BlogHer ‘08

July 26th, 2008 | by Me |

If you were like me, and did not attend BlogHer ‘08, you spent four days last week looking just like this. And for good reason.

But don’t let the sour puss on the Keynote Speaker fool ya’, BlogHer ‘08 was amazing!

As a New York Times Fashion & Style writer describes it:

“The stalls on the second floor were lined with note cards featuring nurturing messages like “You are perfect.” Nearby, women were being dusted with blush and eye shadow, or having the kinks in their necks massaged.”

See? Told ya’! If it’s in Fashion & Style, it had to be good!

“Last weekend, about a thousand bloggers, almost all without the Y chromosome, attended the annual BlogHer conference, which began in 2005 to help female bloggers gain exposure. It has since evolved into a corporate-sponsored Oprah-inflected version of a ’60s consciousness-raising group.”

Clearly I missed out. But not as much as those who did not follow the Tweets and Blog entries that appeared during the conference. I followed several bloggers who microblogged on the scene and updated their blogs nightly, sharing a combination of light-hearted fun and savvy business tips.

I am offended that BlogHer was featured in the New York Times Fashion & Style section and not in Business or Technology. I find it blatantly condescending and undermining to the professionalism of the women who took time away from their families and day jobs, to gather with other tech savvy, multidimensional women, for a fresh exchange of ideas and information.

That’s what I believe I missed out on. Not a multilevel marketing cosmetic party with great door prizes.

Check out the rest of The New York Times’ review of BlogHer ‘08 here and then hop on over to this page to check out the BlogHer schedule for the rest of the year.

If you’re lucky, the BlogHer Reach Out Tour will make a stop in a town near you.

If we’re all lucky, media coverage for the rest of BlogHer’s calender will highlight the cute shoes and the wealth of information that is exchanged when bloggers (male or female) gather together.

BlogHer 08 - Heather Armstrong - Closing Keynote
Originally uploaded by hyku