I spent last weekend in Houston with a group of about 300 mombloggers and marketing professionals at the Mom 2.0 Summit. It was a great mix of socializing, practical advice, and networking. I got to catch up with some bloggers I love, meet some new friends, and find out more about the world of advertising in a 2.0 world.
I decided about a month ago to take down my BlogHer ads, (though I adore BlogHer as an organization and the women who run it are superhero(in)es in my book). The reason was that I had lost my will to blog, having left it all on the road during the election. I decided to check out this conference to see if it would be worth it to blog in earnest again, whether I should monetize this blog or not, and what types of opportunities might be out there for my other blog-passion, MOMocrats.
It seemed as though every time I sat down, I was sitting next to the most brilliant, fascinating, friendly person in the world. Much is written and discussed about the mean-spiritedness and competitiveness in the blogosphere, but really, not enough can be said about the way that we can come together and form communities, over coffee or martinis or blogs or Twitter and bond over our commonalities as women.
So, what did I learn there?
During the first session, internet guru and evangelist Guy Kawasaki told us how he went from would-be lawyer to diamond counter to Apple evangelist. The conference promised lots of "conversation", so true to that vision, he was interviewed by Karen Walrond of Chookoolonks, one of the first blogs I read with any regularity. Karen asked him one particularly compelling question: "Is blogging dead, and if so, did Twitter kill it?"
For me, the answer is "maybe." I spend much more time on Twitter, dropping in and out of conversations throughout the day, than I do on blogging. Guy's answer was a resounding "no". He said that for marketers, "Twitter is a weapon."
He explained how he has used Twitter to push out information about his latest venture, Alltop, and how, if used correctly, Twitter can be an effective way to promote your blog or business. I had mixed feelings about hearing this. I have been on Twitter since a few months after it was launched. I've seen it evolve from on-going chatroom (what are you doing?) to ego-farm (what am I doing?) to online marketplace (what are you selling?) to celebrity hangout (what is Shaq doing?) and back again. I tolerate Guy's endless stream of links because Guy is Guy,and he engages with the people in his Twitter stream, but anyone else would likely be unfollowed immediately if all they did was self-promote.
Guy recommended a few tools that he found particularly useful for business promotion: Twitter Hawk, Tynt, and Posterous. I haven't had a chance to check those out yet, but I can imagine that most of the women in the room have been to check out all of those sites.
The most useful advice that he had for us came at the end, in response to an audience question about dealing with trolls. He that as women, we continually undervalue ourselves, and that we allow the trolls and haters to take up way more energy than they are worth. "If you're not pissing somebody off, you're not doing it right," Guy said. Amen to that.
Other highlights:
- From Lisa Stone, Maria Bailey, and Holly Buchanan's panel (pictured), I learned that women control about 85% of household budgets, and are the primary decision-makers on major purchases. 64% of women have bought a product based on recommendations from blogs.
- From Isabel Kallman and Maggie Mason, I learned that ad campaigns on blogs can be both "elegant" and effective, if done right. Isabel cited Bossy's Excellent Road Trip as an example of this. Maggie noted that Target is an excellent company to work with.
- I didn't think Kristin Chase's or Jenny Lawson's writing could be any funnier, but learned that it can, if it's dramatically recited by a big guy in coveralls channeling Jerry Falwell and Larry the Cable Guy.
- From the brilliant, cheeky Catherine Connors, I learned that bloggers can and should incorporate social responsibility and social action into their work, and some effective ways to do so. She also demonstrated that a flying nursing bra, aimed just right, can make a world-class opera singer like Nathan Pacheco blush.
- Laughing to the point of tears while twittering with Aimee (Greeblemonkey), Devra (Parentopia), and others during the Yanni Voices video, including the responses from the people not attending the conference when Her Bad Mother's Bra went flying across the room.
Having dinner with Stefania, Sheila, Aimee, and Danielle at The Strip House, where excellent steaks are served amid photos of strippers from the 1940's. I half expected a lap dance to accompany the meal, but none were to be found. - Dinner with my MOMocrat sister-in-arms, Julie Pippert and her equally awesome husband at The Grove, an eco-friendly LEED-certified restaurant that grows its own herbs on the rooftop.
- Spotting George Lopez in the lobby bar and trying not to gawk. Amie and Joanne were with me, and verified that it was him. There were also a lot of tall, handsome men running around in the lobby, and I'm told they were part of the Mavericks NBA team, but I didn't have a clue who any of them were.
- Filming a spot for BlogHer Backtalk for Lindsay in the swank ladies room of the Four Seasons Hotel, while Lindsay and Yvonne looked on and hoped no one would flush during filming. No idea how that turned out.
In the end, I think that I learned that there are many bloggers who are like me, the ones who blog because we love the medium, want to have a place to put our thoughts, our dreams, and our daily lives. We make friends and connections along the way, which are much more valuable than advertising dollars. If we can be successful (however you want to define that) and make money at it, that's a bonus. If we form relationships with marketers of products we love, we are true to ourselves and our readers. There is no right way or wrong way to do it.
So, I guess I'll keep blogging the way I want to. And maybe I'll put those BlogHer ads back up after all, and if Nordstrom wants to sponsor my outfits for our cruise to China, Japan & Korea in July, I won't say no. I promise there will lots of photos and stories to share. It's what I do.
