Chic Galleria Writer Recaps BlogHer '09

If I learned one lesson at BlogHer '09, it was "quality vs. quantity".  I am no stranger to conferences.  I attended my fair share back in my past corporate life that was also pre-Twitter, pre-Facebook and frankly pre-Social Media Marketing so it was definitely a different ball game.  Back then it was all about the workshops and the swag slinging only happened within the confines of the exhibit hall.  Not the case anymore.  Now that bloggers are the new hot vehicle for brands to get noticed, blogging conferences are now a marketing free-for-all inside and outside of the exhibit hall.  While the BlogHer Conference was successful in bringing blogging women together to network and learn "in real life", it also brought out the best and worst in these women... and the best and worst in the PR/Marketing professionals / brands trying to reach them.

The Good
BlogHer did a great job of putting together very informative sessions and break-out workshops that addressed all levels of bloggers across many genres. I was especially impressed with the sessions that addressed the "Daddy Blogger" and husbands of blogging women.  There were also a few sessions devoted to new media and how to effectively market to bloggers and how bloggers can position themselves to be profitable.

It was nice to see the conference embrace and accommodate families and breastfeeding/baby-wearing moms. Though I personally did not bring my children and were told no horror stories about experiences, I am assuming that these parents felt comfortable with the arrangements.

The open BlogHer parties were fantastic and gave us all a chance to mix and mingle in a fun atmosphere that was very inclusive and welcoming. The majority of the attendees that I was able to connect with were just as genuine in real life as they are online.

The Bad
The wireless service in the Sheraton left much to be desired.  Many of us were not able to connect to the Internet in our rooms via WiFi or via ethernet cord.  I noticed that some ladies lost service while trying to mobile blog or tweet during sessions.  Mobile phone usage was also touch and go at times.  It was very disappointing.  I mean, this was a bloggers conference.  Didn't they know we were expecting to...um...blog?

Since BlogHer was sold out in an unprecedented five months ahead of time, they created LobbyCon...a mini-conference experience for those who were not able to get a full or one-day pass.  I had a chance to speak to some of the Lobby Con-ers and the consensus was they did not need to pay $100 to hang out in the lobby and be treated like the conference red-headed step children...they could have done that for free.

I felt a bit sorry for the non-mommy bloggers in attendance.  The general focus for everything seemed to be heavily weighted toward mommy-blogging.  While the majority of the women there were bloggers who happen to also be a moms, not all of them classify themselves as mommy-bloggers.  I'm sure they did appreciate learning about the latest and greatest from PlaySkool, Clorox, Tide, and Wal-Mart but if talking about those experiences is not the focus of the blog, well...you get it.  It was also weighted heavily in the favor of moms with pre-school aged kids.  Moms of kids over the age of five were just out of luck in bringing home goodies to share.

The Ugly
The existence of private "invitation only" brand sponsored parties seemed to create a divide among the bloggers.  Sort of like "the haves" and the "have nots".  It was almost as if "the haves" taunted "the have nots" with their exotic "swag" and their "na na na na na..."I got invited and you didn't" attitudes.  As if being invited to these parties somehow lifted their status in the blogosphere and gave them the right to look down on everyone else regardless of followers, hits, and subscribers.  It caused me to lose respect for some of the bloggers I once looked up to.  I get the exclusivity of it all...I have been invited to special blogging events myself.  But the idea of making someone else feel lesser because they are not as "priviledged"...well that's just wrong on so many levels!

The depths that some of the attendees sunk to for free products was just appalling!  From the minimal...just walking into a brand's suite or up to their booth and grabbing the swag without so much as a "hello" or any other conversation about the products they were practically stealing...to the ultimate...actually telling a brand that they will negatively slam them on a blog if they do not get the goods!  Yes, it got that ugly!

Despite the Bad and the Ugly, it was a lot of fun and I feel that I made some lasting friendships and some fantastic business connections.  I was glad to meet a good number of the women that I speak to on line every single day.  Seeing them in person...hugging them...made me love them more.  That to me was what held the most value about this experience.  It truly brought the theme of "In Real Life" alive.  Do I plan to attend next year?  That is still up in the air...however I hope that the conference will adopt a more "quality vs. quantity" approach when planning the activities.