Over the weekend, I flew out to Baltimore for a blog conference known as Bloggy Boot Camp. After the one girl in the world who I wanted to meet wasn’t able to make it to Las Vegas last October, I figured I really had no choice. If I was going to stand next to Jill in real life and smell her hair, I had to get on a plane.
Jill's Hair: Kinda like what unicorns & rainbows & spring time all together smells like.
I motivated my pregnant self out of the house and flew 14 hours in three days. I am glad that I did too. Baltimore was great. Going to blog conferences renews my faith that the on-line community is not a group of freakishly scary men who have assumed women’s identities in order to befriend one another.
To prepare myself for the trip, I re-read Mama Kat’s Blog Conference Do’s and Don’ts post beforehand. I needed a checklist; a guide to show me the path to blog conference success.
I did my best to follow Mama Kat’s advice…
-Do check your expectations at the door.
Impossible for me to accomplish. I had expectations for everyone in my life. Happily, my expectations were exceeded. The women I met over the weekend were genuine, passionate about their blogs and their personal lives, and just as entertaining in real life as they are on-line.
-Do bring your computer.
Check. Considering I have a hard time going to the bathroom without my iPhone, I came prepared. Besides, how else could I have sent out such mind-blowing tweets during the conference?
Sitting next to @thenagainphoto at #BloggyBootCamp. We have the same HP computer. Pretty sure that makes us related. 10:28 AM Mar 6th via web
When I finally meet @ScaryMommy in person, I am guessing her first tweet will be, damn, Fran is so much cuter in person than I imagined, & not, she kinda looks like a man. 1:45 PM Mar 5th via web
-Do open yourself up.
I am fairly sure that I impressed hordes of strangers with my vast knowledge of everything useless. As a public service, here are a few of my conversation starters:
- “Who saw the Shear Genius episode on Bravo where the contestants had to cut both the dogs’ and their owners’ hair? I tell you, that was television programming at its finest.”
- “Yeah, I know, that’s so funny. When I was in prison the first time I…”
- “I get so sick and tired of all these ‘nice’ people! Honestly! Be mean or something!”"
- “You’re really wonderful. I don’t care what everyone else says about you.”
- “How cute are you? You remind me of my grandma.”
People aren’t likely to forget me.
{I want you to know that I found that dog clip on video for you, Kristin. You’re welcome.}
-Do introduce yourself by name AND by blog…or twitter ID
I followed this one to the hilt. While everyone else brought business cards to pass out, I felt like I needed to stand out from the crowd. Plus, since Kacey wasn’t with me, I wanted people to feel like they were getting a sense of both writers behind Mayhem & Moxie.
So, for Kacey, I made 200 of the following:
Kacey On A Stick
Granted, my kids and I had to eat a ton of Popsicles, but it was totally worth it. I pasted a picture of Kacey next to a stuffed goat on all 200 sticks. To ensure people really got a sense of who she is, I included her home, work and cell phone numbers, home address, Twitter ID, Facebook URL, personal e-mail, and an array of little known facts about my friend.
It is almost like she was there.
-Bring Mama Kat gifts.
Quasi-fail. Although I did not have anything for Mama Kat to unwrap, I am hoping that she will be completely fulfilled by my willingness to declare that I was simply in Baltimore to act as her groupie. As an added bonus, I encouraged anyone who wanted to contact me to pick up one of Mama Kat’s business cards and find a link to my blog from hers.
Giving just comes naturally to me.
-Don’t worry about how fat you are.
This one was easy. I’m pregnant. As soon as I patted my belly a bit and talked about my delivery date, people just nodded and smiled. Fat rules don’t apply to pregnant people.
I have now decided that even if I am not pregnant at future conferences, I am going to stuff a pillow under my clothes and pretend like I am. Who wants to deal with worrying about their weight?
-Do blog about your experience.
Done.
-Francesca
Want more Bloggy Boot Camp? You can find pictures from last weekend here on Flickr, see the veins popping out of my neck at midnight on Saturday night here, and meet the girl who, when faced with my utter lack of ability to navigate to the airport using a map, still managed to like me. God bless Sara.
Obviously everyone that met you was graced by your presence, duh. You are the great Francesca.
I love the popsicle sticks of Kasey.
heidi´s last blog ..Dirty Little Secret
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I am jealous! I wish you were coming to the CBC to meet me.
Kristina P.´s last blog ..Search, Ponder, and Buffet
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Well, I would be coming to the CBC, but sadly, the great Kristina P. did not reward the golden ticket to her biggest fan.
Yes, that would be me.
How can you get me into the conference? Do you need someone to carry your laptop, rub your feet, and fetch you water? I could be your bitch…I mean, assistant.
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You just make my day better.
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You crack me up! Sounds like you had a great time!
Kacey R´s last blog ..{Easy Artwork for Fabric Lovers}
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I am IMPRESSED by Kacey on a popsicle stick. . but you really should also add her super personal info, like height and weight in case anyone wants to buy her clothes, and maybe her ss# – like if someone wants to buy her stocks? Always thinking. . glad you had fun!
Paula
adhocmom´s last blog ..You Have a Penis, Can I Have a Few Rights?
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:12 am
You are so my people, Marie. Height, weight, and SS#? Know that I will be consulting you before I embark on any “projects” going forward.
You are brimming with ideas.
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Spending an hour chatting with you, Jill, and Safire really was the highlight of my day….but I didn’t have any pictures of that. So good to see you again!
Lolli´s last blog ..Bloggy Boot Camp Top 10
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Sounds like you had a lot of fun, an addition to a lot of flying!
I’ve only met one blog friend in person and it was a blast. I can’t imagine a whole conference. I need to add it to my “to do” list.
Rest up!
jj
Joanna Jenkins´s last blog ..Sundays In My City #27 – Montana Avenue
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:13 am
You know, only being in southern California, there really is no reason that we do not meet up someday, Joanna. I’d love, love, love to catch up with you in person sometime.
Hmmm….what we need are options:
1) Bloggy Boot Camp in San Francisco in Augst
2) SITScation in San Diego in January
Got plans?
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Glad you had a good time and it sounds like following the rules worked well for you
Emmy´s last blog ..The Pressure Builds
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Sounds like a great time!!! I especially love the opening lines you used as ice breakers. The whole bit about prison was nice to see, cuz I use that one a lot too..LOL!
Helene´s last blog ..For the seafood lover in you….
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Best conference write up EVER.
Loved meeting you. It was everything I hoped for and more. xoxox
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wait. WHAT?!! You were only like 3 hours from my house and I didn’t know it!! Darn it!
LOVE this post. I would like to attend a blogging conference one day…but I guess keeping up with my OWN blog would be nice first, huh?
I can’t remember if I said CONGRATS on baby #3 or not? If not, CONGRATS on baby #3!!! I hope you are doing well.
~ Bobbi
Bobbi-Jo´s last blog ..Purple Kara Eater!
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:16 am
You are too good to me, Bobbi-Jo. And my God how I have missed you.
I totally hear you on keeping up with the blog. There are times it is nearly impossible, isn’t it?
I can’t believe that we were so close to one another, yet so far. Some day, we will definitely have to meet. I know we would have a blast.
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I’m so sorry I missed the chance to meet you…
Seems like we need to make Boot Camp a few days longer!
Glad you had a great time… my head is still full of everything I learned!!
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Me too! As hard as I tried, there were still so many people that I wasn’t able to connect with. You were definitely one of them.
How do you feel about taking a trip to California? Tiffany has a couple of upcoming events planned where we could definitely remedy this situation.
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HOW did you get to go all the way to Baltimore!!! I’m sooo-oooo-oooo jealous!
It’s sounds like it was amazing.. and I’m wearing my husband down NOW to go to San Francisco in October.. mainly cuz I plan to sleep on your couch and play with your new baby…
ha ha kidding.. (not really)
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Mi couch es su couch, my friend. If you are coming to San Francisco, then we are getting together. You can count on it.
Baltimore was fun, but you have your own series of fabulous trips coming up, no? I seem to remember something about EVO and maybe CBC?
xo
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Looks and sounds like it was a wonderful time!! I am really hoping they keep doing these events!!!
Liz@Loving Mom´s last blog ..The Effects of Chaos
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I’m bummed that I didn’t get to talk with you more, but glad that we got to meet if only for a few minutes. Bloggy Boot Camp was da bomb. (Are the kids still saying that? Have I hopelessly dated myself? I’m so square.)
Carabee´s last blog ..Dot Com
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Da bomb can never go out of style. Kinda like, awesome.
Even if those phrases date us, the key is believing that you are cool when you say them. People just nod and play along.
Trust me. I know.
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OMG they did that “you remind me of my grandma” ice breaker at Blogher09.
(so funny)
Ann’s Rants´s last blog ..Ramona Age 36
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This was an awesome recap and one that had me giggling/smiling….love your description of Jill’s hair!
FABULOUS!
I loved getting a chance to meet you and wish we could’ve had more time to personally get to know one another.
Glad you brought your pregnant self to Baltimore
debi9kids´s last blog ..One Time, at Bloggy Boot Camp….
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:22 am
I couldn’t agree more, Debi. Meeting you was great. I am glad that we at least had some time together, even if it was in a big circle, on Saturday night. Hearing you talk about your kids was such fun!
You were one of the many bloggers that made my trip so worthwhile.
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I’m upset I didn’t get to meet you and yell, “Chaio! Francesca Rinaldi!”
Maybe next time??
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:23 am
Absolutely. You can count on it.
However, if you need to do something like this sooner, I’d be happy to give you my phone number. You don’t even have to talk to me. You could just call, yell, and then hang up.
It will be beautiful.
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erica Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 8:57 am
How about we meet at the next BBC and I just toss you a jar of spaghetti sauce?
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I didn’t get the chance to meet you. I was trying so hard to meet everyone. You captured the conference. Maybe next time we’ll meet!
Michele McGraw (ScrappinMichele)´s last blog ..SITS Baltimore Bloggy Bootcamp ‘10
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:23 am
Definitely! It would have been great to have just a bit more time to connect with everyone.
I’ll keep my eye out for you if we are ever at the same conference again.
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Thanks for the advice. I hope to *one day* put it to good use.
Peaches´s last blog ..Little Blessings.
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Kacey on a stick, I LOVE IT! I would LOVE to attend a Blog Conference one of these days! Sounds like it was a a fun, great, networking experience with lots of learning to be had!
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You had me at Shear Genius. It totally worked. It was awesome meeting you at lunch!
Cheryl´s last blog ..I did it! I conquered Bloggy Boot Camp!
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:25 am
We now have a bond that cannot be broken, Cheryl. It is one born out of the love of the television.
PS: I sent you a tweet about Kell of Earth. I will be expecting a gripping and thought provoking conversation to ensue shortly.
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It was great meeting you this weekend!
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Absolutely fantastic meeting you too, Michelle. Loved your post what you learned at Bloggy Boot Camp. I think you captured everything perfectly.
Well done!
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I heart you, dude. And, I’m pretty sure it’s because we are related. Twins. Separated at birth. We look equally as gorgeous so not sure why we didn’t notice before:)
parenting BY dummies´s last blog ..Am I a Dumb Mom Blogger?
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I love the way you wrote this post – made it unique and stand out from everyone else’s boot camp summary!
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I heart you, dude. And, I’m pretty sure it’s because we are related. Twins. Separated at birth. We look equally as gorgeous so not sure why we didn’t notice before:)
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:28 am
To say that I love you doesn’t quite capture the depth of my adoration and commitment to you, my friend. You are freaking hilarious, talented, and lovely.
Won’t you be my neighbor? Cause I am pretty sure that we could spend our afternoons, laptop to laptop, perfectly content.
The kids can fend for themselves.
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I agree with Lolli…I had the best time hanging out just the 4 of us in your room. Thanks for letting me be a groupie!
Seriously though, I really enjoyed meeting you. I hope we’ll get to see each other in the future.
Safire´s last blog ..QOTW: Divorce and Multiples
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Groupie? No way. You were definitely one fantastic blogger to finally meet in person. After hearing so many positive things from Laura, how could I not enjoy our time together?
She has the most excellent taste in friends.
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That Shear Genius episode can only be described as sheer genius for sure.
So I’ve put together a list of openers generated from your post. I figured I can use them at the next dinner party/conference/family reunion.
Now I’m having problems with the prison one and hoping you can help me. Does it have to be prison or can we go with something more pedestrian like, say, county lock up? If we can, I may be able to work with that.
Seriously though, so happy we met this weekend! We’ll have to have dinner again one day.
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 7:34 am
I am laughing so hard at this comment that I can’t even compose a proper response. You kill me.
County lock-up? Hell to the yes. Feel free to improvise based on your audience. In the end, you really need to know the people that you are working with. Traffic tickets, DUIs, and J-walking violations may be much more appropriate for the family reunion. Save the drunken, public nudity for blog conferences.
Meeting you and Kirsten was seriously far and away one of the highlights on my time in Baltimore. Thank you for such a great time on Friday night!! You two are fantastic.
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You forgot:
*hangin with TheGrasshoppa and drinkin Mimosa
*invading The Grasshoppa’s dweeb bag and stealing feather masks and blinkity blink rings…
*and giving The Grasshoppa your chocolate cake—not good for baby beans (not true–but worth a try!)
So good to meet you!
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admin Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 8:32 am
This is why it is so important to read one another’s posts, especially after a blog conference. Just look at all of the super important stuff that I missed. Thank you!!
Oh, and next time, one of those sippy cups will be mine.
And yes, you can bet your ass, there will be a next time.
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I totally thought her hair would smell that way too & think telling people they look like my grandma is a perfect conversation starter
Love the tips & it looks like you had fun!!
beth aka confusedhomemaker´s last blog ..I’m Featured
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Can totally relate to the pretending to to be pregnant at future conferences thing. Although mine is in the past tense, doesn’t relate to a conference and only worked because I don’t need to stuff a pillow up my jumper.
Working the magic of schmoozing I got a ticket to the taping of a v.v. funny tv programme in London. While a bazillion people queued outside begging for entrance we swished past into prime seats. Minutes before it started I needed a wee (as you do) not being able to face the (literally) four flights of stairs long queue I just asked every so often if it would be alright to jump ahead a bit as I was quite pregnant and REALLY neede to go! Worked like a charm
back in my seat while the lady I originally asked had only moved half a staircase.
Hmmm … do you think I am going to hell?
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Is it sad that I had to click on the “one person I wanted to meet in Vegas” link in pure confusion because I, in fact, attended both events and couldn’t understand why you would say that?
I’d also have to disagree with #1. I’m not convinced every last woman I met was not a man dressed in drag. Still wondering….
Mama Kat´s last blog ..Writer’s Workshop: Crash
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I was lucky enough to sit with you during the last segment. Didn’t know you were pregnant til you mentioned it then declared you were due in April. Yes you almost got a beat down
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What a perfect conference post! I so wanted to go and prove to everyone that vuolet does, in fact, live on my giant breastfeeding boobs. This also covers the post prego tum. They look at the baby! If you wanted to shock people you could get a cocktail while feeding the baby and just always ask if everyone else wants a double
. Not perfect but I am working on it!
Thanks for the tips. Reading up before Blogher!
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And you are just too cute! I loved hanging out with you – even if you can’t read a map!!! Glad you enjoyed all my “stories” at dinner!
Trenches of Mommyhood´s last blog ..This One Time? At Bloggy Boot Camp?
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Jill’s hair does look like it would smell like unicorns and rainbows. Beautiful pic of you two! And I am loving Kacey on a Popsicle stick. Too cute.
Hope to see you at the SF Bloggy Bootcamp!?!
-Aimee
Aimee @ Ain’t Yo Mama’s Blog´s last blog ..Mental Monday: In The End
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So glad you had a good time. Wish I could have been there to meet you in person along with all the other cool gals. The whole thing sounds like a blast.
Jen´s last blog ..Put The Helmets On Everybody
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Oh man, I would so love to go to one of these conferences, but have no clue what would be expected of me! Do any of the hubbies go?
No fair that you got to meet Kat, dammit!
Justine
)
Justine´s last blog ..Sunday Scramble: 3-7-10
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This recap is the best. I almost feel like I was there sending out mindless tweets with you. Almost.
angie´s last blog ..{A little letter to my laptop}
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I love your idea about using a pillow & pretending to be pregnant. I could have used that “excuse” as I scarfed down that delicious chocolate cake at lunch. Oh, well…maybe in Philly…
Michele´s last blog ..I Went to Bloggy Boot Camp, and All I Got Was…
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You crack me up. It was a pleasure to have you watch me eat my dinner Friday night. But Seriously, I really enjoyed being in your company and I will follow you almost anywhere, but not to anywhere cold or too hot really. So I guess I should say I’ll follow you anywhere that has a nice temperate climate.
Oh, great now I sound like some sort of stalker or something.
Catherine @ Evolving Mommy´s last blog ..Spicy Peanut Butter Chicken
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I thought your playroom resembled ours, but my daughter assures me that ours is worse than yours, so don’t fret! LOL!
Btw: I personally would watch your show idea over another run-of-the-mill Martha show any day!
Susan´s last blog ..Becoming Mom
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i truly love your writing kind, very attractive,
don’t give up and keep penning considering it simply nicely to read it.
looking forward to browse through even more of your own well written articles, thanks
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