Last week, from July 25 -27, I had the pleasure of joining one of my writing friends/colleagues in Chicago for the BlogHer ’13 conference. This conference is the meeting place for 5,000+ female bloggers who, cumulatively, have a connection to 93 million blog readers globally. The power of the female voice is awesome!
It was the first time I attended this conference and I was amazed at the women I met there. Dynamic, opinionated, confident and fearless, these women shared the experience of the blogging life with one another in a collaborative effort. We gained invaluable insight on striving to be successful women from our keynote speakers:
Ree Drummond – The Pioneer Woman – Food Network Star
http://www.thepioneerwoman.com
Guy Kawasaki – (the first male keynote speaker in the history of BlogHer) http://www.guykawasaki.com
Sheryl Sandberg – COO of Facebook and author of Lean In http://www.leanin.org
Marjora Carter – New York Urban Revitalization Strategist
http://www.majoracartergroup.com
Lisa Donovan – Actress
Brit Morin – CEO of Brit & Co. – DIY online community
Randi Zuckerberg – CEO of Zuckerberg Media, former Marketing Director of Facebook and sister of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg
Gale Anne Hurd – Film Producer – (currently “The Walking Dead)
http://www.valhallamotionpictures.com
One of the most memorable events was the “The Voices of the Year Reception” in which Queen Latifah was the Mistress of Ceremonies. This event showcased several bloggers and their contest-winning blog post. Each one read to us and the power of their words moved us to laughter, joy, triumphant, and tears. Another event I enjoyed was the “Speed Dating” Ice Breaker exercise where we did introductions with one another to make connections with other bloggers.
I learned new information to enhance my blog in the panel sessions, presentations offered, and interacting with the other attendees. Overall, this conference was a great experience.
Here are some of the blogs that had interesting titles:
http://www.baddestmotherever.com
http://www.partiesforpennies.com
http://www.robynshealthyliving.com
http://www.muchneededcoaching.com
http://thebitchinwivesclub.com
http://www.creatingmotherhood.com
http://www.blackdiabeticinfo.com