[3/25/08] BlogHer Conference News

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From our sponsors:
Intuit
Get relief from your small business headaches at BlogHer Business ’08
Bring your most challenging business questions to the “Ask the Expert” session hosted by conference sponsor, Intuit. From 4 to 6 pm, Thursday, 4/3, Regina Lian, QuickBooks ProAdvisor and small business guru, will conduct 1:1 sessions tailored to your specific business challenge--everything from how to structure your business, get paid, minimize taxes and more. Click here to reserve your consultation with Ms. Lian now.

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Welcome to the BlogHer Conference Newsletter.

Greetings from Mission Control! BlogHer Business '08 launches next week, and we're looking forward to seeing many of you there. As we mentioned in the last issue, we're continuously updating our Speakers page and have added a few new details to our agenda, including revealing the Experts who will be donating their time during the Ask the Experts micro-consulting segment on Day One, so we encourage you to check out what's in store. If you haven't registered yet, now is the time to do so!

Of course, just because BlogHer Business is in full swing doesn't mean we're not looking forward to our Annual event -- BlogHer '08 -- too. Did you catch Elisa's big keynoter announcement? Or hear about one of the cool ways we're going green? Maybe you're still waiting to hear about this year's panels, panelists, and volunteers? Find out more below!

Update #1: Heather Armstrong ("Dooce") Returns to BlogHer as Keynote Panelist
If you're one of Dooce's many readers, you probably feel like you already know "the real" Heather Armstrong...but we've invited her to speak on what it's really like to be "Living the Truman Show."

Elisa provides a great overview of the session here:
Bloggers everywhere are putting their lives online...and now into other media too. We'll talk to Heather about how it feels to put yourself under that microscope. Heather may live it on a bigger scale than most of us, but haven't you experienced some or all of these symptoms?
* Parts of life get nearly fictionalized in your own head as you plan your next blog post about events happening in real-time
* People confuse you with a character and forget you're a real human being
* As your friends, co-workers and family become more aware of your blog they either get caught up in it all...or get more and more uncomfortable

What do you think? Does this sound like you? Add your comment to the discussion.

Update #2: BlogHer '08 Tackles SWAG
BlogHer just wouldn't be BlogHer without the swag. From thumb drives to oven mitts, with everything in between (pasties?), BlogHer attendees just seem to attract all kinds of free stuff. That's the good part.

The not-so-good part, however, is what happens to all the free stuff that attendees don't want or just can't use. Surely there must be a better solution than throwing perfectly good items in the trash?

Indeed, there is. This year, BlogHer is partnering with an organization called Zwaggle, a national organization that encourages re-use and recycling. (Check out how they operate here.) Zwaggle will be setting up an entire on-site Recycling Room to collect any of the items that BlogHer attendees wish to discard. Items will then be donated or recycled, and nothing will go to waste.

Update #3: Volunteers, Programming Announcements Coming Soon!
Thanks to all of you who have requested a volunteer position/BlogHership for BlogHer '08 -- we couldn't do it without you! Because of the many requests we received, we are still working on finalizing the list, but you will be hearing from us before the earlybird pricing ends.

For those of you wondering when the BlogHer '08 agenda will be complete, our goal date is mid-April (just after we return from New York). As always there are way more great ideas than minutes in the conference day, but this year we have the Reach Out Tour, so we're thinking that some ideas will get a second life in one of our great Reach Out Tour cities! The BlogHer community continues to be about supporting one another, and we got as many people suggestions other bloggers as proposing themselves! Thanks to all of the great panel ideas and panelist recommendations you've made. Stay tuned...

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From our sponsors:
Microsoft
Microsoft invites you to “Ask the Experts” or take a tour in the Windows Experience lounge at BlogHer Business:
Open up your digital life and see how Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 and Windows Live can bring your online world together in one place. You’ll see cool new PC’s, innovative safety and mobility features, advanced digital entertainment capabilities, and improved reliability which make using your PC safer, more entertaining, more reliable, and more rewarding than ever. Thinking it’s time to take a look at Windows or have a desire to “Ask the Experts” how you can stay connected, be more productive or manage your digital memories? Stop by the Windows Experience Lounge and receive a complimentary copy of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Promotional kit, which in addition to Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1 includes Windows LiveTM services and a 90-day trial of Windows Live OneCareTM.

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You can always keep track of where BlogHer is presenting content in our Press Center. And, you can still keep up with the latest conference news via the BlogHer Conferences website.

Best,
Kristy
For Elisa, Jory and Lisa

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