Thursday, July 12, 2012

I'm going to #BlogHer12!!

 I would have never imagined this two years ago but....
I'm going to BlogHer '12


I'm going to the Blogher '12 Conference in August!!!!

Two years ago, I remember reading post after post by my favorite bloggers recounting their experiences attending the most recent BlogHer Conference they went to and feeling so insanely jealous of all of them. I also simultaneously felt incredibly insecure and inferior compared to all those who attended. These bloggers were the real deal.

Flash forward two years, and I can't believe I am actually signed up and going to my first BlogHer Conference! I still feel an incredible amount of apprehension about going: Will I fit in? Is my blog too childish? Will I meet people? It's no secret that Saying "I do" is in this weird limbo period at the moment: Stuck between my wedding/attending all my friend's weddings and post-wedding life and I'm feeling a little lost in sense of what "direction" to go in next. When I saw panel discussions such as: The Personal | My Blog No Longer Fits Me: Blogging after Life Change, I was ecstatic because this is exactly the type of advice I've been looking for. Just look at this schedule! I will not be sleeping for three days straight, that's for sure.

How did this come about? A few weeks ago Ariane, from Stoymix Media suggested to me that I attend this year's conference not only to network and gain social media experience for Storymix Media, but also for my own personal blog exploration and discovery. It was the first time it actually dawned on me that I should be going to this. This is THE conference I've been wanting to attend for years now. I wanted to give her a great big hug and say "Thank you". I don't think I would have ever decided on my own to attend, but Ariane made me feel like I was actually worthy of attending such an esteemed conference and finally helped me take the plunge.

People's Party - I'm Going!So I am in need of some tips and advice! I've already connected with many of you who will be in attendance and I can't wait to meet up with you in person! Connect with me on Twitter (@lwoodsny) where I will be posting a lot of #blogher12 and #blogher12newbie posts in the coming weeks. I have so many questions as I enter my first ever blogging conference and I hope you can help/reach out to me if you are attending as well!

Have you ever gone to a blog conference before?

What do I bring? laptop? ipad? iphone? old-fashioned pen and paper? chalkboard??
Can I have blogging business cards made up in 3 weeks?!
Do I bring my big (but amazing) canon camera?!
Will I be sleeping at all?!

7 comments:

Lexi said...

That is SOOOOO incredibly exciting!!! I would say pack light (iPhone and iPad maybe?) and you can DEFINITELY have cards made up in that time... Vista Print can EASILY do it!

Hopefully someone who actually knows something about the conferences will be able to help you more... packing light is just what I think of when I go to conferences... easier to be everywhere you want to be when you don't have to drag a huge bag of electronics everywhere :)

Shannon said...

Sounds like a lot of fun, hopefully you get some good tips while you're there.

Jillian said...

this sounds like so much fun. I can't wait to hear all about it, maybe I will go to the next one!

HiLLjO said...

OMG Have so much fun!!! I'm jealous!!!

Karen said...

That's so exciting!! I can't wait to hear all about it - the topics are definitely something I'm interested in as a "transitional" blogger too!! Have a fun time!!

Mrs. Pancakes said...

That's so fun...I definitely want to go next year:-)

eliz said...

Oh wow sounds like a great and learning experience! I wonder if they ever have events in other cities...hmm..