BlogHer - Deeply Geeky - Comments

I'm that Ginny Case

gincase — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:56:45 -0600

Twittering through my pregnancy and labor, and I did it without any real thought about the implications. But, as our pregnancy progressed my partner and I figured it would be a good way to keep our families up to date. As my due date approached and I'd find myself walking in the neighborhood, twittering where I was walking. I'll admit, at first Twitter was a novelty, but then it turned into a safety thing.

Then, I saw @jasonburns twitter the birth of his daughter. So, when we headed to the hospital I figured I could also twitter the birth of my daughter, and give a couple more tidbits.

That afternoon I got a couple of "tweets" telling me to put down the phone and focus on the birth of the baby. But, I had a easy pregnancy and a 95% painfree delivery...I needed something to do. The safety of the baby was at the top of my mind. When I needed to put the phone, I did.

If I had it all to do again, I'd do it. But, I'd also say the second most painful thing that day was getting the epidural put in. ;-) Things they don't tell you during the birth classes.

Iolani is coming up on her 3 month birthday. She's got her own blog: iolanib.blogspot.com She is a beautiful little girl, and she is truly the center of everything. And, yes - I continue to Twitter.

****

Ginny-Marie Case

www.ginnycase.com

Had a great time hanging out at the Geek Lab

sassymonkey — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:06:39 -0500

Even if I didn't have any questions that needed answering. It was fantastic to see everyone getting help. See you at the next one!

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

It was amazing!

nakedanarchists — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:52:37 -0500

The lovely Sarah singelhandedly solved some tech issues I had been troubleshooting for WAY too long... in about 12 minutes!

http://nakedanarchists.wordpress.com

What fun

Virginia DeBolt — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:52:54 -0500

I had a good time just reading about it!

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

I'm so glad

Virginia DeBolt — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:20:36 -0500

to see this happening. Yippee! I wish I could be there to participate.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology Contributing Editor
Web Teacher
First 50 Words

Travel money for bloggers outside North America

Liz Henry — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:27:28 -0500

I'd really love to see the $10,000 go towards helping women blogging from all around the world to come to BlogHer!

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

International Collaboration

Elana Centor — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:57:39 -0500

First, Congratulations On A Job Well Done!

As I have read the thread I love Britt's idea for expanding the available dollars through collaboration. And, it would make next year's conference absolutely fascinating to have this activist bloghers on the agenda.

Also, love the idea of the resource center but as I have had the benefit of reading the entire thread understand why that might not be the best use of the dollars.

Looking forward to following this story.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

BlogHer Fellows

Liz Rizzo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:27:18 -0500

I love the idea of helping International bloggers come to BlogHer. I would further suggest that it be a fellowship that involves more than just a trip to BlogHer. I think it should also support their blogging further by including at least one other conference, a digital camera, a Flip video... I'm just brainstorming, but a blogger's dream package of tools, you know? Maybe we could get a company to donate a laptop.

I imagine administering a fellowship is challenging, but maybe you could set it up like they post their application somewhere specific or on their own blogs and then there's a window where BlogHer members vote.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Collaboration

Britt Bravo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:33:53 -0500

is going to be key these days, I think.

Imagine if you could get 100 companies, and make a million dollar investment. Instead of the Fortune 500, you could be the Fortunate 100 (:

That's a fascinating idea Britt!

Lisa Stone — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:29:50 -0500

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

BlogHer is non-partisan but our bloggers aren't! Follow our coverage of Politics & News.

Congratulations!

Britt Bravo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:25:19 -0500

What comest to mind is how can you grow the money so it is worth more than $10,000 whether through investment (I know it's not a good time for that), savings, or some kind of challenge or matching grant (though I'm not sure how you'd process it).

Or, what if you collaborated with 9 other companies, who each donated $10,000, and together you made a $100,000 investment that made the world a better place.

So Deserved!

Csamuels — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:54:30 -0500

I like the idea of an international fellowship to BlogHer. A few years ago I attended the 10th anniversary of International Women's Media Foundation. At the conference were women who had been supported and sometimes trained by American journalists through the foundation and were now functioning in their own countries in ways women often (and in some countries men too) were not able to do. It would enrich the conference, yes, but I think it would be a great opportunity for women from Iran or Saudi Arabia or Kenya or someplace in South America to be among women whose freedom is so well-appreciated and used as is a blogger's. They go home with a whole different sense of self.

Otherwise I'd also vote for BlogHer travel scholarships. So many wonderful bloggers, who would add so much, can't afford to come. It's not your still affordable registration rates, it's those damned airplanes!

Cynthia Samuels, Partner
Cobblestone Associates, LLP
Blog and Media Strategies and Content Development Online and on Television

Don’t
Gel Too Soon

Agree mostly, Shelley

Elisa Camahort — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:27:24 -0500

Sorry I've been out traveling everyone, so late to responding as this thread grew.

I was definitely going to respond to the folks talking about using the funds for any kind of marketing. We have a PR firm, we have marketing budget. Sure, it's natural we all want *more* exposure and coverage always, but we're doing OK, and we're focusing on PR, outreach and syndication deals to get the word out about us, our editors and the community at large. We appreciate the sentiment, but you're absolutely right, Shelley, that it's not a proper use of the funds, given we've decided to do something with them that "gives back."

I disagree, however, that bringing international bloggers to BlogHer has commercial benefit to us. I think mostly the down side to this one is that we would all be disappointed at how many international bloggers you could subsidize for $10K (frankly i think it might pay for the travel/expenses of only half a dozen or so, given how outrageous airfares are getting).

I'm here at the Grace Hopper Celebration and one of their event directors was telling me about their scholarship program...she wants to introduce me to some of the international students they've brought to the conference. And she made an impassioned pitch to me that it's a huge deal for *them* to come network, get their voices heard etc.

Lastly re: the tutorials
I tend to agree that eventually that is something we should/could do anyway, but of course there's a long product roadmap and list of priorities, and right now it's only on the wish list. Also, there's the fact it could give us a chance to hire more women to help create the content. To your point about other sites, other resources: I agree, but I also think it's important to respond to our community if they're asking for this, and if they want to come here for it, despite the fact that we point to other places. No resource site will ever be the *only* one. The question is whether we can serve an audience/community if we do one, and i think we probably can. But I tend to agree it's not the best use of these particular funds because a) of the points you make and b) $10K probably wouldn't be enough!!

I tend to personally like the scholarship idea...maybe one for women studying CS and one for women entrepreneurs...but i think that would come with some necessary figuring out of how to execute on it. (As will they all, I suppose.)

Again, thanks everyone for the feedback...keep it coming. It's all very helpful.

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

Thanks Mari

Elisa Camahort — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:48:18 -0500

I know you were an early BlogHer supporter!

Elisa Camahort Page
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.com

My BlogHer profile truly shows you everything I do online...Check it out!!

I hate to come across as a

shelleyp — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:25:44 -0500

I hate to come across as a spoil sport, but one thing I think Blogher needs to be careful about is spending the money on something that directly increases the value of Blogher.

Blogher is a for-profit commercial enterprise. To use the money to advertise for Blogher elsewhere, even to pay for people to come to the conferences, could be seen as corporate promotion. As for the reference tutorial section, seems like that would be an effective addition to the site, period, but again it increases the value of Blogher, the corporate entity. Plus, I wouldn't mind seeing women being involved in other sites that provide tutorials and references, rather than grouped in a somewhat isolated manner. There are sites that provide tutorials. There are sites that provide references.

The ideas about funding women's fights elsewhere, a scholarship for young women, a "dream" fund, providing supplies to help women elsewhere, including the women in small business concept -- all of these are outward facing actions, and are good ideas.