Edited to add: psssst! Did anyone notice anything DIFFERENT about this blog? Anything? Hmmm?

As you may have surmised from my last post, I am in fact planning to go to BlogHer this summer. I’ve been planning to go since, well, the day I got back from last year’s conference, when I told my husband I had heard it would be in Chicago and he said “good. You can drive.”

I won’t be driving, instead I am planning to take a bus and then a train from the East Lansing Amtrak station with none other than Joy. I’m hoping the train has cocktails so we can arrive in Chicago properly prepared for the festivities. Now I know there are many of you who have heard of BlogHer, and are thinking you could never go, you’re not a “popular” enough blogger, you would get there and no one would talk to you, you have to be on the “A” list, whatever.

I am here to tell you that whatever you might think BlogHer is, it is NOT about exclusion, or popularity, or any of that bullshit. I’d like to share some bits of my posts from last year, to give you an idea of what going to BlogHer is like. Ready?

This post was titled “Live from BlogHer ‘06!!!” and was written while I was sitting at a giant lunch table with the most beautiful, talented, friendly women ever, otherwise known as my blog friends. This is part of what I wrote:

“I should stop the narrative flow here for a minute and say that last night, when I arrived, it was like 9:30 pm. I ran to my room, threw down my stuff, ran back out to the pool area, and commenced immediately with hugging and squealing. And drinking, which costs a fucking fortune, but helped ease my shaky nerves a little bit. Everyone is so happy to see everyone else, it’s like a High School Reunion only if everyone you went to High School with actually liked you.”

See? All the way there on the plane, I was thinking that I was of a lower class than the bloggers I was going to see, that they would politely say hi to me and then go back to talking to each other, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. You can’t imagine what it does for your self esteem to have dozens of people, upon hearing you say the name of your blog, respond with “oh my God you’re Table for Five? I love your blog!!!”

I wasn’t able to post again until I got back, because the hotel’s wireless never worked for me, but my next post was titled “I AM A BLOGGER”, and it was an attempt to put into words just how it felt to go to BlogHer. I would love for everyone to click that link and read the post, especially if you are not sure about going. Here’s a few excerpts:

“Here’s what I have to say overall about blogher ‘06-it was overwhelming, it was exhausting, and it was the best thing that has ever happened to me outside of meeting my husband and having my children.”

“Validated. That is how I feel now that I have been to BlogHer. Validated. I went from feeling like no one else could possibly know what I mean when I say “um, well, I write a blog. What’s a blog? Well, it’s like a personal website, where I post stories about my family and photos and stuff”, to feeling like I want to climb to the highest rooftop in town and scream “I WRITE A BLOG!”.”

“The closing session on Saturday afternoon featured four amazing women who have done great things both with their professional lives, and with blogs. I sat there listening to them speak, and I had what I guess you could call a revelation. I grabbed one of my business cards (because my laptop STILL wasn’t working), and on the back I wrote this:

1. Find your voice.
2. Stop apologizing. Be proud of who you are and what you do.
3.Stop hesitating. Move yourself forward.
4. You ARE worthy.

My friends, you are ALL worthy. Whether you have just started blogging or have been at it for a while, you are part of a mighty force in this world. Somewhere out there is someone who wants to know what you think, how you cope, who you are. Be a blogger, and be proud.”

Now obviously if your reasons for not being able to go to BlogHer are financial, I completely understand. My next post on this subject is going to be all about how four people I had never met in person and barely knew from their blogs (one of whom I didn’t know at all) got together to help me go to BlogHer last year. Without them, I would have never gone, and I think my life would be very different today. Take your time, save the money so that when you do go, you can relax and enjoy yourself.

But if you’re still thinking you can’t go because no one will have heard of your blog, or no one will talk to you, or you will be too afraid to talk to anyone else, I want you to email me. I want to talk to you and try to give you the courage and confidence to come to Chicago anyway. And then I will assign myself to be your personal representative, and I will hold your hand and introduce you to the nicest people you will ever meet, and you will feel fabulous. I promise.

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