BlogHer Survival Tips

In a few days, thousands and thousands of women will arrive in San Diego. They are not superheroes, but they are a powerful force. They are bloggers. And they are headed to BlogHer, the biggest and “best-est” blogging conference around.

If this is your first time at BlogHer, you’re probably scared to death. At least, that’s how I felt last year, when it was my first time at the conference. I survived (obviously), and I had a ton of fun. But I did learn many lessons, and I’m going to share them with you.

Here are my BlogHer Survival Tips:

Bring Business Cards!! LOTS of them –  You’re going to need business cards, and a lot of them. If you don’t have them, you better get to your nearest office supply store and print some out at home. Immediately. Make sure that they have your name, your blog URL, your Twitter handle, and any other contact info you want people to have. You’re going to be passing out these cards to all the people you meet, as well as dropping them in the drawing boxes that almost every brand has in the expo center. I cannot stress this enough: Bring Business Cards.

Smile And Introduce Yourself – You’re going to be surrounded by thousands of new people. If you’re a shy person, this may be scary as hell.

Try not to stand by a wall and play with your phone, “acting” like you’re texting. Put the phone down, smile, and go introduce yourself to someone.

And if you go with friends, don’t spend every second with them. Do some stuff on your own. You may think I sound crazy, but I’m serious. I know it’s scary. But you can do it. This is how you meet people. I met several people last year that I have stayed in contact with. In fact, I am sharing a room at BlogHer Handmade with one of the people I met last year. So go out there and make some new friends! (look – you’re at a blogging conference together – you already know you have blogging in common!)

Leave Your Laptop At Home, But Bring Your Smartphone – Last year, I lugged my laptop to New York City, and I didn’t use it once. When I was standing in line at Detroit, it didn’t bother me at all.

When our cab driver got lost on the way to LaGuardia and we had to run out of the cab and into the airport to avoid missing our flight home, after I was weighed down with all my BlogHer Swag, I was really wishing I hadn’t brought the damn laptop.

I am very glad, however, that I brought my smartphone. I was able to text my friends and find out where they were at, keep tabs on what was going on at home, live tweet the sessions I was in, take pictures, and well, all the stuff you can do with a smartphone. It was perfection in the palm of my hand, and it was all I needed.

Keep Tabs On #BlogHer – Speaking of your smartphone, go to Twitter and create a saved search on #BlogHer and/or #BlogHer11.You’ll want to keep an eye on that hashtag to make sure you’re not missing out on anything good. For example, there were free pedicures in one of the suites last year. I learned about it through Twitter and keeping an eye on the BlogHer hashtag. Do you want to miss out on a free pedicure or something else awesome? I didn’t think so.

If you don’t understand what I mean by that paragraph, it is obvious you don’t have Twitter. Go sign up now, and download the app for your smartphone, and keep your eyes on that hashtag.

Hit The Swag Early –  You have probably heard stories about the swag that will be given to you at BlogHer. The stories are true. This is not an urban legend, my friend. The swag is real, and you should bring an empty suitcase to cart it all home in. Yes, there are some bloggers who attend the conference and avoid the expo area (and the swag). But those people are few and far between. The vast majority of people want the free stuff, and if you’re one of them, you better hit the swag area early.

Feel Free To Session Hop – If you looked at the BlogHer agenda, you will notice that there are many interesting sessions to choose from. And I’m willing to bet that there are a few sessions you wand to attend are happening at the same time. The solution? Session Hop! I did it last year, and so did lots of other people. Be polite about it though. Don’t sit in the front and make a big commotion as you head to the next session. The sessions are a learning environment, and there are many people who are there for that purpose.

You’re Still Awesome, Even If You Didn’t Get Invited – There are going to be 19 million things going on at each second during BlogHer. You can’t do all of them, even if you tried. That being said, you are probably going to hear people talking about things that you didn’t get invited to.  And yes, that can hurt your feelings a bit. But don’t despair. You’re still awesome. Really.

You didn’t get invited because you’re a loser and your blog sucks. You didn’t get invited because the brand hosting that event wants to reach a market that doesn’t read your blog. Or at least those brand people don’t think that market reads your blog.

Drink, But Don’t Get Drunk – That being said, there are going to be lots of parties that you do get invited to. And you’re going to be able to drink for free. You should go to the parties. And you should feel free to drink. But don’t get drunk.

This really isn’t the place to act like an ass. Everyone there has a smartphone and a blog. Do you really want to be the next sensation on YouTube? Didn’t think so.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed – When you get home, your head is going to be swirling with ideas. You are going to be learn tons of new things, and you’re going to be inspired to blog about everything! Sometimes, that much inspiration can be overwhelming to people. When they have that many ideas, they don’t know where to start, and so they just stop and stand still. Don’t let that happen to you.

Grab a notebook, and write down all of your ideas. Get them out of your head. This will free your mind and allow you to take action. When you’re ready to blog, look at your notebook and pick a topic.

Now, go finish packing – don’t forget those business cards, and an extra power cord if you have one. You’re about to have the time of your life! Go enjoy it!