First of all, I want to apologize to the women of BlogHer for messing with their official badge without first asking permission (and doing a bad job of it at that).
But I needed something I could use to illustrate this post, and this year's genuine BlogHer badges are so clever (i.e., "I'm wearing cute shoes to," "I'm wearing a cute baby to," etc.) -- well, I wanted one that explained my particular situation this year.
No, this is not going to be another post where I'm whining about my perceived problems. Last week ended for me on a high note: I was the last minute winner of a free pass to the country's premier conference for women who blog, which opens today in Chicago.
BlogHer is very special to me. I've been to three BlogHer conferences, including the very first one in 2005, which opened my eyes to what blogging can be. I live blogged several of the sessions that year (including the legendary first one for Mommy Bloggers) and took away insights and benefits from that conference that still guide me here.
Four years later, BlogHer is a powerhouse with a major advertising network. Today, the world recognizes the power of women who blog, and there are lots of specialized conferences that target segments of the female blogiverse -- so it's hard to recall how radical it was when Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort and Jory des Jardins proposed a meeting for female bloggers who were being ignored by the male-dominated media and tech industry.
The second BlogHer conference didn't feel as magical as that initial event, and when the 2007 meeting was announced for Chicago, I decided to skip it. Of course, that's the one everyone said was the VERY BEST and after reading the participants' accounts of it, I vowed to never miss one again. So I was there for last year's blow-out in San Francisco, and planned to go this year, which would once again be in Chicago...
...and then the recession hit, which is the reason so many of my posts this year have been so negative. I did not reserve a hotel room for BlogHer because back in January, I wasn't sure we would be able to pay for it once July rolled around. I hemmed and hawed about registering for the conference... but that didn't last long, because it sold out really fast. I figured as long as it was out of sight and out of mind, I'd be OK.
But ignoring BlogHer in 2009 was going to be even tougher than it was in 2007, thanks to Twitter. Just about all of the friends I follow are going to be there and I hate that I'm missing an opportunity to actually TALK to them.
So when I learned from the Yahoo! Mother Board group I belong to that one of the company's tickets was going to go unused (and would be given away to the first person who responded), I only thought about it for a couple of minutes. I won the ticket...
...and it felt like something of a miracle. In a year when few good things have come my way, THIS could be a sign that my luck was turning.
Even more miraculous was the fact that in the course of just one hour, I had a roommate in Chicago (plus two additional offers from friends who were willing to let me share their accommodations)... I had a commitment from my wonderful friends here in SoCal to help me out with Megan while I was away... I ordered new business cards (as I'm out of the ones I got for last year's conference) and I learned that an LA delegation would be flying out on a Southwest flight dubbed the "Party Plane," complete with free drink tickets donated to the cause by the airline.
At that time, I didn't need an airplane to fly. I felt high all by myself.
But what goes up inevitably comes down. Booking airfare to Chicago less than seven days out is expensive and when I added everything up (the flight, the hotel room, meals) - I realized that my sojourn to BlogHer would end up costing in the range of $1000. I think I could justify that as a business expense in a normal year. But with the ongoing house repairs and the vagaries of the California economy still weighing upon us, it didn't feel right. So on Saturday morning, I thanked the folks at Yahoo and returned them the ticket so someone else would be able to go in my place.
I'm going to miss the parties. And I'm going to miss the inspirational boost I get each time I go to the sessions, during a year when I REALLY need that. At least, I don't have to choose between concurrent sessions on Mommy Blogging, Travel Blogging, politics and the various "Geek Labs" -- ALL topics I'm interested in!
But I am comfortable that I did the right thing. And on Friday night, I'm getting together with some of the other LA area BlogHers for an intimate party of our own. I'll be bringing my new cards.
And I've told my husband that I intend to get out more. As I've grown older, I've become more of a homebody. I don't like going out at night. I'm also kind of socially awkward (but that's the subject of another post).
Part of that has to do with being a mom and living all the way out here in the far reaches of the San Fernando Valley. I've been restricted by my daughter's schedule - but I also admit to using that as an excuse to stay home. There is no reason why the only times I get out and socialize (and network and learn!) with other blogging friends is at events like BlogHer. And from this point on, I'm going to do it.
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