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Lessons learned at Blogher09

First, let me say I had a great time at BlogHer09 because it was what I made of it. I planned to do activities outside of the conference, like the food blogger dinner and cooking at the Washburne Culinary Institute with the kids at the Common Threads Summer Camp thanks to Edelman and Quaker Oats.

I made plans for a little pampering at the Suave booth and the MicroSpa. I got a tech update from HP about their new printers and and met with Louise Rasho to learn about Microsoft Office 2010. I planned to connect with sponsors like the Pork Board (and to see Rick Bayless cook) on the exhibit floor and with GreenWorks at their luncheon.

I made sure to connect with virtual and in real life friends at the Mom Central cocktail party, the Silicon Valley Moms get together, and at breakfast. I planned to make new friends during the GM carpool and at BowlHer. Plus, I picked the coolest roommate ever, Michele Lamar aka White Trash Mom aka Mrs. Tim Gunn to play “hide the remote” with. She was so fun that I wish I could have taken her back in one of my swag bags.

So for me the conference was right on for the most part because I planned it that way. Still, here are a few of my kvetches.

Swagaholics Anonymous

I like cool, free stuff, but I like recycling, eco-friendly items, and donating things I don’t need, too. I expected oodles of recycling bins and pitchers of water. Instead, we had individual bottles of juice and soda and bins were few and far between.

The recycling room was hard to find and should have been moved to another suite on Sunday, since that’s when most of the attendees were leaving. Same with the business office, since many people had early morning flights and couldn’t mail their packages that morning.

There has to be a better balance between sponsorship and support of the female blogging community and making the event affordable for all. BlogHer is listening! Give them your feedback. Note to sponsors, we like coupons for product samples, online coupon codes, and items mailed to us, too. Plus that way you can collect our info, ask us for feedback, and attempt to connect with us. It’s about developing relationships, after all.

It's pajama party time: an interview with The Pajama Diaries Terri Libenson

If you’re a mom or dad blogger working on a brand new laptop or a refurbished tablet - or any kind of work at home parent, you must read the comic strip The Pajama Diaries by Terri Libenson. It centers on Jill Kaplan, a young, independent and introspective suburban mother, as she balances her career as a freelance graphic artist and family life with her husband, Rob, and their two young daughters, Amy and Jess. Jill narrates her day-to-day adventures in her journal and on a blog and touches on everything from juggling work with family obligations to marital sex and sibling rivalry.

This month, Terri takes the strip on a stroll down memory lane in a five-week series that tells via flashback the story of Jill’s first pregnancy and the Kaplans’ journey towards impending parenthood. This special series runs through August 8.

The Interview

I’m a huge Pajama Diaries fan and read the strip read the strip in the Denver Post first thing every morning, so I was thrilled to be able to interview Terri via email. You can learn more about Terri and the strip at The Pajama Diaries website. And now our interview:

Anne-Marie Nichols (AMN): As moms we all have our “war stories” about pregnancy and delivery. But I find that most of us are passionate about sharing it while our kids are still babies or toddlers. (Maybe it’s a way to get over the shell shock of parenthood, who knows?) So why do you think it’s taken you so long to tackle this topic on your strip?

Terri Libenson (TL): The reason I decided to go back in time now is twofold: I recently did a Mother’s Day Sunday strip that flash-backed to the delivery room. Also, I noted my 10-year anniversary of getting pregnant with my older daughter. These both inspired the idea of going back in time to when Jill first became pregnant. I also thought it would be a fun way to shake things up a little and give readers a peek into an unknown area of the family’s lives.

AMN: Part of sharing mom stories is to give up-and-coming moms some advice on raising kids. How do you try to do that in The Pajama Diaries?

TL: Actually, I try to avoid giving advice because I’m afraid I’d come across as preachy. Jill is a “learn as you go” mom who makes a lot of missteps. I try and make her an empathetic and relatable character rather than someone who knows all the answers.

That being said, I do try and try to point out some social awareness. I try to get across how stressed a lot of moms are and how we, as a society, need to address this (i.e., better daycare, flex time, getting more help in general).

Of conference sponsorships and my Blogher09 session

Only eight days until I leave for BlogHer09 in my GM sponsored Chevy Traverse as part of the BlogHer09 Carpool. On the way, we’ll be staying at Best Western, one of my BlogHer09 Sponsors. When I get to the conference, I’ll be speaking at Room of Your Own 2 Session: Sponsored v. Unsponsored - Blogging for $$ Where Do You Stand? I’m also one of the hostesses at the BowlHer09 Party.

I’ll also be handing out coupons for free pancake syrup from my other sponsor, Log Cabin syrup. Did you know that Log Cabin is no longer made with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)? And that they’re selling real maple syrup at selected Sam’s Clubs across the US?

Thank you to my sponsors, now back to our regularly scheduled programming

Conference sponsorships are a new thing among mom bloggers (see Kim Moldofsky’s post at Hormone-colored Days, Marketing to Moms: Announcing my BlogHer sponsor!). While I knew of one mom blogger at BlogHer08 who was paid to work at a booth by a company, I didn’t notice the phenomenon until the WalMart ElevenMoms went to SXSW09. I was aware that WalMart had sent them to the conference, but was surprised to learn that several of the moms had additional sponsors - everything from diapers to chocolate.

Then at the last Mile High Mamas’ blogger meet up, a few people asked me, “So, who is your BlogHer sponsor?” To which I replied, “No one.” I hadn’t thought about recruiting a sponsor though the idea of having one intrigued me. Hmmmm...

Sponsorships make conferences affordable and accessible

Even when I’ve had a roommate, got a cheap flight, had a free pass because I was a speaker, and took advantage of the free food at parties, most conferences ended up costing me around $300-600. For a freelancer, that’s a lot of dough, especially when you multiply it by the number of conferences you want to go to like SXSW, SOBCon, Chicks Who Click, WordCamp, BlogHer, BlogWorldExpo, and IzeaFest. I’m sure it’s the main reason why so many mom bloggers and other independent bloggers without corporate expense accounts seek sponsors.

In the past, I have been given a stipend or reimbursed for a conference ticket in exchange for reporting back to a client on industry trends and conference goers and events. I don’t consider that a sponsorship as much as consulting work. Semantics aside, having someone help you pay your expenses seemed like a good thing.