I love the tracks you have included so far, but I would LOVE to see a track on travel. There are so many really wonderful travel blogs by women (including your own Contributing Editor Pam of Nerd's Eye View) that are offering incredibly valuable advice for traveling all over the world, aimed specifically at women. In this day, I think it's more important than ever to be encouraging travel and getting individuals too see more of their own country and the world.

BlogHer '09! ;)

But just want to make sure we have 'real' experts for these sessions.  I sometimes felt that the audience was too advanced for what the panel was covering.

BlogHer made me see just how web savvy women are today. 

For Mommy Blogging I would like to see topics covering the continuing evolution of it...commercially and personally.  Do we change our blogs as our kids get older or our lives change...does our audience change? Do we care? Also maybe talk more about 'niche' blogging in the mommy world...review blogs, parenting advice, loss, adoption..etc.

I do worry about the negativity from non mom bloggers that seemed to be around BlogHer.....We ain't taking over! 

Look for me at http://crunchycarpets.com or check out the ladies at www.wetcoastwomen.com

How about ladies blogging about sports?

 Or sports and other areas not typically covered by women.

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Sports and Fitness
Sarah and the Goon Squad
Draft Day Suit

I'm going to be radical here, and nothing against the Mommybloggers, but how about a track for Non-Mommybloggers?  Something that covers sports, entertainment, travel, etc that are not Mom-centric per se.  What's it like for bloggers who aren't Mommybloggers in what appears to be a Mommyblogger world?  How do Non-Mommybloggers need to market themselves differently than Mommybloggers?

The business track should also include blogging for free or not, and what do bloggers really get paid, with an eye toward giving more women bloggers the tools to ask for more money and get it.  There was a big response to Heather's post and I think that would be very helpful for many bloggers. 

Blogging and Journalism, is there a difference?  Should there be?

Though I wasn't around when the BOF sessions were held at lunch, I would prefer that they go back to being held at lunch.  If held during lunch, you're less likely to miss something you might otherwise really want to go to.

I think the Geek Lab needs to be specifically scheduled so that the beginners are there from say 10-11, the advanced from 11-Noon, and so on.  And there should be a maximum of people signed up for each lab.  Ideally, there should be one Geek to no more than five or six blogger students at a time. 

Megan

Megan Smith

BlogHer CE, TV/Online Video

My Personal Blog: Megan's Minute

I just joined...like a minute ago.  So, considering that, I don't know what you've done in the past.  I would like to suggest within the identity/passions that you kick off the session with a discussion about finding your true calling/passion in life and a little advice on how to identify with what makes you truly happy...you know the whole do what you know and follow your bliss deal.  I am proof that following your life's calling is satisfying.  I have always tried to listen to that inner voice that leads me down alternative paths that allow me to grow and develop as a person and as a woman in today's world.  There are many professionals, I'm sure, that would be a great choice to open the session with a speech about just that.  

Thanks...look forward to being a part of the Blogher community!

TR Hughes

http://www.guidetolifeforwomen.blogspot.com   

I envision Melissa of Stirrup Queens leading a session on what happens when you set out to meet a need of a community rather than setting out to become a big blog.

I am intrigued when she says that she simply imagines what she'd like to see and then she makes it happen. Over and over again, she does this, without worrying about SEO or what the blog "experts" say.

She builds it, and we come.

Lori

Weebles Wobblog (http://weebleswobblog.blogspot.com)

Drama 2B Mama (http://drama2bmama.blogspot.com)

All Thumbs Reviews (http://allthumbsreviews.blogspot.com) 

Okay, I know the techinical mumbo jumbo may scare some off at first, but many of us would love more science/research-related blogging.   It really can be fun, should be fun, to read about the latest developments from the hard sciences, and yes, the softer ones!  Blogging on parenting/child health, I feel passionately about teaching parents to evaluate the latest findings themselves, separating the good from the bad, and deciding whether it has any real-world significance.  And there's lots of information and misinformation on line.  Plenty of room for more expert opinions.  This past year alone has produced much fodder - the safety of bisphenol-a and kiddie cough and cold meds, the continuing research on autism, the benefits of breastfeeding, etc.  Parents crave information-  expert, objective information.  No reason it can't be explained in a chatty, non-technical voice.   Judging from the popularity of Tara Parker Pope's Wellness Blog over at the New York Times, people welcome a discussion, a down-to-earth one, of scientific evidence.  And there are excellent female bloggers doing just that - though I'd guess they don't get that much exposure and there's really very little platform out there for them or any female science types.    More than men, we women tend to relate the scientific to our own lives, our own experiences, bringing the lab home so to speak.  Whether we're talking about the environment, reproductive health, or pediatrics, it's a huge missed opportunity on line - would love to see more. 

 I know it's been said, but I'd like to put in my own 2 cents about travel blogging. We porbably already know this, but most people do most of their travel planning online now (rather than through a brick-and-mortar travel agency). I think that creating a travel blog track would be a pro-active move on BlogHer's part. ...So sayeth the woman with a travel blog, of course, but that doesn't reduce the veracity of my point. Travel blogs are only growing in popularity.

My Travel Site

I pitched three ideas:

Eco-bloggers session;

Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers session;

Non-Mommy blogging in a Mommy-Blogging world session. 

I can haz good ideas?  ;)

Visit my blogs at ThreeSeven (all that's irrelevant and amusing) and ecochick (all that's green, cool and Canadian).

I think we really need to expand the discussion we had this year on race and gender. The panel was fabulous, but we needed so much more time for the discussion.  I also heard frustration that we were having a conversation that some worried may stay in that room and not spread beyond, so perhaps we can address ways to move it "out there" (although we've done a great job with that in our posts and commentary lately).  I'm not sure if it would fit under the Identity thread or Politics & Activism...

Notions of Identity

OK, so maybe a panel on feminist travel is far fetched, but I agree with the need for more on travel. I also would like to see a panel on the different faces of feminism. If this election showed anything, it is that feminists have a wide range of beliefs. Where do we have common ground and how do we work together to advance common causes?

Suzanne Reisman, Contributing Editor - Feminism & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants

Last year's Bloggers of Color session was one of the best sessions of the conference IMO, but it was way too short. I was dismayed that that session was the only formal one where bloggers of color had a chance to get together and exchange ideas. I'd love to see multiculturalism woven through all the tracks (esp politics and mommyblogging) actually and not just by having WOC on panels but by having those needs specifically addressed.

In terms of the business of Mommyblogging sessions, I'd like to see a different take on the usual topics (or topics within topics) like: managing relationships with PR people (they're emailing you now what?), facing down the decision to monetize (for many it's a moral issue), incl. the moral side of going on junkets--what does that mean for your blogging?/how does it change it?; how to transition from Mommyblogging into other interests now that kids are bigger *and still retain readers* (having done it, this is important to me).

What about an "addicted to blogging" session? How to structure your time so family personal life isn't affected.

And lastly, I'd love to see more on social media. How women are using that technology to accomplish their business goals, build community, and change the world.

Stefania Pomponi Butler

Like for instance my blog is about communicating survival information and techniques for use during an emergency or disaster.  I'm your average suburban mom with three boys, I have a  but I find this topic interesting.  It covers everything from stocking up for emergencies to gardening.  It's definately going mainstream and you'll find more average moms interested in these tips.  Just a thought......

 www.survivallady.com

I would love to see interactive sessions focused on art and creativity.

The photography sessions were informational and a lot of fun. More of that. 

As much as I love listening to people talk about their experiences, there is nothing like being a part of the session. 

Instead of listening to writers talk about writing, bring in writers who are teachers and have them lead sessions in improving blog posts, generating ideas and connecting with their audience.

Interactive, INterActive, INTERACTIVE!!!!!

Lucrecer Braxton

Candidly Speaking

www.candidartanddesign.com/blog

Art Slam

www.candidartanddesign.com/artslam 

Lots of people do this and frankly suck at it.   The art of transcription has been lost.

A crash course might be good.  That and adding video blogging or something too. 

Look for me at http://crunchycarpets.com or check out the ladies at www.wetcoastwomen.com

Well, you know that I'm cooking up an idea or two to propose a panel at BlogHer'09 (mainly 'cause I told you that at BlogWorldExpo).  And of course it will go into the Identity and Passions track.  Clearly MidLifeBloggers are now on your radar, so I'm hoping a session focused on us will speak to the ways in which different MidLifeBloggers are dealing with the range of topics that concern MidLifers.

 As for your other question:

*I prefer the BOAF and ROYO sessions to be during lunch.  I frequently felt pulled between track sessions and the breakouts, trying to decide which to attend.  I'd go into one, sit for a couple of minutes and then rush to the other.  Not a good way of participating in either session.

I've read through the first fifteen or so comments and see that the Mommyblogging issue is coming out again.  How about if we just acknowledge that Mommyblogging is another word for womenblogging.  Kinda like Kleexex is another word for tissue.  It's so much less divisive than Mommyblogging vs NonMommyblogging.  And you know I'm all about inclusion where women are concerned! 

By Jane

http://byjane.blogspot.com

http://midlifebloggers.com