Except I’m not going to dwell on the social side of the conference. Others have already done a brilliant job with this topic, including:
- Deb on the Rocks’ BlogHer One-Year Cycle
- Motherhood Uncensored’s 10 (well 11) Tips
- Christine (BostonMamas) on Shedding the Adolescent Baggage at BlogHer
- Mom-101’s pre-BlogHer Field Guide
My personal plan for navigating the social side of BlogHer is simple: have no expectations, enjoy the moment, smile and try to listen more than I speak.
And sunscreen.
No, my post is about the BlogHer Conference. You remember — that thing sandwiched in between the parties and swag bags and bowling and private events and makeovers and such?
BlogHer is a damn brilliant blogging conference.
Here are some of the sessions I am looking forward to.
Friday at 1:15 – Brands and Bloggers. It’s a great panel, and Jory DesJardins is always an excellent moderator. Plus, FTC regulations, boycotts, lions, tigers and bears. Oh my!
Friday at 2:45 – Blog to Book. What can I say. I will finish this book someday.
Friday at 4:45 – Community Keynote. It was the best session last year. Full stop.
Saturday at 10:45 – Travel Bloggers as Boundary Breaking Evangelists. I’ve just started a family travel blog and will also be attending the Travel Blog Exchange meeting on Sunday.
Saturday at 1:30 – Women Writing In The Age Of Britney: Pop Culture & Gossip & Feministy Stuff, Oh My. The ladies of MamaPop.
And of course in the cleanup slot of Saturday at 3:00 pm, we have the panel I am moderating, Enough About You…Who’s Reading You? so I am definitely planning to show up for that one.
My fellow panelists are Laura Roeder, Twanna Hines and Ree Drummond, and we’ll be talking with you about the relationship of a blogger with her readers. Do our readers impact how we blog or what we say, or not? Does the author have a responsibility to her readers?
We’re on opposite the Room of Your Own, Dying is Easy, ROTFLMAO Comedy is Hard: It’s two, two, two comedy panels in one! with, among others, Deb on the Rocks and the Bloggess, but I’m still hoping a few of you will show up to talk with us.
Take the time to make your own list of sessions that matter to you. Don’t feel that you have to go to every single session, but do yourself a big favor: don’t miss the conference while you are at the conference.