Wednesday, August 10, 2011
BlogHer11 Was Everything That I Thought it Would Be and Nothing Like What I Imagined.
It was a weekend full of excitement, fear and a new beginning for me. Before I left I tried to explain to friends and family exactly what this weekend was going to be for me:It's like a pilgrimage. There will be 3000+ women there who understand this need to share our daily lives, goals, thoughts and feelings with whoever wants to read.
BlogHer was a fantastic first conference. I didn't get to do nearly half of the things that I had scheduled, but it was amazing. There are so many opportunities to connect with the bloggers that you read, who read you and even those that you've never met. The passion these women have is so inspiring.
Top 5 Things to Remember for Next Year
FYI: BlogHer12 will be held in New York City
FYI: BlogHer12 will be held in New York City
1. Get a Good Roommate - it's so important that you have someone that is encouraging, fun and pleasant to be around.
Thankfully I was blessed with a terrific roommate who not only kept me laughing and in a good mood but also was willing to show me the ropes on how to mingle with people that I've never met. Laura (Super Glue Mom) wasn't afraid to sit and chat with anyone about her exciting new project MOMables. I marveled at this ability but realized on the second day that if I continued to follow her around I would have nothing to show for my BlogHer trip. So I lovingly ditched her.
Those first few steps were so hard to take on my own...but completely and utterly worth it. I kept asking myself:
What are you afraid of?
What do you want to share about your blog with those you meet today?
What are you passionate about?
What do you blog about?
I am now afraid of all the time that I have lost being scared and timid. I want to share with those that I come into contact with that I am a Mommy Blogger and proud of it. I am passionate about good nutrition, traditional parenting and making a mark on my children's childhood.
I blog about taking the time to enjoy every single minute of my family that I can. I really feel like I lost 7 years of my life by having 4 kids. I was either growing, nursing or carrying a baby almost that entire time. My oldest is the only one that I can truly remember as a baby. So each and every time that you read a post about the things I do with my kids, I feel like I am making up for lost time.
2. Online Friendships are Real.
Online relationships are real. The friendships that we are cultivating through Facebook, Twitter and our blogs are real. I was so excited to get to meet Maria (@OhLovelyQ's.) She has been a long time reader of mine, we've participated in the same MeMe's, we've been Twitter friends for a long time and she shares my love for free samples. She was the perfect person to walk around the expo with on the first day. I didn't have to worry that she would judge me for taking all kinds of swag - cause she was doing the exact same thing.
I also got a chance to hang out a bit with Crystal from Surviving a Teacher's Salary. Thankfully she was willing to let me tag along with her to see The Help movie premiere as I lost my Iphone this past weekend, which had all the information about the parties that I was supposed to attend.
You might be thinking - what if it's not the same as it is online? What if we have nothing in common? You wouldn't be further from the truth. The friendships that you are making are real.
3. Wear a signature piece.
One of the easiest ways to start a conversation with someone that you've never met is to compliment them. Wear something that makes it super easy for others to approach you. My Twitter handle necklace from Survival of The Hippest was my signature piece. I wore it every day of the conference and got so many compliments on it. It was such a great conversation starter. When asked about it, I was instantly at ease telling the person where to get one and how to save a bit while buying one. There's a little bird on their website. Click on it when making your order to save 10%.
4. Thursday is an IMPORTANT day at BlogHer.
I didn't realize how many events were planned for Thursday. It was almost as important as Friday and Saturday. Next year I will know better and plan to be coming in a day earlier so that I can not only be rested, but also so that I can take part in more of the conference!
When planning my trip I wanted to make sure to have Sunday free to visit the Pacific Ocean. I'd never seen it before and was amazed at how powerful and majestic it was. Standing there in the surf it was as if the ocean was pulling me into it's waters. When the surf receded it was literally taking the sand beneath my feet. Once back in OK I was quick to inform Hubby that we MUST take our family to visit it. I want to sit on the beach and watch my kids digging for seashells and clams. I want them to grab some boogie boards from the shops on the boardwalk and ride the waves. I want them to experience the ridiculous giddiness that I felt watching the waves hit the beach. I am already planning this trip for next year!
I got to try sushi for the first time and I might just be a fan, of some of it.
While the raw fish was a bit much for my taste, the shrimp tempura pictured below was phenomenal. It was really good! The seaweed was not chewy like I imagined and while the bites were bigger than I thought possible, they were not hard to eat.
I was even able to hold my chopsticks like a big girl. Thanks so much to Sara for loaning me her BFF, Marnie. It was great to have someone local to show me around and make sure that I got to have a California kind of morning.
5. Don't Be Afraid or Nervous.
Don't be afraid to tell go up to the bloggers that you love and tell them so. The first day I saw several women whose blogs I read on a constant basis and chickened out on introducing myself to them. But on the second day - I thought when else am I ever going to get the opportunity to do it?
Don't be afraid to tell the companies that are there to network and build relationships with bloggers what you think about their products. While visiting with several I was amazed at what they stood for as a company and look forward to working with them, while others I was aghast at what they were pushing into my hands. I tried to be as honest as I could about whether or not I would use the product in my every day life, whether it would be something that I would buy for my family.
Don't be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone. At two of the booths that I stopped at in the Expo they were asking bloggers to do videos for their Facebook page. I am happy to say that I let go of myself (and how I imagined that I am being perceived) and did it. It was so much fun!
Don't be afraid to do things like speed dating with bloggers, sit at a table with someone you've never met or jump into conversations.
Don't be nervous that no one will recognize your blog. They might not. Be prepared to be open and kind so that they will want to visit it when they get back home.
BlogHer was everything that I expected it to be and nothing like what I had imagined. It was a real eye opener for me as a blogger.
I do have a passion that I want to share.
I do hold myself a certain way and plan to let go more here so that you readers can get to know me better.
I do have something valuable to add to blogosphere.
Before going when someone asked me what my blog was about I would off handily say oh you know I talk about my family and stuff. But now I am going to really take each and every opportunity to engage new readers, foster relationships and reach out when it's so much easier to hold myself back with the what if's and who really cares thoughts.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
First of all, I WILL BE YOUR ROOMIE NEXT YEAR YOU CAN COUNT YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR ON THAT!
ReplyDeleteSecond of all, Come to the NJ shore with your family & we can ALL meet up! The beach, the boardwalk, the waterpark, lighthouses--they are ALL within minutes of me!
I am so glad that you got to see the Pacific. The beaches there are just so different that our East Coast beaches and I miss them. SoCal is a very special place for me, I met and fell in love with the hubs there. One day we will go back, but just for a visit :)
ReplyDeleteSo excited you stepped out of your comfort zone. I don't know if I'd have been as brave as you! Are you thinking about going next year? Would you go again? I hope to go. I'll get my feet wet with Bloggy Boot Camp on the 20th. We'll see how that goes. =)
ReplyDelete~Mimi
I want to go just so I can meet my blogging friends!! I almost went this year - but NYC???? I can't miss it!!!!!! Glad you were able to go and really enjoy yourself....looks like a great time to bond and learn. :)
ReplyDeleteI still can't believe we didn't meet up.....but I would have seen you at The Help screening had I not caught a terrible stomach bug that stopped me in my tracks Saturday morning....BlogHer was over for me at that point.
ReplyDeleteNext year in NY! Definitely! :-) My favorite event was definitely on Thursday! :) I didn't know about thursday til I went last yr either :)
I am so, so, so glad that you came up to me that day in the Expo but I really wish we had more time to chat. I would have loved to have sat down and really talked!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you pushed yourself to do some things that were a little scary for you, and that the whole conference was so rewarding. Can't wait until next year!!!