I’ve gotten more comfortable with having the conversation about my involvement with planning this conference. A conference for … gasp! … bloggers, and I get a varied range of responses from people.
This weekend I was talking to someone about the schedule for our Church Cafe – how I wouldn’t be available the end of May because of this conference I’m planning and they asked more about it.
Oh, a conference. For professional bloggers. Someone standing near by over heard and just gave me a dirty look. So I asked – What’s the look for? Turns out she’s a web designer and apparently they just have a “difference of opinion” with bloggers.
Um. Ok.
She obviously didn’t know what I was talking about, for a few reasons. One, I didn’t explain it at all, she heard ‘blogger’ and immediately made judgement. Two … her idea of a blog was something she herself had (I’m sorry, didn’t you just tell me you had a difference of opinion with them?) which she only allows access to her family to see photos of her, etc.
Whatever, I wasn’t going to have the conversation with someone who starts it out with an attitude that I’m stupid and they’re perfectly capable of understanding smart things. Sure.
Then today I ran into someone I know and she asks me what I’m doing these days. I tell her I work one day a week and that I’m planning a conference for later this Spring.
A conference!! For who!!?
Bloggers. Professional Bloggers.
Oh. huh. So what’s that? You just blog and that’s your job?
What do you say from here? For a while I wasn’t willing to even go that far into the conversation because what if someone overheard me and thought I was completely bonkers or off my rocker. Oh, those mommy’s who blog, isn’t that cute? Nope. It’s not. It’s more than that. Maybe it’s a geographical conversation difference. Would this conversation be easier or more tolerated if I were living in San Franscico and planning a conference for bloggers there? Is it just my Midwest town and the region surrounding us that has a hard time supporting this idea?
What have you guys found? What are the conversations you’re having around your own blogs and websites. How do you explain to your family that you’re going to conferences for them?
I went to BlogHer in 2009 and when I said that to my family, grandparents or in laws or friends who knew I had a website but didn’t understand the magnitude or well of them available they kind of just looked at me like, oh, so blogging is a thing, then?
I’m interested in your own experiences with this conversation topic. Do tell, please.
I attend and present at conferences of all kinds for work and hobbies, so this one doesn’t raise any eyebrows. I think the web designer’s opinion will only hurt herself, as there are tons of freelance opportunities with bloggers should she ever need extra income!
[Reply]
jodimichelle Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Yea, I don’t think Gleek Retreat raises eyebrows necessarily, but from the planning side of things – to have that conversation with someone I feel like their expectations are either REALLY low or they don’t have any. So it’s been a different conversation for me, navigating their expectations I mean. We’re planning to have an awesome time either way!
[Reply]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Gleek Retreat. Gleek Retreat said: What's been your experience with having the conversation? http://www.gleekretreat.com/2010/04/having-the-conversation/ [...]
You mean like how I told my husband to come home right after work since I had a meeting tonight? It went like this:
Him “Alright, what meeting?”
Me “My blogger meeting”
Him “You mean your sit around and have fun ‘meeting’? hahaha…chuckle, chuckle…hehehe”
Me “Um, we actually talk about stuff and it’s really insightful, we help each other out, we talk business….”
Him “suuuuuure”
Yea – nobody I know personally understands blogging at all. It amazes me though since if I wrote for a magazine or newspaper it would be considered a “job”. But since I “publish” on my own and don’t work for “the man”, it’s not a real job.
*sigh*
No respect I tell ya.
[Reply]
As frustrating as it may be, this made me laugh.
For me, having the “I’m a blogger” conversation can be like asking people who don’t use facebook/twitter if they do… It’s a quick transition to “so, great weather, huh?”
Sometimes I just don’t have the energy for it. Luckily, the people I care about most were SOOO supportive when I went to Blissdom.
I’m excited about a Michigan Blogging conference!! You’re doing great things, Girlie! Keep it up!
[Reply]
jodimichelle Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
So wonderful that you have supportive family, I do too actually. It makes it so much easier.
[Reply]
[...] Having the conversation « Gleek Retreat [...]
When I tell people I blog they react to me the way you would to new parents of an unattractive baby. You know, the baby just isn’t cute at all, but of course you’d never tell the proud parents that. So you force a smile, and make up something nice to say like, “Oh, he has such a unique nose.” Yep. It’s exactly like that. “Oh, you blog. That’s, um, interesting.”
[Reply]
jodimichelle Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Oh this is great! Love it!
[Reply]
Lots of people just don’t get it. I have those conversations ALL the time. So.. I just stop having them with people that I know will just not get it. LOL!!
It is quite hard to explain to a lot of people, including my mother. My immediate group of friends are now made up of people that are “trying” to get it… but it seems to be mostly because they think that mommy bloggers get all this cool stuff (ok, sometimes we do), so they need to do it too!
Each time that I have had to go to an event here in Chicago and was told “let me know if you have any other mom bloggers that might be interested” my mind drew a complete blank… because I knew none. Now, I have broadened my horizons and expanded my Chicago group by networking more online to FIND those great Chicago bloggers that are out there.
Meanwhile.. as I travel the city and talk to people I still get the funny looks and stares when people ask me what I do.
[Reply]
I have a friend who follows blogs, and she mentioned that she can’t believe that the owner of one of the blogs she follows gets so much free stuff. “I could do that,” she said. “Just throw up some diaper reviews.” I just chuckled to myself. Non-bloggers don’t understand how much work this is!
[Reply]
Oh I LOVE this conversation:)
I approach it differently.
When people ask what I do, I tell them I’m a writer. Blogging is my medium.
[Reply]
Brittany, I’m totally using that!
[Reply]
[...] thing I just don’t know how to handle yet where this blog is concerned it is most definitely how to have the conversation wherein I admit I have a blog at all. And most definitely to the other mom’s of [...]