That's a little like asking "What's the meaning of life" you'll get a different answer from just about anyone you ask. ;-)

Let me give it a go - and we'll see what others have to say.

What you're seeing in the blogosphere right now is all of the excitement over the BlogHer Conference. This is an opportunity for women (and a few smart men) from all over the world to come together and talk about blogging, learn more about blogging and do some networking. It's also an opportunity for women to talk about topics and issues that they think are important, to listen to women talk about topics and issues that they think are important. Women are running the show at BlogHerCon, rather than being the minority and what often feels like the "afterthought". That is exciting. If that's not enough, toss in the fact that there are blog crushes and blogging best friends who have never met in person or who only get to meet at the BlogHer Conference and you have an awful lot of excitement.

The BlogHer website was created to showcase women's writing and to assist women in getting their work recognized and visible in the blogosphere. BlogHer's goal is to create opportunities for women. It is networking. Definitely. But it is much more than that.

We have 24 topic areas being covered by contributing editors, all female editors, who work to feature other women bloggers. It's blogging by women, for women and about women.

Have you listed your blog in the blogroll? Wander around some of the topic areas and leave a comment or two. Tell us what you think about what you're reading at BlogHer. Tell us if you've written a blog post about one of the topics we've covered. Tell us what you'd like to read.

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High & Flamingo House Happenings

My partner was reading this and said "You should have told her that not everyone will know each other at BlogHerCon". Sometimes it does feel that way but the majority of women I talked to at the Conference last year did not know each other at all.

:-)

~Denise
Fast Times @ Homeschool High & Flamingo House Happenings

that sad feeling of left-outed-ness that comes with reading all these other blogs where women are all going to Blogher, they all seem to know each other, and I just couldn't figure out how they do it!

That describes almost perfectly how I felt last year at this time. :)

Reading the posts during and after made me decide that I wasn't going to miss out on BlogHer this year. I don't know any of my favorite bloggers personally, and in fact most of my regular reads probably don't have a clue who I am, because I'm one of many who love them.

And yes, I hope to meet a few of them next week. But mostly, I hope to meet lots of other bloggers who are looking to meet lots of other bloggers themselves - and something tells me when I head back home on Sunday afternoon, I'm going to have a much longer list of Bloglines feeds. I can't wait!

Even if you can't be there in person, stick around and get familiar with this place. You will find so many reasons to visit every day. :)

Disorderly Conduct

Just thought I would mention...I have never been to a BlogHer Conference, I have never met any other BlogHers (not even the one I will be sharing a room with in 10 days), and I have never been to Chicago. And with that said; I have never been more excited to do something I have never done before in my entire life.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters

Well, thanks a million for the speedy and informative responses - I am VERY interested in the idea of a community of women with common interests, definitely, and I do feel a little alone out there in the blogosphere.
I guess that's the beauty of the internet - it makes it possible for all these people to get together in a meaningful way who would normally never meet.
I wish I was going to BlogHer.

I'm not going to it - it sounds boring (will saying that make my comment get yanked?) and expensive.

the idea of a huge two days of conferences, especially all girls and no guys, just sounds really boring to me. Everyone talking about blogs? You can read blogs, why talk about them too, and in a way that costs hundreds of dollars to do it? I don't relate to people who can spend money that way at all. It's not my thing. I'd go to free conferences that are about music or clothing maybe, if they didn't have an age limit and I could bring my sisters.

I can have fun with boys without them "telling me what to do". I don't know why you'd say that. Sure, hanging out with girls is fun. And I'm fine with this not being for me. Maybe it's just geared for older people or something, because it still sounds boring.

But I do thing they should make it more known that if people wanted to go, they might be able to even if they can't afford it.