JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

My summary of the Blogher 2005 Pre-Conference Training Session on July 29:

Although the statistics were mentioned in the Welcome Session on Saturday morning to open Blogher, some of us first heard them on Friday afternoon. I was impressed! Also the symbolic and literal act of changing one of the men’s rooms into a women’s room. (Beth Kanter captured a picture of this transformation.) We responded to the news with enthusiasm!

My Discussion Guidelines sheet disappeared along with my original binder but I thought they were helpful and insightful and hope they will be posted soon [ credit goes to Ashley Richards ]. Like Mary Hodder, I thought the idea of a session to help prepare speakers was excellent (and so did my husband Ted). Although I have only been speaking at conferences for the past year, I’ve already felt a need for presenters to connect and make sure they are on the same page with each other. I would recommend a meeting or at least the discussion guidelines for all future conferences.

This session as a whole served as an example of one of many ways the Blogher organizers revealed their thoughtfulness and innovation.

[Explanation of my Blogher liveblogging: I attempted to do my best to capture as many direct quotes as possible. I did not capture every sentence or word. Occasionally I may have paraphrased a few words in order to get the idea down quickly. Please feel free to correct what is written here, either by commenting below or emailing me: harrowme AT yahoo.com. Official list of Blogher livebloggers here (I was not an official blogher one). ]

Main characters during this session included:

Blogher organizers:

Lisa Stone

Elisa Camahort

Jory des Jardins

Discussion guidelines

Elisa discussing

Feedback from people commenting, people blogging, people sending us emails. About 90%

1/3 one blog

1/3 multiple blogs

1/6 don’t have a blog

Education, community

42% all of the above

30% meet bloggers I know, don’t know yet or both of those

15% education

Flack – you shouldn’t care about traffic, you shouldn’t care about links

Didn’t have to answer the survey but almost everybody answered everything

75% cared about traffic, links and/or both.

What I don’t want

37% too much talk, no take away

25% too sterile, not enough passion

25% too much like school

Guidelines: philosophy

Don’t let anybody dominate the conversation

If the group takes it in another direction, go with the group

No PowerPoint, no stiff, “professional”

If a product comes up, ask if anyone is using it and get feedback.

There will be attendees from all our sponsors.

In no case do we want a session to be five minutes at the end when we ask the audience what they think

Ask the audience what they think!

I want to find out from the people in the room where they draw their credibility line.

“When Good Participants Go Bad”

Mockers

Interrupters

Know-It-Alls

Attackers

Chris just said the unspoken

Driving the traffic out to other blogs, those who are recording text, voice and pictures

We are only going to have two hand mikes

We are turning one of the men’s room into the women’s room.

Ronni Bennett says NY has a new law for more women’s rooms.

Handing out of binders.

Jory:

You want to hold the microphones really close

Apparently they won’t pick up

If we don’t hold the mike close to our mouth, you really won’t be heard

We’re handing out your binders early. You will need to pick up your nametags though.

You’ll notice, in addition to tchottkes, there are drink tickets

We do have a Vendor Alley

Please stop by the bookstore

Park in the garage

Lisa Stone:

with 45 minute sessions, we need to move

Keep us honest on the times

Jory:

if you are a live blogger and so inclined, keep track

we will be having some friends of ours on site

There will always be someone at the registration table

Lisa Stone:

Press efforts

We’re all press right, we’re bloggers

If you open your mouth at this conference, expect to be recorded

If someone comes up to you, it’s absolutely fine to say please don’t take my photograph

We are having a number of national and local media outlets who are coming.

You can expect to see

270 attendees + press

We have a wait list for a press pass

We have a wait list for a wait list

Nancy White: tell them to get on the chat

Lisa S. Chat from 7 am to 7 pm, all day long

I find it somewhat carsick to watch a chat

I think the live bloggers should know that she’ll try to drive bloggers into your blogs all day long

Chris Nolan: Are they going to be moderating?

Lisa S.:

It’s in Flash 7

She will be bouncing trolls.

Chris Nolan: you can lose a room in 3 minutes (trying to moderate with IRC behind them)

Nancy White: Could we have Dinah Skype Voice into a room? Is it something I can plug my laptop into

Jory:

We will have wireless. We have it just in this room. The name of the router in everyroom we’ll have somewhere. Look at the board.

Tonight.

Elisa on BOF

What to do on Saturday night

Lisa Stone: we made a specific commitment not to sell the list

we have not overly carbon-copied the list

that hasn’t stopped certain individuals from using the list

at the BOF, we’re asking people to write down their email if they acquiese to distribute to the group

Liza Sabater:

people can send you private messages through your account there (blogsheroes.com)

at closing session, you may want to say,can we have an email list

Lisa Stone:

a walking tour to see what our rooms look like