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.
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