Jory Des Jardins

I don’t know the exact day, but it was sometime last year, when I was in my third trimester of pregnancy, and I noticed it—the air I breathe. I was driving to work and sitting in traffic. I realized that I’d forgotten to press the recirculation button on my air conditioning console; I could smell the sour breath of the exhaust from the car in front of me and I panicked. All these years that I’ve commuted to work, listened to loud music, and lived in some of the most polluted urban locales, I never thought twice about air quality. But on this particular day I was terrified, because I had a growing life inside of me who would be sharing the air. The thought of her breathing it in made me sick.  Read more >

Mobile … metrics … location-based platforms … social commerce … content curation … What's your burning question about the emerging digital marketing trends of 2011? Once again we dig in at our Fifth Annual BlogHer Business Conference. This year, BlogHer has partnered with Social Week, producer of the Pivot Conference, to bring you a one-day event scheduled October 20, 2011 at the New York Hilton as part of Social Week in New York City.  Read more >

Shows like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations have given rise to gastrotourism and a strongly held belief that you haven't fully experienced a place until you've eaten with the locals. But what if you want to experience good local cuisine and 1) don't know any locals, and 2) don't have the cash or appetite to experiment?  Read more >

Mentally I cross off a business trip to Chicago and my high school reunion, which would take place in the two weeks before the conference. These are the sacrifices I must make as a mom to be. But no. Not my conference. Lunch with H-band after the appointment was tense. "I don't think she knows that this isn't just a blogging conference, it's my company's conference. MY company's conference." "Oh I think she does."  Read more >

I spoke recently at an event for master coaches that was unlike any other I've attended as a speaker. Rather than take an instructive or consultative role like I do with companies, I was simply required me to "start a conversation" about social media. This unusual approach afforded me an opportunity to take a step back from an evangelizing role of social media and to take more of an objective look at it.  Read more >