BlogHer 2010 – Nothing Like I Expected
BlogHer 2010 was NOTHING like I expected. Which confuses me. And makes it hard to wrap my head around.
Let me start this post saying that I am a BlogHer newbie. A veritable baby in a sea of blog conference experts. Now, you must know that I stalked BlogHer online last year. Truly. I read all of the tweets. I visited all of the posts and I camped out on the Flickr stream. So I had an idea of what to expect.
My ideas were wrong.
Being a self-help kind of girl, I expected BlogHer to be centered around education and learning. Err… not as much as one would think. I mean, there were many sessions covering diverse topics. But many people blew them off. In fact, some of the bloggers I met confessed that they didn’t even go to one session, which blew my ever-loving-mind. I, personally, was there for an education. I own my own business and I blog on that site as well as here and at the Washington Times Family Today community so I was ready for some serious blogging and social media input. I was going to take notes and write serious posts on what I learned and how to apply it. Sadly, I will not be doing that. Yes, I did take away nuggets of good information but overall the sessions were designed to be very informal. (Apparently Power Point and handouts were not allowed.) That informality did not jive well with my personal goals.
But the networking, well, the networking opportunities were priceless. I’m an extrovert so I have no problem introducing myself to other people and engaging them in conversation. Which works to your benefit when you are in a huge convention like this one. And honestly, that is where this self-help gal gleaned the most information. I learned more from my peers than I did in the sessions. And I am completely okay with that. Learning is learning is learning!
My fellow bloggers and I conversed about honesty in blogging, we compared iPhone apps for productivity, shared our personal stories, observations and goals and really connected. That part was priceless.
I got to meet Dawn Meehan (author and blogger at Because I Said So) who was my inspiration for blogging in the first place and Jo-Lynn of Musings of a Housewife who was the first blogger to ever acknowledge my existence. My roommates Bailey (Makeover Momma), Lara (Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom) and Jennifer (Savoring The Thyme) were a blast to hang out with. And the parties and gatherings? I can’t even begin to describe how interesting and fun they were. From those I met some phenomenal entrepreneurs and inspirational professionals. I was treated like a queen. (Which any mom will tell you is rare.)
Most importantly: I left BlogHer with a new direction and new vision. I found inspiration in my fellow bloggers and they helped me clarify my vision for this blog. (Which will probably take on a new direction going forward.) The knowledge that I already had was reconfirmed by the sessions. I learned what to do and what NOT to do. Was it worth it to attend? Yes. Yes it was.
Besides all of that, I sure had one hell of a good time!
Wondering if BlogHer is for you? I recommend you read this article:
- BlogWorld v. BlogHer: the Differences are Apparent (blogworldexpo.com)
Twitter: lovinstilettos
says:
I am jealous!
Michelle @ Mommy Loves Stilettos recently posted..pint virgin NO MORE! -
Twitter: DiaryofaNewMom
says:
Interesting. I had every intention of going until I read the session overviews & found I wasn’t interested in hardly any. I couldn’t see paying that kind of money just to socialize. But it sounds like the sessions weren’t the main draw, anyway. Glad you found it worthwhile.
Abby recently posted..Twitter-ific
Twitter: jodifur
says:
It was great to hang out with you, as always.
Last year I left BlogHer with mixed feelings. This years BlogHer I loved. Maybe you have to go twice?
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:56 AM
Well, I liked it. I was just confused. It took me awhile to process it. I had a fantastic time. Best time I’ve had for ages. So I am thinking twice is right! LOL.
Twitter: Whymommy
says:
Jennifer, I was glad you came and that we got to see each other a bit this weekend. I’m glad you got what you needed to out of it — even if it wasn’t exactly what you expected.
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:54 AM
That is exactly right… just wasn’t what I expected. Which doesn’t mean that it was bad, just different.
And I know that I have told you this before but you inspire me. You really do.
Twitter: CathyIsReal
says:
I was alos a first timer at BlogHer(or any conference for that matter). I am still piecing it all together so I can write a post. My experience wasn’t all together what I hoped for, but there some amazing moments that I will always have. In my top 5 would probably be the Seed party and meeting you and everyone else in person. Truly, I am so glad for that! (plus, I love to harass you)
Cathy recently posted..Soda Stream Review and Giveaway
Cathy
Twitter: CathyIsReal
Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:53 AM
Hmm, somehow it has my old Twitter id. Not sure how to fix that, but I will figure it out. Definitely not frugalgirl anymore.
Cathy recently posted..Soda Stream Review and Giveaway
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:54 AM
You know what I will never forget? You dancing on stage with Obama. Holla!
Cathy
Twitter: CathyIsReal
Reply:
August 13th, 2010 at 4:28 PM
LOL! I am so glad I created such a “memory” for you – however not-so-pretty it was!
It was simply awesome to meet you!
Cathy recently posted..Wordless Wednesday – Awesome BlogHer 2010 Moment
Twitter: caramamma
says:
It was definitely an interesting experience. I am not even sure what it was that I expected, but came away with a lot of thinking to do! It was great to meet you- and hang out!
Twitter: JoLynneMusings
says:
I think you sum it up well. I knew going in that the sessions weren’t much to write home about. If you want good learning sessions, Blissdom is a good one, and I hear great things about Mom 2.0 and Type A Mom. I’ll be at Blissdom for sure.
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 10:57 AM
That is what I keep hearing! I lived in Nashville for years so I am all about going back. Plus I hear that inspiration is infectious there.
Twitter: gdrpempress
says:
This is my favorite blog, of the 250 I follow.
You are an incredible writer: you are smart, intelligent, humble, engaging, and current.
You’re the best. I can’t wait to see what your plans are.
Alexandra recently posted..Cool Whip Queen
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 10:59 AM
Okay, I “heart” you. What wonderful things to say! Are you sure you are on the right blog? hehe
Twitter: SaucyB
says:
This was a really honest and informative recap and I very much appreciated the link to the blogworld comparison post.
I was feeling pretty bummed about not going but after reading this i think I will get what I’m looking for out of bloggy bootcamp, which I’m attending in September.
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 10:58 AM
I did the Baltimore Bloggy Bootcamp and it was really fun!
Twitter: alfredliveshere
says:
Thanks for posting this, I am eager to learn more as I am still a newbie and want to attend something next year – so the more info the better.
Plus your blog is always so fun to read!
Brahm (alfred lives here) recently posted..Stupid things that annoy the crap out of me- part four
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 11:00 AM
I am with you! We’ll figure out this conference thing together… Where we going next?
Twitter: ThetaMom
says:
I’m heading to Philly for Bootcamp and looking forward to a smaller setting. BlogHer10 was my first conference EVER and I had a good experience b/c I went in with NO expectations.
I only attneded one session so I didn’t learn a whole lot- but meeting bloggers in real life – those face-to-face connections was all worth it.
How did we miss each other????
JennieG
Twitter: mammamania
Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 10:58 AM
I have no idea!!!! I should have worn a sign that said LOOKING FOR THETA MOM. Probably would have helped.
I agree completely! Networking – 2 thumbs up. Content – biting one thumb and flicking towards organizers.
Twitter: Carabee
says:
I went last year and enjoyed the time I spent with my friends in Chicago but I had high expectations of the conference itself and I was pretty let down. This year, I went into it with the intention of spending time with friends and let the conference stuff be a secondary concern. Its a pricey social outing, but definitely worth it because I made some friends that I know will last long past when all of the #blogher10 tweets stop rolling through my twitterstream.
Loved hanging out with you! Not nearly enough of that, though.
Carabee recently posted..Blogher Returns
Twitter: mommysstillfab
says:
I felt the same way. I like more formal presentations with room for questions and answers.