality content on a range of topics, with all blogs continually edited to meet strict editorial standards, including content quality, category relevance and blog frequency.

About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years; helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology/Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace.
Our core businesses include scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade publishes books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley’s global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company’s Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

 

calling all wiley authors attending blogher 08

We’re doing our book display list for Wiley’s BlogHer 08 table right this very moment.  If you are a Wiley author, past, present or future, and are attending, PLEASE let me know so we can make sure your book is there for display.  I usually know all the tech authors who are there, but I am not as in touch with folks on the consumer and business side.  Err on the side of caution either way and make yourself known to me!  Thanks, and look forward to seeing you in San Fran!

 

Blog to book redux at BLOGHER

My session is posted!  On the 2008 BlogHer conference session list, you can see the Blog to Book session is listed.  So, this means I might have to do some thoughtful research and planning, like all good speakers are supposed to do.

So I turn it over to you.  If you are thinking of writing a book, what types of questions would you want to ask someone in publishing?  What would you like me to talk about?  How to get an agent, do you need an agent, what are editors looking for?  If you have written or are currently writing a book, what would help you then?  How to work with marketing and your editor on promotion?  What are the 5 things every author should be doing to promote their book?  Let’s start the conversation now, so come July when I am in full-on panic/sweat mode, I have some good stuff to work with. 

 

BlogHer Business vs. SXSWi = My thoughts

This has been a very busy start of the year for me.  I fulfilled some personal objectives and made an effort to be social, not just online but in person.  To this goal, I attended two very different conferences, SXSWi (South by Southwest Interactive) in March, and BlogHer Business (BHB) at the beginning of April.  I got done with SXSWi, and while it wasn’t perfect, I was happy that I went there.  That is, until I went to BHB and saw what a conference could and should be.

Don’t get me wrong - a lot of people GET SWSW and what they’re trying to accomplish.  I heard many times that I shouldn’t expect too much from the sessions, and SXSW is “all about the hallways.”  But why did I come out of those 4 days feeling like I had wasted a lot of time, after spending 2 incredibly productive days with the BlogHer crowd?  Three main areas of comparison come to mind:

Sessions - At SXSW, I got the feeling that a lot of them were winging it.  The session I always come back to as the best example of “phoning it in”, literally and figuratively, is the one on creative mobile content that featured Jeremiah Owyang, Chris Heuer and Chris Brogan.  These are thought leaders, people who have blogs I follow religiously and often quote in my own dealings.  No offense guys, but your session was useless.  Essentially, they broke the audience up and took us out of the room to “create”.  My group stood in the Bloghaus while Jerimiah talked with someone into what looked like a tape recorder.  I didn’t get any perspective into why he was asking the questions that he was (if he even was asking questions).  I got the feeling that Chris Heuer was trying harder, but still, it wasn’t working for me.  I didn’t see Brogan, so I can’t say what he was or wasn’t doing.   When you put the thought leaders of social media in a room, you expect more.   I got really angry when I realized that I was missing Kathy Sierra’s session, and after about 10 minutes of staring at this, I headed to Kathy’s well-prepared session (and learned a ton).  

In contrast, all of the BlogHer Business sessions were focused, information packed, and productive.  Plus, they run on time!  Speakers spend a great time planning what they are going to say, whether they have powerpoints or not.  Moderators add value by directing the conversation and adding their own viewpoints where appropriate.  In the two days at BHB, I got enough inspiration to last me at least a year.  Until I next BH event, I suppose!

Focus - SXSW is huge, and offers a lot for more than just me.  So, truth be told, you may be an interactive designer, or some other field than marketing and really would get more out of SXSW that I can.  BHB is totally focused on me and what I do - it’s for marketers, PR folks, advertisers and the like.  For that reason alone, I found myself at home there. 

Socialization - OK, so SXSW is all about the hallways.  But I have to tell you, I made more connections, and more valuable connections at BHB in 2 hours of meet and greet than I did in all my time at SXSW.  I’ll pull BHB’s hallways up against SXSW’s any day. 

I’m sure I’m opening myself up to some flaming and negative comments, but BlogHer Business was such an amazing and productive meeting for me, and I really wanted to give Jory, Elisa, Lisa and Kristy some love for making that happen.  I also want people to know for next year, when I have a choice, I’m going to BHB and skipping SXSW.  Anyone looking to better understand women bloggers and learn how to make connections with them cannot afford to miss BHB.   

Soapbox dismounted.  Flame away.