BlogHer is the largest blogging conference for women in the world, and this year it grew to over 5000 attendees who swarmed the New York Hilton from August 2-4. This was my first blogging conference and it was exciting, overwhelming, informative and exhausting all at the same time.
This being an election year, President Obama was most likely advised that speaking to a huge group of women — who blog — would be a positive step for his campaign. Though Governor Romney was also invited, he chose not to participate. Via live video, President Obama acknowledged the strength and power of women.
This was the tech message of the weekend. Check your blog on a mobile device (iPad, iPhone, Android, etc.) to see how it looks and how quickly it loads. If it’s not up to par, fix it. By 2014, mobile usage is predicted to outnumber desktop usage. This is especially true for personal bloggers.
Google is ranking blogs with video higher than blogs without. Not only that, but the video needs to be original, not culled from YouTube. So get ready for your closeup — someone’s going to be watching.
There’s no point in going to an event like BlogHer if you’re not willing to boast and brag a bit about yourself and your work. Everyone is swapping business cards, following each other on Twitter, and showing endless enthusiasm for each other.
Your numbers on WordPress, Blogger, or any other traffic tracker are not relevant when it comes to advertisers. Only your Google Analytics numbers matter. And if you don’t know how to interpret your numbers, you should learn.
Blogging is a lot of work, with very little initial return, and takes commitment, perseverence, and a tough skin. All of the women I met — from the blogger with 1 million hits per month to the bloggers just getting started — love what they do and believe that they will succeed.
I went to BlogHer with no IRL relationships. I left BlogHer with some amazing new friends, great business contacts, and sponsorship opportunities to pursue. As terrific as the virtual world is, it’s vitally important for us social media users to get out and meet each other as real people.
With over 130 official sponsors (and dozens of unofficial sponsors at offsite events) ranging from Samsung to Dole Foods, BlogHer demonstrated how much mommy bloggers, coupon bloggers, lifestyle bloggers and others mean to large — and small — businesses’ advertising strategies.
There are some bloggers who have advertisers climbing all over each other to build a relationship — but not many. Most bloggers have to spend hours and days and weeks cultivating relationships with PR companies, social media managers and more. Making money for bloggers takes an enormous amount of effort.
Many bloggers go to BlogHer just to collect the stuff the sponsors are giving away, both at the conference and at the many, many offsite, unofficial parties. Sponsors are eager to give you stuff, but keep in mind that you then have to get it all home.
With multiple sessions each day ranging from “How to Vlog” to “Advanced SEO,” there was a lot of information to take in. By focusing on the technological track, I was able to learn more about the nuts and bolts of blogging but missed out on the more nuanced classes about using your voice and the challenges of being a midlife blogger (though I already know about that).
I can’t tell you how many advertisers — and bloggers — got a bored, distant look in their eye when I said that I’m a midlife blogger writing about things of interest to people my age. Despite that general reaction, I was able to connect with a few sponsors who were happy to hear that I was an older blogger — so there is progress.
The most empowering fact of all is that we women bloggers are a collective voice that’s being heard. The keynote speakers, Martha Stewart and Katie Couric — two of the most successful women in media today — both made it clear that in order to make a difference, whether in our lives or someone else’s, women — bloggers or not — must be strong, self-reliant and, to some extent, hard-headed. They are absolutely right.
Have you ever been to the BlogHer conference? Any thoughts on women bloggers? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Featured image courtesy of JD Hancock licensed via Creative Commons.
Sharon Greenthal is a former stay-at-home mom, now empty-nester. She lives in Orange County, CA with her husband Peter and their perfect dog, Lambeau. Her two children are away at college. Sharon blogs about her observations the world around her, from the important to the inconsequential.
Glad that video is very, very important. I'm definitely doing more video, and I'm having a lot of fun doing it. Time will tell if people like my "casual setting" and conversational style versus high-quality production. All the reading I do stresses the importance of "Humanizing the Brand" -- well, my vlogs are definitely human and virtually "uncut".
Your are amazing Sharon. There are plenty of women in your situation, and I am sure they are grateful that you are out there still. I need lessons on how to reach out to PR people. I am moving in a new direction and want to acquire sponsors. Don't know if I should wait until I am relaunched or start looking now.
Is it as simple as writing an email or sending a proposal?
Hey, that's me too... middle aged! Blogging mother to 16, 18 & 20 y/o; looking for others I have this in common w/ because that's where it ends, because I wouldn't give my troubles to a monkey on a rock.
I am also "of a certain age." Let's just say that my favorite music is from the SEVENTIES! I am also an empty nester, but I call myself a "semi-retired-mom" :) I found you via @profkrg and I look forward to reading your blog!
@mbhunt I'm so glad you found me, and I look forward to connecting with you on my blog. My favorite music is from the 70s too!
For someone who missed this conference these are real gems, @sharongreenthal. Thanks for summarizing so well. I'm bookmarking this to read again and fully absorb the learning from it.
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Great points Sharon, terrific post. This is a huge help for anyone who missed BlogHer. There were a couple of terrific sessions on writing and how to improve your style and gain the readers ear.
Point by point?
1. Of course
2, 3 & 4 Yep sorta
5. Not so
6 -9. I'm with you
10. Swag is a burden. It's like permission for someone to irritate you with phone calls. I skip all the swag. When I was at BlogHer in Chicago I'd come back to the hotel and dump swag bags off with the concierge... guess who didn't get a hotel bill? Yep, me.
11. Yes
12. How do you think that will change? I'm 42 it's like wearing a cloak of invisibility.
Your points #7 (Connect), #8 (Bloggers are important) and #12 (Midlife women) are my favorite. And they all represent well how much and how fast our society's communications are changing. Think about it... Just a couple years ago we had to justify & explain that we where,what? bloggers. "You do that full time?". And today, we know of some of the top brands that conduct their main campaigns around bloggers. We ain't there yet, but I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel. For midlifers too!
@AnneMarieKovacs you are leading the charge on the change for midlifers. Your B(l)oomers party was the highlight of the weekend for me (and many others!).
Hi Sharon -- I love this distillation of the whirlwind that was BlogHer. Can you believe I arrived there WITHOUT my business cards. Oy! Like you I'm an older blogger and I'm impressed by how successful you've become so quickly. You are obviously doing a lot of things right. xo
I agree with every word you wrote here. I think the world still doesn't really know what to do with us, but we're here and we're here to stay.
It is a little harder for our age demographic to keep up when so many of us are still tech-phobic. But as people like yourself get out there and show how it is done, our demographic will grow in voice and influence.
Thanks for the post - and the reminder to get a couple more things done for my blogs. Oy. It never ends. But I will succeed. I will succeed. I will succeed.
You reminded me that I still have to finish my BlogHer post!
Thanks for putting this up. Since the conference is so big I only experience a tiny slice of it every year, so the things you learned are different from the things I learned. The Google analytics and video stuff, were new to me.
Awesome list, Sharon!! Thanks so much for the link. It was great meeting you at BlogHer and getting to know you.
I agree, Sharon. I loved meeting so many wonderful women at BlogHer12. It's on my "must" list for next year.
Great summary. My experience in the Expo hall with brands was hit or miss. Some brands really got it. but others sent the B-Team who had no idea how to work with bloggers in any niche. No plans for blogger outreach? Just there to give out stuff? You are wasting your time and mine with that. I'm looking to form working relationships with brands.
