Jul282009
Back from BlogHer ’09
Filed under Vacation by Kim at 3:34 pm on Jul 28 2009
All the way out to BlogHer, I was thinking, why I am I going here?
All during BlogHer I thought, why do I blog?
And in the aftermath of BlogHer I keep thinking, when can I write?
It was an idea that Genie put in my head, since I do enjoy blogging and over the years have appreciated it for many reasons and justified it in many ways, all of them still applicable. So it seemed completely obvious to go to a really fun conference about it with one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. And in the aftermath, the whys of attending are easily answered in the interesting connections I made and in the gamble of possibly making new friends in the process. Plus:
- I got to ask the MamaPop panel something in person that I am typically stuck asking the glowing image of their website on my screen on a daily basis: What about feminism?
- I got to eat a single $9 piece of sushi. (It was only maybe worth it.)
- I got to put my mala to heavy work during the whole flight-out debacle.
- I got to know my roommate Megan better, in a way that involves eye contact and comedic timing and repartee.
- My social mind got so much exercise and challenge.
- I got extra drink tickets (at a party that involved eating unicorn cake butt) from a mysterious hottie.
- I got to be inspired by blog warriors and activists in the Leadership: Hope and Change panel that reminded me that I don’t need to have a thicker skin to fight the man a little here.
- I got to belt out “Wheel in the Sky” on the karaoke stage.
Sometime Saturday I tweeted my new definition of the word ‘celebrity’ (paraphrased): When a person has more people interested in them than they can interact with in any substantial way. Obviously the word has a real meaning, but thinking about the dynamics of an event like this had me really questioning the way my reasons for blogging interact with my reasons for going and just how much of an attention whore I really am. I sure as hell got out there and “networked”. I admit I hope to see more hits to my site. But truly, it’s all for naught if I can’t meaningfully interact with the people who come here and read what I have to say, since I don’t want to write a book and I don’t want ads.
I’m really glad I went. I have pages of notes to filter through to see if there’s anything else I want to report to you guys about my trip. But for now I leave you with the glowing smiles on the faces of myself and my posse that hopefully explain why BlogHer was so awesome:
1 lumpyheadsmomon 28 Jul 2009 at 3:56 pm
I’m so jealous. I really wanted to go, but maybe next year. I am so happy I got to meet you beforehand!
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Kim Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
At least next year it’s in driving distance! I am happy about that too, and I hope there are more local meetups to come!
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2 Graceon 28 Jul 2009 at 4:28 pm
What did the MamaPop panel SAY?
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Kim Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Well, it was kind of a long set of answers, and I didn’t record them exactly. They mentioned that it was a good question. I basically had asked why the panel mentioned feminism but their about page did not. We were talking about the meaning of “gossip” and I asked in the context of “while we’re laying down meanings…”
I know that Sweetney said something (I hope I don’t egregiously misquote here) to the effect that it’s really hard once you put a label on yourself. I can understand that – I don’t say this is a feminist blog, though I’m a feminist, and I write from the perspective of a self-avowed feminist.
They also said that they hope they come across as writing from a feminist perspective, but I don’t know how to respond to that, and I couldn’t in that forum since I’d asked my question. MamaPop was billed to me as a feminist site. “Hey, check out this site about entertainment – and it’s feminist!” So when I read it and it didn’t really seem all that feminist to me, I was like, what? Am I like, super radical or something?
I will say that I don’t comment there nearly enough, since for some reason I can’t get on that site while I’m at work (not that I should be commenting while at work, but I could over lunch or something!) but maybe I should, if I want to support them or challenge them. I had kinda decided that they must not be a feminist site so I wouldn’t really harsh their mellow for not living up to my standards of feminist.
I pretty much loathe getting into any conversation that amounts to “is this feminist enough!!!” because my experience is that over and over again it becomes totally unproductive. But I will say that it’s worth it to engage people who consider themselves feminists in discussion, even if it’s about Gwyneth Paltrow. I mean, now I know! Also I think maybe I am a little radical sometimes.
OK so I didn’t tell you THAT much about what they answered. But that’s what I remember!
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EvilSlutClique Reply:
August 5th, 2009 at 2:01 am
We were in that MamaPop panel too and not being super familiar with the site ourselves, we really appreciated your question and had similar feelings about their answers. But we’re also in that camp of ‘we’re feminists and we write about feminism, but we don’t call it a feminist blog’, so we can understand some of the challenges there too.
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Kim Reply:
August 5th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Thanks for the reply!
I am coming around to the point where I understand not using “the f word” in your about page, because you immediately diffuse any “you call yourself a feminist but!!” arguments. People can have comments and arguments but they are not framed in some weird set of rules that no one knows.
On the other hand… I hate the stigma about the word!!!
3 PMMJon 28 Jul 2009 at 5:27 pm
Fancy. Glad you had a good time!
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4 Peter Farrellon 29 Jul 2009 at 9:48 am
It may be a pose, but I do not think I have ever seen you look happier. Great to read you had a nice time.
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Kim Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 7:32 am
I am glad you read “exhausted and overwhelmed” as “happy”. 😀
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5 Angela @ Lost In Splendoron 29 Jul 2009 at 6:58 pm
I have the same feelings about Mamapop.
You had better be going next year!!! I’m so there. For reals. NYC!
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Kim Reply:
July 30th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Next year is very much up in the air. If I’m in nursing school as planned I will be broke as hell and my dance card will be very very full! We shall see… I do want to go again.
I’m glad I am not the only one who feels this way about MamaPop. One of the people I was talking to (and I will let her take credit for this if she wants) said that if I hadn’t told her it was supposed to be a feministy site, she would never have known. I did notice that since the conference, I’ve seen some posts I like, so that’s good!
There’s not much out there in the way of entertainment coverage that manages to be feministy and still fun, so I really do want that!
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