badgerbag: messy, surly, full of books: Geek out at BlogHer Boston and DC

This weekend I'm flying out to Boston and DC for two BlogHer conferences. I can't wait to meet new people and the women I already know! Every feminist conference I go to is super inspiring and this is one where it is totally normal to have your laptop going at all times, so at dinner there you are with 10 other chicks typing like maniacs in between the laughing our asses off, insane gossip, politics politics politics, book recommendations, and WordPress plugin tips.

Here's my talk, which i will just keep on thinking of as "Quick Blog Overhaul" though it is really called "Blogging Basics: 6 Steps to Personalize, Polish & Promote Your Blog". It will be a brief talk and then we'll split into small groups to do the hands-on workshop stuff.

Join BlogHer's {{Badger Hemulen}} and a team of subject-matter experts for a quick and effective blog makeover. Let's look at your blog, whether you've got one post up or 100, and give it some love. Liz will explain 6 simple steps you can take to give your blog a tune-up, and then we'll break into small groups to try out some of what you've learned. These 6 steps can help clarify to your readers who you are and what you write. Whether you use WordPress, Blogger, TypePad, or any other platform - you and your platform are welcome.

Personalize: Danielle Henderson will work with you make sure your readers know how to identify and reach you...and that you feature your community, so they can also see themselves. In addition she'll work with you to learn how to add images, or even audio and video, to show who you are.

Polish: Megan Garnhum will cover the basic geeky ingredients that add up to a truly functional, findable, fabulous blog. Learn about appropriate, search-friendly hyperlinking, tagging...why and how, and even about headlines and why they matter.

Promote: Alissa Kriteman will help you learn how (and why) to put your post on BlogHer, Twitter, Kirtsy, Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, Stumbleupon, other social sites.

Then there are the parties!

I can't help it. Women get in my lap. What can I say?

In DC I'll be doing the same workshop with a different set of local bloggers:

Personalize: Veronica "Roni" Noone will make sure your readers know how to identify and reach you...and that you feature your community, so they can also see themselves. In addition she'll work with you to learn how to add images, or even audio and video, to show who you are.

Polish: Andrea Meyers (well known for Andrea's recipes) will cover the basic geeky ingredients that add up to a truly functional, findable, fabulous blog. Learn about appropriate, search-friendly hyperlinking, tagging...why and how, and even about headlines and why they matter.

Promote: Kristen King will help you learn how (and why) to put your post on BlogHer, Twitter, Kirtsy, Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, Stumbleupon, other social sites.

There will be too many awesome people there for me to name them all but I'm going to be super happy to get to hang out with Beth Kanter, Candelaria Silva, Erin Kotecki Vest, Laurie White, superfantabulous feminist geek Shireen Mitchell, and of course my friend Sarah Dopp, the BlogHer founders, and my co-workers like Kristy who are fantastic bloggers and who I see practically every day but don't get to hang out or really talk blogging because we are WORKING WORKING WORKING.

So, along with all that, I get to see my main partner in crime, editorial and geeky soul sister forever, Laura Quilter and my awesome brilliant ex and good friend M.M. and their new baby! You have no idea how excited I am. Actually it's worse than that. Last time I got to be with Quilter and then had to leave I sobbed for an hour in the car. I will have to drown my sorrows after I leave their house, on Friday night in bloggity sisterhood in the Boston Burlington Marriott hotel bar.

On Sunday I'm flying to Baltimore, renting a car, and sloping off to see my grandma on the Eastern Shore. I haven't seen her in years or my uncle either. I got to hang out with her for about a day when Moomin was 2 or 3. Other than that it is all little cards twice a year and I usually lose her $25 check and am a very awful person and never write back. I regret not being very close with my extended family but that's the truth of it. I think of them very fondly, but in actual practice, there is not much of a relationship.

Then glorious Blogheristas on Monday again in DC! Or, really, Bethesda!

On Tuesday before my plane leaves I want to go find my friend lavendertook and hang out at her funky local internet cafe and co-op - then it's back home where I'll collapse into a little travel-weary puddle.

I know it is sort of boasty but I would like to say not for the first time that I am proud of myself for going on giant trips in my wheelchair and just kind of facing it down. I get unnerved sometimes. That feeling to me is a red flag that means I MUST DO WHATEVER THE THING IS. In general I'm walking pretty well, but after hours on an airplane, I won't be and my ability to walk isn't predictable especially with travel. Walking, who needs it? It's more the exhaustion and being demoralized by pain that gets me. Still, consider the allure of jetting into town, renting a car, and the open road! Could go anywhere! (But probably won't.) Now is the time!

If you live in those areas and haven't registered for the conferences, think about it, there's still time, it's only $100 for an all day conference with food and a cocktail party. & well worth it for learning stuff, meeting great people, the massive, massive hit of inspiration from hanging with other women writers and bloggers and geeks and people putting their ideals into practice, "networking", and last but not least huge fun.