Results tagged “blogher”

Straying from the arts to bring up an important blogging topic: The 2010 Blogher Conference. 

It's that time of year again when people start getting excited, buying their passes, discussing the sessions and making their plans for the conference in August.  This year NYC (my hometown) will be hosting the event which means I finally have a shot at going.  In the past the conference passes, plane tickets and hotel room have just been WAY out of my price range.

Although I don't have to travel more than a short subway ride this year, I'm still struggling with the cost. The early bird special (ending this weekend so hop on it!) is still steep for my pocket book (as if I carry a pocket book), especially with this ongoing struggle of saving up for a new computer.

So the question: is it worth it to put everything on hold to buy a ticket to Blogher?

What is Blogher?  It's a large community of mostly female bloggers coming together and sharing their views on everything. I mean everything: blogging, cooking, being a mom, illness, politics, the arts, etc.

The Blogher conference is an annual event with parties, sessions on blogging/social media/etc and most importantly, networking. As a blogger looking to reach the masses, can you put a value on meeting hundreds of other writers face to face? Handing out dozens of business cards and making personal connections with potential new readers? Nevermind the wealth of information you can glean from the sessions.

Sure, there are a few opportunities to win a pass (here & here for example) but do I risk the early bird prices for a potential (and let's face it...unlikely) freebie? Do I beg people who have no idea who I am to sponsor me?  Do I forgo the pass altogether and just stalk the Hilton during the conference?

So, what about you? Are you going to what some people consider the most important blogging event of the year? Do you already have your ticket?  Are you entering contests to try and win one? Are you sponsoring someone?  Inquiring minds want to know!

Anyone who's had their eyes open in the (female) blogosphere for the last couple of days has surely noticed the insane response to a small happening at a large event.  The great Dooce Vs. Bloggess misunderstanding of Blogher 08. 

First let me tell you that I was not there. Second, you should know that I am a big fan of both of these ladies.  I subscribe to their blogs and get excited when I see updates.  Third you need to know that I am appalled by some of the responses. In a word: gross.

Of course, since I wasn't present, I've had to do some Googling to get to the bottom of what went down.  Unfortunately I can't seem to find a single quote from the Dooce side, only the response.  Naturally this might tip the scales.

So, I won't go over all the gritty details as I'm sure by now you've had enough (click links if you haven't).  The bottom line is that a perfectly harmless post was brought up during the final keynote, of which Dooce was a speaker, and the entire thing seems to have been blown way out of proportion.

When you get a large group of women together, you're asking for drama.  It's really no big secret.  I've never had a whole lot of girlfriends in my life because of this and yes, it is out of fear.  Not to say ALL women are this way, I just haven't met that special someone.  I'm sure one day I will, but until then, I remain a skeptic.

Out of all the responses I've read, only one really seemed to hit the nail on the head.  The ol' mean girl syndrome.  As women we seem to be programmed to devour gossip, relish in it and spew it back out for anyone to take part in, and I'd say 99.9% of the time, we don't have the story straight. I believe the game is called Telephone?

I'm not saying I haven't partaken.  In fact, I think I'm more afraid of "normal" women because I don't really consider myself to be one and even I can't help being lured in by some juicy gossip. Granted, I tend to keep it to myself and more often then not, I am laughing at the absurdity (to myself), but I am by no means an innocent party.  I am writing this post after all.

So, I'm thinking at next years Blogher, and I'm being serious here, they should consider a panel on the topic.  I'm not saying we find a solution, mean girls will exist until the end of time, but we do need to educate.  A little peer leadership can't hurt. Maybe some walk-a-mile-in-my-shoes therapy. 

I am certain that, as much as we'd like to think so, Dooce and Bloggess are not actually robots (or hobbits) and their feelings are just as sensitive as yours and mine.  Kudos to them for putting on brave faces.

I am feeling some major Blogher envy tonight as I read all the twits and blogs of the attendees. I hope I can attend next year. For now I'm getting myself ready to watch the podcasts and maybe even take a rare trip into Second Life for some of those events.