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 nice to be pampered, but…
I like comfy beds and swanky hotels, but am fine staying at discount motels, too, because they’re affordable. (Beth at Fake Plastic Fish had a good point about this and many other things related to the conference in her post - Blogher '09 and The Story of Stuff.)
Our Best Western sponsored hotel rooms to and from the conference were just as clean as the Sheraton’s, the beds were firmer and the free breakfast was better than at the conference. The reservations people were extremely helpful when I called with questions and changes, and the motel staff were welcoming and friendly. Also, I didn’t have problems with my bill like I did at the Sheraton.
Speaking of affordability
The BlogHer Swap Meet became the red headed stepchild of the conference, surprising because last year it was a major draw. The first day it wasn’t announced, so no one knew where it was and didn’t show up. The second day, even though it was announced at breakfast, it was way over on the other side of the hotel by the gift shop. Luckily I made an effort to see Sahar from FatFighterTV who was selling beautiful wine charms, so I planned to do a little shopping. I bought a cool purse organizer from Organize with Sandy, and some jewelry and a t-shirt. Those women needed those sales to pay for their trip and it was disheartening that they didn’t get the foot traffic they deserved.
Can you hear me now?
I like partying and having a few free drinks while yelling at friends over the loud music. Yet, I wished there was more opportunities for hanging out one-on-one with people and talking. I did get to sit down with several people in the hall, but mostly it was rush, rush, rush to the next session, the parties, or to see a celebrity. Still, meeting people and connecting is the main reason I go to BlogHer, but now I have to make sure I schedule more time for it.
More learning, less touchy feely
Frankly, I’m tired of the navel gazing. Do we need to talk about being mommy bloggers for another year, really? Still I realize that conference newbies love those sessions and they’re much desired and needed. So how about more advanced sessions for us “old timers”? This is why I’m glad to see the call for a writing track. Lord knows I need it, and would love to see a photography and design track, too. I’d also like to see the Unconference come back, so we can create our own content, share our knowledge, and learn from others.
Companies need to work with everyone
I was disturbed to hear that the lesbian moms (and I assume the gay dads) are not getting pitched to and would like to receive products to review. PR people are you listening? Gay parents buy stuff and have influence, too. Marketing to them means your reaching their (more likely than not) straight offspring, friends and relatives as well as the gay community. Open your minds to it and bring your clients in line, too.
Work hard, be nice
We can have passionate discussions and agree to disagree while remaining professional and courteous. People should be able to decide for themselves what direction their blog should take and how it will evolve over time without losing friends over it. For example, maybe last year a blogger was passionate about sharing personal stories, but this year due to the recession, a few paid posts or free products helps her make ends meet. Respect her decision even if you don’t agree with it. After all, you probably don’t know the whole story behind how she blogs and why, do you?
Also, we can still be nice to someone even if she’s gotten a book deal, become a conference speaker, gotten a job with a PR or tech firm, had a conference sponsorship, or appeared on the Today Show. In her mind, she’s still the same person but with a slightly better gig than last year when she had to hold a garage sale in order to pay for her plane ticket to Blogher08. Check your jealousy at the door, OK? You’re better than that and there are enough opportunities to go around for those who want to work hard at getting them.
Speaking of bad behavior, I heard the rumors of excessive drinking, stealing someone's stuff out of their room, eye rolling, fist fights, streaking through the lobby, snogging someone who wasn’t your husband/wife, trashing of hotel rooms, and so on. We all read the tweeted snarky put downs as well. At times it seemed more like a Tailhook Convention than a gathering of women bloggers who wanted to talk shop without having to explain what a link or tweet was.
Or at least that’s how it appeared to the outside world when the majority of us were connecting with friends, learning and having a great time at a marvelous conference. It’s always the squeaky wheels that get all the attention. Next year let’s make sure we ALL get the attention for the positive things we’re doing.
See you next year in NYC at BlogHer10!
