DPCON12 - Losing my Blog Conference Cherry

I know it's late in coming but I've been thinking about writing about DPCON12 for days.  Then I keep reading everybody else's posts on the conference and getting distracted.  They're so good, damn them!

But bugger it, I'll give it a good, hot go!

This was my first blogger's conference and I felt a little freaked out, just quietly.  From the Pre-Conference Drinks at the Melbourne Wine Bar to the Dinner at the Sebel, I was spinning out all the way through.  I had borrowed an iPad from work and between that, my iPhone and paper and pen, I attempted to take on the facade of a real blogger.  After a short time, though, I just sat and listened (and now know from Valerie Khoo in the writer's workshop that I've used far too many 'I's in this paragraph already).

And I learnt stuff!

I learnt that

• if you work out who you're writing for, you'll have more of a chance at pitching something worth paying for.
• if you just want to blog about your family and silly stuff, you can - it's your blog.
• if you want to get a larger following, write what other people want to read but keep your integrity or readers will turn off.
• if you write a sponsored post make it clear in the post that it is - and tell the truth (I like to go by my Mum's old adage "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all").
• you can use your blog to do some good in the world - find a passion and blog the hell out of it! Read Edenland for inspiration (if you didn't know it already, she's the awesome blogger World Vision sent to Niger to report back about the devastation that's happening there you won't hear about on the six o'clock news). Also read Problogger Darren Rowse - he has a wonderful story and all you need to know about social media for social good.
• Digital Parents' bloggers are a hugely diverse and strong and fascinating bunch of ladies (oops and men, there were a couple - which reminds me, what a happy man Reservoir Dad was! Dancing amongst dozens of women, what my husband wouldn't have given to be him Friday night!).
• Brenda Gaddi (who is Digital Parents) is one amazing woman. Along with her posse it was an incredible event she put together and it ran like clockwork (well from my view anyway).  I've organised a few conferences in my previous life in the corporate world and I know how difficult it is to pull this off successfully - and she did it.  Gotta love that chick!

And to the ladies of the Boozy Lounge - I salute you for fighting the good fight and attempting to finish every bottle of wine we could find at the Sebel (thankyou also to the very patient Sebel 'ushers' who ushered us from one lounge to another as we were too noisy). Thankyou to my DPCON12 buddy Martine from The Modern Parent for looking after me after I had an episode of feeling a little lost and having to go to the loo to slap myself and tell myself to harden up.

I made a friend with the wonderful Lee from Mummy Issues Part 2 , the last to leave with me and a big admiring Hello to Lani from Missy Boo who missed her plane home in the morning because of the Boozy Lounge. 

I took a few photos but I better get permission from those involved before publishing some of them (watch this space ladies! and I mean you freerangeShae and ParentalParody!).

The rest of the weekend was spent with my bestie shopping in the markets and in Chapel St.  We also spent Saturday night bar hopping in St Kilda which, though fun, made me feel that little bit older than I did last time I had bar-hopped.  I felt like I was somebody's mother looking for their daughter in a nightclub (which I most probably will be doing in about 4 years - OMG!).  And even though their dog ate a huge hole in my Friday night white dress, I thank her for a lovely weekend of being looked after and having lots of laughs. That dress was shitting me anyway with it's stupid shoulder straps falling off all the time.

My bag was so stacked with freebies from the conference I had my shoe sticking out the top. The air steward couldn't close the luggage compartment above us and had to enlist the help of Don Burke who was sitting across the aisle and asked if I wanted him to jump on my luggage! No really, what a Burke!

There's so much more I could say about the weekend but as it's taken a week for me to write this, I better just dribble it out in other posts over the coming weeks.  Before I know it will be time for Blogopolis 2012 - and I'm going!!!!  And as it's in Sydney I don't have to go on that big scary metal bird for it, yay too even!

p.s. whoever belongs to these suspect items left in the Boozy Lounge please let me know if you would like me to return them as my husband would like to keep them to replace their missing soccer award, The Clarence Award (named after the gay bar in Parramatta Road).

The Sweet Blog Award

Just when I felt like (and even admitted to) a fake, some lovely reader gave me this:

As I said when I thanked the lovely Marlia from Marlia's World, who bestowed this upon me, it's been a long time since anybody called me sweet!  Sarcastic? yes. Dry? yes. Out there? used to be. But sweet?  This bloggy business must be making me soft (about time, some would say).  And to top it off, she even called me a "young mum"! Gotta love that!


She enlightened me to other sweet bloggers (which I now follow) and let me know that my obligations in accepting this award is the following:


1. I must proudly post the award in my acceptance blog.   DONE!

2. I must thank the person presenting the award and post a link back to their blog.    DONE!

3. I must share 7 completely random facts about myself.  

• I am sometimes very anal about totally unimportant things like the proper way to hang washing out or stack a dishwasher or make a bed (yes Mr Moneymaker, I'm talking to you!).
• I tell my family I can sing and they believe that I believe I can, but the truth is I just enjoy belting out one as if I really can.
• I never panic in a crisis (well so far anyway). Unless someone eats my chocolate I've hidden in the back of the fridge (guys, I only need one little square to make me happy!).
• I would love to cut all my hair off and have an Ellen De Generes cut and colour it fuschia.
• I despair at the stupidity of people in power and sigh alot at the nightly news.
• I wish I could go back and redo my teen years - but do it right this time (stay at school, travel, don't shack up with the first bloke that showed an interest).
• I had a vision just after I turned 30 that my life would eventually look like this, even though at the time there was no way in hell there was a hint this could happen.

       DONE!  


4. I must nominate 5 fellow bloggers to receive this award and post a note on their blog letting them know they have been given an award.

• The Mummy Autobiography
• My Big Nutshell
• Woogsworld 
• Edenland 
• Louisa Claire

I could give you so many more (see list on the right) that I spend hours reading but I've picked these 5 for all the reasons that make for a sweet blogger.  I have other words that could describe them all, like powerful, creative, generous, unafraid, strong, hilarious, enlightening and worth staying up all night to read.  I've been lucky enough to meet a few of them and hopefully will meet alot more at the Digital Parents Conference in Melbourne next month.

DONE!

5. I must state these rules in my acceptance blog. DONE! 


Now I better get onto that number 4 before Mr Moneymaker comes upstairs and asks me yet again when am I coming to bed!

Bloggers' Big Bash

Ok, there’s no hiding the fact I’m not amongst the big time contenders in the blogging world.  I do a post when I feel like it and it’s not exactly deep (like Eden), enlightening (like Mamamia), useful (like Down to Earth), stylish (like Show Pony)  or hilarious (like Mrs Woog).  I don’t consider myself controversial or a trend setter with any influence on anybody.  I like to write and occasionally I get the time to have a rant or reflect on the things that have happened in my past (watch out for my guest post on The Mummy Autobiography next week).

But I do have dreams.  And one day I would like my blog to be entertaining, inspiring, attractive and maybe even support itself enough so I can pay for all those eye creams I need to put on the shadows under my eyes from staying up late tapping away on the laptop instead of spooning Mr Moneymaker.  One day I would like people to enjoy it almost as much as I enjoy those blogs I am distracted by all night when I should be writing (see list over to the right? And I haven’t updated it lately so there’s even more I spend all night reading). 

Sooooo ….. I bought a ticket to DigitalParents Conference 2012!  I’m very nervous and that horrible voice is telling me I’m once again out of my league and a big fat fake.  My logical grown-up self is saying get over it and dive in.  So I am.

 

Help!  I don’t even know how I’m going to afford accommodation – or whether all the rooms have already been booked!  I hope there's a mini bar. Ah well, there’s nothing like spontaneity.