Dallas-area BlogHers

The TimeBomb That Is Facebook

halftimelessons — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:11:46 -0500

You ever feel like you are walking on the ragged edge?

You oughta.

I have come to the conclusion that it is only a matter of time before I get lost in the specifics of all my technological fascinations, and make the whopper of all mistakes. It's kinda like when I was a kid and I desperately wanted one of those chronograph watches with six thousand functions. And when I went to my "dad" and asked him for one, he said "you know, the more bells and whistles you have on it, the more that there is to go wrong."

Well, this particular watch isn't just gonna stop glowing at some point, it has the potential to leave a crater where I once stood.

Like many bloggers, I love the feeling like I am building something. And the tools available to build a following are plenty. But those tools don't discriminate between a wife and an ex girlfriend, or between your boyz and your boss.

See, I'm a blogger. And I Twitter. And yes, I Facebook. And that doesn't even account for email, two cellphones and a texting addiction. Oops, one more...I sit by the mailbox every day waiting for credit card offers...but thats a whole other thing.

When the pieces begin to be put together, you quickly uncover pitfalls with each. And you work through the problems to put in place the safest, most productive combination possible.

On my blog, I like to think I can say whatever I want. My domain, you know? Only, the wife is watching. Sometimes other family members do. What's more, it's out there to be found by search engines. And folks I work with? Human resources? Careful...

However, on my blog I have the ability to edit, or even remove a post that I should have been more considerate about...unlike Twitter. With Twitter, once it leaves your keyboard, it's out there. Gone, and permanent. Plus, you see all those followers that you are "best friends" with? What's to say one isn't your creative boss, watching from the darkness? Much as I think I know every sordid detail about every Twitter follower, I'm also pretty sure I'm an idiot.

And that brings us to the beloved Facebook. Spouses, family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, bloggers...not to mention exes of every variety. Some of whom know about my blog, some who don't. Some who have wives or husbands who don't understand any of the social media thing, think it's stupid, and who are nervous about their newfound connections. And they should be, as divorce rates are climbing, especially among Facebookers et al, who use these vehicles as opportunities to see if "the one that got away" is at all...interested.

With Facebook, the biggest pitfall is the diversity of your friends. What is gonna crack up one is gonna insult another, and a new, even remotely attractive "friend" is potentially an invitation to the Spanish Inquisition hosted by your spouse.

For a blogger, Facebook provides an opportunity to develop more of a following of your work, and a very good one at that. Benefits can be great, mistakes can be costly. Wire in your blog using NetworkedBlogs, and every time you post, it runs on the wall for all to see. But write a controvercial piece and forget for just one second that your boss is a Facebook friend, and a wisp of smoke will be where your career once stood.

My advice is simple. Develop a list of questions to ask yourself before posting anything anywhere.

Blog - Who is this gonna hurt? Do I care?

Twitter - Will I hit enter on this Tweet and wish I hadn't? 5 minutes from now? 5 years from now?

Facebook - Is this status/wall post appropriate for Trixie, my wife, Mr. Lumberg, and Pastor Stephen?

Write 'em out. Sticky them on your monitor if you have to, or staple them to your forehead, as I have done. Take a minute, and think about it. Be as controvercial as you want to, but be ready. Mistakes are gonna leave a mark.

And that ex-boyfriend?

There was a reason why you dumped him before. Same guy.

Dallas-area BlogHers

He Was a Skater Boy

Anaka — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:25:51 -0500

He Was a Skater Boy

Dallas-area BlogHers

In Defense of the Princess

Anaka — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:37:21 -0500

Today I saw the preview for Disney's new animation The Princess and the Frog,
a movie that is all the buzz for various reasons,
some applauding the film while others are criticizing it. The buzz that
perplexes me most are the complaints about Princesses in general,
arguing that Princesses, particularly Disney's, promote a negative
stereotype for young girls to look up to. It is this view of Princesses
that I aim to address. While I understand such views, I feel the
writers are overlooking something of utmost importance--Disney films
are based on fairy-tales, a most ancient form of story-telling, and one
which embodies universal archetypes and symbols.

The point of a fairy-tale is to provide a narrative by which to
understand the world and what it means to be human. These narratives
resonate with innate themes--the quest, transformation, conflict--and
the characters serve as symbols of values held in high esteem--honor,
justice, virtue. Passed down through generations, our fairy-tales share
commonalities across cultures, languages, and time. Disney, then, has
only adapted universal stories, themes, and archetypes.

A few of the articles I've read argue that Princesses within Disney
movies promote negative qualities such as reliance upon a prince. True,
in some films, particularly earlier ones, the Princess does await her
Prince, but this is a classical script to illustrate a theme, such as
the quest. All of the characters, not only the women, are flat and
undeveloped because they are archetypes and symbols. In later films--Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid--characters,
both male and female, are more developed, undergo transformations, and
represent desirable or undesirable traits and values.

Regarding desirable values, Disney's Princesses are not lacking.
Jasmine is strong-willed, wanting only sincerity and humility over
money and grandeur; Ariel is independent, taking control of what she
wants; Belle is a kind, caring, and empathetic bookworm, not afraid of
standing out from the crowd.

To suggest that Princesses are negative representations of women is to
overlook these positive values. One writer worried because her young
daughter wants to be a Princess when she grows up as opposed to a
doctor or president. Another contemplated removing Disney films from
his home to ensure his daughter grows up independent and successful.
True, the characters within fairy-tales are not career women,
but children have little concept of "careers" and to make a character a
doctor or president would be to strip the fairy-tale of the imaginative
qualities through which a young child can make sense of the world
around her.

I do not have children nor do I know many. But I do know women who used
to be children, all of whom watched Disney movies and read fairy-tales
as young girls. These women did not grow up yearning for men to save
them but rather became successful and independent lawyers, journalists,
vice-presidents, teachers, and mothers with strong values and virtue.
And their success continues regardless if they have found their
"prince" or are still looking.

Rather than worry about a young girl wanting to be a Princess waiting
for her prince, one might fare better aiming to raise a confident,
balanced, and intelligent girl who can distinguish, for herself, the
difference between myth and reality. In the meantime, leave the
Princesses and fairy-tales alone and a child to her childhood.

Dallas-area BlogHers

Michael Jackson Memorial: The Words Of A Daughter

Megan Smith — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:22:18 -0500

"Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just wanted to say I love him...so much." Those were the tearful words of Michael Jackson's 11 year old daughter, Paris at her father's memorial service today.

When I first saw Paris Jackson about to take the microphone at the very end of the two hour service, my head said, "No, no, don't put that little girl up there!"

But ultimately I was wrong. Ultimately it was the right thing to do to let her speak. She was surrounded by her family and this little girl, whose face we've seen for the first time only since Michael's death, wanted to tell the world what her father meant to her. In those two tearful sentences, she turned Michael "the freak" into Michael "the human being."

He wasn't just a celebrity, he was someone's brother, son, uncle and most importantly to Paris Jackson and her siblings, someone's father.

It was a daughter's grief for a father who was gone too soon, as Usher had sung earlier in the ceremony.

His gold plated coffin was carried into the Los Angeles Staples Center to the voices of a gospel choir singing "We are going to see the King." His brothers who performed with him for all those years on stage as part of the Jackson 5 were pallbearers.

They wore matching yellow ties, red roses in their lapels and then later in the ceremony, single, matching sequined gloves.

For all the anticipation of a spectacle and a circus-like atmosphere since his death nearly two weeks ago, this memorial service was really quite dignified, well orchestrated and the right balance of public spectacle and private grief. It's what his family wanted and his fans needed.

There were words from Michael, via his songs. One nicely edited
montage of Jackson performance highlights was accompanied by Michael singing "You Are Not Alone."

Mariah Carey sang the Jackson 5 standard, "I'll Be There," and though her passion was stronger than her voice, that was okay. She was joined by Trey Lorenz. Lionel Richie belted out "Jesus Is Love," while Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson came out in all her pregnant glory and sang "Will You Be There."

Stevie Wonder, before performing said, "This is a moment that I wished that I didn't live to see come." He then performed the soulfully sad, "I Never Dreamed You'd Leave In Summer." John Mayer performed an instrumental version of "Human Nature" on the guitar.

After a clip of a ten year old Michael singing "Who's Loving You," with all the emotion of an adult, Smoky Robinson joked, "I wrote that song. I thought I sang it." He then referred to Michael as his little brother.

Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, the Jackson 5's first record label spoke about how Michael was like a son to him:

He was the consummate student. He studied the greats and became greater. He raised the bar and then broke the bar.

Gordy then set up a roar in the auditorium when he proclaimed Michael the "greatest entertainer that ever lived."

Rev Al Sharpton and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas defended Jackson and extolled his charitable works.

Sharpton roused the crowd with these words:

He out sang his cynics, he out out danced his doubters, he out performed the pessimists. Michael never stopped, Michael never stopped, Michael never stopped.

Then Sharpton was interrupted by a standing ovation when he said to Michael's children:

Wasn't nothin' strange about your Daddy. It was strange what your Daddy had to deal with. But he dealt with it anyway.

Today was also a day for all kinds of Michael Jackson stories in the blogosphere. Writer Alice Walker's daughter, Rebecca Walker writes about meeting Michael Jackson in a beautiful post for The Root, "The Untouchable Michael Jackson":

I remember his body language. He moved slowly, like a very cool cat, hesitant, but smooth. And then, in the softest of voices, he asked how I was able to do the impromptu bit of comical business. He could never do something like that on the spot, he said. He'd be too nervous. I remember laughing and chiding him. You'd be great, Michael! I said. He shook his head and out crept a smile so open and vulnerable that I wanted to hug him, and probably would have, if he weren't Michael Jackson.

But he was, and I had no way to reach across the boundary of celebrity that put us on opposite sides of an invisible fence. Michael was, as he described himself in a song years later, untouchable. I believe that is what killed him. A human being can only live so long without the touch of another and can only breathe manufactured air for so many minutes.

La Tara at Mom Unplugged asks people to "Look Beyond The Person To The Soul:

In looking at Michael's life and from what was said today and in the past, I guess I see a lot of myself. I have always been a strange child and wondered why I was different.

My supposed defects were taken and raked through the coal over and over again. It was as if I were the elephant woman and so when I looked in the mirror I saw a girl who was not very pretty. Imagine how Michael felt when he was teased. I can imagine it...can you?

The Black Socialite on the memorial service:

I've watched it on and off but honestly it is one of the most difficult moments in history I have lived to witness.

Kudos to his family, loved ones, and business associates for making this event a celebration of life rather than a somber ceremony.

Professor Lolita Buckner at Ain't I A Feminist Legal Scholar Too, asks in her great post "Is It Michael You Mourn For, Or The Man In The Mirror?:"

My mother once worked in an upscale department store where she waited on Diana Ross. We actually knew people who had met Michael Jackson. Michael sightings and interactions became the highest-valued social currency of our childhood.

He was like a cousin that you used to hang out with but then there came a day that you really didn't hang anymore but you still loved and admired him because he was great. And he was...yours.

So, if it seems strange to people that I am mourning Michael Jackson the International Pop Star, so be it. That's only a small part of who he was.

My fellow CE Catherine Morgan who happened to be doing an interview with singer LeAnn Rimes* today asked her what she thought of the memorial service:

The coverage it's quite amazing, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. It's a very sad loss, I think I'll always remember where I was when I heard he died. He was a musical genius and you never know what he could have done past 50. It's a sad day.

The coverage of the memorial service was on every broadcast network and all the cable news channels. I watched it on CNN and monitored Twitter, whose top 5 trending topics for hours were all related to Michael Jackson. It was live streamed on CNN.com among others, though I thought the Facebook updates window as part of the CNN video player were a great touch.

CNN had cameras in Harlem, Gary Indiana where Michael was born, Atlanta, Times Square and the Neverland Ranch. And mercifully commentators didn't talk through the ceremony.

The most heartbreaking moments of the service were left to family members and close friends, Jermaine Jackson singing what he said was Michael's favorite song, "Smile," and barely able to make it through without sobbing. Brooke Shields, a woman who knows a little something about being in the spotlight at a young age, reminisced:

I used to tease him and I'd say, you know I started when I was eleven months old. You're a slacker, you were what, five? Both of us needed to be adults very early, but when we were together we were two little kids having fun.

Usher sang "Gone Too Soon" and tearfully delivered the final lyrics with his hand on Michael's coffin. Queen Latifah was there to read a poem by Maya Angelou, "We Had Him:"

Only when we confess our confusion can we remember that he was a gift to us, and we did have him. He came to us from the creator, trailing creativity in abundance. Despite the anguish of life, he was sheathed in mother love, and family love, and survived, and did more than that, he thrived with passion and compassion, humor and style. We had him. Whether we knew who he was or did not know. He was ours and we were his.

But ultimately, no words were more powerful than those of Paris Jackson, a daughter mourning her Dad.

A Life Coach Examines Michael Jackson's Legacy

*You can read Catherine's entire interview with LeAnn Rimes this Friday. LeAnn will be talking about her struggles with Psoriasis.

Megan Smith is the BlogHer Contributing Editor covering Television and Online Video. Her personal entertainment blog is Megan's Minute, Quirky Commentary Around The Clock.

TV Rants & Raves

The Round Table

Anaka — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:24:49 -0500

Sunday evening, I had the opportunity to host two international visitors in my home for dinner. I invited two friends, threw the linens on the table, and awaited the arrival of our guests.

Around 6 o'clock, three all-American girls sat at the dinner table with our two international guests. In one sense, our daily lives as young women could not be more different. Our guests live in an occupied territory where they teach children, some of whom live in refugee camps and all of whom are too familiar with the realities of war. We discussed the difficulties they endure, what our guests are doing to give the children the opportunities all children deserve, and their great hope for peace in their region.

Five girls cannot gather together, however, without the gift of gab, and our conversation moved rapidly from one topic to another. Obama, politics, and global issues. Marriage, fashion, and decorating. Full-time jobs, bad habits, and college studies. As we chatted, we consistently found ourselves noting how similar we are––as communities and as individuals. Several times we proclaimed, "Yes, yes. It's the same."

Herein is the power of conversation to strengthen human connections and foster understanding. Keeping abreast of CNN and BBC can only go so far in allotting the understanding of human experiences beyond one's home country. Being able to sit together and share stories creates a bridge that no engineer can build, one that joins distances far greater than the Atlantic or Pacific. It was through our conversation on Sunday that our guests and we were not only able to better understand each others' lives but also able to connect through the commonalities we share.

At one point, one of my guests noted how grateful she was to visit the States and meet American individuals, pointing out the importance of creating a dialogue, regardless of topic or opinions. The significance lies in mutual understanding and the realization that we truly are all the same. Across countries and continents, cultures and languages, we all have the same desires for peace, love, and happiness. It is a matter of getting our ideas on the table for discussion and establishing respect through dialogue.

As a graduate student, I studied the concept of "the other" in early-twentieth century Western literature, art, and film. While such academic pursuits are valuable in deconstructing such dangerous notions, one need not delve into literary theory. One need only to turn off CNN for a while and share dinner and stories with new friends from around the world.

Dallas-area BlogHers

A Date in Four Acts

Anaka — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:20:01 -0500

Against my friend's better judgment, I agree to go on a date with The Captain, who invites me to a law firm event at the King Tut exhibit. As we shall see, one might fare better by listening to one's friends.

Prelude
(Cyberspace. facebook.)
The Captain, in great anticipation of the upcoming evening, posts an inappropriate message about spermicidal jelly donuts on my wall. The comment is deleted.

Act I
(Dallas Museum of Art. Seventeen Seventeen Restaurant.)
The Captain and I are in the restaurant, where hors d'oeuvres and wine are being served to a party of lawyers.

The Captain: "You see, if you had gone to law school after all, you could have a life like this."
Me (disgusted): "I do have a life like this, and I didn't have to waste my time in law school."

Act II
(Dallas Museum of Art. King Tut exhibit.)
Me: "Isn't it interesting how the Egyptian art reflects a connection between mathematics and harmony.
The Captain: (Blank stare.)
Me: "Look. See how each piece is so well balanced by mathematical principles?"
The Captain: "I think I want a mummy mask of my face. And shabti's of myself around my house. And I think I need a throne. And a staff, with my face at the top."
Me: (Blank stare.)

Act III
(Volvo. Driving down I-75.)
The Captain: "How could you possibly think that Texas has culture and good museums?"
Me: "Well, Tadeo Ando would beg to differ! Have you even been to the museums?"
The Captain: "I'm a California snob. I don't waste my time with Texas."
Me: "California is going to fall off the face of the earth."

Act IV
(Tapas Restaurant. Dallas.)
Bored with The Captain's stories about his "golden child" reputation at his law firm, I invite Religion and Politics to the dinner table.

Religion: "Ask about God."
Politics: "Ask about the Election."
Religion: "Bring up the continuity of monotheistic religions."
Politics: "Bring up the politics of the Middle East."

Voices are raised. Hands flail. I politely excuse myself to the restroom. Upon return, I find that The Captain has paid the check and is ready to leave. My tapas remain uneaten on the table.

Act V
(Volvo.)
Silence ensues as The Captain drives me to my apartment. Upon arrival, I gracefully exit his car and climb three flights of stairs to my apartment alone.

Summary
Earlier that day, I considered The Captain. By the end of the evening, however, I do not. I couldn't be happier.

Dallas-area BlogHers

Manchild: Where Art Thou?

Anaka — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:14:01 -0500

I meet my date at a wine bar, ready for wine and good conversations. The following unfolds...

Glass One: Pinot Grigio, $5.00
Unsure of how much my date expects to spend, I choose a glass of wine based on the low price and the name. He seems a bit unimpressed, though I can't tell if it's because of the price of my spirit or my method of choosing. We retire to the back room, and begin to chat. As when we met, our conversation is intense, and I imagine, with great thrill, that anyone listening might think we either moonlight for the New Yorker or are French sans accent.

Glass Two: Pinot Grigio, $6.00
My date is still sipping the glass of wine he had when I arrived, sifting like a connoisseur and closing his eyes as he savors each drop. Like every good girl, I've finished my glass, and I'm ready to move on. Again, I choose a glass based on the name. My date seems worried. Our conversation continues, and I feel like we've read last month's New Yorker cover to cover and, like fiends, picked up the next issue as if the magazine's going out of print and all evidence will be sucked into the black hole of print journalism.

Glass Three: Barbaresco, $22.00

Finally, he's finished his first glass, a great feat being that he rarely stops talking long enough to sip. I let him choose my next glass, and the quality of my libation goes up by $15. My need for the next glass, however, has gone up 140%. I feel like a duck in France being fattened up for foi gras, but instead I'm being forcibly fed all things scholarly. I start to wonder why I ever read the New Yorker in the first place. It's as though I've stumbled upon a rare issue written by James Joyce, Aristotle, Ghandi, and Fareed Zakaria but all I want to do is toss it in the fireplace and pick up Vogue or Town & Country.

Glass Four: Barbaresco, $22.00
I am pinching the skin behind my ear in an attempt to stay focused, and my contribution to the conversation has dwindled down to short spurts of "Interesting", "Uh-huh", and "Yeah, I know what you mean". Strangely, I'm craving People or Star. Hell, at this point, I'd be happy with Maxim.

I see a light at the end of a tunnel, and a voice is calling out:

"What-a-Burger, fantasy baseball league, Family Guy, South Park, Wii Bowling, pitchers of beer, eating pizza in boxer shorts, NBA play-offs..."

"Please, help me!" I call out to the voice...

And then, miraculously, my date calls it a night. I look unhappily at his full glass of wine he's leaving behind. (Doesn't he know people in America are thirsty?) Alas, I finish my last drop, grab my purse, and run like mad out of there.

The (Much Anticipated) Drive Home:

A male friend gives me a call.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Watching South Park on TiVo," he replies.
Never have I been so happy.

Dallas-area BlogHers

Michael Jackson Dead At Age 50 Updated With Statement From Jermaine Jackson

Megan Smith — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:01:24 -0500

Singer Michael Jackson died at the age of 50 this afternoon at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was rushed there this afternoon in full cardiac arrest. On a day when actress Farrah Fawcett also died, it was nearly unbelievable when news reports and tweets on Twitter first proclaimed late this afternoon that the superstar might be dead.

Jermaine Jackson at around 9PM EST tearfully read the following statement outside the UCLA Medical Center:

My brother, the legendary King of Pop Michael Jackson passed away on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 2:26 PM. It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest in his home. However the cause of his death is unknown until results of the autopsy are known. His personal physician who was with him at the time attempted to resuscitate my brother. And, uh, as did the paramedics who transported him to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Upon arriving at the hospital at approximately 1:14 PM a team of doctors including emergency physicians and cardiologists attempted to resuscitate him for a period of more than one hour. And they were unsuccessful.

Our family requests that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time. And, uh may Allah be with you Michael always. Love you.

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958 to Joe and Katherine Jackson. By the time he was six years old, he was singing with his five brothers and on the brink of discovery by Motown Record executives. There's an old black and white audition video of a very young Michael imitating James Brown, fancy dance moves and all. (I'm working on getting a link for that, bear with me.)

When Michael was ten, Motown signed the Jackson 5 and the group became an instant hit. Songs like "ABC," "Stop The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There" were records every kid on my block was dancing to, though my grandmother insisted there was no dancing on the street, only in the house.

Around the same time, the Osmond Brothers were also hitting it big and as a black child growing up in Brooklyn, there was the black/white, Jackson/Osmond rivalry. Michael Jackson was cuter, no Donny Osmond was cuter!

There were TV appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Sonny and Cher Show." There were Saturday morning Jackson 5 cartoon shows:

As he got older, Michael Jackson broke out on his own with his 1979 Quincy Jones produced solo album, "Off The Wall." It created a huge sensation for an audience that was growing up with him and for the next generation as well.

But no one could foresee the phenomena that would be "Thriller."

The album, which has sold 45 million copies worldwide, pushed Jackson's career into the stratosphere with songs like, "Beat It" "Billie Jean" and "Thriller." That was in 1982 and when in 1983, Michael debuted "Billie Jean" and the infamous moonwalk dance step on the 25th anniversary Motown TV special, it pushed his career and his fame to a level that was beyond superstardom.

In 1984 the Jacksons, including Michael did the Victory Tour which according to Wikipedia grossed 75 million dollars, at that time the most ever for any concert tour.

My cousins and I went to one of the concerts at Giants Stadium. We were way up in the rafters but still thrilled to see Michael, Tito, Marlon, Jermaine and Jackie, so close. One of my favorite songs from the tour and my favorite Jacksons video is "Can You Feel It?"

Jackson's cutting edge videos also forced the burgeoning MTV to play the videos of black people. they'd been resisting because supposedly they were only going to play rock videos, but to the rest of us "rock" meant "only white."

Along comes the album "Thriller" with it's seven top ten single records and MTV could no longer ignore the first class videos Michael Jackson was producing to go along with them: "Beat It," and "Thriller" being by far the most popular.

Jackson followed up "Thriller" with "Bad." Though not as big as "Thriller" it was still a worldwide sensation and even more videos came to go with the songs. One that showcases Jackson's dancing skills to perfection is "Smooth Criminal."

But all that talent and fame came at a very high cost. Jackson eventually built the Neverland Ranch as his own sanctuary from the world. He thought of himself as a modern day Peter Pan and decked out Neverland with an amusement park and a zoo.

In 1994 he married Lisa Marie Presley, someone who understood fame as the daughter of Elvis Presley, but that marriage lasted less than three years. He then married Debbie Rowe who eventually became the mother of two of his three children, Michael and Paris. That lasted less than three years as well. His third child Prince was born with the help of a surrogate mother.

It was during this time that all the Michael Jackson craziness seemed to develop. As his fame got larger, his nose got thinner, his skin got lighter (Jackson said from the disease vitiligo, but many questioned that) and his popularity waned. The rise of other types of music, like hip hop, seemed to signal the era of Michael Jackson was over.

Even that might have been okay except in 1993 a thirteen year old boy accused Jackson of sexual molestation while the child was on a visit to Neverland ranch. Jackson denied the accusations and the case settled out of court.

Then in 2003 Jackson was arrested on charges of molesting a young cancer patient who came to visit his ranch. The case dragged on for two years until Jackson was acquitted in 2005.

But after the molestation charges Jackson's reputation and career were irreparably damaged. He spent time in the country of Dubai and as the years passed his financial woes almost forced a foreclosure of Neverland and a sale of his possessions. Eventually, Jackson prevented the foreclosure and transferred the title of Neverland to new owners.

After years of financial woes Jackson was preparing a comeback concert tour in London. The tickets for the 50 concerts sold in record time. Just today Rolling Stone posted an article about the tour and how the four opening dates were postponed:

While Jackson has been rumored to be frequently absent from his Los Angeles rehearsals with choreographer and musical director Kenny Ortega, the technical complexity of the shows, as well as Jackson's perfectionism has been cited for the delayed starting dates.

Now those concerts are no more.

I tell you, I feel like a big part of my childhood has been shut away forever with Michael Jackson's death.

And before I tell you why, let me first say that I believe that he was innocent of those molestation charges. I believe he was stupid and naive to still have boys sleeping at his house after he was charged the first time, but deep down in my gut, I don't think he did it. I couldn't say what I'm about to if I did.

Though I was often frustrated by his strange quirks, I loved Michael Jackson. I think he was one of the most talented performers ever born. It may not look like it now because over the years we've seen so many pale copies of the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson-like moves, but Michael Jackson was the original. Like Madonna, I actually think his true talent was not so much his singing, but his dancing and his choreography.

I also think he became something that fame created and which any human being would have a tough time handling. I think about Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and Diana. The level of fame they faced was beyond anything that could ever be imagined.

And those with fragile natures are hard pressed to handle something so crushing. I think Michael was one of those people. It makes me very sad.

When I heard the news I actually cried out I was so upset. I mourn for the cute little kid with the big, big talent. I mourn for the adult that he couldn't become. And I mourn for that piece of my childhood that was sweet and safe and fun.

RIP Michael.

Related Links:

(Thanks for my fellow CE Aniis Flox for these)

Fans Gather Around Michael's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

Michael Jackson May Have Left Rights To Beatles Songs To Paul McCartney

Reactions from the blogosphere:

ABW at Diary of An Anxious Black Woman:

My childhood icon, my first ever superstar, Michael Jackson, died after a cardiac arrest at the age of 50. I'm still crying as I type this. I'm really upset about this! :(

Jen at Connect with Your Teens Through Pop Culture:

I
have such memories of listening to the Jackson 5 during my tween years. I loved every single song they came out with. We were both
approximately the same age, so when Off the Wall came out, it seemed
the perfect music for that time in my life.

MamaLaw:

It's officially the end of an era. May he rest in peace.

Megan Smith is the BlogHer Contributing Editor covering Television and Online Video. Her personal entertainment blog is Megan's Minute, Quirky Commentary Around The Clock.

New York Area BlogHers

Blogging While Brown 2009: An Interview with Gina McCauley of What About Our Daughters

Megan Smith — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:48:14 -0500

Have you heard of Gina McCauley? If you haven't, listen up--this is a woman who's on the cutting edge of the internet and social media and you need to get to know her right now. If you do know who she is, read the following interview anyway, because I defy you not to be inspired by her story, her passion and her good old fashioned smarts. Just the kind of black woman the MSM almost never talks about.

Gina's the outspoken publisher of the blogs What About Our Daughters and Michelle Obama Watch, and she's also the organizer of the blogging conference for people of color, Blogging While Brown. After attending last weekend's successful 2nd annual conference, I had some questions for Gina and she was kind enough to make time to answer them for me.

What did you hope to achieve with this year's conference and do you feel you accomplished what you set out to do?

My goal was to bring people together so that they could meet other people, learn something new and have a good time. My hope before the conference that people would develop relationships with others they could partner with and collaborate. I think we definitely accomplished that. I was afraid that we couldn't replicated the amazing "vibe" from last year, and we didn't. The "vibe" this year was even better than the vibe int he room from last year. People genuinely liked each other, were excited for each other, encouraged each other and enjoyed each other's company to the point that they would leave :)

On the way out the door, three women who live in Chicago who didn't know each other before they came to the conference and attended the bootcamp and conference said they were going to collaborate together and start a group blog. That's so important because blogging can be a very solitary experience. Blogging While Brown makes blogging a family experience. You know you're part of this loud lovely group that loves to get together and chat.

How was this year's conference different than last year's?

First, we added the beginning blogger bootcamp and I think its fair to say that was an overwhelming success. We got raves about that, and we'll be expanding our "nuts & bolts" training next year. We had a really small class that met before the conference began. They got each other. I think it was less intimidating when the entire conference convened because they already had their bootcamp friends. My goal was to take civilians and turn them into lean mean blogging and podcasting machines and we did that.

We clearly had more people this year. We eliminated Sunday morning events, which I think is wise :) We had all conference events in the same location. I actually did very little organizing this year because I delegated logistics to our conference coordinator, Shalon and programming to Shawn P Williams from the Dallas South Blog and literally the conference was able to take without me. I arrived to both the kick reception and the Saturday workshops after they had started and they in full swing without me. So that means from a delegation standpoint, it was successful because I had a good team who made sure the conference could take place without me... AND we had power outlets EVERY WHERE this year! That was something we learned from last year when we blew the convention center power grid during the conference.

Your blog What About Our Daughters is very focused on speaking up about issues relating to women of color in a blunt and unapologetic way. I love that. But at the same time there are people in the black community who would say, you shouldn't be putting our "dirty laundry" out there for all the world to see. What do you say to that?

I don't what those people think! The cost of silence is too high. You're not going to march the community over the side of a cliff while I quietly watch. Another blogger once said, I forget who, that when you hear someone fret over "dirty laundry" being "aired" that you have to wonder how many loads they've washed. I started blogging because I think the very survival of young Black women is at stake. Live free or die. Folks are worried about bad PR with blood running in the streets.

We're seven times more likely to be sexually assaulted, being devastated by HIV-AIDS, young Black women under the age of 18 are the most likely to be killed when pregnant or within a year after their deaths. I'll shut up about it when all the dirty laundry police start protecting Black women and girls. Until that time, Black women and girls have a natural born right to engage in self defense. Our only defense at this point is to open up our mouths and scream. I've often found that merely shining a tiny light under the darkest rocks in the Black community sends the foolishness scattering

What are you trying to accomplish with Michelle Obama Watch?

You know I don't know anymore :) I was one of those Black folks who wondered if the country REALLY REALLY was going to elect a Black president so when I started the site, I really couldn't conceive of her ACTUALLY being first lady and I think that's a good thing. The possibility was just so outlandish :) But what I was trying to do was to point out that a lot of the criticism that was being directed her way was rooted in stereotypes we have about Black women. Those stereotypes are driven by the media and pop culture. I didn't think she was being adequately defended.

In fact, I was outraged by the silence of social justice and women's groups about her treatment at the time. She was being characterized as angry and unpatriotic. Michelle Obama is just like me. She's like my friends, we're Black women who are professionals and almost all of us have anecdotes about just walking to get coffee and being asked if we're "okay" because its 7:30 Am in the morning and we're not smiling like the UPN frog. Or being accuse of being "angry" when we're merely passionate about something.

So I wanted to respond to what I felt was typical media stereotyping. By doing that and starting the site, I've become this like Michelle Obama subject matter expert to some people, mainly the media, but its great because Black women, not all of our original contributors were Black BTW, but Black women have been able to inject their voices into the national dialog about Michelle Obama. And guess what? even though she's the first lady, those organizations and groups who were silent during the campaign still are silent :) Although the NAACP came out of hissing to demand a "proper" apology, whatever that is, from Rusty DePass. Big Whoop, now if only they could tackle gender pay equity issues and a history of the appearance of sexual harassment in their national headquarters.

Back to BWB, several people I spoke with suggested the conference was almost ready to be a two day conference. Are you thinking of that, and what will it take to get the conference to that next level?

ARGH! You know I almost think that its a good thing that people leave wanting more :) We'll definitely be adding more programming on Friday during the day. I think we're going to add some more "nuts & bolts" small classes where "learning by doing" is the focus. We'll get some really good instructors to teach in a small group setting and they will cover some of the more intermediate topics that we discussed. For example, we'll have someone teach a course on Buddy Press, or Migrating your Blog to your own hosting service, or how to configure and understand adsense and SEO, people will be sitting there with their laptops actually DOING this stuff instead of taking notes about how to do it. I think the only way to learn about blogging is to do it in some cases. But don't hold me to that.

We're also going to have a "spin off" conference that will likely be in in the Fall or winter that will likely be west coast based and focus on access to capital and the "business" of blogging. We'll likely be bringing "boot camps" to under served communities, in places like the Mississippi Delta and others because now we know from this year that we can set up a mobile computer lab :) we even know how to set up our own wifi network :) So we're definitely going to grow and expand, but I don't want the conference to become so big and unwieldy that we lose the energy. the Size of the conference isn't nearly as important as the depth of the relationships people develop at the conference. People can watch tutorials online to learn a lot of the stuff you learn at the conference, but its only by coming to the conference that you can walk in a stranger and leave with 10 new friends.

What is the hardest thing about writing your blogs? The easiest?

The hardest part about writing my blogs is dealing with the success :) I'm a "celebrity" or sorts and I have all of the issues that any other celebrity would have, just not the money :) The loss of anonymity, the expectations from others, the responsibility of managing this thing I stated on a lark and has grown into so much more. In some ways, as I've become more successful at blogging, I have less time to blog :) So just continuing to get new posts up while juggling the additional obligations like speaking at conferences is a challenge also As any small business person will tell you, in order for the business to grow, you have to make time for that.

So I really want to expand the number of people who hear my message and that means trying to write a book and produce content that can be viewed offline. That takes more time than sitting at my keyboard and letting it rip. So that's my biggest challenge right now, making room for growth and expansion and I think all the lessons I learned this year with BWB about delegating and making myself clear and being firm and giving people guidelines will be really helpful. Because the conference planning team really executed my vision well.

The easiest part is actually writing the blog posts. I have a lot to say and I've never been afraid of sharing my opinion with whoever will listen so for me, expressing myself is easy :) I think the challenge is sometimes hitting the "save" button instead of the "publish" button. I don't need to share EVERYTHING I think with the world. '

Where did you grow up? What was your family life like growing up?

I grew up in southeast Texas in a Black Baptist family. I was the youngest until my little brother came along when I was 13. I have an extraordinary family. Both of my parents were present in my life. I know realize how blessed I am to have been raised the way I was because I read horror stories about what's happening to children whose parents don't their obligations as seriously. I have big family with 4 siblings. I was always outspoken and that was something I struggled with as a child because children are to be seen and not heard, especially girl children and I struggled to just shut up :) My life would have been so much easier if I could have compelled myself to conform, but even from the earliest age, I've hated injustice. I hate seeing the powerful mistreat the weak. I hate bullies :)

I think you see that in my blogging. I'm not afraid to tell powerful institutions that their wrong. It wasn't until I started blogging that I realized that my outspoken nature was not a curse, it was a blessing. But I couldn't blog the way I blog without my family. I remember when the NY times wanted me to reveal my identity because I was blogging pseudo anonymously at the time and I was very reluctant to do that and I remember asking my mom that if all this blows up in my face and I end up on the streets, can come home and sleep on the floor. She said of course. My parents were my first readers and they read the blog every day and get downright indignant if I go a couple of days without posting :) they also are unofficial editors because when I am in the zone and I can hear music in my head as I'm writing a post blasting someone, my only limitation on my "passionate" prose is that I know my parents are going to read what I write. So I do edit myself unconsciously at times. For example ESSENCE magazine had a ridiculous sex issue in June that I just blasted, but I would have blasted it in far greater detail if my parents weren't reading my blog.

In the end family is ALL that matters. Once you become high profile, you don't know why people are approaching. You don't know their motivations, but you always have the security of the love of those who knew you and loved you when you were just an carbaholic couch potato sitting on the couch watching life roll by.

Tell me something about how you grew up that you think might have influenced you to be where you are today, on the cutting edge of social media.

Well, first of all, I grew in a house with computers. My Daddy is an electronics geek. We might not have had the most fashionable clothes, but we had a VIC-20, A commodore 64. I was publishing a newspaper in the 5th grade because we had a desktop publishing program at home. My daddy had the internet back in the day when you had to pay the minute. IRC all that stuff. I remember making this little device from Radio Shack and making this little red light come on. I've been
programming since I learned how to write a code on the Vic-20 that would make my name scroll up the computer screen.

My mother is VERY active in the church so we were conscripted into service. We were always "on program." Giving speeches and performing community service. My mother was the matron of the girls group at church and before we could go to an amusement park, the group had to do a "good deed."

Education was important.

So I think my comfort with technology and my comfort with speaking to the world is rooted in the fact that that's just who I am. that's who I've always been. I'm not afraid of technology. It never occurred to me that I couldn't learn anything I didn't know. So its always interesting when I teach people how to blog how amazed they are that something so simple to me as posting a YouTube video is possible for them.

We've always been a cutting edge family from a technological sense and my parents have always marched to the beat of their own drum.

There was a lot of talk about branding at this year's conference. What is
the next step for the "Gina McCauley brand?"

Oh lord, there is NO Gina McCauley brand. I don't see myself that way. Its interesting to see people's reaction to me because I don't feel any different from them :) I don't view myself as "the product" or the "the brand." I view myself more as the messenger. But I'm definitely writing a book. I've started and stopped a few times, but I'm going to get grustle on. I haven't decided if that's going to be self published, I will likely be sending out query letters sometime this summer to see if I can get a book deal. I definitely am moving into video content production. I complain about the images of Black women in popular culture, but its time to not just complain, but to compete with those images. I think there is a HUGE audience for content that is being under served and ignored. I also think that Black people who know better tend to be risk averse and the creative process is inherently risky. You risk rejection at every turn, but I think people like me have to begin to create a vision of what they want to see in the world because if we don't' do it, no one will.

Most people don't know this, but I've taught myself how to do 3D animation so there is a cartoon on the way featuring your Black girls. There is also a live action movie on the way and i hope to move into some barter syndication deals to broadcast television programming featuring Black women. Public Affairs, Lifestyle, and some fiction. But again, all that takes time an I have to reorder my life so I can do that. I VOWED that once Blogging While Brown 2009 was done, I was
going to shut down for a few weeks to just reorder my life. I've gotten at least one volunteer to agree to hold down my blog and guest post while I walk away for a while.

So I'm trying to set up my "summer" retreat so I can create a structure in my life to do this stuff. If I had a "brand" it would be a brand about Black women living EXCELLENT lives. We don't have to struggle, we don't have to be long suffering, we don't have to me marginalized. My life is fabulous, the lives of my friends are fabulous, why aren't we seeing that? Why is there this narrow spectrum of our human existence in the media? The reason why, is that we aren't sharing our vision of who we are in a compelling and creative way. That's what I want to do.

Is there anything else you'd like to say about the conference or the future of blogging, especially as it relates to people of color?

I just want to say that we should never take any progress we achieve for granted. Right now there are large forces at work aimed at attempting to limit some of the freedoms we take for granted as
bloggers Whether that's imposing costs that make our content unattainable for certain segments of our community or if we continue to lag behind when it comes to access to capital. There are Black bloggers making six figures who should be making 8. There are black bloggers making 2 figures that should be making 5. There are black bloggers who are speaking passionately and forcefully about issues, but they haven't figure out a way to develop and agenda and push for
change legislatively by becoming lobbyists.

We're still very much on the outside and Black bloggers, as you saw from this weekend are the largest gathering of interdisciplinary genius in the Black community. I mean If took a poll, just from my interactions, at least half that room had advanced degrees. The other half had insane amounts of experience. There was easily 30 billion dollars of potential sitting in that room. There was easily two or three congressional districts worth or political strategy and organizing skills sitting in that room. SO how do we go from this awesomely talented fringe and more towards the center of power. How to we make sure our communities keep up with the rapid change in technology. There are probably millions of smart phone aps, how many are aimed at making the lives of poor and working class people easier? Is there an ap for paying your utility bills. Is there and ap that show you the GPS location of the closest bus so you don't have to wait out int he cold.

Are we going to make the same mistakes as were made by earlier generations of media, print, TV, radio and end up being merely consumers. There's a lot of emphasis on producing content, but not as much on the infrastructure that makes that content possible. If you don't know how to build the infrastructure, its very easy to make you disappear online. So, as exciting as BWB is, we really are in a type of technological arms race. Obsolescence online can be a matter of months, not years.

We have to continue to evolve and grow. Stagnation is not an option

Let me just repeat Gina's last line, "Stagnation is not an option!"

Have I mentioned I love this woman? You go, girl!

*A small formatting note. This interview was conducted by email, so I've corrected any obvious typos.

Other fabulous bloggers I met at BWB:

Brandon Q. White of The SuperSpade.

Senam Amegashie of TweetMeBlack.

Afrobella of the blog Afrobella.

Shawn Williams of Dallas South. You can read his BWB recap here. He also included great pictures from the conference.

All the ladies who ran the very successful Red Pump Project AIDS fundraiser/cocktail party. You can read all about it here.

Related Links:

At the Young Black Professional Guide, DNLee writes about people of color and science, and lists several science blogs written by people of color.

Blogging While Brown 2009: A Conference for People of Color with Lessons for All Bloggers

Blogging While Brown 2009: Making Money, Making Friends and Making Movies

Megan Smith is the BlogHer Contributing Editor covering Television and Online Video and she had a great time in Chi-town. Her personal entertainment blog is Megan's Minute, Quirky Commentary Around The Clock.

Exploring White Privilege and Dismantling Systems of Oppression

Blogging While Brown 2009: A Conference for People of Color with Lessons for All Bloggers

Megan Smith — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:33:47 -0500

"Fish where your buyers swim," said Milton Haynes of Blacks Gone Geek.

Before you hit publish, check your headline, "That's the most strategic choice you're about to make," said Megan Tady of Save The Internet.com.

"Own your digital real estate," said Hajj E. Flemings, branding expert and author of "The Brand YU Life."

These quotes came from presenters at last weekend's 2nd annual Blogging While Brown conference held at the University Center in Chicago. It's the kind of advice that's important for all bloggers but the attendees of BWB got that and much more.

BWB was launched last year by blogger Gina McCauley of the blogs What About Our Daughters and Michelle Obama Watch. During her closing remarks this year she said, "My goal is to give you the tools and connections to do whatever you want to do."

The weekend kicked off with a Beginners Blogging Boot Camp on Friday to teach newbies the nuts and bolts of starting a blog. The main event took place Saturday and covered a more advanced range of topics. For example, "Using The Latest Tech Tools To Grow Your Blog," "Building A Strong Personal Brand Online," and "What's Next For Traditional Media?"

Now you might ask yourself, isn't that the kind of stuff all bloggers would like to learn? What's the point of having a blogging conference for just people of color?

The answer is, it's an opportunity for people of color bloggers to bond with a group of blogging peers who often face the same challenges as they do. These were people of color, energized and enthusiastic about the internet and technology, and bursting with ideas to explore its power.

An additional benefit, and no less important, is it allows those people of color who write about politics and social change to start building a formal or informal network that can be mobilized to influence public policy.

According to eMarketer.com, last year nearly 47% of the black population were internet users. Their 2007 report also estimates that "In four years, 56% of African-Americans will be online, roughly the same percentage as Hispanics."

With a black president in office, this group of black bloggers attending BWB was proud of the role many of them played during the campaign to get the perspective of people of color out to the mainstream media. Part of the discussion at BWB involved trying to find ways to build on that momentum.

Speakers and panelists at the conference included Angel Laws, the creator of the popular entertainment blog, Concrete Loop, Megan Tady of Save The Internet, Sabrina Miller of Hit Me Back! and Carmen Dixon Rosenzweig of All About Race. Milton Haynes of Blacks Gone Geek gave a presentation about prepping your blog pitch, Fredric Mitchell, a professional web developer talked about the importance of knowing how your blogging platform operates, and Bruce Montgomery, host of the Chicago weekly TV show, Technology Access Television talked about the current state of mainstream media.

Cheryl Contee who writes as Jill Tubman on the blog Jack and Jill Politics talked about the importance of finding allies within the blogosphere. She encouraged bloggers to find allies among people who share the same agenda. No matter the color, no matter the ethnicity. "Diversity is a strategy, not a color."

Here's an interview I did with Ms. Contee after the conference about women, blogging and marketing.

But what did some of the attendees think of the conference? Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb and her partner Sherry Howard are about to launch a site called We Are Black Women.com for black women over forty.

Attendee Philena Rush on the most significant thing she learned at the conference:

You can see more of my BWB video interviews on my YouTube channel.

Sponsors for the conference were AT&T, who provided 20
scholarships for people to attend, BlogHer, Daily Kos, BlackPR.com,
NextGenWeb and Freepress.net.

Tomorrow I'll post my personal thoughts and feelings about the conference and what important tech tips I learned. I'll also tell you how I ended up having lunch with several good looking men. They'll be more photos and video interviews, including one I did with Angel Laws of Concrete Loop.

Then on Wednesday, my final BlogHer BWB post will include an interview with organizer Gina McCauley.

Thanks to Gina and Shawn P. Williams of the Dallas South blog who kept the conference running on time. Also thanks to Shalon Evans who worked behind the scenes and was then the welcoming face at the registration desk.

Related Links:

What About Our Daughters: "Oops We Did It Again: Blogging While Brown"

Luvvie at Awesomely Luvvie thought Blogging While Brown Rocked!

BWB bloggers on digital activism's past, present and future

Everyday Citizen: Hot Time In The Old Town, Blogging While Brown by Zola Jones

Next Gen Web at Blogging While Brown (includes video of the panels)

Megan Smith's Travels in Chicago during Blogging While Brown

Here's a list of conference participants courtesy of Everyday Citizen. There's some great stuff here so do yourself a favor and check them out:

5 and a Possible, A Buzz in Your Ear, Acts of Faith in Love and Life, Afrobella, All About Race, Around Harlem, Around NYC, Awesomely Luvvie, Beckie Has a Blog, Beyond-isms, Black Gyrl Cancer Slayer, Black PR, Blacks Gone Geek, Blank Bare Clean, Blog Not War, blogHer, Bronzeville Change, Brother Bartell, Brown and Bridal, But You Are A Girl, Carlos in DC, Change You Can See, Chartreuse, Color of Change, Concrete Loop, Consumer Blast, Cyber PR Urban, D Jones Productions, Dallas South Blog (go Dallas South!), Dante Lee, Dragon Fly, Ebony Jet, Flack Me, Fresh Manna of the Day, Global Wire, Global Wire, Goddess Intellect, Hajj Flemings, Harmonic Leadership, Haute Muslim, Have a Wonderful, I Hate My Developer, IT Empowers U, Jack and Jill Politics, Jamal Street Journal, Kiamsha.com:That Which Awakens Me, Listen to Leon, Live Life Posh, Locs and Dreams, Love a Black Woman, Marty Blogs, Megans Minute, Michelle Obama Watch, Miss Theda, Mocha Mom 365, Monroe Anderson, Naomi Christine, Pams House Blend, Peruanista, Philena, Photo Solitude, Pocket Book Protest, Project New Era, Queen Tahj, Save the Internet, See Your Worth, Small World View, Social Media Socialite, South Shore Chamber, TATV, The Joba Group, The Smak, The SuperSpade, Theo Talks, Urban Beauty, Urban Science, UWISHUNU, We Are Black Women, What About Our Daughters, Woman Body and Soul, YBP Guide.

BWB Group Photo By FreddyO.

Exploring White Privilege and Dismantling Systems of Oppression

BlogHer for Beginners

Average Jane — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:59:07 -0500

Every year I see several pre-BlogHer
Conference posts with helpful tips for first-timers. It occurred to me
that I may have something to offer along those lines, seeing as I've
been going to BlogHer ever since it began. Thus, here's my take on the
subject, in no particular order:

Just say "hi." If I have a cardinal rule for BlogHer
Conference interactions, this would be it. You're going to see people
you recognize from your blog reading and Twitter icons. Do not EVER
think to yourself that so-and-so is "too famous" to want to talk to
you. Just go up, introduce yourself, gush a bit if you can't help
yourself, and say hello. What have you got to lose? This doesn't just
apply to people you recognize. Say "hi" to anyone you run into. The
very first person I met at the first BlogHer Conference in 2005 was Liz Rizzo, and we've been buds ever since.
Bring business cards. Trust me, you will kick yourself if
you don't have cards to trade. I can tell you that from experience
because I forgot mine one year. Some people will have elaborate cards
or other logo-branded giveaway items, but don't feel pressured to go
crazy with yours. I use the Avery laser printable cards and they're perfectly fine. If you order soon, you can get something fancier from Moo, Vista Print
(warning: Vista Print has no boundaries when it comes to marketing to
you after you've ordered!) or another online custom print shop.
Wear whatever you want. There is absolutely no such thing as
a BlogHer dress code. I always dress for comfort. Other people dress up
a little bit or a lot. If you're like me and don't post your photo on
your blog or Twitter profile, you may want to consider getting a
t-shirt with your blog logo or graphics on it to help people recognize
you. I generally wear my Average Jane t-shirt on the first day of the conference and switch to something else after that.
You're not obligated to spend all day in sessions. Feel worn
out or overwhelmed? Go back to your room and take a nap. Just not into
any of the sessions coming up next? Go sit in the lobby and chat with
other conference-goers until the next session starts. I've done both of
those things at various times during BlogHer. The last time it was in
Chicago, I walked down Navy Pier and rode the Ferris Wheel after lunch.
Individualize your conference experience in whatever way works best for
you.
Consider leaving your laptop at home, or at least in your room.
Sacrilege, I know! But...how are you going to interact with your fellow
BlogHers if you're hiding behind a laptop the whole time? Unless you've
been appointed to liveblog, try to spend as much time in face-to-face
interaction as you can. That's why you're there, right?
Don't feel bad about missing things. You can't go to every
session on every track. You're going to hear about parties that you
didn't know about/weren't invited to/can't find. You'll see some people
with awesome swag from mystery sources. There's a LOT going on at the
BlogHer Conference itself and there's a whole 'nother level of
unofficial parties, swag suites and attendee-organized events beyond
anything you could anticipate. If you ask around a bit, sometimes you
can get enough information to be able to crash. If not, don't worry -
you'll find something else fun to do.
Pack light. You are going to end up with so much free
merchandise and literature, it'll make your head spin. Even if you drop
off the stuff you don't want in the recycle room, you'll still be
flirting with the airlines' luggage weight limits. Coordinate with your
roomie(s) re: hair care appliances, etc. and resist the urge to pack
quite so many extra clothes and shoes.
Relax. Yes, a gathering of 1,200+ bloggers is rather
overwhelming. With that many people in one place, believe me, nobody is
looking at you, judging you, thinking about how your hair looks, trying
to gauge your Technorati rankings, etc. We're all there to learn
things, meet people and have fun. You're going to love it!

Dallas-area BlogHers

Party Like a BlogStar: A Comprehensive List of BlogHer '09 Parties

jes — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:00:49 -0500

Sure, sure. BlogHer sessions are generally awesome, and informative, and humorous and inspiring. You’ll undoubtedly leave the conference with a slew of new things to implement or try on your own site. Along the way, you’re certain to meet new friends. And BlogHer plans to help with that. We’ve got comprehensive details on EVERY open-invite party happening at BlogHer ’09 (and this post will be updated continuously, to keep you in the loop), so if you want the inside scoop on what events will be taking place during this summer’s hottest blogging conference, read on…

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009

Chicago Webgrrls Networking Event
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Offsite – The Creative Group, Chicago
Learn more and RSVP here

Enjoy the RIDEZ Reception
Time: 7p.m.
Location: Offsite – Quartino Ristorante
Learn more and RSVP

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2009

Pre-BlogHer Luncheon at Dick’s Last Resort
Time: 12 – 3 p.m.
Location: Offsite – Dick’s Last Resort
Learn more and RSVP here

Swiffer SocialLuxe Lounge
Time: 3 – 8 p.m.
Location: Offsite – Penthouse, The Hyatt Regency Chicago
Learn more and RSVP here

SMC Chicago: Women, Blogging and Social Media
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Offsite – 200 West Madison
Learn more and RSVP here

People’s Party
Time: 8:30 – 11 p.m.
Location: On-site – Chicago X, Ballroom Level
Learn more and RSVP here

Room 704 Party
Time: 10:30 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Location: On-site – Java East, Lobby Level
Learn more and RSVP here

FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2009

BlogHer 5k
Time: 6:30 a.m., limited registration
Location: Offsite – Along Chicago’s Lake Michigan shore
Fee: $5, includes race shirt
Learn more and RSVP here
[Sponsors and assistants needed, if you want to be involved but don’t want to participate in the walk/run]

BlogHer Cocktail Party
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: On-site – Expo Floor, Sponsored by Pepsi

EA Summer in the City Party
Time: 7 – 10 p.m.
Location: Offsite - House of Blues, Chicago
Learn more and RSVP here

Queerosphere Crimson Lounge
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Location: Offsite – Crimson Lounge, Hotel Sax
Learn more and RSVP here

Blogalicious Party
Time: 9 – 11 p.m.
Location: Offsite – Macy's Watertower
Learn more and RSVP here

MamaPopRocks! A Sparklecorn Extravaganza
Time: 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Location: On-site – Sheraton I, II, III, Ballroom Level
Learn more

Mommy Needs a Cocktail Party
Time: 9 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Location: On-site – Sheraton V, Ballroom Level

Learn more and RSVP here

Type-A MOMfluence Party
Time: 9 – 11 p.m.
Location: On-site – Columbus A & B, Lobby Level
Learn more and RSVP here

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2009

BlogHer Cocktail Party
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: To Be Announced

BowlHer '09
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Lucky Strike Bowling Lanes
RSVP here

Shutter Sisters Suite GapBody Pajama Party
Time: 8 - 10 p.m.
Location: On-site – Suite Details Forthcoming
Learn more

Third Annual CheeseburgHer Party
Time: 10 p.m. (ish)
Location: On-site – Tradition dictates that room details are kept under-wraps until party date
Learn more and RSVP here

SUNDAY, JULY 26, 2009

Starbucks Recovery Breakfast
Time: 9:00am – 12 p.m.
Location: On-site - Same room as Third Annual CheeseburgHer Party

Ann Taylor Style Event
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Offsite - Flagship Ann Taylor on Michigan Avenue
Learn more and RSVP here

The Op-Ed Project
Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (with breaks for lunch, snacks)
Location: Offsite – Room 313 Spertus Museum
Learn more and RSVP here

THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND

Shutter Sisters Suite
Time: Beginning Friday, July 24th at 11:45am
Duration: During conference breaks, before and after select Friday parties
Location: On-site – Suite Details Forthcoming
Learn more

Mama's Tea Time, Prizes and Breastfeeding Bar
Time: Beginning Friday, July 24th at 3:30pm through Saturday, July 25th at 11am
Duration: During conference breaks, before and after sessions and Friday parties
Location: On-site - Hospitality Suite
Learn more

Tattoo Discounts at The Tattoo Factory
Dates: July 22 to July 26, 2009
Location: Offsite – The Tattoo Factory
Learn more (Appointment recommended)
Specials: 20% off tattoos and piercings, free swag, food/beverage discounts

(Many thanks to Shannan from MommyBits for starting the BlogHer party announcements!)

Dallas-area BlogHers

Save the dates: BlogHer Meet-ups near you now scheduled for June!

Lisa Stone — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:45:39 -0500

UPDATED: Philly now on for Thursday, June 18. Details below!
UPDATED: SF East Bay now on for Saturday, June 13. Details below!
UPDATED: Seattle now on for Saturday, June 13. Details below!

Time to get your SQUEEEE on people, whether you've got a ticket to BlogHer or not, whether you've ever been to a BlogHer conference or not -- a meet-up of BlogHers may be coming to a 'burg near you in the next two weeks! Look, I've been moved to actually use exclamation points, that's how excited I am.

Times, dates and locations are now set for meet-ups in these 14 cities: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Boulder/Denver, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, St. Louis, Toronto and Vancouver. See the list below for details, including where you can find out who else is going and which blogger will be your gracious host. Six more cities are still seeking your feedback on dates, places and/or times: Austin, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, Seattle and Tampa.

From one person who's battled shyness her whole life to any other shy person out there: If you're wanting to meet other BlogHers and don't know a soul, get thee to a meet-up. These get-togethers are a great way to break the ice. I'm seriously thinking of packing the fam into the car and road-tripping to Pasadena to meet the children who wrote this post. See you there?

Cities where details are set (19):

City: Atlanta
Host: Renee Ross
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/date-has-been-set-atlanta-area-blogher-meetup
Date: June 13th, 1-3PM
Location: Pizzeria Venti in Buckhead [Proposed ]

City: Austin
Host: Skye Kilaen
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/blogher-austin-meetup-saturday-june-6th
Date: June 6th, 10:30AM
Location: Central Market Cafe on North Lamar

City: Boston
Host: Susan Getgood
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/im-calling-it-boston-area-meet-june-13-2-6pm
Date: June 13, 2-6PM
Location: Susan has kindly offered her house in Hudson, MA, kid-friendly

City: Boulder/Denver
Host: Gwen Bell
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/boulder-denver-pre-blogher-meet-greet-june-you
Date: June 20th, 1-3PM
Location: The Cup Espresso Cafe in Boulder, CO, free WIFI!

City: Chicago
Host: Jamie from Oh How Lovely
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/june-13th-meet-details
Date: June 13th, 2PM
Location: Oz Park, kid-friendly

City: Cincinnati
Host: MommyBits (aka ShannanB)
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/cincinnati-blogher-meetup-location-annouced
Date: June 13th, 10AM
Location: Yagoot in Rockwood Commons, kid-friendly

City: Cleveland/Columbus-area
Host:
Meet-up post: See the comments on this post!
Date: June 13th, 5.30pm-7.30pm
Location: The Greenhouse Tavern 2038 East 4th Street Cleveland, OH
See details in the comment below, RSVP required

City: Dallas
Host: Jes Ferris
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/brunchy-lunchy-meet-details
Date: June 13th, 10:30-1:30
Location: Central Market's Community Room, kid-friendly

City: Los Angeles
Host: Yvonne
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/saturday-june-13th-10-am-rsvp-here-please
Date: June 13th, 10AM
Location: Zona Rose Caffe in Pasadena

City: New York
Host: Megan Smith
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/lets-have-nyc-area-pre-blogher-09-meet-june-whos
Date: June 6th, 1PM
Location: Central Park, kid-friendly

City: Philadelphia
Host: Paula Gregorowicz
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/final-details-june-18th
Date: June 18th 6-8PM
Location: Manyunk at Le Bus (http://www.lebusmanayunk.com/mdinner.htm)

City: Portland
Host: Katherine Gray
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/blogher-pre-conference-meetups
Katherine is actually planning two meet-ups, both kid-friendly:
Meet-up #1: June 6th (afternoon) at Posies Cafe
Meet-up #2: June 13th (2-4PM) at Sydney's

City: San Francisco
Host: Ana Picazo (bonggamom)
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/lets-get-party-started
Date: June 13, 5-8PM
Location: Liz Henry has offered her Redwood City home, kid-friendly

City: San Francisco East Bay
Host: Victoria (@vdog)
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/lets-get-party-started#comment-104931
Date: June 13, 5PM
Location: @Vdog's house See post for details on how to get address

City: Seattle
Host: Leslie Flinger
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/here-it-aka-info
Date: June 13th, 2PM
Location: Kelsey Creek Farms, kid-friendly

City: St. Louis
Host: Kelli Best-Oliver
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/pre-blogher-09-meetup
Date: June 13, afternoon, 3PM
Location: Soulard Coffee Garden

City: Tampa-area
Host: Janet Dean
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/lets-have-tampa-area-pre-blogher-meet-june-whos
Date: June 6th, 7PM
Location: Channelside Bay Plaza

City: Toronto
Host: Katie (Motherbumper)
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/blogher-meet-location-location-location
Date: June 6th, 10AM
Location: Don Mills Brickworks, kid-friendly

City: Vancouver
Host: Mr. Lady (aka Shannon)
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/and-were-go-bloghervancity-details
Date: June 13th, 1PM
Location: Caffe Artigiano,Hastings St. location

Cities where we still need feedback! (1):

City: DC:
Host: Alison Fill
Meet-up post: http://www.blogher.com/planning-pre-conference-meet-june-6th-or-13th
Date: June 13th, time TBD
Location: TBD, TBD on kid-friendly

Let me know if I missed anyone or if you have an event you want added to the list!

Best,
Lisa

for Elisa, Jory and Lisa
BlogHer Co-founders

Van-City BlogHers Unite!

When did I go from a kid to a grown up

BobbiJanay — Mon, 25 May 2009 12:37:22 -0500

I live in my own wonderland of being a first time (now SAHM) mom, marriage, family, life and all the unexpected trials life can throw at us. I used to be a wine consultant, so I love wine.

BlogHer Beginners

Dallas-area BlogHers

The TimeBomb That Is Facebook

He Was a Skater Boy

In Defense of the Princess

Michael Jackson Memorial: The Words Of A Daughter

The Round Table

A Date in Four Acts

Manchild: Where Art Thou?

Michael Jackson Dead At Age 50 ***Updated With Statement From Jermaine Jackson***

Blogging While Brown 2009: An Interview with Gina McCauley of What About Our Daughters

Blogging While Brown 2009: A Conference for People of Color with Lessons for All Bloggers

BlogHer for Beginners

Party Like a BlogStar: A Comprehensive List of BlogHer '09 Parties

Save the dates: BlogHer Meet-ups near you now scheduled for June!

When did I go from a kid to a grown up

Michael Jackson Dead At Age 50 Updated With Statement From Jermaine Jackson