Non Sequitur (And Non-Sensical) Observations Of #Blogher 09

* Being as All About Meeting People as I am, I approached Blogher as (mainly) an opportunity to spend some time with an old friend, meet in person friends/buddies from the internet and to express my fondness for a list of bloggers whom I've loved from afar.  AKA: a mostly social event. 

* Being a Hobby Blogger who doesn't even participate (yet?) in an ad network, I know relatively little about the business-end of blogging.  That's not to say that I don't appreciate it or that I wouldn't love to be more inclined to get involved in that way.  Some of the bloggers I admire most make part or full time livings from the blogs that they write.  I found that this in no way diminshed my enthusiasm and/or my experience of Blogher.  It did leave me unprepared for the interested question that I received a couple times, 'What do you write about, TNG?'  To which my answer was, 'Uuum. Nothing, really, since you put it that way.'  HA HA HA!  Not a Good Brand, right there.

* You may have read about Hashtag-gate of '09 and this is what I'll add to the thoughtful and frankly fascinating (to me) discussion: every single time I hear someone say Hashtag, I immediately sing it in my head to the tune of Weezer's Hashpipe. [I got my Hashtag. Du nuh nuh nuh, du nuh nuh nuh.]

*  I had the opportunity to speak with my first, real-live PR person.  And you know what?  She was a PERSON!  Just like US!  I think that she even has a blog somewhere.

*  There were a few situations which made me feel like I'd stepped into Weird World.

*  The first was the Feeding Frenzy that was the Swag-Bag-Grabathon.  It's been talked to death, I know, on Twitter and other blogs but I gotta tell you, it was, um, disturbing.  It literally made me uncomfortable.  (And not for nothing but for the most part? A trip to CVS with a stop at the grocery store (I got two KIWIS!) would net you most of the interesting stuff that I came home with.)  I guess, for me, the bags were supposed to function as like, thank-yous.  Like party favors.  And what I saw seemed akin to a guest walking into your reception hall at the very beginning of your reception, asking if the candy/centerpieces are free and then collecting the lot of them and walking out, to you know, go hit the next wedding.  It was WEIRD.

*  The next was how some people act toward/respond to Internet-Famous Bloggers.  I know a few and let me say this: I'm not talking about fawning and/or proclaiming your love to said IFB (either from across the lobby or up close with socially approriate interruptions.) I'm talking about this scenario, which I personally witnessed MANY times, while talking to various IFBs:

I am in conversation (mundane, perhaps) with an IFB and a FAN approaches.  She interrupts without saying 'Excuse me' or anything remotely like it.  Mostly, she just begins to talk (and talks only to the IFB, sometimes standing between us, even.) At first, the FAN will introduce herself but then, THEN (here's the real kicker to me) will bring up and want to discuss IN DETAIL a topic/post/situation from the IFBs life that is completely incongruous to the real-life situation in which we are, you know, SITUATED.  Dead moms/babies at dinner?  Diseases and Injuries and Accidents at a cocktail party?  Separations and Divorces and Child Custody during the key note?  I GET that people get star-struck, but still, TRUST when I tell you: It was WEIRD. 

I was pondering this one during the whole weekend.  Is it just a variation on the celebrity thing?  Is this what it's like to be a famous person's sister?  Is it because the bloggers share sometimes super-intimate details of the struggles of their lives and so, people inevitably feel like they already KNOW the person?  That happens to me too.  Even so, here are some tips that will keep you from looking weird: When approaching an IFB, say 'Excuse me, I just wanted to introduce myself.'  Then introduce yourself to ALL the people standing there.  Then feel free to express your love for and devotion to them for their writing--tell them that the posts they wrote about the divorce or disease or death really touched you/moved you/changed your life. Get a hug, maybe.  And then?  Go get a drink and eat a shrimp puff for fuck's sake.  It's a PARTY.

*  I was completely oblivious to any kind of 'Mean Girl' behavior.  The place is big and people are circulating and even when I was with IFBs and FANS interrupted, there was graciousness in response.  To me, the experience is what you make of it, just like any other.  The people whom I approached were also gracious, real, funny women.  Jenny The Blogess?  Is down to earth and just as funny in person.  Yvonne from Joy Unexpected is EXACTLY how you think she'd be.  Kate from Sweet|Salty? Ahh. Inspiring.  Amy from Amalah is quick-witted and NICE.  I don't know.  I was awash in admiration.

*  There is some Wicked-Ass TALENT in the blog-o-sphere, yo.  The Community Keynote (alone worth the price of admission) showcased and highlighted a range of bloggers/topics that had me doing that cliched thing: I LAUGHED! I CRIED!

*  Almost every single blogger that I met was even more attractive than their avatars would have you believe.  Really.  They are a pretty (and handsome) bunch.

*  One of the best compliments I got all weekend was when Annette from Catnip and Coffee said this:

'You talk just like you write.'

Which is really, really nice person code for: 'WHOA! You curse like a SAILOR even in real life!'

Comments

[marty]

I love the description of how people came up and started talking to someone you were already having a conversation with - and ignored you. That is tops on my list of pet peeves, and I remember it happening a LOT. I don't think it's necessarily a BlogHer thing - just a crowd/conference thing.

When it happens to me, I usually say something absurd or highly inappropriate just to make the point that I'm still standing there - unless I've already walked off.

Glad you had a good time overall, and I hope that we'll both be there next year and can meet :)

[Manic Mommy]

Ditto what Chicky said. A 10-second quicky in a hallway sounds like a date with Hugh Grant, not a bloggy meet up with someone you've known for more than two years! Guess I should be glad our ships at least crossed in the night.

(oh, and squee! Slouchy's going next year!)

[mimi]

Grumble bumble. Why didn't you go LAST year or the YEAR BEFORE so i coulda met you? Wah. I'm glad you had fun. The famous thing is weird, but the genre is so intimate online ... and then so carnival at the conference ...

[jodifur]

you, are a delight. And I adored meeting you.

[Chicky Chicky Baby]

Yeah yeah, BlogHer this, BlogHer that. What I really want to know is, how was the skunk problem when you got home?

:)

(It was ridiculously fantastic to meet you and my biggest, seriously BIGGEST, regret is not spending more time with you.)

[Amelia Sprout]

Just hanging out with you in that suite was one of the high points of my weekend. You are just as funny in person as you are online, and I really hope you go next year. I'll hold your baby, Margot seemed to think I was OK at that.

[Stimey]

I loved getting to chat with you at the MamaPop party. You were high on my list of people to meet, and I am so happy that we got a chance to hang out.

[Binkytowne]

I am so happy I got to meet you IRL. You are beautiful and I love your laugh! I hope we get to do it all again.. maybe next time you can have a cocktail!

[Laura]

I'm not usually a star struck type of lady, but I have to confess I would be mighty excited to meet you at such an event. You're my favorite blog because you bring the FUNNY, end of discussion!

[Julie @ The Mom Slant]

I knew I'd love your take on the madness (and the good stuff too), but reading it makes me even sadder that I wasn't there to meet you.

[Mom101]

I want to respond to this post but you're not famous enough for me to engage with.

Okay, it was great. I'll give you that.

[The New Girl]

Andi: Thanks for the head's up...it was too early in the morning. I fixed the links.

[Andi]

Shoot, P.S. I wanted to mention that the links in your post aren't working, just an f.y.i. because I was checking out the other bloggers.

[Andi]

Love your post! Straight-forward, down-to-earth. I did not go this year, got my ticket for next, so I am sort of absorbing everyone's impressions. Best thing, is in exploring people's post Blogher posts, I am getting to "meet" a lot of new (to me) blogs to add to my reader. People are just people whether you are Brangelina, Obama, of Dooce, so treating people like people will get you a lot farther than the whole star treatment - I think it is embarrassing for the IFB.

[AnnetteK]

No, in fact, it was code for "damn you're funny in real life too, it's not fair!" Heh. You hit all of this so right on. There was definite weirdness, but rest of it was awesome. Including you.

[-R-]

I have been frustrated reading posts by some bloggers who seem annoyed when their readers talk to them, like, God, who do these readers think they are trying to actually talk to a big-name blogger. But this post helps me understand the annoyance. That is just WEIRD.

I'm glad you had fun!

I love Weezer.

[Lori Portka]

fascinating. So fascinating given that I know at least one of the IFBs. Plus I'm still laughing on the eat a shrimp puff comment.

[Swistle]

Yay, a BlogHer report! I'm so interested to read about it!

[The New Girl]

Fawning over my boobs is ALWAYS allowed...lol

[slouchy]

will you be going next year?

'cuz i'd like to meet you.

and i promise, i won't squee or grab your swag bag or fawn over your big (or not-so-big?) bewbs.

(i may, however, tell you how cute TLNG is. but then you already knew that...)