My BlogHer12 Report

I was one of 5,000+ people who just attended BlogHer12, August 3-4 in New York City.

For those of you who do not know what BlogHer is, it is an annual conference for women (and men) bloggers to meet in person to strengthen on-line friendships, as well as discuss common issues and challenges in the blogosphere. Additionally, it is an opportunity to make connections with PR and Brand representatives with an eye towards making money by blogging.

My purpose for attending the conference has been simply to meet bloggers like me (mid-life, childless, etc.) and pick up a few technical or creative tips for my very small blog. I haven't made money by blogging (much to The Husband's chagrin), mainly because I'm really not sure how to and because I don't want my blog to be one long commercial.

I attended BlogHer11 and was a bit disappointed by the results. But, I was determined to attend BlogHer12 with a different approach. However, as the conference date neared I thought seriously about giving away or selling my pass. Let's just say, when it was announced Katie Couric would be at the conference, it was the tipping point for me. I have a major girl crush on Katie!

Following was my schedule.

• If the session name is in bold, click on it and you will be taken to the "live blogged" information from the session.
• If you are on Twitter, search for the hashtag to see the conversation during the session.

Friday, August 3

• HTML Doesn't Have to Be a Four Letter Word    #BH12html
• Lunch Keynote with Martha Stewart     #BH12Martha
• Celebrate Your Small Blog     #BH12SmallBlog
• Table For One (Single and/or Childless bloggers)    #BH12NoKids

Saturday, August 4

• Affiliate Marketing Programs as an Additional Revenue Stream  #BH12affiliate
• Lunch Keynote with Katie Couric    #BH12Katie
• Blogging into MidLife: The Tension Between the online Spotlight and Offline Invisibility    #BH12MidLife
• Blog2012: A Conversation    #BHblog2012

Note: All virtual conference posts can be found HERE.

Let me just say that I am not a rabid fan of Martha Stewart. I've never subscribed to her magazines, nor have I religiously watched her television shows. However, if I have had a random opportunity to read a magazine or watch a show, I will do so. Given this, please know that I thoroughly enjoyed her during the lunch keynote interview. She is obviously a very smart woman, and she came across as warm and funny. She's also very driven to learn new things and there seems to be nothing she won't try. She gifted all BlogHer12 attendees with free one year digital subscriptions to her four magazines. Looks like I'll be reading her now!

I also thoroughly enjoyed Katie's lunch keynote interview. She's warm, funny, gracious, hard working, smart and much more. I am looking forward to her new television show, where she wants to have "smart conversations" about important topics. We absolutely need more "smart conversations" that result in solutions for today's problems.

I left the conference with a different attitude about trying to make money on this blog. I think there are ways for me to stay true to myself and what I believe, while selectively taking advantage of opportunities to discuss products I may already use or begin to use. I came to this conclusion after listening to the discussions in the "Table for One" and "Blogging into MidLife" sessions. I may be older and I may be childless, but brands should be interested in me because I have more disposable income to spend and perhaps my blog readers are in the same situation.

I don't know if this will work out, but I'm going to explore the possibility. What do you think? Will you be turned off if I speak to you about products occasionally? (I will always tell you if it is a sponsored post.)

Lest you think I was all conference and no play in NYC, my next post will detail the fun I had with my sister. She is not a blogger and didn't attend the conference, but played in the streets of Manhattan by day until I was able to join her for evening fun!

Unhealthy Love of Laundry

What can I say?

Everyone who knows me well, knows it to be true. I love taking dirty clothes and making them clean. I can't help myself. And, don't let an item have a spot on it or be dingy. At that point, the Spray-n-Wash and Biz come out with a vengence.

As readers of this blog know, I've been commuting to Houston for a while and have not been working as a virtual employee. One of the advantages of working at home (unspoken, of course) is being able to keep current on your laundry. Before I started traveling every week, I never had laundry piled up. I washed everything in the hamper on Monday. On Thursday or Friday, I'd again wash everything in the hamper so at the beginning of the weekend all of our clothes were clean. I was able to do this by taking breaks between responding to e-mails and in between conference calls.

Since I now return home on Thursday evenings, I start laundry Friday morning and frequently am not focused enough to finish it until Sunday afternoon when I have to pack for the next week. This change in my schedule caused an unfortunate circumstance for The Husband recently.

Because it is just the two of us and we own plenty of towels, I made the decision to skip laundering the dirty towels one weekend.

I forgot I did his briefs at the same time.

When I returned home the second week, we went out to run errands on Saturday morning.

As we left the house, he said "I guess we need to go to Wal-mart."

I said, "What for?"

He said, "I only have one more pair of briefs. If you don't do the towels, I'll have to wear boxers."

I said, "MR. MAN (see Stephen King's book, Misery), you know how to do laundry!"

He said, "I wouldn't dare!"

Perhaps I "own" the laundry process too strongly in our home. I need to work on letting go!

Bleah

I've had a stomach bug since Sunday. How much chicken noodle soup, juice and popsicles can a person consume? I cancelled my trip to Houston this week and stayed abed Monday and Tuesday. I worked today, but finally cratered after about 8 hours. I'm operating at about 70% efficiency.

I feel guilty about not working Monday and Tuesday. That's what happens when you are a virtual employee and have a fully functioning home office mere steps away. Technology is wonderful, but it can prevent you from getting the rest you need when you are ill. Plus, even though everyone says, "Take care of yourself.  Rest." What they really mean is,"Take care of yourself. Rest. But do your work and deliver on time." I just couldn't do it this time. So, I'll be playing catch-up the rest of the week and into the weekend.  :-)

So, how's your week been so far?

Houston, We Have a Problem

I'm stranded in my hotel room today. Houston had major, major rainstorms yesterday and last night and is seriously flooded. Local TV stations are featuring constant coverage.

It's amazing that some people believe instructions to stay home and off the roads do not apply to them. They drive, get into serious trouble and have to be rescued by local police and fire departments.

The office complex where I work Mondays-Thursdays is closed. Several buildings have inches and inches of water in the basements. We don't know when the buildings will re-open. Everyone is working from home or from their hotel rooms. Fortunately, we are all very familiar with virtual working.

It's not strange for me to work by myself, but it is strange to be working by myself in a Houston hotel room approximately 1 mile from the office!

Work at Home

I am a virtual employee for a global company.  I have 6 years experience in this environment.  Being a virtual employee can mean availability outside the normal 8-5, Monday-Friday work schedule.  There are times when this is inconvenient, but for the most part it is very manageable.

To be a successful virtual employee, there are several things I think are important. They are:

• Have an official office in your home, with all the equipment and storage you need. 
  
• Remain in your home office during regular business hours. 
• At the end of the regular business day, exit your home office.
• Keep your personal life separate, just like you would if you were working in a traditional office.

When you work at home, don't work "at home"

• the kitchen is for cooking
• the dining room is for dining
• the living room is for living
• the home office is for working 

Being a home based, virtual employee doesn't mean you can't throw a load of laundry in or run to the grocery store.  However, it does mean that during regular business hours your manager, your team and your customers should be able to connect easily with you, just as if you were sitting in the corporate office.

Two of my favorite phrases to describe home working are: 

• I work where I live, not live where I work.
  
• Work is a thing I do, not a place I go.
  

I am grateful my employer has allowed me to work in this manner for the past several years.  It would be quite a challenge for me if I was ever asked to return to a traditional office!