Drizzly morning. Rolled out of bed after 4 1/2 hours of sleep, showered and ran down to the hotel lobby, where I met dozens of women waiting for the bus to the Navy Pier for the first day of Blogher 07. Oddly, the sign said "The Corporate Experience," but the crowd--in everything from tattoos and piercings to cardigans and kitten heels--or both--boarded anyway. Hubbub in the bus, women's voices, excited chattering--reminded me of a long-ago bus ride up to summer camp, the only real difference being that I did not wear my hair in pigtails, I was not wearing stupid green shorts, and my name was not (as of yet anyway) pinned to my shirt.
What is the sound of 700 women bloggers? Loud, I gotta tell you. Women have a LOT to say. But it was so exciting. Elisa, Lisa and Jory started off the day with a brief welcome, followed by a "speed dating" session in which I exchanged cards with probably two dozen women (It sort of felt like high school. Will anyone call?) There were health bloggers, body image bloggers, business bloggers, parent (okay, "mommy") bloggers, old, young, everything in between.
The first session I attended was called "The Life Stages of Online Communities" and it focused on how to build a community, how to nurture it, and some wry thoughts from Aliza Sherman (aka Cybergrrl) on how to let go. Great advice on how to maintain the trust of your community, and real-life examples of what happens when you do something that goes against the expectations you've set at the beginning: "If you're going to monetize, say it up front."
I was so impressed by Carol Lin, the former CNN anchor who left the network to care for her husband as he was dying of cancer. She is starting a site for families of cancer patients, which sounds like it will be a terrific resource.
And what happens when your community starts to take control? It's tough, as a founder, to face, and tough to do the right thing for the sake of the group. "It'll never grow," Aliza said, "if it's only you. It may not be what you thought it was at the beginning, but it could be a powerful thing. so let it go."
Great morning. Gotta run and learn more.
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