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.

"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.

Once upon a time there was a fellow who had a presentation to give at a tech conference. He planned to talk about code and databases. He thought it would be a good idea to make his presentation interesting, since his topics were a bit of a yawn. He decided it would grab attention and be funny if he interspersed images of women in pornographic poses among his slides of code and bullet points. It did grab attention. But it wasn't funny. That fellow was Matt Aimonetti. The tech conference was the Golden Gate Ruby Conference. The presentation opens with this image:

It's official: this Friday marks the close of Geek Lab and Room of Your Own polls. Have you voted yet? It takes less than a minute, and I happen to know you spent waaaayyyy more than twice that surfing the Internet this morning. In case you're not in the loop, let me fill you in: each year at BlogHer's annual conference, a portion of the panels offered are programmed by the attendees. This year, we've doubled the number of community-programmed panels and are offering 12 slots for these unique sessions. Additionally, BlogHer is hosting a Geek Lab, an all-day presentation-and-personal-help lab filled with both beginner- and advanced-level sessions. Chances are you'll find yourself in at least one of these sessions, which begs the question: Have you voted yet for the panels you're most likely to attend?

One of my favorite things about being part of the BlogHer community is how often I have the opportunity to voice my opinion, whether it's about parenthood or politics or celebrities or current events. And I know that I'm in good company, because everyday I see your comments and blog posts and Chatter updates. And that is why I'm delivering a Public Service Announcement to you (forgive the loud speaker):  VOTE TODAY FOR THE ROOM OF YOUR OWN AND GEEK LAB SESSIONS YOU'RE MOST LIKELY TO ATTEND AT BLOGHER '09. No, seriously. GO VOTE. If ever there was a time that you thought: I wish there was a way I could be involved in planning the conference content, that time has arrived and the seconds are ticking away. BlogHer wants your help in narrowing down all of the terrific proposals that our community has suggested. We have 12 slots available for Room of Your Own, and 24 slots available for Geek Lab. How do you say we should fill those openings?

Though there are a ton of great ideas proposed for the Geek Lab and Room of Your Own sessions, it's not too late for BlogHer attendees to suggest more! Is there an issue you're passionate about, and a platform at BlogHer would help spread the word? Or is there a tech question you've always wondered about (but never had an answer)? If so, let us know today! The polls are in their final stretch, both for submitting ideas and for voting, and will close on Friday, May 1, 2009 at 2 p.m. (PT). So if you haven't submitted an idea, and especially if you haven't voted for those sessions you would like to attend, do it today! Wondering what type of panels and presentations are up for grabs? Then read on, my friend.

In just a few short weeks, the Geek Lab and Room of Your Own polling systems will shut down and panel selections will begin. Have you submitted your ideas for inclusion in the BlogHer '09 session agenda? It's not too late to submit a proposal, pimp your idea out on your blog, on Twitter, or anywhere else (hey, even your own mom can vote for your suggestion!), and watch as the BlogHer community responds. I've combed through the proposals we've received so far, and highighted a few you might want to take note of. Take a look after the jump!   

These days, everything is customizable - whether you're buying a new computer, ordering a meal or getting clothes tailored - nearly everything custom-fits us and our lifestyles. And BlogHer '09 is no different. How? Well, besides offering 24 pre-programmed sessions on our agenda, we're holding two full tracks (that's 12 sessions!) of Room of Your Own panels. PLUS we're offering two full days of non-stop geeking and technology help in our Geek Lab. What's more, we're asking YOU to help us customize the agenda by voting on your favorite session proposals.  

There's just over a month remaining before polling shuts down in the Geek Lab and Room of Your Own sessions. Have you participated yet? Whether you're keen on sharing your passions with others, or love using your voice to help plan conference sessions, we need your help! There's still time to propose ideas and vote on panels, so follow the links in this post and visit the polls today!

So this summer you're going to BlogHer with a thousand of your closest friends (okay, fine - maybe they're not all your closest friends yet, but just wait until the end of the conference, when you're giving last hugs goodbye and hoping you run into more BlogHers and BlogHims while at the airport). We undestand that while you're at the conference, you want to make sure you get the most bang for your BlogHer buck. And that's why we create so many different types of sessions each year, so we can make sure there's something for everyone. Between the Geek Lab, which is perfect for both advanced bloggers with technical interests and new bloggers with tons of questions, and the Room of Your Own track, where attendees speak out about what they're most passionate about, BlogHer '09 is serving up LOTS of bang. And just to whet your appetite, I've outlined a few of the Geek Lab and Room of Your Own sessions below.

I'm going to let you in on a little known fact, and I hope you'll tell all your friends. You may not know this, but often some of the Room of Your Own sessions are BlogHer's best kept conference secrets. It's where MommyBlogging got its start at our first conference in 2005, and where, in 2008, high-ranking advisors from both the McCain and Obama campaigns discussed which candidate is better for women like us. Combine a host of offerings from the Geek Lab track with a handful of Room of Your Own sessions and you'll find that BlogHer '09 has just about every type of session or meetup you could want. In true secret-sharing style, I'm here to give you the dirt on a few of these sessions that are up for grabs.