Mission: What is BlogHer Conference '05?

Why BlogHer? Why a conference? Why now?

"The guys all know each other, but we don't...What do I want to get out of [a BlogHer Conference]? More leads to interesting women so that I can follow their writings and mention them in my blog."
           - Charlene Li, Principal Analyst and Blogger, Forrester Research

BlogHer is a network for women bloggers to draw on for exposure, education, and community. By holding a day-long conference on July 30, 2005, and establishing an online hub, BlogHer is initiating an opportunity for greater visibility, learning and success for individual women bloggers and for the community of bloggers as a whole.

How? Here's how: Exposure, education and community for women bloggers...

• Exposure for women bloggers

BlogHer's goal is helping women bloggers identify, reach and grow the audience they seek by raising their visibility and searchability. Once women bloggers build relationships with each other -- online and in person –- it will be easier for Web users to find more quality, relevant bloggers. A broader diversity of top-trafficked bloggers will follow.

• Education for women bloggers

BlogHer's conference schedule is being designed as an opportunity for women to educate themselves and each other, both technically and conversationally. Via scheduled talks, panels and applied training sessions, everyone who attends BlogHer's conference, either online or in person, will have the opportunity to learn new technoilogies and best practives that help bloggers better express and market themselves. At the same time, participants will explore opportunities, challenges and key questions facing women bloggers, both those writing about professional sectors (such as journalism and technology) and those exploring issues fundamental to female identity online (such as motherhood and dating). An essential feature of BlogHer's approach to these discussions is the "Room of Your Own" track, where women in the BlogHer community can host their own seminars.

• Community for women bloggers

BlogHer’s conference and online hub are opportunities for women bloggers to develop a network of colleagues they trust and support. Only this kind of social network, steeped in shared interests and experience, will create a sustainable community capable of delivering ongoing, mutual exposure and education. That’s why the conference agenda and the site will afford plenty of time for discussion, formal meet-ups, ad-hoc conversations and fun. Because community begins at the conference, and we expect it to continue at BlogHer.org all year long.

• Recommended reading:

Where are the women bloggers? We’re right here! Women represent roughly half of all bloggers. A Perseus Development Corp. survey (12.04) reported 56 percent of blogs are created by women. A Pew Internet survey (1.05) reported that 43 percent of bloggers are women.

Bloghercon 2005: Is this the way to run with Halley's Comment? By Lisa Stone
Bloghercon: Now the cat can really be let out of the bag By Elisa Camahort

with Jory Des Jardins

and Rebecca Blood, Mary Hodder, Eleanor Kruszewski, Charlene Li, Rebecca MacKinnon, Susan Mernit, Chris Nolan, Sylvia Paull, Elayne Riggs, Jeneane Sessums, Halley Suitt, Nancy White and...

please add to the BlogHer mission reading list by posting your trackbacks and links in the comments below!

Comments

[Melanie McBride]

Our blogs, ourselves ... I love this. I'm glad this is happening. The only way we can frame women's blogs is to do so ourselves. I don't read Wonkettes or blogettes and neither do most of the women bloggers I read. But according to the media Wonkette is the most popular woman blogger. I find this infuriating given all the intelligence and dignity that is being produced by far far superior woman bloggers all over the world.

[Lisa Stone aka Surfette]

Melanie -- time to take the message back, isn't it? Amen.

Really hope to see you on July 30.

[Mel]

I just have to say that the blogher advisory board and "team" R0x0rz!!!!

I see Katrin Verclas has just been added - she was a powerhouse of support for our Toronto Penguin Day conference (thanks Katrin!). Katrin's a visionary.

As I said before, I couldn't have handpicked a more relevant, intelligent, and esteemed group of women to head up this fabulous conference.

I have a feeling the quality of participants will be just as rich :-)

PS - If Ellen Spertus is available you might want to ask if she'd be available to come and talk about women and safety online - she's done a lot of important work on the subject.

[Elisa Camahort]

Thanks Mel...I feel the same about Katrin. She has stepped in and volunteered expertise that's going to make a real difference to us.

And 'Women & Safety Online' is a great topic idea. Thanks for the referral.

[Lisa Stone]

Mel, Ellen Spertus is a brilliant suggestion! Thanks.

[Mel]

I just found this item in the Guardian blog about the FIVE technologists to watch. And of course... they're all men. I've already left a comment. I encourage you all to go and nominate all your favourite women technologists and visionaries. I only left three (they happen to be three of the blogher advisory board - but they were already at the forefront of my mind today). Perhaps you guys can think of more.

And if any of the contributors to misbehaving see this item I suggest it as a post. Misbehaving readers might be able to generate their own list of great women technologists and visionaries:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/online/archives/media/2005/04/hot_technologists.html

[Tish G]

Well, this is a great start!

It will be interesting to watch all this unfold, to see how women bloggers will work to help one another, to see how we will open up debate on the role and purpose of blogging, and to see if we can rise beyond the "all blogs are equal but some blogs are more equal than others" mentality that seems to pervade the male-centered blog discussions.

Now, if I can just get up the money...

[Mel]

BTW - technical issue:

There appears to be a broken tag somewhere in the comments. You'll notice there's an initial indent wayyyyy up this thread. Then all the comments are indented by at least two tabs.

There's a missing closing tag for a /blockquote.

[Lisa Stone]

Hi Mel,

That indent seems to be a bug initiated by a trackback. I'll file something to try to get it fixed. Thanks for the note.

[audrey Watson]

What about non-techie visionaries? My managing editor has a blog www.yesmagazine.org/svgblog. Lots of progressive magazines are using blogging for more immediate commentary, and its working, but as in print, there are probably fewer women. (on www.alternet.org, the columnists are 2-1 men. On www.commondreams.org the viewpoints are 3-1 men. and these are sites that are "politically correct")

[Audrey Watson]

What about non-techie visionaries? My managing editor has a blog www.yesmagazine.org/svgblog. Lots of progressive magazines are using blogging for more immediate commentary, and its working, but as in print, there are probably fewer women. (on www.alternet.org, the columnists are 2-1 men. On www.commondreams.org the viewpoints are 3-1 men. and these are sites that are "politically correct")

[Susan Melchert]

This is it - Knowledge is Power! - I can see us harnessing it.

My goal for the summer is to train other women how to use a blog site. Currently testing one at sbacoach.raincityblogs.com

If you have any questions or suggestions, please write to me at slmelchert@yahoo.com

[mobile jones]

Found this great resource on Contentious by Amy Gahran. A list of Women Podcasters with links. Check it out.
Women in Podcasting

[Jean Flynn]

I'm another non-tech who can't wait to see what my more learned counterparts can come up with, particularly in view of the fact that blogs are a new way for disabled women to come to the table without moving, hear new ideas without sound and comment without speaking. (Although Blogger still has a hurdle in its startup that the blind cannot sidestep without visual help.) :)

[Lisa Stone]

Right on, Jean Flynn. And we're planning to record podcasting of key sessions, at minimum, so hopefully all can virtually join us (albeit in English).

[Arieanna]

Hi - I would love to come to BlogHer and was wondering what kind of sponsorships are available to help us out?

I am a recent professional blogger - jumped into it about 2 weeks ago. It's been a great ride. From what I know there are very few of us who claim Professional blogging as a career, especially women, and I am really excited to be a part of it. I would love to share my experiences if that could get me down to the conference!

I live up in Vancouver. :)

[Elisa Camahort]

Arieanna: we do have Blogherships that will cover the conference fee to a group of people who commit to thoroughly live blog at least 2 assigned sessions. I will email you to hook you up to the volunteer who's managing the live-blogging crew.

[Melanie McBride]

Blogher Toronto, Montreal, London, Japan, etc ...

I would like to issue an open challenge/idea
to the organisers - a la Penguin Day Open Source Conference (ask Katrin what I mean
by this). The challenge is this:

If Blogher organizers could make some of your conference documentation available as
a PDF package, women bloggers and technologists in other parts of the world would be able to organise their own Blogher Day conferences.

The idea came about the other day when I met with Miriam (who is helping you with the conference). Miriam and I talked about how cool it would be if we (or whomever) could organize a Canadian version of the conference either in Toronto or Montreal.

The reason I bring up Penguin Day is because, as a conference that promotes open source, organisers also make all primary planning documentation available for people who wish to organise the conference in other cities. I'm not sure how it works with getting sponsors, etc but the basic documentation is shared.

Ask Katrin Verclas more about how they made the Penguin Day conference available as a package for organisers in different cities.
It's a great model.

Otherwise - I wish you all luck with the conference. It's going to kick ass!

[Lisa Stone]

Hi Mel - Yes, you have a great idea, as did Josia and so many others (see this post: "We are everywhere...").

As for documentation, everything we have, you have -- including the survey results for registrants, the mission, the goals. Once we have discussion guidelines, we'll post those too. On the day of the conference, we may recruit some more info from presenters (I suspect our tech teachers may even have handouts), and we'll post those after the conference in the appropriate session. otherwise you are good to go! If anything, I'd suggest you add and/or link your meet-up plans here and we can broadcast them to the world in a summary post by zip code/locale.

Go for it!