Archive for July, 2009

Whew. Here I am at BlogHer09 in Chicago — I haven’t been here 24 hours yet and I’m already amazed by the experience, the number of great people I’ve met and the incredible things that can happen when passionate women come together. This is true whoever and wherever they are — and while I am not surprised by this (since I witness it every day) each time the realization hits me, it gives me chills. It’s wonderful to see so many women connecting on a multitude of topics.

Some thoughts in no particular order:

– The excitement that happens when online friends meet IRL for the first time never gets old
– They weren’t kidding when they said you’d need an extra suitcase for the swag
– Although I was kind of worried I wouldn’t know anyone here, I have run into people that I do know or have mutual friends with (in addition to those I only know online)
– Regardless of the above, have met so many lovely ladies and they’re all very kind and welcoming
– Don’t stand in between a woman and free stuff (seriously, don’t)
– It’s ok to take a break every now and then — there is no way to do and see everything, so let it go.
– There’s no substitute for being real.
– No matter what your preferred platform or medium, there are certain shared values and motivations that do not change
– Being Mrs. Potato Head at BlogHer has to be a hard job
– You are always your brand whether you want to be, intend to be or not.
– Trying to definitively decide which sessions you’ll attend before everything starts is like (insert some clever analogy here)… probably impossible.
– Sponsor booths and marketing opportunities are as equally fascinating as the sessions.
– Healthcare and advocacy is coming up a lot
– As is women & balance and women & confidence — and how more struggle with this than you might think
– You will be exhausted. But in a good way.
– Be proud of yourself if you resist the urge to eat the $4 mini can of Pringles from the honor bar. You will respect yourself more in the morning.
– Overheard: “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Good point. Am focusing more on connecting with people vs. quantity.
– If I forget that I’ve met you already, please pretend that it’s ok. Maybe you’re so awesome I want to have that “first time experience” again. On that note, thank God for nametags.
– You may think you don’t “belong” here, but you do. BlogHer conference, in reality (at least from my observation), is less about blogging and more about relating.
– If you’re feeling overwhelmed, chances are everyone else is, too.
– Going to bed early may result in missing streakers in the lobby.

So much more to say … stay tuned.

It seems that every summer, an unusual phenomenon happens… scores of women online simultaneously wonder: “What am I going to wear to BlogHer?” With only a few days until the much-celebrated conference, I’m starting to ask myself that same question — along with a whole host of others. I loved reading this post — one BlogHer’s primer about who she is and what to expect, so I thought I may take a stab at writing my own as a way to break the ice before I meet a whole lot of new people in Chicago this week.

1. This will be my first time at a BlogHer conference, and I admit it — I’m a bit nervous. Knowing that I’m totally not the only one should make me feel a little better, but … no, still nervous.

2. I’ll be on the panel for the “Healthcare by Committee” session on Saturday at 1:30pm. I hope you will stop by to join in, ask a question or cheer me on. (Preferably all three!)

3. I’m a mom to a 12 year old daughter who astounds me pretty much every day and stepmom to three great kids that I don’t get to see nearly enough. I’ve been married for just over a year to a sweet guy who just might spend more time online than I do. We went to Graceland on our honeymoon (thankuverymuch). I’m the Director of Community for iVillage and am insanely wrapped around anything in the online community/social media/[insert buzzword here space]. It is an intensely demanding and fabulously rewarding job. I’ll be pulling double duty as Caryn and “that iVillage lady”. I am a big believer in identity crises.

4. I can haz Poken (and am not afraid to use it).

5. I also have cards (that I’m absolutely in love with) and I’d be glad to give you one. I just might have some flair for you if you’re lucky.

6. I’m kind of a “lapsed” blogger, writing in fits and starts and then falling off the wagon for months at a time. Maybe you can help get me back on track or maybe there’s simply no hope for me. (This is also likely why I was not officially named the Poet Laureate of eBay, despite my campaign.)

7. Although I’m in love with all things community, I tend to be a little shy and am the quintessential lurker in the blogosphere. In fact, I’m probably reading you right now.

8. I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of new people, sharing ideas and taking it all in. If you have a suggestion for me, I’d love to hear it.

9. I understand that there will be karaoke. This happens to be my favorite art form.

10. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I roomed with one of the fabulous Community Keynote readers. I’m looking forward to catching up with her, as our lives have both changed significantly since that far away galaxy I mentioned.

11. I love music, poetry, cooking, travel, photography, doing the NYT crossword, Wii, people watching, Pringles and wine. I do not, however, love flying so I may have the jitters. Have mercy on me.

12. I don’t have an entourage so I’ll be looking for people to hang out with — luckily I think I’m going to be in great company.

Will you be at BlogHer this year? Or do you have any tips to share in general? Would love to hear from you and Chicago, here we come.

Ok, I admit it, I’m not a big movie person. I’m not sure why, but I’ve just never been what you might call a cinephile. In fact, I may even be a cinephobe. I’m sure this has something to do with the time my dad took us to see Jaws 3D. I was 9 and don’t really remember anything about it but I’m positive there’s some psychological trauma there. In any case, I’m kind of notorious around this house for not wanting to watch a movie (although I do often give a free pass to any movie made before 1950). On Sunday night my husband even said, after I had rebuffed the idea of settling in with an as yet to be determined flick of the evening, “That’s just weird.” Actually I don’t think that was his exact quote, but I think it’s a good summary so we’ll go with it. All of this to say that even if I had the inclination to be a movie person, I think I might have justification for my reluctance after seeing that two childhood institutions are now being made into full length films. Of course I’m talking about the upcoming versions of Fame and … wait for it … The SMURFS. I’m not even making this up — IMDB doesn’t lie, people.

While I suppose the idea of a Fame movie to will be a great way to capitalize on some of the recent success of similar films, such as High School Musical, I felt a wave of “what a bad idea” rush over me when I saw the commercial. I wasn’t really a big fan of Fame as a kid, so maybe I’m not getting the nostalgia factor they might hope to cash in on. I was, however, big into The Smurfs. I like blue Smurfs and I cannot lie. Many a Saturday morning I would gladly settle in with a Pop-Tart and watch the antics of Brainy, Grouchy, Smurfette and Papa Smurf as they narrowly escaped the evil clutches of Gargamel. I even stayed with them when they introduced the Smurf *kids* and I’m sure I had several pieces of Smurf-related paraphernalia. So trust me, I get the lure of making a Smurfs movie, but I think there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Sure, I know there have been a long line of childhood classic remakes and characters making their way to the theater (or straight to DVD, depending). Alvin and the Chipmunks, Garfield, Dennis the Menace… not exactly shining examples of cinematography. Perhaps no one is claiming these to be the next wave of classic films, but if we go down the road of making a Smurfs movie, what is to stop us from taking Q*Bert to the big screen, or (heaven forbid) the Snorks? Have we lost all sense of decency? Can we not just enjoy these moments in time as they were? Or are we bound to take every last shard of childhood and render it with CGI and voice acting by folks from the latest Judd Apatow romp?