I had an amazing time at BlogHer ’11.   Desiree, Stacie, and Niri are probably laughing really loud right now.  Seriously though, BlogHer ’11 was an EXPERIENCE for me.  If you know me, you know that I’m shy. I may have some Twitter followers, some Facebook fans, and I’ve built a site that gets over 100,000 visitors every month (AtlantaMoms.com) but when it comes to face-to-face interaction with actual human beings, I’m shy and that’s why I was a nervous wreck leading up to and during most of BlogHer ’11.  I felt most comfortable in the Expo hall talking to brands and learning about new and exciting products and services.

Do you know what made my experience at BlogHer amazing?  People and businesses and the support that they gave me.

The People:

Desiree Miller from StressFreeBaby.com, Stacie Connerty from TheDivineMissMommy.com, and Niri from MommyNiri.com know that I’m shy (reserved as Desiree calls it) and were my BlogHer heroes.  It’s very important to me that they know that I couldn’t have done as well as I did, without them.. so thank you to you all from the bottom of my heart!  Each of these amazing women took me under their wing and made sure that I was comfortable and had something to do.  They were all great about introducing me to people they talked to which was so sweet.

I prepared myself mentally for weeks before BlogHer. I made all sorts of lists, printed all of my party invites, got a refill of Xanax, downloaded the BlogHer app for my iPhone and iPad, packed and repacked a few times, and thought I had it all together.

What a joke!  I barely used the app, I never used the printed party tickets, and I totally forgot to take Xanax the ENTIRE time.  My biggest fear is that people don’t give a flying hoot who I am or what I do which results in me not being the best at walking up to random people to introduce myself which is what you really should do at conferences like BlogHer.

I know and admire hundreds of bloggers.  However, while I’ve been blogging for over 5 years and have been attending blogging and social media events and conference for 4 years, I do not know many bloggers personally and I often wonder if some of them know who I am and if they do, what do they think of me?  Do they think I’m a bi**h because I don’t socialize enough, do they think I’m hideously unattractive (my unfortunate opinion of myself lately – sad but true), or do they think I’m ok but just don’t see the need to introduce themselves to me?  All of those thoughts were filling my head almost the entire time I was at BlogHer.. 5 days.

The Businesses:

I was thrilled to be sponsored by NetNanny, who makes the most incredible parental control software for PC’s and Mac’s.  To know that Net Nanny had faith in me enough to let me represent them at BlogHer was a great feeling.  I even got to meet and spend time with Melissa, the VP of Marketing.   If you haven’t already downloaded Net Nanny you can do that now here.

I was also chosen to receive a BlogHer ’11 Sponsorship from Invitation Consultants who makes beautiful baby shower invitations, baby announcements, birthday party invitation, stamps, photo cards, and other photo gifts.

What I got out of BlogHer ’11

• People are amazing.
• I learned that I am not invisible (imagine that!) yet I shouldn’t expect people to come up and say hello to me if I’m sitting by myself.
• I got a lot ‘stuff’ (aka swag) – wanted or not.  Too much honestly.  I got rid of at least 20 pounds of stuff before leaving San Diego so I wouldn’t have to pay shipping or extra baggage fees.
• I learned some grammar and writing tips (but I admittedly forgot them already.  I need a book)
• I met some great people and saw some old friends including Jodi Grundig, J. Money, and Kim Vickers.
• I learned that I shouldn’t attend 3-5 parties a night at BlogHer ’12
• I learned that I don’t HAVE to put myself in uncomfortable positions (parties with lots of tall people).