8 Types of Bloggers You Meet at BlogHer
One of the very few photos of me at BlogHer. With the super cool Tracy Beckerman.
I went to my very first ever BlogHer last weekend. Wow. I had heard it was big and spectacular, but I didn't know it was Disneyland. There was so much vying for my attention that I could have spent the entire weekend mourning for the things I missed. But I did not do that. Instead, I sampled a bit of everything the conference had to offer. I went to a couple of sessions, had a couple of meetings, went to a few parties, and strolled and worked the expo floor. The best part, of course, was meeting so many fantastic people I follow online or in print. (More on them below.) I came away with a new respect for blogging, a lot of great contacts, and a feel for the different types of BlogHer conference attendees.
The Swag Whore
Not to be confused with the whore-whore (um, yes, this was a convening of media people, so…) Anyway, I had heard about the merchandise given to bloggers at BlogHer, but there is just no way to comprehend the quantity and quality of swag until you see it first hand. The Swag Whore is more interested in checking items off her Christmas list than improving the quality of her website or the caliber of her connections. In my [stupid] attempt to focus on my primary goals and travel light, I maintained a no-swag policy until the very last party. Next year I will keep my focus on business, and outsource my swag whoring.
The Matriarch
The Matriarchs of BlogHer have been around since Al Gore invented the internet. I didn't meet a single one, but admired them from afar.
The Bright-Eyed Baby Blogger
For the most part, the women I met at BlogHer were highly accomplished, driven professionals. I only met a few newbies. And they stood out. For example, in a hallway full of women bloggers introducing themselves, one extra-excited young woman exploded in "I'm a mommy blogger too!" What are the odds? This is akin to the newbie writer's conference attendee who is certain their manuscript is *this close* to being optioned into a Spielberg film. This close. I like these people, mostly because I want to go back in time and be them again.
The Groupie
I expected to meet a lot of the bloggers I've followed over the years. I didn't expect they'd have entourages and hold court in corners of conference rooms and bars. I fell into the Groupie category on many occasions, such as upon meeting Wendi Aarons, Tracy Beckerman, Stefanie Wilder Taylor, Ann Imig, and Jessica Bern. I positively gushed over Deb Ng, who used to run the very best resource for freelance writers online and is now a big deal in the co-ed blogging world. (Yes, boys blog, too.) I tried not to bug these wonderful women, for real. I don't think asking them to sign my breast in Sharpie went too far.
The Diva
The Diva strolls from one party to another with premium swag weighing her down. She has been around. She knows all. Luckily, I only met one blogger who disappointed me with her less-than-lovely real life self. Of course I'm not going to mention her by name, but I will say she wasn't the only one. I heard many stories of "Who are you?" and "Don't you know who I am?" Being courted by the brands does not impress me. Show me the money or write a book and then I'll respect you. Which brings me to…
The Writer
The Writer is not quite sure why she is attending BlogHer. Some are here to see old friends, who are also writers and who may or may not have been bloggers before they had book deals but now they are literary types whose publishing houses really should be handling all this marketing filth. Some are painfully shy. Some are funny. Some are serious. Most have dignity, at least enough NOT to dance with a McDonald's bag on their heads.
The Funny Bitch
Oh, there's nothing quite so entertaining as a Funny Bitch. The trouble is when they flock together, pouncing on jokes and competing for attention. And yet, the funny bitches were the most fun.
The Para-Celebrity
I understand the blogging community in a whole new way since attending BlogHer. In our celebrity obsessed society, bloggers get to carve out a little audience. In turn the brands feed them drinks, glamorous party locations, and red carpet photo opps to feed their semi-famous self image. If I learned anything this weekend, it's that I need to do a better job of pretending to be a celebrity. How else will I get to the point where some Groupie asks me to sign her breast?
