Tuesday, July 22, 2008

I could be responsible and write a nice write up about BlogHer

...or I could just post a lot of photos and show you the crazy social side of it. Okay, I'll be a little bit responsible....

I went to a few workshops at BlogHer that were really really great. One was a writing workshop, where I heard from some really serious bloggers and writers about having a goal for your posts (what a concept!), and thinking about the core actions you want to come from your readers. I heard this several times over the course of the weekend, so I took this as a great take-away. You can read the liveblogging from the writing workshop here.

Beautiful blogging was a great workshop, and I just felt akin to the women around me who were committed to putting out good things into the universe, and cultivating good with their blogging. I thought it was interesting that the workshop about making money with your blog was also going on at the same time and that room was so loud and overflowing you could barely walk by. I guess we beautiful bloggers are a different flock. And that's fine with me. You can read the liveblogging from the Beautiful Blogging and Powerful Posting here. There are some great links to presenters and attendees also in that post. Many I'm adding to my reading list: you should too.

Opening night featured 20+ bloggers reading posts that had been selected in a juried competition. It was the highlight of the weekend. Such brave women to share their truths in their blogging, but even more so to get up on stage in front of 1,000 others and to read them out loud. We laughed, we cried, we gave standing ovations. Awesome power of words. Awesome power of truth.

I found it odd and humbling to answer the question when meeting new people, "What do you blog about?" I put out a call to my friends on Twitter to help me out, and I have to say thank you them for all of the nice feedback on that. So many of us blog about our lives, but to try to describe that to people can be tough, and when I found myself telling the woman from CafePress that I blogged about things like local foods and canning, she stared at my blankly and repeating back to me, "Canning? Really?!" as if it was a foreign language. Sigh. Just know, there is a huge world out there of bloggers, and our little niches are just that, little niches.

I have lots of notes and cards and tools and swag to go through. So many great women I met: a few I knew from online, and many I did not. I do know this...

I used to bash the mommy bloggers. Diapers poop blah blah blah. But you know what? Being divisive within women's blogging is perpetuating that woman against woman crap. We are not our enemies. We all have our own truth, and while I may not relate to the truth mommy bloggers blog about, they have every darn right to put it out there. More power to them.

And another sidenote? The queer blogger's break out session was the weirdest thing of the whole conference. Weird, weird and more weird. The ad-hoc queer blogging get togethers were much better!

And now, for the debauchery. As told through photos.
Mosaic of BlogHer
Read the commentary about the photos in the photoset here.
Oh, and RSG? Thank you for being such a great friend and travel companion. I heart you!

7 comments:

Unknown said...

It sounds freaking fantastic! And the idea of having a goal for a post is one I should apply more often. :)

I'm off to peruse your Flickr photos.

Anonymous said...

It was a fantabulous time! Thank YOU for going with me--I'll travel with you anytime, but next time I'm bringing more shoes!!!

Abigail said...

Thanks for the link to my liveblog!

Anonymous said...

For the longest time I thought BlogHer was just for mommy bloggers. Sounds like a great time!

Twitter's not letting me message you - can you send me your address so I can mail your prize off to you. foodietots at gmail dot com. Thanks - and congrats!

Tricia said...

Woman, you must stop with the nicest woman bit.

Listen, really, it makes me sad to think that others in the same situation wouldn't do what I did. I was wearing Birks, your feet were in pain and we (the collective we) were pretty much forcing you to walk.

Plus, the gangrene? It's almost gone, really, don't worry about me. ;)

It was great to meet you in person!

Desert Diva said...

I wish I were there to see BlogHer 2008 - I'd love the fun and the martinis - not so much the "catfights."

As for blogging, I've never been "disciplined" to keep a paper and pen journal. I keep a blog to journal about my journey. Sometimes, it's mediocre and mundane - at other times it's somewhat "interesting" if I don't say so myself.

I usually try to include one photo that I've taken as a "touch point" to attempt to convey what I'm feeling. As for "putting it all out there," I have mixed feelings. However, in another hundred years it won't make a difference.

The amazing part of blogging for me are the serendipitous connections that are made. I read a blog, and take a look at their blogroll - etc...

While not a substitute for f2f connections, blogging is a vehicle for people (especially women I think) not to feel so isolated. Like you, I'm not a big fan of the "mommy bloggers," I agree to their right to convey thoughts about breast feeding, play dates, and poop - it's just not my interest.

However, neither are the "bible bangers" telling the world how to live their lives. (Hey I looked for your discarded Jesus at the Goodwill, but ended up with a denim skirt and jacket...) Regardless, they all have a right to be in cyberspace.

There's a certain strange feeling of "fate" to all of it. OK, that's my two cents for a Thursday morning.

Amy Lenzo said...

I didn't meet you at BlogHer, but I love that you wrote this so I could find you (I was searching for other people from the Beautiful Blogger session). LeLo in Nopo is a gem, & your photography is brilliant!