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.

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!

BlogHer Business Day 1

Well, I survived to tell the tale.  I’m not talking about the most excellent BlogHer Business conference in NY.  No, I’m talking about commuting home on MetroNorth.  Mr IT took his usual 5:30 train, and I took a 6:15 train, figuring I would take a cab home from the train station.  Once we got out of the tunnel, I got an email from him telling me that his train was stuck due to brake problems.  Net net, I got home 20 minutes before he did.  Little IT was at play practice, and then at the science fair, so she hadn’t eaten dinner.  We got take away from our local Chinese joint and all sat around the dinner table to decompress.

ANYHOW, back to the matter at hand.  I continue to be impressed at the quality of a conference BlogHer puts on.  Today was a review of the state of social media today and presentation of successful case studies in using social media and engaging bloggers.  The speakers were thoughtful and inspiring, and ranged from a true small business (a farmer who sells worms online), to mainstream marketers from GM and Method, to bloggers from Microsoft.   I was fortunate to experience these speakers surrounded by my co-workers, who were alternately inspired to do more in the social media space, and freaked out/frustrated that we aren’t doing more as a group in this space.  But we’re here, we’re listening, and we’re learning how to join the conversation.

Most of the case studies focused on how a company had a product or service they wanted to promote, and how they decided to court bloggers to help promote it.  The stories were charming in some cases, belying the fact that these are very savvy companies looking to push their products.  This was downplayed in almost all cases.  “We want to engage the bloggers, but not dicate to them.”  “We never tell the bloggers they must write about us.”  In a sense that reminded me of when Amazon first came online.  I would email their editor (editor singular - they have 50 or so, but back then there was only one) with suggestions for books to promote on the site.  They were always selected around a theme, but they were not always Wiley books.  Todd was always happy to take ideas into consideration and often did feature books I suggested.  Now, of course, there’s a 50 page manual that details the cooperative marketing plans involved in something like this.  I can’t help but think that the next time GM approaches someone like the Manic Mommies to provide complimentary transportation for their escape weekend that they will be more savvy (or cynical, take your pick) and present them with a “sponsorship” plan involving beaucoup bucks. 

Right now, we have a small window of time where the bloggers are happy with the engagement these companies are getting into.  Individual bloggers all tell tales of the thrill that came when someone offered them something for free for the first time.  Now, many of them have stacks of products lined up that they have little time to review.  Virginity in the blogosphere dies hard.   

Overall at the conference, there is less networking than at SXSW, but that’s more because it’s a smaller group.  However, the quality in attendance is the cream of the crop.  The people here are a mix of PR and marketing types, true bloggers, and folks in the media business.  I feel I like I made better contacts on line for lunch than I did in a day in Austin.   And I look forward to more of the same tomorrow.   

BlogHer Business 08

If you’re going to be at BlogHer Business tomorrow, please find some way to introduce yourself to me.  I’m not sure what I will be wearing, but I’ll be at the “Snarky Marketers” table for lunch.  It won’t be hard to spot me there.

Getting ready for BlogHer 08!

There was a conference call this morning to talk about the plans for BlogHer events in 2008.  Their plans include going from 2 events in 2007 to 8 (!) events in 2008. They’re doing an annual conference in San Francisco, a BlogHer business in NYC, and a 6 city bus tour of the southeast.  While I’m geeking out just thinking about being on a bus with a bunch of bloggers, I’m most excited to attend my first BlogHer business conference.  BlogHer was such an amazing educational and inspirational event, and to have it in my home city will be most excellent.