People's Choice Panel - Extended

Now that BlogHer is over we can once again focus our attention on Blogalicious and on making sure that this conference rocks! We promised to plan this conference with you in mind and we are doing our best to make sure that there are many interactive opportunities - because, really, how bored will you be if all you did was sit at a conference and listen (or should I say sleep)?

We want to make sure that you get everything you want out of this conference and we therefore announced the People Choice Panel. But as I mentioned our energies were a bit diverted, as were yours, I'm sure, so we've extended the submission deadline for the PCP to August 16th. We also thought that you'll have better perspective on what you want to see and talk about post-BlogHer.

So...here's how it works. The PCP is a panel voted upon by you. Tell us what topic you want to hear, who you want to speak on it (if you have a preference or an idea), and we’ll put your choice up for vote.

Here’s what you have to do: 1) What’s not on our agenda that you think we should include? In a few sentences, tell us what this panel will be about. 2) Do you have any recommendations on who you think should speak on this topic? 3) Submit your proposed panel to us by August 16th. Submissions should be sent to justiceny@blogaliciousweekend.com. We will put all proposals up for vote and let the people decide.

So...let's get it rolling ladies!

Party like it's 2009!

We're so excited to share photos from The Lush Experience at BlogHer. We owe endless thanks to Carol Cain (better known as NYCityMama.com) for bringing her camera and being so gracious to take photos for us all -- thanks Mama!

So...enjoy. If you want to stay in contact with the fabulous ladies that you met on Friday, feel free to identify yourself in the pictures and leave your contact info - blog(s), twitter handle(s), email(s) and whatever else you want.

BTW...that's us in Picture #1 (from left to right) - Justice Ny, Justice Jonesie, Justice Fergie.

www.blogaliciousweekend.com
@blogalicious09 on Twitter
Blogalicious 09 on FB
www.mamalaw.com
@themamalawblog, @JusticeNy, @JusticeJonesie, @JusticeFergie on Twitter
www.mamalaw.com on FB

SwagHer or Not?

I was happy to attend my first BlogHer this past weekend for so many reasons, but I must admit that there was one thing that I didn't embrace as wholly as I should have (I guess) - swag! Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But I was overwhelmed by and with swag. Marketers got onto the fact that women bloggers are a force in the marketplace so they descended upon BlogHer with arms open wide. I wish I had taken some photos of the amount of stuff that we were showered with and the crates of boxes in the hallway and the gigantic giveaway bags.

I was grateful to have received swag, but also overwhelmed by it all. I felt disgusted after a while having been offered, and probably more importantly, taken, stuff because I knew that there was no way that I would EVER use that stuff. I mean, c'mon why in the world would I need 5 different kinds of dish clothes, or onesies for a 3 month old? But there I was sitting in all that stuff wondering why!

It was excessive and I feel like it brought out the wrong side of me and many other women there. I was excited on the first night, but by the second night, I just couldn't deal with it any more and I abandoned ship. I heard that lines were endless for some of the parties because the gift bags were so ridiculous; I heard there was fighting and pushing at some events; I heard that folks were at the events just for swag - they got 'em and then left.

It appears like it was about the swag and not the women/community. Maybe next year BlogHer should require all marketers to contribute to the ONE conference swag bag rather than all the random swag parties. Maybe that way the focus would not be on the swag but on the conference - just a thought!

What are your thoughts on the SwagHer?

Chicago, Here We Come!

The Blogalicious ladies are heading to Chi-town tomorrow evening to attend BlogHer '09. If any of you will be at BlogHer, please, please track us down! We want to meet each and every one of you. Look for us during the conference, at the parties (especially The Lush Experience!), or send us a tweet or an email to rendez-vous.

See you all soon...it's going down!

xo,
The Blogalicious Crew

On Twitter: @blogalicious09
Via Email: info@blogaliciousweekend.com

Congrats to Penny Pinching Diva!

Our very own Blogalicious Media Correspondent, and thifty blogger extraordinaire, Shynea Hunter aka Penny Pinching Diva is featured as The Coupon Queen in this month's Essence magazine (you know - the one with a smoldering Idris Elba on the cover!) Shynea offers tips and tricks of the trade on how to get the most for your hard-earned money.

Congratulations Shynea!!

Catch the Penny Pinching Diva in person, live on the purple carpet at Blogalicious 2009.

Get Off the WaitList!

On the waitlist for The Blogalicious Lush Event at BlogHer? Fear not!

You want in and we want you in, so we've come up with a plan to move your name to the top: All you have to do is register for Blogalicious 2009 before next Thursday, July 23 and your VIP party spot will be secured. It's as simple as that! Hey, you're planning on coming to Blogalicious anyway, so why not register now and be guaranteed a spot at the hottest party in Chicago!

Bonus: Use our special discount code to sweeten the deal.

For questions email: info@blogaliciousweekend.com

But I'm a White Girl. Can I Still Come?

Why are people so excited about Blogalicious? What makes it so special? We think that it's because it is the very first event of its kind. Women bloggers of color have generally been ignored in the social media space or given short-shrift by marketers reaching out to bloggers and at other blog conferences. Enter Blogalicious 2009.

This event will be an outlet for attendees to voice their feelings and opinions; a place to share hopes and dreams; an opportunity to learn from one another about everything social media. The conference offers a getaway that combines all of the things that you love about blogging with the added element of face-to-face interactions and the intimacy of IRL relationships.

And the great thing about Bloglacious is that women of all backgrounds are excited about its mission and purpose. We think that's fantastic and we welcome participation from women bloggers of all colors. Really. We've been getting email after email asking: "I'm really excited about Blogalicious, but...I'm a white girl. Can I still come?" The answer is absolutely. We want diversity in the blogosphere, in the marketing world, and certainly at our conference. So come on down to Atlanta and join us! You'll be spending time with a group of welcoming women of all shades, all ages, all backgrounds and all levels of blogging expertise.

And please don't worry about how pale you are (this was actually raised in one of the emails we got) and instead, get to worrying about how you're gonna handle all the fun you're gonna have.

One caveat: We want Blogalicious to be a comfortable place for open and frank discussion for all, so if you're shy, don't apply!

Last Chance for Blogalicious @ BlogHer Sponsor!

To all our Blogalicious ladies:

If you have relationships with a marketer that would be interested in sponsoring The Lush Experience, please send us an email asap to: sponsors@blogaliciousweekend.com We received an overwhelming response to the invitation and we are looking for an additional $1,000 so that we can open up the waitlist and accommodate all of those who want to attend.

Thanks!

Don't Miss The Early Bird!

Early bird registration ends this weekend, on July 11th. Please be sure to get in on the conference early!

Register here.

Blogalicious News

Party On!

The Lush Experience @ BlogHer is sold out! Get ready to get your party on, ladies.

And...the ladies behind Blogalicious will be broadcasting the next episode of "The Verdict" live from The Lush Experience event.

If you missed the boat and really want to attend, please email us at: info(at)blogaliciousweekend(dot)com with your name and blog URL and we will add you to our waitlist.

Kudos to Afrobella!
Join us in congratulating Afrobella for becoming the latest addition to the AOL Black Voices editorial team! Afrobella, one of our talented conference panelists, will be droppin' knowledge as one of the writers on the Black Voices Hair Talk Blog. We're so excited that even more of the world will soon know what we already do: this woman is fierce! And you'll be able to see her up close and personal on the "Cyberstyle and the Woman of Color" session at Blogalicious 2009.