JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

I’ve gotten behind on posting photos to flickr and this blog. Last night I decided to catch up and uploaded my favorite pictures from the past few weeks into my flickr account. I had hoped to write stories explaining many of them but perhaps that will come later. And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then I’ve already posted more than I can say. For now, if you’d like to see the sights I’ve seen or know how I’ve spent my summer vacation, look here and click through to the seventh page. Or if you prefer categories, I have photos from Bainbridge Island excursions, Blogher, butterflies, a trip to Port Townsend and the Marine Science Center there…and glimpses of the garden

Highlights from the Birds of a Feather Storytelling group Blogher July 30, 2005:



I came late and left early, due to the fact that the session I was helping to lead was immediately after this one.

However, here are a few quotes from the informal session when we split into groups and discussed various interests. I am intentionally posting these statements unattributed and anonymous.

These notes are not all-inclusive but will help provide the flavor of our BOF.

I confess that at first I didn’t know whether I should spend time at the BOF or just prepare for my session. But this time turned out to be rich.

[Explanation of my Blogher liveblogging style: 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). ]

Notes:

to tell the truth sometimes you have to lie

hone it

danger is in publishing not writing

I don’t need to bring in these other characters

Posting is still writing – how can it be shaped, how is it coming across?

It dosen’t feel like finished work, it’s too raw

Because I’ve written so much …i do censor myself…things I write about…I do know my lbel laws so I do neutralize

I’m not going to put a value I won’t assay that

I don’t blog about my children unless its in the public domain

I give everyone nicknames

how much do you rewrite

write the real story first then mask or nest it

personal privacy

play poetry

disguise in romania

veiled story telling is very important for survival

libel, survival, identity

it takes a lot more craft, thinking time

the kind of story telling blogs we’re talking about, they need time

Highlights of the Welcome Session:

– Three questions to answer at the end: What have you learned? What would you do with this information? What would you recommend to others around the world who can’t be here?

– Blogher statistics are intriguing: for example, more than 50% were attending a conference on blogging for the first time!

– Great video of quotes and blogs that stirred up spirit in the room

My detailed liveblogging notes follow below.

[Explanation of my Blogher liveblogging style: 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

Lisa Stone:

Focussing specifically on moving the conversation to a whole new level, a whole new galaxy…beyond “where” to the fact that we represent 40 – 50%…you see that women are blogging loudly and enthusiastically and proudly about every subject under the sund

building community, yes additional exposure…even though we’re embracing [technology]

Given that, the question is how do we serve the needs of hundreds maybe thousands of women…

what we’re going to do, is try to build the mother of all to-do lists.

we’d like your help in maintaining three questions

what have you learned?

what would you do with this information?

What would you recommend to other women around the world who can’t be here

We want to thank two groups that have made today possible:

You

We acknowledge the power of women and blogging

that led to the support we’ve received from sponsors

Elisa:

We started the whole process by putting up a blog

When we opened registration we had quite a significant survey

The number of people who took the time to answer every single question was overwhelming

For any of you who have ever done surveying…it means they wanted to share, they wanted to communicate

Now I’m going to talk about some of the specific statistics

The responses in that open box why do you blog were just fantastic and we wanted to show you some of that right now

Where are the women bloggers

80% women, 20% men

1/3

(video presentation featuring quotes and blog designs to represent those quoted)

“to get my ideas out there:

“to shock and awe”

“to find out what it’s really like to get older”

“because my husband will only listen for so long”

“to learn how this medium…”

“for fun and profit”

“got a few hours?”

15% newbies

more than half outside the Bay Area

52% never attended any kind of session or panel on blogging

a lot of new people who wanted to talk about it

So when we asked our questions in the survey, they were thinly-veiled (of our three-pronged mission)

education, exposure and community

42% all of the above

30% meet bloggers

15% education

75% of respondents say they care about traffic, links or both

You want your voice to be heard

You want to be accounted for

Of the remaining 25%

40% I don’t play that game

What you didn’t want from a conference

37% too much talk

25% too sterile, no passion

25% too much like school

You wanted to participate in the conference

Jory

so you don’t want school

we’ll do our best

we’ll be posting our discussion guidelines

we drafted these intially for the panelists

Ashley Richards (did the discussion guidelines)

you’ll notice in the sessions, we will not have powerpoint

The moderators will do their very best to keep the discussion respectful

We do know we have a lot of opinions in the room but we want to keep them respectful

These are entirely contingent upon you

What do you have to say about that?

the take-aways

We encourage you to break in if there’s something you want to throw in there

This is a do-ocracy, you are allowed to create the content

Elisa

There is power strips

There is wi-fi you should have no problems with that

Google has stations to check email etc

Key to what sessions are in that room

We’re turning the men’s bathroom that’s over there into a women’s room..

During this open session and debate

BOF – anywhere in the atrium, anywhere outside,

2 drink tickets thanks from Yahoo

Pick up lunch in the restaurant and you will bring it back here if you want to watch Flame, Blame and Shame

Everyone is press

but you are entitled

If you’re an anonymous blogger than you’re entitled to stop someone from taking a full-on picture of you

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

I had an excellent time at Blogher this weekend and now I’m in the position of catching up. I’ll do my best to post what I can as I can from the conference. I have plenty of posts of notes I took and pictures. Yesterday though when I came home I needed to re-connect with my kids who had spent the weekend with Grandma. My body also was clearly telling me I needed to rest. I’m very glad I was able to get away to Blogher this weekend and thanks to all who helped make it such a success! Hope you all had a fun weekend too!