My take ~ but remember, it is just my take ~ make your own decisions…..as I know you will anyway

This was a comment on Debbie Lawrence’s post called Storm Watch 2010…but man it was sooo good, I needed it here too…

I consider myself in a very odd position in this storm.  First of all, I went to Blissdom last year and one of the first bloggers I met that I didn’t already *know* (as in online know) gave me a piece of advice.  I took it and I’ve grown exponentially because of it.  She didn’t give that advice to the attendee’s in her session though.  Why?  I’m not sure, but that one piece of knowledge was what I was seeking.  The rest was gravy. 

I met some of my best online buddies right now.  I’ve roomed with some of them at other conferences.  The networking freakin’ rocks.  The sessions….can be summed up by the advice of that one blogger at that one dinner the first night. 

I also attended Mom 2.0 Summit.  It was a sponsored trip.  The highlight of the trip was when Guy Kawasaki sat down at his computer and said, "let me show you a few things" to a full room in the opening keynote.  The rest….was gravy.  Oh the networking was more than wonderful.  But, honestly, I’ve figured up the costs of that trip for me this year, about $1500.  For networking?  Unless I have a sponsor again, that simply can’t happen.

 

I have a room reserved for Blissdom.  Not a ticket bought for the conference.  Networking.  It is within driving distance and I can sit in the lobby and enjoy the chatter of the online women I *know*. 

I attended two other conferences last spring.  The Social Networking Conference which was again sponsored and I had this teeny tiny role in and the Florida Conference for Women which was partially sponsored and I had another teeny tiny role.  The networking at those 2 was no where near the level of the others.  It was a different crowd. 

You see, I’m not into drinking, dranking and drunking.  And the crowd at the last two I mentioned was extremely business like.  So, while I didn’t spend time hanging out and "networking", I made some awesome business contacts that have transpired into a bit more than just the friendships.  And don’t get me wrong, the friendships are great.  I live in a remote area and as far as friends go?  Online is about all I have besides my immediate family.

And then………………………………….

I went to Blogher.  I networked.  I was fortunate enough to be part of the Ford bloggers tour and that was great and a wonderful learning experience, especially considering my husband‘s love for Mustangs.  The rest of the conference…………….was………….a……………….b….l…………..u..r…………

I didn’t attend one session.  I spent my time in the hallways chatting.  I would go from group to group networking.  Not drinking, not partying but chatting.  Then I spent an enormous amount of time in the lobby online, watching the Twitter Feed, watching the people do ridiculous things in the name of swag and…..I met a few more great people there…albeit several of them…ok most of them were men.  Go figure.

That trip this year would set me back about $2K and it is the week my youngest child starts kindergarten.  To network?  No, I don’t think so.  If you are wondering why I didn’t attend any sessions, because after that first night at Blissdom, with that one blogger and that one piece of advice, not one session had managed to live up to the depth of that…and so….why bother?

I came home from Blogher beaten down and downtrodden.  I wanted to go to Type A Mom because *everyone* was going to be there.  I even asked to speak because if the one blogger with her one piece of advice was going to go to conferences, speak on panels and not tell everyone what she told me?  Then I was wanted to do it.  I was denied. 

And then I became even more disgusted.  I wanted some concrete information on how to do some concrete activities.  And no one had that answer….or no one was willing to give me that answer anyway.  It was a lot of "you can do it" and "you just have to do your time" and "work it and it will happen for you".  I’ve been doing this 10 years….that motivational-fluff is old.

Fast-forward and I was a speaker at WordCamp Birmingham.  Not only was my portion a bit warped and difficult (due to some scheduling issues) but it was coming a horrible rain and I had no babysitter.  But, I did it anyway.  And I learned more those 2 days with just a couple of other "MEN" than I had at any other conference…minus that one blogger and her one piece of advice on the first night of Blissdom.

Fast forward some more and the GirlfriendsGuide Conference was rushing up and I couldn’t make up my mind.  And, then I saw that my favorites Charles Orlando and Jenn Fowler were speaking.  And I signed up with the cheapest conference fee EVER.  And I did it from home.  And I can re-do it now.  And guess what?  Not only did I meet another prolific person in the online world, Kevin Roy, he actually Skyped for almost 2 hours with me later that night regarding a question I asked during his session.

2 hours!  That’s 2 hours outside of his conference session of an hour.  That’s more time and advice than I have received from any one blogger anywhere.  And, what I learned from him will eventually (as in when I get my butt in gear and actually take some action) be just as beneficial. 

And I didn’t go to Type A Mom but I read about it in various places.  It sounded like fun….for networking…..but the sessions….more motivational fluff.  And, if I need motivational fluff…..I can find that almost anywhere and certainly somewhere that costs a lot less.

Blog World Expo?  I wanted to go.  I tried to go.  It just didn’t happen.  I wasn’t even interested until I actually spoke to one of the guys at WordCamp in Birmingham and he put me in contact with one of the conference guys.  They had something that I thought I wanted to hear.  And I made a half-hearted effort to get there.  I had options…..but even still…none seemed to be good enough to leave my family for a weekend of….what could possibly be….simply networking.

I asked someone that was going to check out some of the sessions that I had been turned on to.  And, he didn’t.  Nor did any of the other 8 or 10 people I *know* that went.  So, chances are, I wouldn’t have made it either. 

So now what? 

Well, I’m in a strange place.  I want a conference.  But I want it my way.  I am seriously considering a conference in February but mostly because it is a great deal, it has at least 2 of the speakers lined up that I have already learned from and I know I can count on and my family can go and it will still be a great deal. 

I will discuss it more with my husband tonight and then we will decide.  But in the meantime……..I"m in that storm…much like a good bail of hay just getting blown around from one side of the barn to the other side of the pasture with but one needle in my haystack and that ….that was inserted on the first night, by one blogger….who didn’t tell anyone else that great piece of advice………

Please understand, I mean no ill will toward anyone, especially conference coordinators…I just wish…..I just wish I could get someone to listen to me……and maybe I am the minority here.  Because the conferences with 50 plus speakers in two days time with less than 500 people…well they seem to be selling out so obviously they are pleasing at least one group of bloggers……..

For me…right now…I’ll stick with networking…after all, that’s what I do best isn’t it?  Talk and talk and listen and listen and talk some more. 

PS:  (I stole that from Jenny, heheheh)  I Googled one of the conferences that I mentioned above yesterday…..and they actual conference site was the number two site on the page……guess who was number 1?  Yea, me, hahahaha, see that Ego in yesterday’s post on Perception.