After all the unsettling things I’ve heard all day long about Presumptive Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, I thought I’d do a little something to inspire me and remind me that equity, justice and peace are still possible for our future. I re-read Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech. And then, just for some light-hearted geeky fun, I created a wordle of the speech.
This feminist is voting Obama for President.
I wrote the post below 5 months ago. I couldn’t publish it because the reality of it all was all just a bit too over-whelming. So it sat in my drafts folder, until now. Rina gave me the news that her doctor said she is cancer-free several months after having the cancerous tumor removed from her body. I know she is not home-free, but she is here with me - with our friends - and not going anywhere any time soon.
Yes, I am part of the New Kids generation. Quincy Jones worked his magic and brought the world the New Kids on the Block decades after the Jackson 5 made girls squeal.
The five boys from Boston were my first real celebrity crush. After school I would run into the house and pop in a VHS tape to record their videos off MTV. I would watch those darn tapes over and over and over again. I even remember recording a christmas special they did. I’d cry tears of joy as my 12 year heart pounded with love for Joey as he sang to me. He’d ask me “Please don’t go girl!” I promised I’d never go as I sang along.
Way too many years later, the boys are back on tour. And although I can’t claim to truly adore their latest songs. I must admit their personas and music are etched into my soul. I downloaded their greatest hits from iTunes and I am going to see them in concert when they come to town.
Valentine Girl still gets me all sentimental. It reminds me of the crush I had on the sweetest, most polite soccer-playing boy in the 8th grade. It is so silly that a songs can take you back so quickly, but it does. The bonus is that I am able share their music with my daughter. We have a good time singing Step By Step together. It is still catchy and meets the high-standards of one of Hannah Montana’s greatest fans. lol
I should mention I <3 Jon too….and you can throw Marky Mark and his funky bunch in as a bonus too (”C’mon, C’mon feel the vibration! It is such a sweet sensation!”)
I was happy to see the NY Times report that a woman, Anna Patterson, and a bunch of guys decided to take on Google search. Seems they are well-positioned to take them on since Anna was the tech lead for a couple of Google’s biggest groups and the rest of the guys aren’t too shabby either with their own lists of impressive credentials.
It is called cool dot com, but written cuil.com. I checked it out and although it seems more promising than not, it certainly as cool as I would have wished it to be. I searched my own name (of course, duh, isn’t that we all do) and found the results nicely displayed and unfortunately inaccurate.
A picture of a different Erica Rios sat beside a link to my LinkedIn profile.
Ok, so not terrible, but terrible. The other Erica Rios lost her husband in the Iraqi war. It is a bit accidentally insensitive to place her image next to my online resume. Still there is hope for cuil.com.
I then search for “chicana”. It gives you a box of associated terms. The highest of which is for things related to lucha libre. I can’t tell the difference between a noun (”chicana”) and an adjective (”sangre chicana”). To be fair, it is a spanish word, but still. I find it pretty darn funny.
It will be fun to watch how these folks in Menlo Park will give the folks in Mountain View a run for their money. And we can continue to enjoy what may become Microsoft’s eventual and inconsequential acquisition of Yahoo!
(Notes from BlogHer 2008, Day 2, Break-Out Session #1)
Presenter: Elise Bauer (elise.com/blogher)
OBSERVATION: This topic is far more popular than organizer must have anticipated. All of the seats are filled and people are grouping together on the floor to get in on the session.
This is the third year Elise has given this talk at BlogHer.
Question to audience: How many have blogging 5 years? 4 years? 3 years? 2 years? 1 year or less?
A: Most of the bloggers in the room have blogged about 1-2 years.
150,000 pageviews a day on simplyrecipes.com
Elise’s talk is at elise.com/blogher
Question to Audience: Why do you want traffic?
- Elise’s personal blog gets 100 visitors. That is the traffic she wants. People that care about her are reading it.
- SimpleRecipes is meant to fund her life and retirement. She needs lots of traffic to make it successful.
- The point is to have an understanding of what your goals are.
Themes: Community, Content, and Technology
Content should be…
1) Useful
2) Entertaining
3) Timely
Elise just focuses simplyrecipes on just being useful. News sites need to be timely. BlogsDuece is an entertaining site. If you can incorporate all three of these things great. Just different issues in managing the content.
Focus
Elise started with 6 blogs. She figured out what people want. Then she focused on it. ‘It’ being recipes.
Best practices
* Post frequently
* Use images and photographs
* Write well, check spelling, grammar
* Compelling headlines
* Short posts easier to read than long posts
- 300 words before ‘more’/'continue reading’ link
- Detail is further down
- Otherwise it makes it easier to go to next recipe
* Polls, Top 10 lists, Contests, How-to’s, Interviews, Controversial topics…
- Elise’s observation is that interview don’t get as much traffic as you’d expect. But still fun.
- ThePioneerWoman.com gives away gives away mixers, etc.
* Keep it real. Be authentic. Show a sense of humor.
- Pitfall of corporate blogs is you lose personal voice.
Images
* Buy a DSLR camera (Elise recommends a Rebel.) and a 50mm lens, and Photoshop or Lightroom
The value is that it improves the quality of your blog.
Blog about something you care about. A lot.
Community
The difference between broadcastng your message and engaging a group.
What is community?
- fellow bloggers
- commenters
- ???
What are ways you can participate in an online community?
- link out to other bloggers, be generous always. You can tell when someone is linking to you for traffic vs. genuine interest
tip: Google has custom searches i.e. food search. it searches 2000 food blogs.
- leave thoughtful comments on their sites
Don’t be a “comment stalker”. If you just leave generic, self promoting comments.
Elise goes back and strips out their urls in comment section and a year later goes back and deletes them. They detract from the quality of the recipe.
- plan and participate in blog events
- contribute to the community
There are “blog carnivals”. People get together at a specific time on the same topic.
Examples
- foodie blogroll
- blogger blog lists (see simplerecipes where they use an iframe to pull in the recently updated food blogs they get together)
- weekend herb blogging
- foodblogsearch.com
- blogger meetups
- guest blogging
- lydia of the perfect pantry
Hints
- try to connect with blogs that are at the same stage as you. if you try to get the attention of a A list blog you will get ignored.
- Avoid being too self-promoting in your comments.
Social Sites
* Twitter
* Facebook
* Stumble Upon (this place is not sticky. true?)
* Digg (”mostly boys talking about technology”), Del.icio.us (Elise wrote article on how to use delicious to keep track of recipes), Kirtsy
Question from audience: If you are going to transform image to jpg aren’t you just going to lose the benefit anyway?
A: Yes! It makes a difference. Need to try it.
Audience recco: Use Google Share to comment. Then Twitter it.
Technology
* easy to load
* east to read
* easy to find
* on both pc and mac
Notes from BlogHer break-out Session #3
Amber Scott
- She began as a story teller. Does not believe video is end all. It is about the convergence of all methods (text, video, etc.).
Q: How difficult is it?
It is as expensive or costly as you choose to make it. Lots of inexpensive tools (i.e. cel phones and youtube)
Kathy Brooks - Career began in traditional print media. Now works at Seesmic.com which threads video like text.
Video blogging = Video storytelling
There are different formats:
* “Real life” approach - i.e. lonelygirl15 on youtube
It looked real, but it wasn’t. Planned. Produced. Shows time lapse. Doesn’t just have to be you in your bedroom with your camera in your face.
* Produced piece without professional crew. i.e. My “Man”ifest wall
* Regular person - i.e. freidawolden at seesmic. Web cam just talking about what you want. Kinda micro blogging using video.
All of these methods are acceptable. You can make them all with just a few tips.
Question from audience: Singlemomseeking.com - Concerned about people picking up her videos. How do you keep people from embedding my videos.
A: You can upgrade your membership in some services to prevent that sharing. Or you can learn how to host your own video depending on how much you want to invest in video software.
Doing two 20 minute workshops.
1) Storyboarding.
2) Audio and what you need to know about what you need.
(I’m out of here. I have a colleague that knows all this video stuff!)
(Xicanista typed this post. It was written by her daughter, aka Xicansita Jr.)
When I did the Wii I kept hear people say she is so cute! I did the Yoga and Hoola Hoop. It was like exercising without a trainer or Hoola Hoop. It was very tricky but I think I did the best out of all the people who did the Wii. I had fun! 
Promote yourself by promoting others
- Gives you back links
- SEO benefit
Do nice stuff for bloggers. They’ll do nice stuff for you.
Q: Videos
- which platforms?
- recommendations?
- how to select a platform?
A: Top 5 Sites
1) YouTube always
2) BlipTv
- Good for episodic videos
- lots of freedom
- TOU is more lax.
3) BrightCove.com
- lots of control over how video player looks
- expensive service if you want access to all of their functionality
4) Vimeo.com
- high quality video
- YouTube, etc. compression rates are too low
- You can post higher quality video
Criteria
1) Lots of comments and response - ability to get them through that site
2) Tagging is important
3) Video responses are also critical
Twitter
Don’t go into CEO mode. Get into a conversation with your users.
Question: Plurk vs. Twitter? Which is better?
Gwen: Not a networking tool like Twitter is. More like an entertainment site. Too many updates in a short time. Horizontal aggregation.
Web 2.0 Submitter is recommended by one of the speakers. It will propagate you data to improve SEO. Will Google penalize you for this? It is easier than going to each of the individual sites to mark your posts. (i.e. digg, stumble upon, reddit, etc.) It is good to experiment with friends. See what works.
If you work for a company, get an intern to promote your content but also getting involved in other communities.
Know 5 tool very well and don’t worry about the rest. Having to log into 25 places it too many. Knowing and committing to a community. Leverage the community.
Kirtsy.com is like Stumple Upon for women. Lots of product reviews are there.
Audience question: Let’s go all the way back. What if you are just starting and are getting no traffic.
Panel advice: 1) Write good content 2) Comment 3) Build conversation in places you already are (i.e. If you post all your pics to Flickr build interest there and then link back to your site.
Recommendation for Disqus commenting software. There is a Wordpress plug-in for it.
Video blogging tip: Find popular videos. Take those takes and put them verbatim into your videos so they show up as alternatives on youtube.
Find blogs you like. Add blogs they list to your blogroll as well.
Question from audience: How often do you need to reply to commenting on your site?
Suggestion: Have comments sent to your email. Copy and paste standard response if you are slammed for time.
millionariemommy.com
At WeightWatchers.com’s youtube site, comment immediately. Important part of strategy. Can also do mass video reponse to all comments.
You can cast a large net but it will not guarantee you quality readership. You may want to cast a smaller net and work on building relationships.
Q: What is your opinion of giveaways?
A: It is a new trend in blogging. Companies ask bloggers to promote their stuff. I.e. Gwen Bell was asked to be a Nintendo enthusiast. She had a party and Nintendo gave every guest a Nintendo DS. Promoted via blog.
Suggestion from Norton rep: Contact a company’s PR department. Ask them for give-aways. Might just work.
Example: Panelists sent her video blog to WeightWatchers.com. It was shortly featured by that site and later hired.
Q: Do we penalize our blogger buddies by reading their stuff via a reader?
A: You are adding to their RSS numbers. If you like them more than that and want to give them more reward you can go digg them or something.
A: If you comment via friendfeed it becomes easier to give them this additional reward of clicks.
(I’m leaving this session. Got all I need!)
Notes from BlogHer 2008 (break-out session #1)
Panelists:
* Moderator -
* Panelist 1 - (SiliconValleyMoms.com)
* Panelist 2 -
* Panelist 3 -
Is Mommy Blogging a Radical Act?
A: by panelist 1
Yes. It is done with intention. If you have a significant point of view that becomes more interesting. You get more attention with a unique perspective.
Can you maintain your radical voice and have advertisting on your site?
A: by panelist 2
Maybe you can. But there are too many people coming into mommy blogging for money instead of the experience. It is not radical. I want to go to someone’s website and see them and not their perspective on a product. She wants them to be authentic.
A: by panelist 1
Separation of editorial and advertising in professional environments but when you are doing a personal blog it could be easy blur that line.
Audiences are smart. If you start to lose it; lose your radical voice you’ll lose your audience.
A: by panelist 3
What do you mean by radical? She asked her audience. Her audience were just happy to have access to a lot more perspectives.
Question from Audience: Jane of 1+2
MODERATOR: “Making private work public.” Being a mother was a private thing. No honest portrayal through media. Now there is a personal history that makes that work public.
Audience comment: CrunchyCarpet.com - “Isn’t blogging in general still a radical thing?” People are still just astonished by the fact that she blogs - willing to put her perpsective out there for viewing.
Audience comment: “By radical do you mean honesty?” She could blog about the terrors and beauty of being a mother.
Audience comment: Associating “radical” with “bravery”. Being “brave” is not what is radical. What is radical is that you are criticized for being public and honest and yet mommy bloggers continue. It is radical because women continue to speak truth despite criticism and pressure to stop.
Panelist 1: She’s blogged professionally in “male” environments. She decided to add “mommy blogger” got interesting reactions. When she blogged as a blogger with knowledge and expertise she got more respect than when she was labeled as a mother than happens to blog.
Comment from audience: We need honest product reviews to make good choices. She discovered by reading blogs she didn’t need a wipee warmer. Full disclosure she is in advertising business at the conference. How do we reach those mommies but not destroy authenticity.
Response from 3rd panelist: Need to segment audiences but don’t work off assumptions. i.e. lesbian mothers need wipee warmers too! Editorial departments have always needed to answers those questions of maintaining integrity but not
MODERATOR: Write something that is something commericially acceptable. Is that ok?
2nd panelist: She jokes “I know Nintendo is here and I’d really like a Wii.” She really wants to go to blog to hear someone’s real opinion. There is a community of
MY OWN OBSERVATION: I love that BlogHers are clapping and cheering when their favorit bloggers stand up to comment.
Comment from audience: How many mommy bloggers are still scared to admit they are mommy bloggers in professional circles.
Panelist 1: Last day at her job today due. Leaving because she wants to create balance. Driving her insane that she can’t talk about being a mommy and her professional interest in the same place. Audiences may not be interested in all parts of her. Therefore it may make sense to have it posted in different places.
OBSERVATION:
Comment from audience: Seems like mommy blogging has just become too much about advertising. Two camps - either being courted by advertisers or not.
Comment from audience: Self proclaimed “product whore”. Been one tv 3 times in the last month. Each reporter starts off with “Can mothers make money blogging?” She answers with love of mommy blogging community. Not heard or just edited out.
MODERATOR: When she agreed to do the panel she really just wanted to remind herself of why she started blogging.
Original motivations:
- release
- connecting
- not feeling alone
Question from audience: Should I put my blog on my resume? She is a writer. But the place she was trying to get hired at was a bit behind the times. Turned out good. They hired her. It is funny that has more readers than local paper, yet they will not hire her. She doesn’t need to go through editorial approval, but there is obviously a value to her writing that resonates with readers.
Comment from audience: We are not just mothers. We need to talk about the other things in our lives so people really understand how it all comes together. We were women and professionals before coming to motherhood.
Questioning: Is blogging and twittering the same thing as hanging clothes out on the line in the olden days? Before you’d go out to dry laundry and that is where you’d share stories and advice.
3rd panelist - What do you get out of blogging? She has asked via her blog and most common response is that it keeps them from feeling lonely. She quoted from a print out she had that demonstrated that point.
Comment from audience: She began by reading blogs because she wasn’t get enough contact with adults by visiting parks. She finds it is a critical way for connecting for stay at homes. People make fun of her “imaginary friends” (referring to her blogging buddies).
MODERATOR: Real radical trend is people are starting to use their actual names on their blogs. Years ago everyone was using psuedynoms.
Comment from audience: Mommy blogging is brining mothers of different ages together. She is an older mother and gets an opportunity to connect with younger mothers. When you are at the park you can’t talk about everything (the kids are around). Blogging gives you opportunity to talk more openly.
Comment from audience: Blogs at “letter b” - Monetization. People have commented that “you are making money off your family”. Just wanted to raise that point.
Panelist 1: Make money off your perspectives on professional issues people applaud you. You do the same on personal issues and they chastize you. Definite double standard. At the end of the day you need to be transparent.
Comment from audience: Mommy blogging is radical because it is a movement. A “silent” movement. “They don’t see us coming.”
Question from audience to previous audience member: Who is “They”?
Response: “Men!”
Comment from audience: Jenny of BlogHer - BlogHers are changing the world. BlogHers can make the business rules. Take the money.
Comment from audience: Not pandering to my readers is a bigger concern to her than pandering to the right-side bar advertisers. You find a particular blog post gets more replies and it could be easy to go back to that voice.
Moderator: If you are not a tiny bit afraid to hit the publish button you might be posting very honestly.
Comment from audience: Real life consequences to blog posts. Blog you don’t like a puppet show and someone at playgroup stops talking to you.
Comment from audience: She has a 9 month old baby. Biggest radical act is finding time to blog. First time at this conference. She is a little afraid to kinda put things out there.
Moderator: Who twitters?
Observation: Nearly the entire audience raises their hands.
Panelist 1: Twitter is 24-7. Easy to find time vs. blogging where you often need to sit down at 11pm to have time to do it.
Moderator: Actively seeking other mothers. Greater diversity of groups.
Comment from audience: Not liking hear talk women vs. men, mom vs mom, etc. There is plenty of room for everyone.
Comment from audience: Sara Lacey. She started doing automotive review from a mom’s perspective. Did it for many years for passion. Her boss took a long time to find an editor that reveled in their voice to grow. They recently got bought. Plus, mommy bloggers often keep other mommy bloggers honest.
Moderator: Back to original question - What do you think mom’s can do to stay radical?
A: 2nd panelist - Stay honest. Let people get to know the person behind the keyboard.
A: 1st panelist - If you find you’ve lost your radical voice stop blogging. She has stopped blogging for months at a time and then has come back. Committment to her audience to only blog when she had something truely to say. Your passions will change.
Comment from audience - Started blogging because she was a professional and became a mom. It was driving her crazy to be without adult interaction.
Comment from audience - myfunfunfamily.com - She writes for SF Chronicle. Mother’s work is not part of the GNP. So when mother’s share their expertise she is finally getting compensated.
A: 1st panelist - Good point. What is the economic value of being a mother?
Comment from audience: Getting paid for blogging is not getting paid for being a mother. “Getting paid for raising our voices.”
Comment from audience: Mother of children born in late 60’s and early 70’s. If you compare this organizing to how life was back then this is absolutely a radical act.
(I got tired. Last 5 comments not captured.)
I’m heading out the St. Westin tomorrow to attend BlogHer 2008 on behalf of Common Sense Media. I’m hoping to go back to work with greater insight into what makes a good blog; a better understanding of what mommy bloggers may enjoy on our site; and perhaps a few good parents interested in giving me feedback on the re-design we’ll be launching in the near future at CommonSenseMedia.org. So here is my line-up for the next couple of days….
Friday
9:00am Welcome Session
10:00am Checking out the Sesame Street Suite
10:30am MommyBlogging: Is MommyBlogging Still a Radical Act?
11:45am Lunch
12:45pm MommyBlogging: Public Parenting and Privacy
2:30pm How We Communicate: Video Blogging
4:30pm BlogHer Community Keynote
Saturday
9:30am Keynote - HybridMedia: How we will all work together to build a converged-media future.
10:30am How We Communicate: Building Traffic via Content and Community
12:00pm Lunch
1:45pm What We Believe: Tools for Online Fundraising and Activism
3:15pm I’m gonna meet as many BlogHers as I can
Sunday
This is an “unconference” day so I guess I’ll figure it out along the way.
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