Need a Helping Hand: The Hamburger Helper Hand stands close by to assist me just in case.
I’m finally taking a moment to post my wrap up of my first BlogHer conference. BlogHer 2010 in NYC featured more than two thousand attendees, sponsors galore and tons of swag (sadly much of it not too thrilling). I was very moved by the automatic camaraderie generated there. While we came from different parts of the country, had different ethnic backgrounds, upbringings and personalities, we connected because we had one very important thing in common – we love blogging.
For us, it’s not some kooky hobby. It’s a way of life that can be quite lucrative in some cases (many bloggers have added the title social media consultant to their names) and in other instances garner perks and chunky samples from sponsors. Or it’s a way for us to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Though this was my first BlogHer, my perspective as an attendee was different. I didn’t attend simply for the workshops and parties. I came to speak. Much of my time was spent researching and polishing up my part of the presentation for the Geek Lab workshop, I had come to give.
My co-presenter Kristen Kuhns from Tier Solutions and storyofmylife.com and I had met once over the phone in a conference call and exchanged emails after that.
Kristen Kuhns from storyofmylife.com
I was a little nervous as to how our tag team would work out since we had never practiced. All of those fears melted away once we met and reviewed our Powerpoint slides.
Our topic “Your Online Legacy: How to Control Your Digital Footprint” was presented to a modest size audience. Thank you all who attended! (Download our full presentation and make sure to look in the notes section for more in depth explanations. Also read the liveblog version.) The small crowd allowed for a good back and forth dialogue. We talked about everything from digital wills to preserving printed photographs and letters in a digital format to online privacy to whether a mom should be wary of posting photos of her newborn in a blog dedicated to uh well her newborn.
I reconnected with the ladies from Blogalicious (see you in Miami in October.) And I made new friends with the three smart and friendly ladies I roomed with. I did miss a few things though. I missed Olympic champ/Kardashian hubby Bruce Jenner pouring orange juice at the Tropicana booth (but I did explain who he was to the person I sat next to at the morning luncheon.) I also missed Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef who was hanging out in the expo hall.
I also missed some hot parties thrown by Hallmark, Kodak and Martha Stewart. I’ll have to dig deeper next year to get an in. But I had fun sporting my Gap outfits and running into bloggers who had Gap makeovers.
I partied hard enough and collected enough swag to bring back and give away.
Take a look at some of my shots from my first BlogHer. (See more recaps).
Fabulous Four in the City:Me and my blogger roommates Queen of Quirky in the center, Amethyst Moon on the left, moi and Communications Goddess.
 Loralees Looney Tunes sports a Tutu for Tanner to support the wishes and cause of young Tanner who's dying of Duchennes Muscular Dystrophy. |
| View Tutus for Tanner BlogHer 2010 album |
 Fiesta Forever: Latinas in Social Media gave the pre-BlogHer2010 kick-off soiree. They sponsored twelve young bloggers at the conference. |
| View BlogHer 2010 Social Fiesta Event Album |
 BlogHer 2010 Mascot: This cute pooch from the Bide-a-Wee animal shelter came looking for a home at BlogHer 2010 and could have very well become the conference mascot. |
| View Bide-A-Wee Dog at BlogHer 2010 Album |
Networking Power: Taryn P. discusses your power color at the Offline Networking for Bloggers workshop. Click on the image to watch parts of the session.
Ebay Fashion: Sex & the City stylist Rebecca Weinberg styles me at the Ebay Fashion booth.
 Altec Goodies from BlogHer 2010: Speakers that blare music from any iPod, iPhone or Mp3 player were among that good stuff at the Alltell booth. |
| View More Altec Goodies from BlogHer 2010 |
Tungle Her: Savvy Tweeter University of Maryland grad student Andi Narvaez tweeted about her love for Tungle.me - the scheduling app. They found out and sponsored her trip to the conference.
 Let's Dance!:Yahoo Shine Booth rep (lady in white) wins the Let's Dance Wii Dance Contest. |
| View Let’s Dance Contest Winner at Blogher 2010 album |
 Blogalicious Dancers: The Blogalicious dancers got the party started "right" at the "Bloggy State of Mind" party on the last night. |
| View the Blogalicious Last Day Party @BlogHer2010 |
Nice to Meet You: Finally met fellow blogger and reader Angela Cooper of HangingwithMrsCooper.com (Click on the image to view her BlogHer video highlights.)
So Fresh:The Pillsbury Dough boy makes the rounds.
