BlogHer 08 or is it BlogHerCon 08?

For me, it’s BlogHerCon 08 because I like to differentiate between the site and the conference and the ad network. They’re three pieces of a really nice puzzle (with more pieces coming…), but what I’m really blogging about is what I’ll be doing at the conference. Because people keep asking me. And I keep saying I have no idea.

It’s true. I don’t. I’ll be honest and say that I’m not really sure what the sessions ARE this year. I know some speakers because I’ve seen them float through the admin panel or I read their blogs or their tweets. But I don’t know exactly what their panels are. I just haven’t had the time to obsess over the schedule the way I usually do.

Until this moment, the only things I know for sure that I’ll be doing are these:

Thursday pre-conference, the CE/Speaker cocktail party and the newbie mixer.
Saturday at 3:15, I host the Queer BOF.
Saturday at 4:00, I’ll attend the Chicago Bloggers Room of Your Own.

And that’s it. I suspect you will find me “hiding” in the Cafe/Book Sale room quite a bit. It’s not really hiding because there will be people there but it’s not organized attendance – and I feel a distinct need to avoid organized attendance because I’m feeling incredibly unorganized. Moving across the country will do that to you. Changing your life this way will do that to you.

But, then again, after last year’s BlogHerCon I felt like I had missed so much because I spent so much time in the Cafe/Book Sale room and I vowed to NOT miss so many panels next time. So, I’m looking at the schedule while I’m typing this post and I’m choosing panels. I’m not going to “force” myself to attend them all. I’m going to give myself permission to skip out if I feel the need to just chill or if I find someone I want to just hang out with or if I bump into a CE who wants to talk.

Here goes – for those who want to know where to find me, this is what I think I’ll be attending:

Friday:

Is Mommyblogging still a radical act?
Race & Gender (but I may duck out and attend a ROYO with the Mid-Life bloggers.
Progressives & Conservatives (but I may duck out and sneak into the Mirrors session.

Saturday:

Women without children. (ducking out at 11:30 for the Obama/McCain ROYO.)
BOF with BlogHims
Queer BOF and Chicago ROYO (Really wish I could attend taking back naked blogging, though.)

There you have it…. track me down in those places and if you don’t find me there, check the Cafe.