I know that like 99% of y'all don't blog and aren't interested in blogging and blog, blog, blog. Am I the only person that hates that word? It's like blaaaaaahhhggg.
Anyway, I know most of y'all don't care, but I've been asked "Should *I* go to BlogHer?" enough times to be like "Meh, I'll write about it." So, tune out if it isn't your thing. I promise I won't hold it against you.
MOVING ON.
BlogHer this year for me was PHENOMENAL, which, obviously. I'm one of those super annoying people who will tell you that places and things can't be boring or sucky, only people can. Don't like what's happening in the room you're in? Move! It's easy! Don't like the people who are around you? Walk away! You can do it!
OK, so it's not always easy, but when I found myself fighting the urge to curl up in a ball and rock in the corner during a session that somehow ended up focusing on how important blog stats are and how to check them and OMG HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW YOUR QUANTCAST DATA KABLOOEY, I got up and walked out. I wandered down to another session and found it to be an absolutely fantastic discussion about how to skirt the line between living your life out loud on a blog and being a jerk who says too much.
There's something for everyone, is what I'm saying.
Honestly, I agree with my assessment from the last time I went to BlogHer that the sessions aren't great. I want more from them. I want it all. The Voices of the Year presentation was, of course, the exception in that it was pretty fantastic. Any time spent honoring well-composed words is time well spent.
However, the highlight of this year's BlogHer for me turned out to be something HUGELY unexpected. I was invited to attend a sales meeting with several key BlogHer sponsors. If you think that sounds like something Little Miss I'm Not a Brand would cringe at, I did. Until I got there. It turned out to be a fantastic opportunity to be all RAWR! I'M NOT A BRAND! to the people who really matter and not look like a douche.
It's good when you can walk out of a meeting not looking like a douche.
I'm still pondering some aspects of that meeting. It turned out to be like putting fuel in my tank, which I really needed. I've had my finger on the "shut 'er down" button on this here blog many, many, many times the past few months, but I think some of the discussions I had in that meeting were enough to make me put my hands back on my keyboard where they belong.
If I can sort it all out in my head, I'll write more about that meeting. We shall see.
Other highlights included just being in New York. Just being along with 5000 other people who also happen to blog. While some of them may not conduct themselves the way I want to conduct me, myself, and I, a lot of them are good people. Fun people. People worth being all "Heyyyy!" when you see them in the hall.
And some of them are jerks. I'm looking at you, Miss I Walked Behind A Table When I Wasn't Supposed To And Tripped On The Giant Speaker And WAAAAH! My Brownie Fell! Where Is My $1 Million Hotel Staff Who I Bitched At For Ten Minutes.
I walked away from her. Quickly. While pointing and mocking. (She was not injured, except maybe for her pride and her REALLY GIANT ENTITLED EGO.)
I didn't have a plan for any of the conference and instead chose to just wing it. That worked out perfectly because I spent every minute of every day with some fantastic and amazing and hilarious people. Jayna is forever and always one of my favorite people. Cara is magic to be around (especially when you need an elevator). Jenny can make my day just by saying her site name. Cynthia is a whirlwind of creativity and fun. Jenna is everything that makes me happy. Heather may be a Clevelander, but she's SO sweet. Karen lights up a room just by being in it. Jill makes me want to yell, "YEAH! WHAT SHE SAID!" Laurie manages to be EVERYWHERE and always has a smile on her face. Tarrant can fluster me into silence with her kind words like nobody else can. Jen is startlingly gorgeous and amazing and so sweet. Carmen can make me laugh just by looking at me. I could go on and on and on like this, listing people who I adore and who make the world a better place, but who I normally only see through words on my laptop screen. (If I didn't specifically name you, say your name and follow it with "makes the world a better place. I very seriously feel that way about you. Yes, YOU.)
And that's what BlogHer is all about. The people. Yes, there is swag and there are parties and you know what? I came home with very, very little swag and went to very, very few parties but I still had fun. (The key to the parties, I think, is to go ALL IN at one--I went all in at the Harley Davidson party, which was pretty much the greatest party I've ever been to. I do deserve brownie points for not asking Margaret Cho what the hell she was thinking with the pants she was wearing, though.)
Sure, there is drama at BlogHer. I heard inklings of some of it, but this isn't high school, folks. You can unfollow the drama and walk away from the drama and TAH-DAH! No more drama!
Once you pick your path at BlogHer, it's yours to enjoy. Every last bit of it.
So, should you go to BlogHer? I don't know. Ask yourself if you're committed to learning from thousands of other bloggers and even more committed to having fun while you do it.
(I took like 10 photos while in New York and only three of actual people, proving once again that I can't be trusted to take photos during an event.)