At the beginning of the month I went to a little conference called BlogHer10, held in beautiful New York city. Twenty four hundred attendees isn’t quite “little,” but that’s beside the point. Naturally, I anticipated learning a lot about blogging. I was going to see what the conference was all about and what I had been missing as I read other’s recap their experiences year after year.
The agenda had several tracks so there were tons of sessions from which to choose. I was still making my decision for the first session during the opening breakfast for new people. The photo above is from the newbie breakfast. Yes, these are just the new people. I was late and stood in the back, balancing my plate of fruit, buttery croissant and orange juice while listening to wise wisdom being imparted from those who knew more than me.
I surprised myself by choosing a session under the “Change Agents” track. I had no idea why I was there. It was about my agenda. My mission. I kept wondering why was I sitting in a session about building community around my cause? I didn’t know, but it was the first of many sessions that taught me more than I ever thought possible from a blogging conference.
There were sessions about SEO, monetizing your blog, taking better pictures, copyright laws … all the things that bloggers need and want to know. I thought I might go to a few of these sessions, but session after session I kept leaning toward the ones that focused on making your blog your passion and actively deciding and engaging your community to make positive change. Deep, I know. Not what I thought I was going for, but everything for which I needed to go.
I learned so many things that you can’t be taught from reading a book or listening to a podcast. It’s the one off conversations, the lunch time chit chat where you really learn. I learned so much that seemingly has nothing to do with blogging. That I have an important voice. Being a mom is some of the hardest work I’ll ever do, but will also be the most rewarding. Storytelling is powerful. Women are powerful. I am powerful.
There was some fun stuff too.
I got to see this cute kid sing his version of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.” He is just as amazing in person as he was on his original You Tube video from his school recital. He sang two original songs off his new album too. Yes, I said album. This cutie pie signed with Ellen DeGeneres — they’re both going to be uber rich. Wait, Ellen is already uber rich. I guess this will solidify her uber richness for life.
Everyone was taking photos of him. He’s going to be famous one day. Really.
He signed autographs after his set. It’ll probably be worth a fortune in a few years.
You probably think I’m going to talk about this martini. It’s the official BlogHer Berry Cosmo with Absolut Berri Accai, cranberry juice, triple sec and lime juice. Every bit as luscious as it looks. But it’s not what I focused the lens on in this image. It’s about the chips. These amazing, lime flavored chips the hotel bar serves with their adult beverages. I had to order a second drink because I plowed through the first serving of chips too fast. If you go to the Hilton New York on Sixth, between 52nd and 53rd, you absolutely must get these chips. Pair it with a martini and you will be set for the life.
This conference was amazing, exhausting and enlightening. It’s not about blogging, it’s about having a mission, sticking to it, believing in what you do and taking the time to have a chip or two.
Related:
- Didn’t go? You can read all the liveblogs and even download podcasts of every session. How’s that for awesome?
- If you think blogging isn’t about writing, read these “Voices of the Year” posts.
- See all my photos of Grayson Chance on my flickr page.
- Watch Grayson’s “Paparazzi” YouTube video that made him famous.
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You pretty much covered it all. And a chip or two. I like that for an ending. Great photos of the kid.