Just got back from Hot-lanta (and slightly humid) and the AWESOME Blogalicious conference. It was a weekend full of 175 sassy women of color bloggers from all over the country who gathered for support, laughter, connection and to take their blogs to a new level. Sounds trite, but connecting, laughter and dancing to Michael Jackson were key elements that made this conference stand out amongst the others that I have frequented over the past few years.
First, props go to the ladies of MamaLaw, who put on an outstanding event. The parties were inviting and the food was good. But more importantly, the overall feel of the event was welcoming - whether their blogs were read by 20,000 or just by their intimate friends and family, the folks I met were sweet, sincere and ready to take on the world. The MamaLaw ladies are graceful, meticulous and fun and this event exuded that from beginning to end- Kudos Ladies!
One of my Clever Girls Collective partners in crime, Stefania Pomponi Butler, aka City Mama, kicked off the festivities with opening remarks that had me teary. She read a post that she wrote in 2007 about marketing to women of color - or the lack there of. In her brilliant way, she pointed out that as "City Mama" she got dozens of pitches a day for cleaning products, hair accessories or food items etc. , while "Kimchi Mamas" (a collective blog written by women of Korean descent) rarely got pitched. I was in that room for that conversation at BlogHer in 2007 and sadly was not surprised by it at all. I was new to the blogosphere then and figured that was par for the course. It was consistent with my experience as a woman of color in general, so why should this be different? I was resigned to the fact that I rarely saw Asian, Latina, Black faces on tv, much less Filipino faces. It was the way things had been and probably would always be.
First, props go to the ladies of MamaLaw, who put on an outstanding event. The parties were inviting and the food was good. But more importantly, the overall feel of the event was welcoming - whether their blogs were read by 20,000 or just by their intimate friends and family, the folks I met were sweet, sincere and ready to take on the world. The MamaLaw ladies are graceful, meticulous and fun and this event exuded that from beginning to end- Kudos Ladies!
One of my Clever Girls Collective partners in crime, Stefania Pomponi Butler, aka City Mama, kicked off the festivities with opening remarks that had me teary. She read a post that she wrote in 2007 about marketing to women of color - or the lack there of. In her brilliant way, she pointed out that as "City Mama" she got dozens of pitches a day for cleaning products, hair accessories or food items etc. , while "Kimchi Mamas" (a collective blog written by women of Korean descent) rarely got pitched. I was in that room for that conversation at BlogHer in 2007 and sadly was not surprised by it at all. I was new to the blogosphere then and figured that was par for the course. It was consistent with my experience as a woman of color in general, so why should this be different? I was resigned to the fact that I rarely saw Asian, Latina, Black faces on tv, much less Filipino faces. It was the way things had been and probably would always be.
So when Stefania re-read her post this weekend tears welled in my eyes. I came to the realization that I was sitting in a room full of women of color bloggers and the gathering was not an afterthought, but rather deliberate and strategic - a way for us to personally connect and for us show companies that yes, we too buy shampoo, chips and laundry soap. It was a statement that WOC are serious about blogging and social media and are a force to be reckoned with. It was an opportunity on a silver platter for companies to connect with an underappreciated market of women. It was exhilarating to be part of this group of smart pioneers.
There were many other great speakers. For example, Karen Wolrond inspired us all to be better and true to our passion. James Andrews aka @Keyinfluencer gave us insights into the growth of social media. He pushed us all to think about how we could be thought leaders, not blindly blogging/tweeting or facebooking. It has certainly given me some food for thought about my own personal blog and how it needs some major overhauling.
Maybe it is because I am from Silicon Valley and am online constantly, but I was surprised by the lack of tech companies at the expo. It could be that the conference was small and in its first year, so it is hard to justify budget to staff a booth. But come on people, 175 women who are online, had cell phones/iphone/blackberries and twitter accounts were ready to check out your products and you all missed the boat. Too bad. You should be there next year!
I think that the folks from Chevy, American Airlines, Disney and Leap Frog all knew that these women were saavy and would appreciate their brands representation. They were right. I have no doubt that the attendees of Blogalicous will blog/tweet/FB/talk about how much fun they had, what they learned and the great new shampoo they picked up in their swag bag. Winning an HP mini was certainly one of many coveted prizes and SunKissedMommy.com understood the profile of conference attendees enough to know that it was something all of us wanted! While it was not a product that they sold, it was clear that they understood their target market's wants. (Congrats to @parentella for her obsessive entries, resulting in winning one of those hot little laptops! LOL!) (Full disclosure: Clever Girls Collective was there, was a sponsor and brought several of our clients with us.)
Over the last few years, we've all seen that companies have become more sophisticated in how they market and leverage mom bloggers. Mom bloggers have come out in droves to make it easier for companies to reach them by including stats on their blogs, review and giveaways procedures and joining ad networks. Mom bloggers now fill panels and conferences on best ways to reach them and establish relationships. I believe that it is easier today than 5 years ago to maneuver the momosphere. Am I right?
I think that the Blogalicious conference clearly highlighted this sectors maturation - in that the rooms were filled with equal amounts of veteran bloggers and those new to the field. Both brought much to the conversation. I fully expect that next year - more of the women at the conference will have raised the bar on their blogs, will have become thought leaders in connecting with women of color and will have demonstrated that they too are a powerful force to be reckoned with. I am excited to see where this goes and am ready to roll up my sleeves to get it on!
There were many other great speakers. For example, Karen Wolrond inspired us all to be better and true to our passion. James Andrews aka @Keyinfluencer gave us insights into the growth of social media. He pushed us all to think about how we could be thought leaders, not blindly blogging/tweeting or facebooking. It has certainly given me some food for thought about my own personal blog and how it needs some major overhauling.
Maybe it is because I am from Silicon Valley and am online constantly, but I was surprised by the lack of tech companies at the expo. It could be that the conference was small and in its first year, so it is hard to justify budget to staff a booth. But come on people, 175 women who are online, had cell phones/iphone/blackberries and twitter accounts were ready to check out your products and you all missed the boat. Too bad. You should be there next year!
I think that the folks from Chevy, American Airlines, Disney and Leap Frog all knew that these women were saavy and would appreciate their brands representation. They were right. I have no doubt that the attendees of Blogalicous will blog/tweet/FB/talk about how much fun they had, what they learned and the great new shampoo they picked up in their swag bag. Winning an HP mini was certainly one of many coveted prizes and SunKissedMommy.com understood the profile of conference attendees enough to know that it was something all of us wanted! While it was not a product that they sold, it was clear that they understood their target market's wants. (Congrats to @parentella for her obsessive entries, resulting in winning one of those hot little laptops! LOL!) (Full disclosure: Clever Girls Collective was there, was a sponsor and brought several of our clients with us.)
Over the last few years, we've all seen that companies have become more sophisticated in how they market and leverage mom bloggers. Mom bloggers have come out in droves to make it easier for companies to reach them by including stats on their blogs, review and giveaways procedures and joining ad networks. Mom bloggers now fill panels and conferences on best ways to reach them and establish relationships. I believe that it is easier today than 5 years ago to maneuver the momosphere. Am I right?
I think that the Blogalicious conference clearly highlighted this sectors maturation - in that the rooms were filled with equal amounts of veteran bloggers and those new to the field. Both brought much to the conversation. I fully expect that next year - more of the women at the conference will have raised the bar on their blogs, will have become thought leaders in connecting with women of color and will have demonstrated that they too are a powerful force to be reckoned with. I am excited to see where this goes and am ready to roll up my sleeves to get it on!
This is a great recap. I definitely think that there will be more sponsors after companies realize what an amazing group of women that they missed out on interacting with.
Kudos to the smart companies that gave their support (financially and in-kind) this year!
Posted by: Kimberly/Mom in the City | October 12, 2009 at 09:26 PM
I also had a great time at Blogalicious 09. I agree with you that I noticed the lack of Tech companies. They definitely missed a great opportunity and should try their hardest to get a spot at next year's event in Miami. I have made great new contacts and am reinspired to upgrade my own blog. Much success to you and thanks for the recap.
Posted by: Boni Candelario | October 13, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Excellent recap and it was such a pleasure seeing you as always! I am so appreciative of the many sponsors that supported Blogalicious' inaugural conference and helped to make it such a success. As a tech savvy mama, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was missing out on the tech companies who certainly missed a huge opportunity to represent themselves at Blogalicious.
Posted by: Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama | October 17, 2009 at 05:45 PM
Sounds like a wonderful time!
Posted by: Asianmommy | October 17, 2009 at 06:10 PM
Glad you had a great time, Sheila!
Posted by: Gunfighter | October 22, 2009 at 08:18 PM