Getting Ready to Rumble...

I'll soon be travelling down to London for the Bank Holiday weekend with Antony and Tracey, and Mark and his mate Glen. We are travelling down for the Carneigie Challenge Cup Final at the new Wembley stadium - we'll be supporting our super team St Helens who play against opposing team Catalans Dragons (who incidently beat us 21 points to nil in the league game last Friday!) leaving us joint top of the Super League with Leeds Rhinos.

We have just spent the last hour booking our train journey and hotel and this year we are staying in the Novotel London Excel. We get there Friday lunchtime so there will be plenty of time to do some sightseeing and drink a few beers on route! Catch a WestEnd show and enjoy an evening meal (and some more beers). Saturday it's the game and then celebrations (win or lose) with friends we have arranged to meet up with... Carole, Juicy Lucy, Bouncing Babs and Antony's bosses and their families, so we are in for a good day and evening what ever the outcome of the game...although if we lose I know we will have to put up with Baz and Adi poking fun...but they are to be excused, they know no better, as they are Wigan supporters! (boo and double boo...just remind me again what position you are in the league table...ah yes that's right you are 8th...need I say more lads!) We'll have more time to sightsee and recover from 'hangovers' before we leave London Sunday evening.

St Helens were the cup winners last year when they beat Huddersfield 42 points to 12...can they claim their 6th Challenge Cup Trophy in 12 years or will the trophy be travelling back to France? Here's hoping so...just one thing left to say...COME ON YOU SAINTS!!!

BlogHer Conference Report...

I have been back home from Chicago for a few days and the third annual BlogHer Conference is now a somewhat distant memory. The Grand Ballroom at the Navy Pier was 'colonized' for two days by 750+ (mainly female) bloggers who write about a myriad of topics on their personal and business blogs such as, technology, politics, sex, healthcare, media, race, food, fashion, art and crafts, beauty and parenting. Being one of only three Europeans attending I did not bump into any familiar faces, but made plenty new acquantencies through networking and it soon became clear that there was a diverse set of bloggers. Listening to the keynotes and some of the session discussions were interesting but there were, without a doubt, a few cringe-worthy moments. On the whole I can honestly say that I didn't learn anything new, and things I did already know about social networking were confirmed.

I have to mention that the 'beauty product freebies' from the promotional sponsor stands were in abundance...will I fit them all into my suitcase, will they tip me over my luggage allowance I ask myself...I have enough beauty products to keep my body perfectly moisturised for a year, and I bet not many people can say that they have been to a technology conference and come away with 'nipple cream' samples, oh and not forgetting the verbal and written information on how to cook your turkey to perfection.

The thing that became most apparent was all these bloggers were hoping that you will join their communities for the right reasons...it's simple really...engage with them because you can bring something to their community and they to yours, and make sure that there is real common ground. If you can do this, and you're involved in it mutually, then you are on the right track and on your way to creating a successful social network community.

Go to http://www.knowandnetwork.org/berylb/weblog/62.html for a full report on the conference sessions I attended.