I love blogging events. Blog conferences in particular get me all kinds of high. A room full of people who speak geek, who not only know but actually care what Alexa is, and are passionate about linking with credit– who wouldn't have a kick arse awesome time?
I know. I'm a geek. I embrace that completely. And I adore my fellow geeks. Meeting other bloggers is just like meeting people I already know, I just haven't seen their shell yet. And there is nothing that gives me a bigger kick that people telling me that they read my blog, they like my writing. That they tell their husband or mum or best mate what’s going on in my life because they're so invested in my story. I will never get sick of compliments like the one I got from the Redundant Mother, telling me I'm the reason she started blogging.
And I freaking love having my photo taken. Full stop.
Anyway... I have a tendency to embarrass myself in most situations where other people are present, and the recent Nuffnang Blogopolis 2012 was really not that much different.Really, I only have myself to blame. If it's not playing Mission Impossible across the conference room, hiding behind chairs with Linda humming theme music for me (thanks Linda); it’s wearing the ugliest, coolest pair of electric blue frames (insert fake lenses) you've ever seen.
And if it's not that; it's Tweeting inappropriate things about certain members of the Nuffnang staff with the object of embarrassing them– Tweets hashtagged with #nnb2012 were scrolling on the big screen at the front of the room everyone could see them. Or being asked to move out of the doorway lest I be trampled in a fire by a very nice guy who apologized profusely and found me another seat. And realizing much later that that very nice guy was David Lee, who runs the whole Nuffnang shebang.
Reading back over that, even I think that would be enough for one day. It wasn’t.
Let's start from the very beginning (always a very good place to start, as they say).
One of the speakers at the 2011 Blogopolis was the fashion blogger Lady Melbourne. Last year's crowd were divided in their opinion of Lady Melbourne. It seemed twenty percent of attendees actually liked what she had to say. About forty percent had a serious hair crush on her that prevented them from even listening to anything she was saying at all. And the remaining forty percent thought she was a total bitch and wanted to poke her in the eye with a GHD straightener.
Quite surprisingly, I sat firmly in the first twenty percent. I thought Lady Melbourne rocked. She was a total bitch– and that was fucking awesome. She is, quite simply, a businesswoman. She sells herself hard and refuses to work for free. She doesn't take anyone's crap, and nor should she.
Mel from sugercoatit.com rocking the FemaleForLife.com.au wristbands. Girl power.
While I cringe (not really) at using the label in the current atmosphere, us ’mummy bloggers’ could probably heed a lesson or two from Lady M. Parents in general, mothers especially, have a tendency to say 'yes, yes, yes' even when we really should say 'no'. I've seen, in myself and others,a tendency to please everyone sneaking into the business arrangements we make through our blogs– a lot of us will almost unwittingly do something for nothing... because that's just what we do.
So that's what I learnt from Lady Melbourne, in the media kit session at #nnb2012, while I was still gazing at her adoringly Tweeting things like this. And this. Oh, and this one too.
Never realizing that I was actually just wedging my foot further and further into my mouth the entire time.
The final nuance in a whole day of Lori Doing Stupid Things came during the 'Finding Your Own Voice' panel that featured Lady Melbourne, the awesome Eden and Zoey and someone else who's name I honestly cannot for the life of me remember. I'm not sure how the topic came up– I think I was distracted by attempting to bribe an AV guy for use of this power board to charge my iThings. But I did catch the bit where Lady Melbourne said something about treating obsessive fans– those who want a hug or a photo or, you know, Tweet adoring things to her– like small children. Positive reinforcement– if you ignore the bad behavior, it will go away.
Ahhhh. Excuse me while I sink into the floor. Hero worship gone horribly wrong and I feel like that awkward sixteen year old I used to be. Big screen, rolling Tweets, public embarassment and if no one noticed except me, well, here I am blogging about it anyway. Because that's what I do.
Whatever. I'm actually thinking my fellow bloggers are accustomed to me embarrassing myself by now. I like to imagine some would be disappointed should I actually manage to retain my composure.
I had a rocking time, as I generally do at blog con's; and buzzed around my hotel room making lists of ideas for improving my blog-esteem until 3am. Thanks again to the online activewear store Female For Life for sponsoring me. More 'Stuff I Learned From #nnb2012', coming soon.
And, in case you're wondering, I still have a massive blog crush on Lady Melbourne.
If I keep up with the hero worship, maybe she’ll spank me.