I may be as close to an insider to BlogHer as it gets around here. (I'm a member, have their ads running on multiple sites, have published at their site, etc.) The organization is interesting, founded by women, who did all the work building it - much of it for free since only the contributing editors got paid.
When they established their ad network, it was for only mom-bloggers. Then they opened it to more niches, like food, and then started to let in sites owned/written by men. When asked, it is said to be discrimination to not include men in the spoils of the women's work.
Here we will pause while I stuff down my fury at yet another online organization that was built from ground up by women, yet as soon as there was money men could become members and benefit. They had a policy for a while that men could be in ad network but couldn't do volunteer work. Big penalty. From my experience, dissenting opinions on men's participation are not particularly welcome.
That's the business side. Now BlogHer the part, er, conference.
For many attendees, the conference is, all session lists aside, an excuse to party the fuck on for however many days they can carve out away from their partners and kids. They take the babies. Everything is sponsored and the big parties are endless, couple dozen in three days.
It is also about swag. The shit they leave with is amazing, as is what they will do to get it. Last year, some woman threatened the Crocs rep giving away free shoes to every attendee that he'd better get her the right shoes 'or else...' Another woman grabbing a swag bag gave a baby a black eye.
Night before that, a woman had shown up to get into a limo for an invite-only Nikon party with a months-old baby, stroller, and car seat without checking with the party sponsors. (This was in Chicago, not Alabama.) When she was politely turned away, she turned to twitter and within a few hours, #NikonHatesBabies was a trending topic. No shit.
There is always drama and trauma. One year, a new blogger called Dooce (at the time probably the biggest mom-blogger) a 'mythical hobbit' on her blog - meaning she was so important in the blogging world that she couldn't imagine being in the same room with her or something. Heather (Dooce) took it as some sort of insult and called her out during a big keynotey Q and A thing. New blogger was a little tipsy at time and stood up to discuss. Awk. Ward.
There is an inevitable kerfluffle or five; after, there are posts reprimanding the people the community decided misbehaved. I believe the first time I saw 'swag hag' was after BH '08.
It goes on and on...and on and on...as do I. You get the picture.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-28 02:19 pm (UTC)When they established their ad network, it was for only mom-bloggers. Then they opened it to more niches, like food, and then started to let in sites owned/written by men. When asked, it is said to be discrimination to not include men in the spoils of the women's work.
Here we will pause while I stuff down my fury at yet another online organization that was built from ground up by women, yet as soon as there was money men could become members and benefit. They had a policy for a while that men could be in ad network but couldn't do volunteer work. Big penalty. From my experience, dissenting opinions on men's participation are not particularly welcome.
That's the business side. Now BlogHer the part, er, conference.
For many attendees, the conference is, all session lists aside, an excuse to party the fuck on for however many days they can carve out away from their partners and kids. They take the babies. Everything is sponsored and the big parties are endless, couple dozen in three days.
It is also about swag. The shit they leave with is amazing, as is what they will do to get it. Last year, some woman threatened the Crocs rep giving away free shoes to every attendee that he'd better get her the right shoes 'or else...' Another woman grabbing a swag bag gave a baby a black eye.
Night before that, a woman had shown up to get into a limo for an invite-only Nikon party with a months-old baby, stroller, and car seat without checking with the party sponsors. (This was in Chicago, not Alabama.) When she was politely turned away, she turned to twitter and within a few hours, #NikonHatesBabies was a trending topic. No shit.
There is always drama and trauma. One year, a new blogger called Dooce (at the time probably the biggest mom-blogger) a 'mythical hobbit' on her blog - meaning she was so important in the blogging world that she couldn't imagine being in the same room with her or something. Heather (Dooce) took it as some sort of insult and called her out during a big keynotey Q and A thing. New blogger was a little tipsy at time and stood up to discuss. Awk. Ward.
There is an inevitable kerfluffle or five; after, there are posts reprimanding the people the community decided misbehaved. I believe the first time I saw 'swag hag' was after BH '08.
It goes on and on...and on and on...as do I. You get the picture.