I remember about a year ago when I first joined the Twitter community seeing the numerous tweets about how excited everyone was to be going to BlogHer 9. Each year 1000-2000 women (and yes some men) come out from behind their computers and meet one another. As a newbie to all the madness I just watched from behind my screen as the events of the weekend were revealed. There were parties (and a ton of them), there were giveaways, there was swag, there was controversy, and there were friendships formed – all while networking and learning the tricks of the trade.
As the year went along I kept seeing announcements about BlogHer 10 hitting New York City in August. I would read them and keep going to the next blog without giving it much thought. As I continued to grow my blogging empire (ok – my online persona) and with the introduction of Eco Chic Parties I continued to yearn for more knowledge. None of my friends are bloggers so I don’t have anyone to reach out to locally when questions arise – I just kinda learn things as I go. In January of this year I obtained an invitation to the Disney Moms Social Media Conference which sound like fun – especially since it was only an hour away. The price kept me thinking about it during the day wondering if I should attend. By the time I sat down with my husband to discuss the opportunity the event was SOLD OUT! In a matter of just a few short hours the extra tickets were gone. I watched the events of that weekend unfold from behind my computer screen as well.
Now I was officially excited about trying to attend a blogging conference and I continued to watch the tweets about BlogHer 10 and the early bird specials. By registering early you save a ton of money and the deadline was fast approaching. In mid February I had to make a decision that will change my life as a blogger. I kept seeing other bloggers looking for sponsors – and thought why can’t I do that? So I reached out to those companies I had recently worked with on blog reviews and asked for help. I was happily surprised when several of the companies said YES! I had raised enough money in two days that I went out and purchased my very first BlogHer ticket!
It was official – on February 24th, 2010 I was committed to my blog and going to a conference. Now what? I’ve spent the last few months trying to figure it all out. I haven’t even gone to the conference yet and I have a list of lessons learned a mile long. But why am I nervous?
Maybe because I have to step out from behind my computer and let others see the real me. As a blogger you can choose what you reveal to your audience. In real life your flaws can been seen. Nonetheless, I’m excited about the opportunity to meet some of my favorite bloggers, some of the companies I’ve blogged about, and some of my own readers. I’m excited to meet new bloggers that I don’t currently read and companies I have never had the pleasure of working with.
If you are staying home with your families this weekend please don’t delete me as your friend on Twitter because you are sick of hearing about BlogHer – it’s only one weekend out of the year. Watch the Twitter streams if you want and you may get some free lessons without having to leave your family. There will be live blogging, tweeting, and video streams from myself and other attendees to share all the information we are learning.
I will also have a few surprises from my sponsors (Bamboo Bums and Franklin Goose) just for my readers who are snuggled up at home. I hope you stay tuned to see what they have to offer. And while I’m away the mice will play…my daughter is at Camp Grandma/Grandpa while the hubby & son are in the air on their Roman holiday! The boys will be joining me in NYC later in the weekend so they get the best of both worlds. Is it OK that I’m a tad jealous of their adventure?
And a special thank you to my sponsors who helped me get to BlogHer this year. Franklin Goose, Bamboo Bums, and Teething Bling/Smart Mom Jewelry all sponsored me financially. Lillunia LLC and Rockin Green Soap both purchased ad space that I used to help with my trip. Eco Chic Parties accepts payment for some parties – and that money has been used for trip expenses as well. Mommy Doodles is my one and only graphic designer and technical expert. Melanie is AWESOME and always willing to help me (sometimes I even pay her) with my blog(s). She even designed my awesome business cards for me!
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Yes, I am jelous of all the bloggers going, but I'm way too new to this to go I”d feel like I don't know anything and other such things….I understand where you're coming from! I think I'll take your advice and watch the events, see what all comes of it and maybe next year I'll decide to go! 🙂
I'm so glad you were able to experience BlogHer. I wanted to go as well. And most of what you wrote is true to me as well adding that I'm very shy in person. I'd be afraid no one would know me and I'd be lonely. One of the reasons I didn't go this year. Maybe next year…we'll see. Hope you had a great time! I'll still be following you 🙂
I’m so glad you were able to experience BlogHer. I wanted to go as well. And most of what you wrote is true to me as well adding that I’m very shy in person. I’d be afraid no one would know me and I’d be lonely. One of the reasons I didn’t go this year. Maybe next year…we’ll see. Hope you had a great time! I’ll still be following you 🙂