When it comes to meetups, or tweetups, or anything of that nature, I may say I’m going to go, but I never do.  I’m intimidated, for one, but even more, I hate small talk.  I’m just afraid of what I don’t know.  These leads me to choose sitting on the couch and watching  Food Network over meeting new people whom I kind of already know but are not sure if their online persona will match their real life persona.  But, lured by the siren song  of booze, swag, and free WiFi, I signed up for BlogHer ’09, the meetup of all meetups.  Completely logical decision.

Luckily, BlogHer wants to help bloggers connect in their hometowns before their annual convention, this year in Chicago.  We’ve started a St Louis BlogHer Group, one of the fabulous new feature on BlogHer’s site, and I’m putting together a meetup for those very women—St Louis-area bloggers.  Don’t be afraid.  I’m just like you.  I want to put real-life faces with the blogs I read every day, but I always make an excuse.  Not this time.  I want to meet the women behind the words.  It will be informal—just a gathering in a local coffee shop.  It will be friendly and welcoming.  There is no “inner-circle” of bloggers that will ignore you and secretly judge you for not getting 10,000+ hits on your blog every day.   Hopefully, you will have fun and leave with a few new friends.  I PROMISE I WILL NOT BITE.

Here’s the plan.  Whether you are a food blogger, a craft blogger, a photoblogger, a mom-who-blogs, a or jill-of-all-trades like myself, come have coffee or other beverage of your choice  on Saturday, June 13th, location and exact time TBD.  The details will be finalized by Monday, May 18th at the latest.  Bring a blogger friend, perhaps someone who might not even be familiar with BlogHer, and help strengthen the blogging community in St Louis. I hope to see you there!