Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

Favorite Photo from Blogher Flickr Stream

Halley Suitt
Originally uploaded by jdlasica.

As I was browsing the flickr stream, I found this stunning photograph of Halley Suitt of Halley's Comment  by JD Lasica, a bloghim.  ( His complete set of Blogher photos are awesome.)

During the opening session, she made the point that women should ask for links.   (Great notes by Nancy White here) 

Quotable quote: "If I have any link love on the web, it came about in the following ways. In the beginning of my blogs I knew people who became "A list bloggers", mostly men and asked them to link to my writing. Some days they said yes, sometimes go away. I ask again. I have this big pitch for this book "Women Don't Ask."  I'm surprised how many people don't ask me to link."

A person in the audience raised their hand and said:  I asked you and you didn't link.  Halley just fixed that ...

And, I noticed that she has linked to me, too.

Favorite Random Act of Kindness at Blogher from Flickr Stream

advanced tools
Originally uploaded by image415.

This photo was taken when Little Judy handed up her laptop to one of the presenters in Advanced Tools Session when there was a technical problem.  Even though they gave her pieces of chocolate, it was an act of caring.   I wonder if this would be one of Nancy White's indicators of a community?

Technorati Tags: blogher powerbloghers

Measurable Blogher Impact or Web Traffic Rorsasch Test

This is my stats for the week of blogher.  Wow, it looks like a steep, sharp rising cliff.  Web traffic rorsasch test:  If it the numbers fall off as steeply as they rose after blogher, it will look like a .....

Now I have a big incentive to implement all the stuff on my to do list. 











Technorati Tags: blogher

My personal Blogher To Do List and Reflections

I'm still dancing on the edges between action and reflection, but wanted to get down some of my evolving next action steps and questions for reflection.   It is hard, but if I don't do it now, I'm afraid I'll loose forever.  These are in no particular order!

Questions

• How can I improve my live blogging technique and better integrate with personal networking?  (connect names with faces to blogs, be efficient, deal with flaky wireless, etc)
• How can learn more from the content while juggling live blogging of the being there fun stuff?
• How to sustain the contacts made and energy for a year?
• How to keep plugged into and contribute this blogher community?

To Do List

1. Do Audio - Thanks to some inspiration from Lisa Williams, I'm over my audiophobia and relieved to know that I don't have shell out the bucks for Ipod to podcast.   I have the first few steps to get started now with audio.
2. Volunteer  for next year's blogher
3. Link to Women Bloggers - I've done quite a bit of that in my live reports, but I need to add the blogher blogroll.   I really need to redesign my blogroll.
   
4. Continuous Improvement of My "A-List" and Avoid Reading Ruts - I don't read all the Technorati 100, only the few that I find interesting.   But, I tend to get into reading ruts and don't expand my base.  Now I have the blogher blogroll as a pool to start exploring.
   
5. Ask for Links - Halley Suit  said to just ask for someone to link to you and to ask 3 times.  I have avoided this because I don't like self-promotion. I'm still not sure I can bring this one to action ...
   
6. Continue my Typing To Learn Khmer Blog A suggestion from the Globalization panel was to practice learning another language - so I got validation for my khmer studies.   Also, to add the babblefish translator to your blog.
7. Cultivate contacts made at blogher - You get energized from a conference and then you go home and don't reconnect.  I'm going to make an effort to keep in touch via reading and linking to people.  I'm also going to respond to all my comments/trackbacks and comment on the blogs that have linked to me ... a huge task and have got to figure out an efficient system.
8. Spend More Time With Village Girl -  Eath came to blogher with her husband and two year old daughter, but couldn't stay the whole day (no babysitter).   We met, we hugged.  I was so overcomed with emotion, that I didn't a get a photo.  I think we were vblogged.   Eath is in New York and I'm definitely going to try to connect with her face-to-face.
9. Connect virtually to those wonderful bloghers that I didn't interview or trade business cards with at blogher
10. Get ecto on my laptop. I cheaped out on a second license for ecto and that would have saved my butt when the wireless Internet collasped from the weight of 300 blogher s.  That way, I could have been preparing the content offline and uploaded later.   I wouldn't have pissed all those people off hogging the Google Kiosk and completed screwed up my personal content  management system. (That is upload double photos into flickr, etc)
11. Add my informaton to BlogSheros
12. Use Mary Hodder's tip of not having to point to technorati
13. See if there scholarship or do volunteer work in exchange in order to afford to attend Gnomde and SXSW (or buy lottery tickets?)
14. Read the Blogher Chat Transcripts

Technorati Tags: blogher bloghercon

Thank you Blogher Organizers, Advisors, and Others

Thank you Lisa, Elisa, and Jory for your leadership, vision, and hard work for making BlogHer such incredible experience for me.   Also, Miriam Verburg for that huge task of organizing the live blogging and training session that will help me with blogging technique in general.   And, I know that there are many more people who volunteered their time, resources, and brainpower to make this one of the best conference I've attended.    I also want to thank everyone who let me photograh their shoes, bags, jewerly, etc and ask them off-the-wall inappropriate questions.

The content of the sessions was superb and networking possibilities endless.    The creative energy that circulated in this warm and caring community has energized me.    I can't wait for next year's blogher!

Part of what made this such a great experience was the chance to meet many of the people whose blogs I read regularly.  For example,  Nancy White and Village Girl!   And, to discover new people like Bev Trayner and Anina who blogs I look forward to reading.     What was really amazing is that I was to connect with people who are passionate about some of the same topics I care deeply about and I probably would never of discovered them if not for this conference. 

I don't get to conferences very often or do live blogging much any these days and this gave me a chance to use my rusty skills and reflect on how to do it better the next time.   The content provided me with unlimited access to incredible expertise.   

Thank you!  And, now a few hours of relaxing before getting on the red eye back tonight.

Technorati Tags: blogher bloghercon

Meet the Bloghers: Susan

Meet Susan.  Her blog live blogs the Atom bomb as if it were stuck in the 1940s.   She admits to being a little obsessive, but does not own Fat Man and Little Boy shot glasses.   What a fantastic concept for a high school history project - does have to be about the bomb, but any point in history.

Intense Blogher Networking Techniques: Renee Blodgett

The closing reception was a frenzy of business card exchanging.   But the biz exchange gold award goes to Renee Blodgett, who by the way loves oysters.    This woman can work the room .... She exchanged cards standing up. 

and sitting down.

You can't really tell, but I was lying on the floor trying to capture a different angle in the biz card exchange techniques on  Renee Blodgett  and almost upskirted her ... Meanwhile,  Renee pulled out her card and while people were throwing cards on me they almost downshirted me. 

I suspect that Renee probably got more cards than I ended up, but I did pretty good for an introvert.

And finally, found a wonderful photo of Renee in flickr

Renee Blodgett
Originally uploaded by jdlasica.

Technorati Tags: blogher

Lisa Williams Gives Kick Ass Podcasting Presentation!

I only knew a handful of blogher participants, so I was delighted to see fellow Berkman Thursday night blogger, Lisa Williams.   Her presentation on audio blogging was fantastic!  It helped me move past my audio phobia and I'm going to do it, damn it!

Here is Lisa's opml blog with blogher coverage, including her presentation.  Here's the session description with links to live blogger, Melissa Gira who took notes.

Technorati Tags: blogher bloghercon

Meet the Bloghers: Liza Sabater

Meet Liza Sabater

This is a woman I was dying to meet face-to-face and didn't have a chance until the ending session when I was lucky enough to ploop down at the same table.   One of my other obessions is arts and technology, and in my book she is the  technology goddess of the artworld.   I wish I wasn't so brain dead when I interviewed her.

She has been an advocate for artists to switch from static portfolio type web spaces to blogging.   She told me that Thundergulch is moving to blogs. Liza said that migration to blogs is moving slowly.  Most because there was a wave of early adopters ten years and change is difficult.   The artist reaction to blogs is little "Been there, done that."  Liza is working drupalart.org - which will be a community blog/e-commerce site for artists.    

Technorati Tags: bloghercon blogher

Expect more later ...

Mr. X, Amanda, and Mindy

The que behind at the google kiosk is about to kill me ... so expect many more belated reports tonight once I get a decent a pipeline.   I am going to be linearally anal and back date the post so they are in the correct order. 

(Note to self:  It probably would have been worth for me to get the extra license for ecto for my laptop.  That way I could have prepared the content offline and simply uploaded it later.)

Well, at least it wasn't something stupid I did.  Looks like many others had the same problem.

Technorati Tags: blogher  bloghercon

Meet Lisa Canter

Meet Lisa Canter
Originally uploaded by cambodia4kidsorg.

Happy Birthday to Lisa!  I have a great interview that I will post later ... I learned a lot about her background - we're both classical musicians - she plays bassoon.   She also shared all the wonderful things about living with Marc Canter and some things that annoy her .. but unfortunately since I'm using this google kiosk instead of my latop - can't post right now.

Visit her blog:
Lisa's Blog

PS She wants her own Cannon powershot for her birthday!  Says Marc hogs the shared camera ..

Technorati Tags: blogher

Meet Bloghers: Michele McLellan

Meet Michelle McLellan who is the director of Tommorrow's Workforce at Northwestern University.  She approached after I got the nerve to share my experience covering the Cambodian Blogosphere in the  When Globalization is Good for Women  panel moderated by Nancy White.  (It does pay to open your mouth and get over the fear of vocalizing inappropriate thoughts)   Michelle is beginning a blog about her desire to move back to Cambodia or as she said, "Cambodia isn't done with me."

Michele lived in Cambodia and taught journalism to Cambodian journalists for the Independent Journalism Foundation.   While a job offer brought her back to the states, she has built a house there and plans to live there several months a year.   The house sounds wonderful and might eventually have some guest rooms.  It sounds like it is located near Roteang Village where TSF does its projects.   I will add her blog to my Cambodia4kids blog.

Technorati Tags: blogher bloghercon

Mena Trott's Necklace

Mena Trott
Originally uploaded by cambodia4kidsorg.

I got to talk to Mena Trott and give her my card.  I was too in aw to ask any intelligent questions.   But she is the cover of my blogher jewelry pictures set. 

She mentioned in Marnie's session that typepad will release a new feature next week -- rss in linklists.  YEAH!!!!

The Hands That Created the Blogher Logo

Look at these gorgeous rings and bracelets, but more importantly these are the hands that created the Blogher Logo!

Technorati Tags: blogher

Advanced Tools Session At Blogher

George from Flickr
Originally uploaded by cambodia4kidsorg.

This is George from Flickr takaing a picture of me while I took a picture of her.  I want to see that picture ....  She was on the Advanced Tools Panel with Marnie Webb and Alexandra Samuel.

She couldn't demonstrate because the connection was down, but when she wrote stuff on the flipchart - she wrote the L I in flickr in a way that looked like: fucker.  Inside joke at Flickr.   

Advanced Tools
Originally uploaded by whitneybee.

Here's a great photo of Alexandra Samuels using the flipchart when the Internet connection failed.

Alexandra Samuels said that she go interested in learning to blog efficiently because it was easier to reprogram her blog than her two-year old!  She's a great stand up comic and so is Marnie.  They said so many funny things that I was so busy laughing didn't take good notes.   Thankfully, the panelists set up a blog that is aggregating everything related to the session using tags, rss, and all the stuff they talked about but couldn't demonstrate.

The session was highly interactive, in part, because they tossed out candy to those who asked questions.  I was amazed by the sheer amount of expertise in the room.  I learned a lot!!!!    This is the perfect topic for a small group and then report out to large group structure ..... next time a paper handout would also be nice.

The notes from the session are here.

My flickr set of photos of their session are here.

Technorati Tags: powerbloghers blogher

Meet the Bloghers: Marian Douglas

Meet Marian Douglas she was sitting in the row in front of me during the When Globalization is Good for Women panel moderated by Nancy White.   In the discussion, she made an comment about wanting to get hooked in to Global s Online.  (I directed her to the For Bloggers section)

Marian's blog is about gender, race, nationality, and news not covered in the mainstream.   The amazing thing about Marian is that she speaks five languages!    Her main takeaway from the conference is that there is a growing network of women with lots of skills and talents.

Technorati Tags: blogher

Why have my live reports stopped?

The wireless network in the techmart has been completed overloaded.  I have tons of interviews and great photos to post, but can't get a connection.   Ah Google sponsored Kiosk is online .... and hope to figure out a way around this problem.   

Technorati Tags: blogher

My audio interview with Ponzi

Ponzi interviewed me!  I hope they will find a way to give nonprofits scholarships or reduced pricing to
gnomedex.com.   There are two conferences that I want to attend next year and gnomedex is one of them - if I can swing it.   

Wouldn't it be cool to co-locate or overlap for a day with Nonprofit Technology Conference which is also taking place in Seattle at approximately the same time.   Maybe even tapping into some of their participants to do the Day of Service?

Afternoon Blogher Buzz

This group of bloghers was having an animated conversation in the hall after lunch.   It turns out that they all read each other, but never had a chance to meet face-to-face.   That was the biggest buzz in the halls at Blogher.

Technorati Tags: blogher

Jade Li from Weblogs, Inc and Lynda Keeler from delight.com 

The buzz?   Blogging is a women's platform because women love to talk and blogging facilitates talking on and offline.   Out of talking comes possibilities of working together .....

They are both going to save their Google Messenger bags because this conference is the birth of something great and it might be a collector's item, fetching big bucks on ebay someday.

What's not so great?   There isn't enough time for the sessions.  They need to be longer and in tracks.  Perhaps a weekend conference.

Meeting the Bloghers: Ellen Spertus

Ellen Spertus works for Google.  She doesn't have a blog.   Check out the t-shirt, you can buy at the google store.   Ellen says that Google is the most female-friendly technology place she has ever worked for!

Technorati Tags: blogher  bloghercon

Meet the Bloghers: Gena Haskett

Gena writes about how to introduce technology and the internet who are not users on her blog.   She has been blogging for three years and recently started doing a vblogging.   She came to learn some technical tips and how tos and meet the people who she reads.   She is based in Philadelphia.   She says that the best cheese steak place is at 4th and South.   

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Live Blogging Cross Interview With Anina

Meet Anina.net who is a fashion blogger from Paris.  She live blogged me while I lived blogged her.   I used a pen and reporters pad.  She used her nokia phone.  I must learn how to do that!

She also had really cool small stickers that you could stick on your business with her url.  Will photograh later.  Got to steal that idea ....

She came to Blogher because she was invited by Six Apart and wanted to connect with blogher role models.  (She is a model!)  Not many folks in the fashion world are blogging.  "I'm alone.  No one knows about blogging.  They're not technical.  But fashion needs to go digital and mobile.   

She was wearing designer shoes by Andre

Update:  Thanks to Mary Hodder's Flickr Stream - There is a photo of me interviewing Anina and Anina interviewing me.

Technorati Tags: blogher  bloghercon

Lunch Buzz

Ponzi and Strata R.Chalup gaves a thumbs up to the luncheon fare.   The buzz heard around lunch time was: 

"We're going to be so depressed when we go home.  This has been fantastic.  Next year, we need a weekend."   

"The sheer diversity is fantastic."

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Meet the Bloghers: Berverly Trayner

Meet Beverly Trayner who to Blogher from Portugal.  She uses a MAC, but she "isn't a MAC dude."  She was enjoying a blueberry muffin and mentioned that blueberries weren't available in her country.

What's like to live in a blueberry deprived country?   You make up for it with a lot of good wine.  Last night at dinner, one of the people shared an excellent bottle of pinot noir.

What's your favorite Portugese wine?  Alentejo

What's your expectation for today?   To learn how to do a better blog and find out what that means.


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Blogher Shoes & Feet

I'm blogging shoes and feet this morning during breakfast.   The complete set is here.
The only way I got these photographs was promise not to attach a name to the photo.  I did get permission from anina.net who is a fashion blogger from Paris.  (The shoes are by the designer Andre).

Lots of colorful flipflops with nail polish.   The above are mirror images almost.  I saw all different shades of pink and red as well as green, black, and blue polish.   

Most popular sandal style was flip flops with red nail polish.

Lots of styles of black sandals and open toed black shoes.  The above most unique.

Lots and lots of comfortable shoes including sneakers.  Most popular style and color was black converse, but this pair had unique checkered laces.

Bloghims are wearing casual black and brown square-toed shoes with their denim pants.

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