Monday, August 02, 2010

Has Blogher10 Jumped the Shark?

A good portion of the blogosphere is all aTwitter (literally) about the upcoming Blogher 10 (#blogher10)Conference happening in New York City this week.  I'll be there with swollen cankles and full-on maternity couture.  Is H&M and Old Navy maternity considered couture?   No high heels for me at this point.  If you are taking bets on me giving birth (#BirthHer10) while there you can just put your money away now.  My OB is convinced I'll be right on time for a late August delivery.  I'm not buying the Hilton a new mattress.

I'm excited about Blogher like I am every year.  The friends, networking, seminars, parties and chance to dress up a bit and have some fun in a way only we bloggers can, but I'm beginning to wonder about it all.  It's just so hyped now.  It's so huge it should be called BigHer. Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Has Blogher as a conference 'jumped the shark'?  It is truly great that the blogosphere has expanded this much in a few short years.  We can all come together with our different ideas and thoughts and discuss them in one space.  I love that about Blogher.  I love that sponsors want to be included too but I hate the hype that now surrounds everything to do with this event.  From what will you wear and pack to what parties you attend it is beyond the basic concept now and I fear it is all about the sponsors to so many.  Yes, we all like swag. I get many reviews from that stuff but I sort of hate how a coupon for a free can of soda creates mass hysteria.  It's chemicals in a can people not gold. 

Maybe it won't be like that this year. Maybe we all learned from last years debacle of frenzied, elbowing of babies and adults alike to realize that a free jar of teensy tiny playdoh isn't worth it.  Free vibrators aren't even worth that and I seem to come home with a new one each year.  Here's to hoping we can look beyond all that and get back to the real reason we are there.  Drinking with other bloggers. Heh.  No, really it's all about learning about our craft as bloggers and writers. It's about running whatever business we have created and not losing our freakin' minds. 

7 comments:

  1. I really wish I had gone to BlogHer years ago...before it became this...this...creature! I'm reading from more and more seasoned bloggers that they're skipping BlogHer. It does make me wonder....

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  2. This is my first BlogHer and I am definitely a littler nervous about it because of "THE HYPE." I just hope it lives up to my monetary investment. I hope I LEARN something. Sigh.

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  3. Fantastic post. The hype is getting a little ridiculous. I was starting to feel like it already happened this weekend.

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  4. I can't even deal with some of it. It's absurd, completely absurd. It gets harder and harder to stay outside the fray. I think twitter makes it worse -- the relentless pandering to sponsors and hashtags and jockeying for some kind of weird social status that doesn't really mean anything anyway.

    I am practicing deep breathing and trying to focus on the fact that this is the one shot I have a year to see some of my favorite people in the world live and in person. BlogHer has done a lot for me as a writer and a person and I really, really try not to get caught up in the other stuff. That said, I do think it's fun to dress up. :)

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  5. I hope not as well. I truly love going to Blogher but it is all about staying true to why we go and filtering out all the rest while there. It can be incredibly hard to do and a bit exhausting.

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  6. I didn't go to BlogHer and now I'm glad I didn't. We have plenty of play-doh and soda. Ilook forward to reading more of your stuff! I am following you from MBC. :)

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