BlogHer 2012 Is Nigh!

It's nearly here. The mecca, the mothership of all blog conferences ... BlogHer.

This will be my third BlogHer. Memos To The World was written at my first one in this fine city back in 2010, and I Cannot Write A BlogHer 2011 Recap after San Diego last year.

I love BlogHer. It's crazy. Going in to this one feels very different for obvious reasons, but I still really hope to have a good time and connect with some people. There's a trick to that - letting go of your self-consciousness. I know it's hard .. I'm a naturally shy person (my sisters are laughing right now) and it's so easy to just close up and not look at people in the eye and get all weird. If you can push past your comfort zone, be open and friendly and talk to everybody ... you feel connected. It's a human thing.

One of the best things about BlogHer is that you don't even have to attend to have fun. You can be at home in uggies, watching the drama or joy or the unveiling of a unicorn cake unfold via the twitter hashtag #BlogHer12. This year you're even able to make connections with other non-attendees with the account @BlogHeratHome

The full list of all the panels is HERE All amazing and talented women (and men) will talk on a huge range of issues and topics relating to the online world, social media and blogging.

Some of them are my friends:

Gorgeous Alex Asher Sears will be on the panel Leveraging Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram
"Let's demystify these three emerging social outlets for bloggers, one by one."


The Empress Alexandra Rosa and utterly cool chick Bon Stewart will be talking about Blogging for the Love of It
" ... success can mean living a higher quality of life because your blog simply means something to you and others."

BlogHer's own Rita Arens is on the panel for the writers out there - Turning Your Blog Posts Into Publishable Essays
"How to craft a great opening paragraph and keep the story engaging ‘til the bitter end. Learn some of the behind-the-scenes processes of choosing and editing pieces for anthologies."

The beautiful Elan Morgan from Schmutzie, Laurie Writes, and Neil Kramer are talking at #Blog2012 - A Conversation
"... the fate of personal blogging, what happens when a small percent of bloggers receive the lion's share of attention, the perils of honesty, and more.

Two amazing and really special women I met over five years ago are talking on the panel My Blog No Longer Fits Me: Blogging After Life Change Mel from Stirrup Queens and Lori from Write Mind Open Heart 
"Many people begin blogging to find support from others facing the same challenges they are. But what happens when the problem no longer drives your daily experience?"

There's so many more panels, meet-ups, opportunities, launches. It's spectacularly overwhelming. A lot of bloggers say the Voices of the Year is their favourite part of BlogHer, while some never make it out of the expo hall. Some scoff at going to panels, some attend BlogHer once then go straight home to shut their blogs down in a huff. Some bloggers are bitches who will not give you the time of day. Some are complete strangers until you stand behind them in the toilet queue and become friends for life, emailing each other across the planet during respective dark nights of the soul.

This year I'll be hanging in the Serenity Suite a lot, getting a grip on reality. I'll be scooting around panels, looking like a perfectly respectable, decent person. If you see me, come say hi. BECAUSE I'M TERRIFIED OUT OF MY MIND.

There is the biggest contingent of Aussie bloggers at BlogHer this year and I have not seen one in the flesh yet. (Ladies, let's DO this thing!)

More than anything, I'm excited about MamaPop's Sparklecorn.  I haven't danced in so long.

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I'd really like to thank my official partner for BlogHer12, Maybelline NY. Have been wearing "Fatal Red" lipstick every day since I've been here .. my husband loves it and keeps wanting to kiss me. I let him.

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