BlogHer - blogher2008 - Comments

They don't get it...

Sugar Mama — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:04:16 -0500

I love that we got info on syndication, monetization, and basic searchability, but like I said at the Beautiful Blogging session, I was there to find community. It's hard to explain this medium to your friends at home. It's also hard to explain why it is that we bother posting. It always gets me when the inevitable question about money comes up. It's hard for people to get their heads around the fact that some things are a labor of love. And if money comes along, well, that's just gravy.

Here's what I got out of the conference:

http://livingintheory.blogspot.com/2008/07/coming-out-of-fog-blogher-2008-san.html

Followup report on accessibility guide

Liz Henry — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:15:00 -0500

I'd like to follow up with my actual experience of accessibility of the hotel.

First of all, when I said this about parking:

"In the garage, there are at least 5 van-accessible parking spots, on
level ground right next to the entrance, with a marked crosswalk."

I was wrong. There are marked spots, but they are unused by the hotel as anything other than road. Instead, they have valet parking. The crosswalks are ignored. That caused me a lot of stress as I got in and out of cars. I think that walking people of around 5 or 6 feet off the ground might not feel that stress, but from lower down, it is hard not to have crosswalks. I freaked out at one point when a cab was coming right towards me and the cabbie didn't seem to see me. (I flipped off the driver and yelled, and then was very embarrassed.) I also kept going out the side doors, and completely forgot (!!!) about the entrance on Geary that doesn't go through the parking garage. So, don't forget the way to the sidewalk! Ha! Also, I did not realize that parking was expen$$sive! I ended up parking elsewhere, and taking a cab. That worked well.

The conference was mostly very compact. I had an easy time getting around. The bathrooms were reasonably close to where all the action was. Carpets were (as predicted) somewhat exhausting to wheel around on. As we left i cheered and said goodbye to the horrid thick luxurious carpets with a lot of joy.

Room reservations. I explained on the phone and then when I arrived (before checkin time) that I did not want an ADA room with a roll-in shower and shower bench. I prefer a regular room with a bathtub. My priority is that the room be as close as possible to the elevator. I can manage a bathtub, and I can walk around a room (usually). Unfortunately in between when I talked with the desk and when I actually checked in, my mom checked in. And they confused me with her sort of, and then she said Oh that's my daughter, and they said Oh My Gosh but she does not have a "wheelchair accessible" room, and my mom said Oh, better change it then. They all had the best of intentions, but they erred in not calling me on my cell phone to check. I lucked out in having a nice person (Alex) help me at the desk when I did check in. He listened to me, did not TELL ME what I needed, did not act annoyingly confused when I explained my preference, and then he got me a super great room. He even flirted with me by complimenting my awesome triceps and not in a gross way either. Thanks, Alex!

I will add to the note about room reservations that the hotel has two blocks of rooms and two main areas. One is the Tower. It's on a different side of the hotel than the main lobby. The main part of the hotel is where most of the conference stuff happened. So, I also lucked out in having my room be in that section. Otherwise, it would have been very hard on me to run back to my room and rest, or get things that I'd forgotten. And if I'd been on crutches instead of the chair, it would have been impossible.

There were secret extra elevators, which I used quite a lot!

The room itself was very nice. It was room 825 and had a view of Union Square. I could have fit a power chair into it, with a slightly tight squeeze between bed and chest of drawers but then there was a wide turnaround space. My small manual chair fit into the room just fine.

The room service staff were extremely nice, brought the dinner to my bedside and offered to raise the table height for me if I needed it.

Bathrooms were very good except for the first floor main lobby, which had kind of small stalls but again not impossible for my itty bitty manual chair.

Next year I will coordinate with our conference planner to put up a few "consider using the stairs" signs.

I was bumped, jostled, leaned on, pitied, advised, and asked rude questions about 1 million percent LESS than last year and than all other conferences except WisCon. Thank you, everyone! You were so full of manners! You all got down to my height to talk! I didn't get a crick in my neck (though I ruined all your knees).

Meanwhile, most of my visibly disabled blogherista sisters were hanging out in Second Life. Jennylin and Aleja from GimpGirl ran a session and helped to organize transcriptions of some of the other sessions and keynotes.

-----------------
Liz Henry
lizzard@bookmaniac.net
Contributing Editor, World and Latin America

Andrea, That blogging is

Suzanne Suzannadanna — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:21:57 -0500

Andrea,

That blogging is therapeutic is an understatement! Some days, I feel like blogging is the one thing that keeps me from the funny farm!

Anissa, I'm sending good thoughts your way. Amazing how blogging helps us sort through the trials of our lives.

Secolalyn, I'm going to be looking for you on a panel next year!

Suzanne

www.suzannesez.blogspot.com

Yes, Sitemeter is Crack for Bloggers!

Secolalyn — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 11:16:56 -0500

...and I smoke it constantly! LMBO!!

I will be at BlogHer 2009, with my mom in tow! I've actually set a goal to be chosen to speak. Hey, why not?

www.secolasspace.com

Excellently put!

AnissaMayhew — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:47:40 -0500

Cancer also jumpstarted my blog. When our youngest daughter was diagnosed with cancer, we opted to go with blog software as opposed to CaringBridge to keep our family updated on her health and how we were coping. Over time, and not a lot of time at that, it became more than just a health log and became a family blog. It was such a natural and gently transition and we were continuously shocked to see people I didn't know making their way to our site.

I only jumped headfirst into the blog "community" about a month ago and I am completely 100% enthralled with being a part of this movement. I am considering starting a second blog that would allow me some creative freedom from my family blog, but not sure if it would just be more of the same. I like to think there is more inside my head than just mommy-cancer-family but enough to sustain a whole other blog? Hmmm, love the challenge though.

I hope 2009 brings new creative ideas to my mind, I hope I find interesting ways to keep the readers a part of our lives. I just work to create honest content and see what happens.

I couldn't make it to Blogher08 for a # of reasons, I'm planning to be in Atlanta though. Next year, put me on the short list because i'm more than willing to share a hotel room, I'm not proud and I love meeting new people!

Anissa Mayhew

www.hope4peyton.org

www.onevoiceproject.ning.com

I love this post! I just

CreativeJunkie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:04:07 -0500

I love this post!

I just started my blog a couple of months ago and I am wondering why I waited so long to get started. I am addicted to it like a drug and am so thankful because of it, as I have "met" so many new people who I otherwise would never know existed.

I find it almost theraputic to write my blog and I look forward to spending hours on my posts. However, that's become a problem for me. I'd love to blog everyday but I just can't seem to write shorter posts. My posts are so long and they take me so long to write that I need a day to recoup my thoughts. So I find myself blogging Mon, Wed & Fri but what I wouldn't give to be able to manage my time and my words better in order to blog every day!

And then to find out that people are actually waiting for my next post?

And to see my stats go up?

And to read a comment?

I might as well be a size 6 with perfect skin and rocking hair and be smothered in chocolate 24/7 - it would feel just as good.

I hope a year from now, I'm still making people smile and starting their day out with a laugh or two.

Andrea

The Creative Junkie

http://www.thecreativejunkie.com

Power Strip Packed

Mistiejourney — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:08:34 -0500

What a great post - I'm a Walkie, but I learned more about the Westin than I ever did staying there!

And if I see sparkly wheels I'll come up and say hi! And you won't know me, but I'll say hi anyway! : D

Have power strip, will travel

mamarant — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:51:27 -0500

Liz, great post. Some of us walkies are limpies due to bad knees. So thanks for the info on stairs and distances.

And I'll be bringing my power strip for sure!

Thank You SO MUCH, Liz

KristySF — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:58:03 -0500

For doing the roll-through, for giving me an education, and for helping make this year's event less of a guessing game for the not-as-able-bodied.

Brave, schmave - you just rock.

---
Kristy Sammis
BlogHer's Conference & Event Planner
e. kristy@blogher.com

Liz, You rock!

Kim Pearson — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:33:23 -0500

This is a very helpful guide. The power strip is a great piece of advice, especially for people who might need to charge a scooter, which is what I use when I'm closer to home.

One of my biggest challenges when I travel is actually getting into the airport shuttle van. I do best when the driver has a stepstool that I can use to get into the van, but that isn't always the case. Alternatively, I can wedge myself into a cab in a pinch.

And yes, your sparkly wheels are the coolest.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

i hear you!

laurie — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:08:45 -0500

I am able-bodied but I found this piece fascinating. And this made me laugh out loud:

Dear Walkies... I am not "Brave". And, remember, don't grab my chair,
push me, or tell me about your homeopathic remedies! Zip it! Thanks! We
have other things to talk about LIKE BLOGGING FRINSTANCE.

I am a Walkie, for sure, but I also live with cancer (I am in remission but will never be cured). It drives me crazy when people call me 'brave' (I mean, what choice do I have but to live my life as best I can?) and don't get me started on the folks who think that it would all go away if I only I would take herb a or follow treatment b...

Most of all, thanks for opening my eyes, making me think and giving me a chuckle at the same time.

Laurie

www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

I never considered before

assertagirl — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:06:42 -0500

I never considered before that by taking the stairs at a public venue I'd be leaving more space for "wheelybots" in the elevators. Thanks for giving me a new perspective!

Amy

Assertagirl

Playing in the Dirt

BlogHers ACT Canada