I wasn’t planning to go to Blissdom Canada this year. When the tickets went on sale, I didn’t even try to buy one. I was two months away from giving birth and I had no idea what my baby would be like at 5 months old. Besides, I didn’t know who was speaking and as someone who has planned large-scale conferences, I just couldn’t bring myself to shell out money for TBD.
Twice, I was offered tickets to buy and twice, I declined. I didn’t really want to go. I didn’t see the value in it. Finally, a couple of weeks before the conference, someone offered to sell me her ticket, and I caved. Ultimately, I figured I’d regret not going. So, I decided I would to take Em and I knew there would be a lot of people I wanted to see. As October 13 approached, I got increasing excited.
I went. And, I came away with two very distinct impressions.
I don’t see the point of blogging conferences, aside from the social aspect. There, I said it. I just don’t see the value in terms of content. I felt this way about BlogHer, too. To me, it’s a lot of here is what worked for me, but that is not to say it will work for you. I don’t find that helpful. It’s great to hear success stories, but I want some information I can apply. I want something I can take away. I want something I can sink my teeth into that expands my knowledge base and maybe shifts my opinions on things. I want depth.
I think we need to move past who and what, and onto why and how.
What frustrated me most about the content was that, in many cases, it was delivered by the same people I’d heard it from before – last year at Blissdom Canada, in fact. Lovely people. People I admire and care about. But, the same people. Why? There is a wealth of perspectives available. There are people who have knowledge and stories to share. We are many. I want to hear a diversity of voices.
I want to hear from people who do social media for a living – and I am not talking about monetized blogs. I am talking about people who earn a living teaching, consulting, coaching, and creating success stories. Who are the people behind the scenes making big things happen? I want to hear about successful advocacy campaigns and how to engage people. There is a lot happening online that these conferences don’t tap into; there are people sitting in the sessions who are doing remarkable things.
I am not interested in monetizing my blog. I am not interested in working with brands. At all. It is just not going to happen. So, what does a blogging conference offer me? Where is the value?
My only answer is the people. Lovely, loving, accepting people. Like I said, I took Em to Blissdom Canada with me. I packed toys and diapers and changes of clothes into my over-sized purse, armed myself with my sling and headed off. I was a bit nervous. Would she be fussy? Would she be loud? Would people think her a nuisance?
I need not have worried. She was embraced – literally and figuratively. Her presence was not only welcome, it was requested. I nursed her during sessions to “thumbs up” instead of side-eyes. I carried an empty sling around because she was being held in people’s arms. In fact, I have never spent so little time with her! Women whisked her away so I could concentrate on a session, or so I could get my nails done, or get a massage, or so I could go to the bathroom…alone!
People cared for her and about her. And me.
My mom sent me a magnet that reads they say it takes a village to raise a child, but no one ever tells you where it is or how to get there.
I found a village at Blissdom – a community of women who knew enough and cared enough to give me a break. A community of women who didn’t just tolerate my daughter’s presence, but enjoyed it.
So, where does that leave me in evaluating the value of Blissdom Canada? Was it worth the money? I can’t decide, to be honest. The sense of community was invaluable, but is that the only reason to go? I’m not sure.
Most of what I’ve read since the conference has been positive. People seem to be basking in the after-glow. I don’t feel that. I have never felt that after a blogging conference. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Maybe I need to manage my expectations. Maybe I need to accept that blogging conferences are blogging conferences and the content is just not for me. Maybe I need to spend my time and money at smaller-scale conferences or camps specific to my interests. Or, maybe nowhere at all.
What is your impression of content at large-scale blogging conferences?
Does the social aspect compensate for content if you don’t learn anything?
Do you go to a blogging conference to learn and grow? If not, why not set that standard?
I didn’t attend this conference, but I often agree with your comment that conferences need to be rooted in a specific purpose with clearly defined objectives. Your expectations may have been wrong, but it is not solely your responsibility to manage your expectations. Meeting great people and finding lasting social relationships is a hugly positive outcome if it is what you “signed up for”. Again, I can’t possibly comment on this conference, but certainly conferences on general. It is great that Em was so openly embraced and would expect nothing less from that group of people (from who I follow and saw tweeting from the event).
I am so glad you commented on this, Cam, because I think you might have similar frustrations. I think that a lot of people do sign up for the social component, the value of which is clear. However, to have such a large-scale conference that is, essentially, expected to be a social gathering is such a lost opportunity.
You and I know that both outcomes can be achieved, which I think is why it frustrates me so much.
Great point about objectives. I wonder what they are for Blissdom…
LOVE your suggestions for future learning pieces – I wrote about wanting to see those who are in SM careers as well but you expand with a lot more detail and ideas. Love them all.
I was so happy to see you if only by chance and the babe! So sweet.
Great points
You aren’t the only one I heard express frustration about the repetition of speakers. I actually missed that since I didn’t attend last year – they were all new to me, but I can honestly say I wouldn’t attend next year if there wasn’t more diversity offered.
I can’t say that I got a lot of concrete action items to implement – most of my experience was validating what I’m already doing. Since I’m not particularly looking to work with brands, I found that part of things to be a distraction, but I suppose we have to put up with it unless we want to pay a lot more or spin off a blogging conference that is brand-free.
Personally, I have trouble with the choice of brands always being geared toward mothers. I don’t consider myself a “mommy blogger”. I am a blogger who happens to be a mom and my interests lie in different products than I’ve ever seen at these conferences.
I’m starting to feel like I’m hijacking your post here, but I guess my point is that I can understand why you feel the way you do. I’m leaning very strongly toward going to BlogWorld next year because I wonder if the experience would be better if I go to a conference that doesn’t focus on female bloggers. I might be wrong, but I think it’s a theory I’d like to test out.
You didn’t hijack at all! I love the discussion. I find the brands problematic. Sponsors made the conference possible, but to defer to them with regards to content is not ok. If what speakers say has to be in line with brands, it sterilizes the content and stifled discourse.
I think I might look into going to some local, smaller-scale conferences and camps.
I know of one but it’s not terribly local for you. Social Capital (Ottawa) will have brands, but it’s not focused on females so it’s a really different feel. I love meeting amazing women and the developing friendships through those interactions, but the brand focus has lost all appeal.
Funny you should mention that one! I had my eye on it this year, but Em was too young. Ottawa isn’t impossible for me. I would like to go to the next one!
Blissdom was my first conference, and went in and I came away with a lot of the same questions you had about value. I am walking a fine line here because my attendance was comped by a brand, but I have to say other than the social connection, I didn’t come away with any revelations. Interesting tips and tidbits, sure, but I could have gotten those for free reading Karen’s tweets from home!
But really, all I wanted to say was +1 for SoCapOttawa. It was terrific!
Exactly. Karen is an awesome live-tweeter!
Maybe I’ll see you at SoCapOttawa 2012?
I really wanted to have a chat with you. I was probably feeling more shy than I wanted to be at times.
I’m so glad that the babies were so well-received. (I didn’t think they wouldn’t be, but still nice to be welcomed rather than “accommodated” if you know what I mean.) I would have been happy to hold your baby for you for any of the reasons you mentioned (or any other), but didn’t want you to be weirded out by having some woman you barely know offer that. I was glad that people were doing that. That is good community.
I was one of the people concerned about speaker repetition. To be clear, the speakers were good, and I’m not dumping on them *at all*. However, if we keep relying on the same voices to be our thought leaders, we can fall victim to groupthink and newer voices just won’t get heard as easily. Since the web is the great equalizer (we all get a voice there), we do a great disservice to ourselves by not spreading the speaking opportunities around. I’d love to see a speaker application process, or the opportunity to set up mini-breakout sessions for specialty topics that may not get enough play to be considered for the larger sessions.
As for the conference itself, I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the social aspect and most of the sessions. As a personal blogger not interested in monetizing, a lot of content wasn’t aimed at me. That is of course, fine, but it makes me wonder whether I should continue to invest in this. The social part is fun, but the non-business stuff sometimes isn’t meaty enough to justify the costs.
I agree with everything you said. I would like to see a proposal submission process or something. Also agree that it is not the speaker’s fault that they were asked to tell their stories again. I would have done it again, had it been me.
Aw, too bad we didn’t get a chance to chat. We were in the same place many times, but it just didn’t happen.
It turns out that a lot of people held my baby and I didn’t even know! I was going through the photos and came across people I didn’t know holding her. Though, I do know that whoever I’d given her to was watching out for her. I never doubted that. You could have definitely held her! I don’t usually offer her up because I don’t want to put anyone on the spot if they don’t want to…
I’m stuck on the support you received with the wee one. Made me smile. Every time someone asks about woman-positive spaces or “the village”, I describe places and events like that as the future. In the West, we often sterilize our work/learning environments of mothering, as if they’re incompatible. It’s nice to see that we don’t have to do that all the time.
It was very refreshing. I can’t think of another setting where she’d be welcomed like that. It made me feel good that she wasn’t considered an nuisance, because she is anything but!
Love the comments here. Content and activism are my passions. I would like to see more conferences that focus on the nitty-gritty of those two topics. (In a 90 minute session — particularly a panel discussion — I can’t even begin to say what I’d like to say on either of those two topics.)
I’d also like to see us use online technology to connect and meet to talk about these topics so we don’t always have to travel. That gets very expensive very quickly — and it’s difficult to be away from our families and our businesses for extended periods of time.
Agreed. I actually don’t think panels allow for much learning. If you were to do a session, by yourself, on activism and not only share your story, but get into the deeper ‘hows’ – strategies, calls to action, online complementing offline…then people would be able to have something to take home with them and apply.
Also, I missed your session.
Sharon Aschaiek and I gave that kind of workshop at the MIRCI conference in May. The conference was about mothers and activism so we talked about how we became activists, what we’ve learned along the way, and shared all kinds of resources (books, websites, social media resources), for mothers who want to change the world. It was such an inspiring conference.
See? It’s clear I am going to the wrong conferences.
That sounds like a great session. I’d like to see more like that. I’ve trained advocacy strategies for years and there are same easy basics that can get results.
I am going to look into other conferences, I think.