{"id":3757,"date":"2011-08-28T23:37:00","date_gmt":"2011-08-28T16:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=3757"},"modified":"2011-08-28T23:37:01","modified_gmt":"2011-08-28T16:37:01","slug":"my-bountiful-days-at-blogher-days-three-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/my-bountiful-days-at-blogher-days-three-four\/","title":{"rendered":"My Bountiful Days at BlogHer Days Three & Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Lori Cunningham<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

My days at the big BlogHer conference in San Diego seemed like a whirlwind. \u00a0If you’re on the fence about attending\u00a0BlogHer, I would definitely recommend going. \u00a0Will it help you launch you and your blog into a big time sought-after expert? \u00a0Well, perhaps not. \u00a0Will you be “discovered” while you’re there and given a high paying job? \u00a0No. \u00a0Will you make some great connections with other bloggers, connections that could last a lifetime? \u00a0Yes. \u00a0Will you be energized by all the possibilities and sessions you attended, ready to take your blog to the next level? \u00a0Yes. \u00a0Will you have the time of your life? \u00a0Yes. \u00a0And some people make it to BlogHer every year, how lucky are they!<\/p>\n

For those of you reading this article who are not bloggers, my series of BlogHer articles has probably been eye-opening to say the least. \u00a0Most bloggers are not paid for the work and\u00a0commitment\u00a0they give to their blogs. \u00a0If your readership gets big enough, you can charge for advertising. \u00a0Bloggers have different goals. \u00a0A growing number of bloggers are getting into consulting to help other companies harness social media.<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0eMarketer<\/span>.com, \u00a0there are 4 million mom bloggers today. \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

That’s a large number. \u00a0Blogging provides moms a nice outlet, a channel to explore their passions,\u00a0a louder voice to be heard, and an empowering way to reach and help others like never before.<\/p>\n

Blogger conferences are a great way to continue the social network you’ve begun online. \u00a0It’s a time to learn, to seize opportunities (either with other bloggers or with sponsoring brands), and to put it bluntly, just have a lot of fun after all of your hard work growing your blog.<\/p>\n

Speaking of fun, let me recap the last two days of BlogHer activities I attended: (also see Day One<\/a> and Day Two<\/a>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

SATURDAY<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sweat Pink Bootcamp<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The alarm rang at 5:30am. \u00a0The day before my roomie, Marisa, hopped out of bed to turn off the alarm. \u00a0On this day, she just laid there than finally dragged herself to her phone sitting on the desk across the room to turn off the alarm. \u00a0(Notice how I didn’t get out of bed to assist? \u00a0Bad me.) \u00a0After we got dressed, we made our way to the marina to find out where in Embarcadero Park we were having our Sweat Pink Bootcamp by Fit Approach<\/a>. \u00a0We walked quite a bit out of our way before we discovered we were going the wrong way. \u00a0We finally made it to the camp, where we found 7 \u00a0other people already working out.<\/p>\n

\"\"

@SoCalMarisa and I bootcamping it<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Where was everyone? \u00a0The session was “sold out.” \u00a0 Ah yes, they were up in their rooms sleeping, having either 1.) already turned off their alarms and rolled over or 2.) made the decision not to get up\u00a0so early after going to all the parties the night before.<\/p>\n

Honestly, I thought Fit Approach would be easy on us because of our various fitness levels and the fact we were there for a conference so we\u00a0probably weren’t fitness diehard’s. \u00a0Nope, we weren’t so lucky. \u00a0We ran, threw heavy balls in the air, did push-up’s, squats, you name it. \u00a0Two of us even did frog jumps over each other as one did a push-up! \u00a0Nonetheless, I am a regular bootcamper, so I did appreciate the thorough workout.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bob Harper Workout<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

My roomie, @SoCalMarisa posing with Bob AFTER the workout.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Nearly limping from the previous workout, Marisa and I scurried to make it in time for the Bob Harper workout sponsored by Quaker Oats. \u00a0Mats were laid out and nearly all filled. \u00a0You can bet the first row was poised, cameras ready. \u00a0Shoot, a camera, that would have been smart! \u00a0What was I thinking? \u00a0For those of you who think Bob Harper is cute on the Biggest Loser, I can tell you, he’s even cuter in person. \u00a0I never realized he had such beautiful blue eyes before.<\/p>\n

Bob’s full hour workout combined\u00a0boot camp\u00a0type moves along with yoga. \u00a0We stayed pretty stationary but could certainly feel the workout. \u00a0Bob cracked jokes\u00a0throughout\u00a0the workout and even hammered one attendee for wearing full\u00a0make-up to the class. \u00a0Can you blame her? \u00a0She was meeting Bob Harper, hello? \u00a0Again, I thought, what was I thinking? \u00a0I looked like death warmed over coming from my last workout. \u00a0 At one time, Bob was giving little shoulder\u00a0massages\u00a0during one particular tough pose. \u00a0A little point to my poor shoulders and a smile brought him to the back row for a little relief for my shoulders. \u00a0I was impressed at his skills. \u00a0Suddenly, I forgot all about the agonizing exercise I was doing. \u00a0Thanks, Bob.<\/p>\n

\"G<\/p>\n

Quaker Oats handed out Bob’s latest yoga DVD <\/a>as well as supplied Gatorade G Pro Energy Bites to take home. \u00a0The bites are actually very tasty and help to give you energy right before your workout. \u00a0You’re supposed to eat 1 to 4 bites depending upon the intensity of your impending workout. \u00a0Back at home, I took two bites before one of my intense\u00a0boot camp\u00a0workouts and it worked well until 1\/2 hr. later, then I was drained. \u00a0The next time I’ll have to try 3 bites.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Enough About Us, What About You?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Now this was a brunch I was really looking forward to. \u00a0Hosted by Blogging Angels<\/a> and Zebra Partners<\/a>, its purpose was<\/p>\n

\"\"to\u00a0educate and motivate bloggers to move their blogs forward. \u00a0Perrin Kaplan, founder of Zebra Partners, led the discussion which many bloggers attending found very useful. \u00a0She helped us to focus more and be better prepared for opportunities which might arise. \u00a0There were some great sponsors there, many with a technology bent to their products.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Vendor highlights include the HerInteractive.com’s Nancy Drew series of games for the PC. \u00a0They have some great titles –\u00a025 of them for the PC alone. \u00a0The games look very well done and very engrossing, meaning once you begin playing, you’ll want to keep on exploring. \u00a0They gave us each a game to try out. My daughter will get to try hers out on Christmas day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sapphire Energy <\/a>really caught my attention. \u00a0They are turning farmed algae into an energy replacement for
\nthe gas we use in our cars. \u00a0Amazing! \u00a0They have figured out a way to harvest algae, thus lessening\u00a0our dependency on foreign energy, and use the same distribution channels already used today for the transportation and distribution of gas. \u00a0Using these existing channels means no new infrastructures need to be built and algae produced energy can be used more broadly. \u00a0Very fascinating stuff. \u00a0I am hoping to arrange a tour of their facilities at a later date.<\/p>\n

QualComm is creating a new marketing campaign to educate consumers about the<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

processing power in the mobile devices they choose. \u00a0They call their processor Snapdraggon S1, S2, and S3<\/a>. \u00a0The faster the processor, the better the response time and multi-tasking. \u00a0Similar to the Intel Inside campaign, Qualcomm will help consumers make better choices as to which type of phone they need dependent upon their uses for the phone. \u00a0Simple texting and phone use will only need a S1 processor. \u00a0But if you’re a gamer, love to watch movies on your phone, or you’re a HUGE multi-tasker, the S3 is your best bet. \u00a0Many HTC and HP phones have the Snapdraggon processors in them. \u00a0I was happy to find that the new HTC Sensation phone HTC gave me the day earlier had a Snapdraggon S3 processor in it. \u00a0It is noticeably faster than my S2 HTC My Touch phone.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another company, Striiv<\/a>, introduced us to their new product – a pedometer with a squarish LCD screen. \u00a0It tracks all sorts of things in addition to your steps. \u00a0Ate a Big Mac for lunch, Striiv will help you walk it off. \u00a0But there’s more to this product than a mere pedometer. \u00a0It has a social aspect and together with everyone else who owns a Striiv\u00a0pedometer, \u00a0every step taken equals a donation to fight obesity, sponsored by large businesses who want to encourage individuals to walk. \u00a0It sounds like a really cool gadget, but they haven’t officially launched yet. \u00a0More to come on this great device.<\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Legoland Here I Come!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thanks to the SDMomfia<\/a> team, I received a four pack of tickets to the local LEGOLAND, just 1\/2 hr. away from San Diego.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0They were giving away 50 family packs to the first 50 people who found them at a specific place at a specific time during the day. \u00a0Marisa and I were the first ones to appear at the location. \u00a0Our kids are similar ages and even though we live 1 1\/2 hours away from LEGOLAND, we had never been there before. \u00a0We are looking forward to going now! \u00a0Thanks, SDMomfia and LEGOLAND!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

MomSelect Swag Suite<\/span><\/strong>
\nAfter hitting some conference sessions (and the Hershey’s S’more suite!), I headed over to the BSM Media’s Swag Suite at a\"\" local hotel. \u00a0They had product samples from a great deal of different vendors. \u00a0Unfortunately, I hit the\u00a0suite at the very end of the day, so much of it was gone. \u00a0Highlights included their demo unit of the Hexbug spider <\/a>(complete with remote control) and the Paper Coterie 2011 Photo Memories box, personalized just for me. \u00a0Ahead of time I sent in a photo of my son with a caption and they put his picture on the box with the caption, “Our next American Idol,” as he “auditioned” for Idol this Summer at Disney Studios. \u00a0Too cute! \u00a0Thank you, Paper Coterie and MomSelect, I love it! \u00a0Paper Coterie also had some very generous samples such as a personal journal and cool looking desk calendar.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

THE EVENING<\/span><\/h2>\n

I attended three parties in the evening, all conducted by BlogHer and their sponsors. \u00a0Each of the parties started about an hour before the next.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aiming Low<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Marisa and I started at this party. \u00a0It was planned to be a more relaxed party with hors d’oeuvres, an open bar (we were\u00a0given tickets to use), a lot of networking, a few giveaways, and 10 minute shoulder\/back\u00a0massages. \u00a0Boy were my shoulders tense and tough to break through. \u00a0I chalk it up to carrying around tons of heavy swag bags the past three days.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Social Fiesta<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"We got to this party a little late. \u00a0It closed down about 1\/2 hour after we got there. \u00a0This was a really fun party on the top of \u00a0one of Marriott’s terraces (where a number of the sponsored workouts were). \u00a0It was nice to finally visit this terrace without fear of how tough the workout was going to be! \u00a0They had margaritas and lots of Mexican food. \u00a0Yum! \u00a0There was some great dancing and people watching. \u00a0They obviously paid some handsome men to dance the Salsa with the bloggers because they were really tearing up the dance floor!<\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

CheeseburgHer<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Definitely my favorite party of the night. \u00a0They had a DJ playing hip hop and cool dance tunes. \u00a0McDonald’s was in one\u00a0corner handing out all-you-can-eat fries and cheeseburgers. \u00a0Sony PlayStation was at the other end of the huge room showcasing one of their dance party games. \u00a0But surrounding the highly populated dance floor were king size beds complete with bedding and pillows. \u00a0It was great. \u00a0My peeps from\u00a0previous\u00a0parties had already staked out a bed for our group. \u00a0To be honest with you, by the time Sat. night came, my energy was vastly drained. \u00a0I didn’t even dress up in one of my fun dresses for the night. \u00a0We had a nice time, stayed for a while, then gave up the rest of our drink tickets (about 8 of them each) and headed for bed. \u00a0Note to self: \u00a0Next time save some energy for BlogHer’s Sat. night parties, they’re a blast!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LAST DAY – DAY FOUR<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ladies Who Tech Brunch<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

One of my most\u00a0anticipated\u00a0events (of many) was the Ladies Who Tech Brunch put on by the Clever Girls Collective<\/a>. \u00a0I have been in contact one way or another with many of the fab tech women online but have never had the opportunity to meet\u00a0them face-to-face. \u00a0This brunch gave me that opportunity.<\/p>\n

\"LWT\"The brunch was held on the top floor outside, at the same hotel as where the Clever Girls Collective ‘I’m with the Brand” party was held (see My Bountiful Days at BlogHer, Day One<\/a>). \u00a0It was a beautiful sunny day. \u00a0We talked about our old friends and new (the gadgets attached to our hips) and had lots of time to mingle and get to know one another better.<\/p>\n

\"\"Several sponsors were there including one of my favorite tech toys from the Toy Fai<\/a>r earlier this year, Penbo <\/a>penguin\u00a0from iLoveRobots.com. \u00a0It was nice to see them again. \u00a0They have a new friend for Penbo that has even more capabilities.<\/p>\n

I loved looking at all of the Logitech accessories. \u00a0I didn’t realize they have keyboards for\"Soft both iPads and Android\u00a0phones. I love their iPad 2 case keyboard. \u00a0The iPad 2 snaps right inside with the keyboard facing the glass so the glass is protected when traveling. \u00a0When you’re ready to use the keyboard, the keyboard also can hold the iPad 2 while you type. \u00a0Very innovative.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Podotree,<\/a> makers of the iPhone app, Cube Dog<\/a>, are coming out with what looks to be an extremely great resource for kids\u00a0and adults. \u00a0The new iPhone and iPad app, coming out later this year, is called “Who Biography Comics.” \u00a0It showcases world leaders in a comic format that is fun and entertaining for kids. \u00a0Biographies include Steve Jobs, Osama Bin Laden, Abraham Lincoln, and many more are being created. \u00a0Podotree is also working on a nicely illustrated book app on the Wizard of Oz. \u00a0The illustrations look fantastic. \u00a0This app to will be introduced soon.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ford Family Picnic<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"After the brunch, a couple of us went to the nice family picnic Ford threw at the Embarcadero Park behind our hotel. \u00a0They had games and activities for the kids, cars to climb into, and a terrific lunch. \u00a0It was a great setting after the conclusion of a busy weekend to soak in the sun and reflect on all the fun we had. \u00a0Ford is truly doing some innovative things. \u00a0Learn more about Ford through my recap of attending their Detroit campus this Summer: Forward with Ford: 3 Days in Detroit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And believe it or not, that concludes my four days at BlogHer. \u00a0Of course, I didn’t even mention the great conference sessions I attended. \u00a0If you’re interested in learning more about the sessions, you’re in luck, transcripts from all of the sessions are available online: \u00a0BlogHer Virtual Conference. \u00a0There is a lot of good information in these session transcripts.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Want to see more BlogHer fun? \u00a0See My Bountiful Days at BlogHer 2011 Day\u00a0Day One<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Day Two<\/a>. \u00a0If \u00a0you didn’t go to BlogHer, what did you find the most intriguing about what you’ve heard or read about the conference?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last two days spent at BlogHer were just as fun as the first two days. Great speakers, fun parties, learning about new products, and working out a little with Biggest Loser coach, Bob Harper!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[698,9,12,13,14,16,801,498,802],"tags":[850,859,803,861,748,849,847,836],"class_list":["post-3757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-games-2","category-home-technology","category-iphone","category-kids","category-moms","category-phones","category-shows","category-tablets","category-trade-shows-conferences","tag-algae","tag-blogging","tag-blogher","tag-conference","tag-ford","tag-saphire-energy","tag-snapdraggon","tag-who-biography-comics","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/p-content\/themes\/atahualpa342\/images\/articles\/2011\/08\/Lori-Philosophy-BlogHer11-400.jpg?fit=253%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}