Saturday
Aug142010
BlogHer '10: Change Agents, Radical Moms, Provocative Bloggers...and ill-fitted sponsors
Saturday, August 14, 2010
As most of you know, I just got back from BlogHer '10 in New York City. I enjoyed last year's conference, but this year's conference was about 10 times better and about 5 times worse (figures are estimates).
The BlogHer '10 conference is the general BlogHer conference. That means it is the conference that is supposed to meet everyone's needs and touch on everyone's interests (versus, for example, BlogHer Food, which is specifically for food bloggers). While it may have done that, there did seem to be an overriding theme. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but to me it seemed like Change Agents (which was one of six tracks at BlogHer), was the main track and the main theme of the conference.
Radical Blogging Moms Panel - by Haley-O (Cheaty Monkey)
All of the Change Agents sessions that I attended were packed (including the Radical Blogging Moms panel that I spoke on with Joanne from Pundit Mom and Stephanie from Picture Hope). Two of the keynotes were strongly focused on the message of change and how women can use their blogs to affect change, specifcally:
In addition to those panels and keynotes focused specifically on change, there were other areas (e.g. reading of posts during the Voices of the Year Keynote and the green party) that had a strong element of change to them.
Beyond the official BlogHer '10 programming, I also had an opportunity to educate people about Nestle's unethical business practices. I wrote a blog post summarizing Nestle's unethical business practices and that post as well as other Nestle-related content has been viewed at least 10,000 times in the last 10 days. I had the opportunity to mention my objection to Nestle in my panel discussion and to mention the fact that some people, including one of my planned co-panelists, were boycotting the conference due to the Nestle sponsorship.
I wore #noNestle stickers on my badge, my phone, and sometimes even my face. I handed out stickers to anyone else who wanted them for their own badge, phone, water bottle, laptop or anything else. I had a statement on my business cards (generously donated and hand delivered to New York by Tiny Prints) that said "Ask me why I protest Nestle's unethical business practices. Tweet your support: #noNestle". Quite a few people did take me up on that offer and wanted to learn more. I passed out probably around 150 postcards summarizing Nestle's unethical business practices (only to people who specifically expressed interest) and had in depth conversations with dozens of people about Nestle, many who were completely unaware of the Nestle issues previously and who pledged to both spread the word and stop buying Nestle products.
Last year, I was lucky to be one of the finalists for the SocialLuxe Lounge's BlogLuxe awards in the category of Most Provocative Blog. This year, I was not only a finalist, but also one of the winners of the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards. The two winners in the category of Most Provocative Blog were myself and fellow-Canadian Catherine Connors from Her Bad Mother. Still think Canadians are just docile and polite?
BlogLuxe Awards - Most Provocative Blog - by Angry Julie Monday
So, apparently I'm radical and provocative. But I'm not sure that I want what I do to be considered radical or provocative. I want it to be normal for people to stand up for what they believe in. I want it to be normal for people to use the power of words to express their opinions. I want it to be normal for women to have a say and have that count. I like being a Change Agent, because I think the world needs to keep changing if it is to continue to exist, but I don't know if I want to be considered radical or provocative. Or maybe I do. Maybe being radical and provocative just means that I am one step ahead and that I have the opportunity to inspire others to action too.
With all of the inspiration, brain power, and incredible work that all of these women are doing, a walk through the Exhibition Hall seemed like a bit of a slap in the face. Not only were there two Nestle brands there (Nestle is one of the most boycotted companies in the world and one that I actively protest), Stouffers and Butterfinger, but there were other companies with products and business practices that threaten the health of our families:
Beyond the Expo Hall, there were plenty of people shuffling off to private branded events, some of then during the evening, but some of them even during the regular conference sessions (I love Scholastic Books, but think it was extremely inappropriate of them to schedule a private event at the same time as the International Activist Keynote and the first break-out session of the morning).
When I write about the WHO International Code of the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, I often get comments from people asserting what they see as their right to be marketed to. They feel like they would somehow be missing out if companies weren't allowed to push products on them that they probably don't need. I can understand advertisers arguing for it, but I don't understand when consumers fight for the right to have things pushed down their throats with questionable arguments and that is how I felt about a lot of the sponsors at BlogHer '10.
But other people are much more eloquent when talking about this than I am. Gloria Feldt addressed this in the closing keynote and it is summarized by Marcia G. Yerman in her article on BlogHer '10:
How can we ensure that we are not bought? We do so by not taking the junk freebies that companies are handing out. We do so by not buying the products of companies who have questionable business practices. We do so by giving companies feedback on how their products and their marketing practices need to change. We do so by asking for a more rigourous and transparent sponsor selection criteria and process for future conferences.
I loved the Change Agents track. I hated the sponsorship approach. The fact that so many people there *loved* the Exhibition Hall and spent much of their time either there, in sponsor suites, or at private sponsored parties, shows that there is a real market for that type of thing. But I don't think that the people who are chasing the swag are generally the same people who are interested in being change agents. From that perspective, I would love to see a conference in the future, whether it is organized by BlogHer (e.g. BlogHer '11: Change Agents) or organized by someone else (anyone?), that focuses specifically on being a change agent (maybe has different tracks covering topics like environment, gender, health, human rights, -isms, corporate social responsibility and more) and that has a carefully considered ethical sponsorship policy that will ensure that the business side of the conference doesn't clash with the content side of the conference.
Who else is with me?
Better...
The BlogHer '10 conference is the general BlogHer conference. That means it is the conference that is supposed to meet everyone's needs and touch on everyone's interests (versus, for example, BlogHer Food, which is specifically for food bloggers). While it may have done that, there did seem to be an overriding theme. I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but to me it seemed like Change Agents (which was one of six tracks at BlogHer), was the main track and the main theme of the conference.
Radical Blogging Moms Panel - by Haley-O (Cheaty Monkey)All of the Change Agents sessions that I attended were packed (including the Radical Blogging Moms panel that I spoke on with Joanne from Pundit Mom and Stephanie from Picture Hope). Two of the keynotes were strongly focused on the message of change and how women can use their blogs to affect change, specifcally:
- The International Activists Bloggers' Keynote featuring four women activists from other countries who even risk their lives in the name of social justice.
- The closing keynote on "How to Use your Voice, Your Platform, Your Power" featuring a group of incredibly inspiring women, namely moderator Need to Know PBS anchor Alison Stewart, Marie Wilson, Founder and President of The White House Project (and creator of Take Our Daughters to Work Day!), author and activist Gloria Feldt from Heartfeldt Politics and P. Simran Sethi, Emmy Award-winning journalist, blogger and environmentalist.
In addition to those panels and keynotes focused specifically on change, there were other areas (e.g. reading of posts during the Voices of the Year Keynote and the green party) that had a strong element of change to them.
Beyond the official BlogHer '10 programming, I also had an opportunity to educate people about Nestle's unethical business practices. I wrote a blog post summarizing Nestle's unethical business practices and that post as well as other Nestle-related content has been viewed at least 10,000 times in the last 10 days. I had the opportunity to mention my objection to Nestle in my panel discussion and to mention the fact that some people, including one of my planned co-panelists, were boycotting the conference due to the Nestle sponsorship.
I wore #noNestle stickers on my badge, my phone, and sometimes even my face. I handed out stickers to anyone else who wanted them for their own badge, phone, water bottle, laptop or anything else. I had a statement on my business cards (generously donated and hand delivered to New York by Tiny Prints) that said "Ask me why I protest Nestle's unethical business practices. Tweet your support: #noNestle". Quite a few people did take me up on that offer and wanted to learn more. I passed out probably around 150 postcards summarizing Nestle's unethical business practices (only to people who specifically expressed interest) and had in depth conversations with dozens of people about Nestle, many who were completely unaware of the Nestle issues previously and who pledged to both spread the word and stop buying Nestle products.Last year, I was lucky to be one of the finalists for the SocialLuxe Lounge's BlogLuxe awards in the category of Most Provocative Blog. This year, I was not only a finalist, but also one of the winners of the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards. The two winners in the category of Most Provocative Blog were myself and fellow-Canadian Catherine Connors from Her Bad Mother. Still think Canadians are just docile and polite?
BlogLuxe Awards - Most Provocative Blog - by Angry Julie MondaySo, apparently I'm radical and provocative. But I'm not sure that I want what I do to be considered radical or provocative. I want it to be normal for people to stand up for what they believe in. I want it to be normal for people to use the power of words to express their opinions. I want it to be normal for women to have a say and have that count. I like being a Change Agent, because I think the world needs to keep changing if it is to continue to exist, but I don't know if I want to be considered radical or provocative. Or maybe I do. Maybe being radical and provocative just means that I am one step ahead and that I have the opportunity to inspire others to action too.
Worse...
With all of the inspiration, brain power, and incredible work that all of these women are doing, a walk through the Exhibition Hall seemed like a bit of a slap in the face. Not only were there two Nestle brands there (Nestle is one of the most boycotted companies in the world and one that I actively protest), Stouffers and Butterfinger, but there were other companies with products and business practices that threaten the health of our families:
- There was a fish company passing out a flyer on prenatal health that said pregnant women can eat as much fish as they want during pregnancy and that they don't need to worry about mercury levels.
- At the Playskool booth they were handing out some toys, including Play-doh. But they wouldn't let you get away with just taking a sample of the Play-doh. No....they wanted you to take a bottle of perfume to scent the Play-doh Play-Doh scented perfume (edited because I apparently misunderstood about the perfume...still not impressed). And they didn't like taking no for an answer. YIKES!
- The "got milk?" people, when questioned about whether the milk was organic, answered "but it's milk!!".
- And much more...I only spent about 15 minutes walking through the Expo Hall and only went to one of the two floors because I felt ill after that first short tour through. Based on the sponsor list, I'm sure there are other examples people could cite.
Beyond the Expo Hall, there were plenty of people shuffling off to private branded events, some of then during the evening, but some of them even during the regular conference sessions (I love Scholastic Books, but think it was extremely inappropriate of them to schedule a private event at the same time as the International Activist Keynote and the first break-out session of the morning).
When I write about the WHO International Code of the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, I often get comments from people asserting what they see as their right to be marketed to. They feel like they would somehow be missing out if companies weren't allowed to push products on them that they probably don't need. I can understand advertisers arguing for it, but I don't understand when consumers fight for the right to have things pushed down their throats with questionable arguments and that is how I felt about a lot of the sponsors at BlogHer '10.
But other people are much more eloquent when talking about this than I am. Gloria Feldt addressed this in the closing keynote and it is summarized by Marcia G. Yerman in her article on BlogHer '10:
Feldt, who has a book coming out on “how women can change the way they think about power,” insisted that women have more of it than they realize. She noted that corporate sponsors were “finally getting the picture,” but questioned if women understood the full import of what that entailed. When I contacted her for additional thoughts on this concern she wrote me, “The two floors full of exhibitors aren’t here just because they love us. They’re here because they know the power of women’s collective purse. So we need to use that power intentionally and collectively to shape the consumer market, to get what we want—whether it’s healthy snacks for our kids, green products, or shoes that are comfortable rather than hobbling us—and not allow ourselves to be bought.”
How can we ensure that we are not bought? We do so by not taking the junk freebies that companies are handing out. We do so by not buying the products of companies who have questionable business practices. We do so by giving companies feedback on how their products and their marketing practices need to change. We do so by asking for a more rigourous and transparent sponsor selection criteria and process for future conferences.
Moving Forward...
I loved the Change Agents track. I hated the sponsorship approach. The fact that so many people there *loved* the Exhibition Hall and spent much of their time either there, in sponsor suites, or at private sponsored parties, shows that there is a real market for that type of thing. But I don't think that the people who are chasing the swag are generally the same people who are interested in being change agents. From that perspective, I would love to see a conference in the future, whether it is organized by BlogHer (e.g. BlogHer '11: Change Agents) or organized by someone else (anyone?), that focuses specifically on being a change agent (maybe has different tracks covering topics like environment, gender, health, human rights, -isms, corporate social responsibility and more) and that has a carefully considered ethical sponsorship policy that will ensure that the business side of the conference doesn't clash with the content side of the conference.
Who else is with me?
Reader Comments (73)
I am coming back to blogging after a year hiatus (used to blog at Unconventional Origins). I would love to attend a conference geared towards social change, especially one "by women for women." I think that could include so many interesting types of writers, from mothers to cooks (I am sure there are blogs out there geared towards being a more conscious eater!) to political bloggers.
Just from glancing around Netroots Nation it seems possible to do something like this while using ethical sponsors. Obviously they are large scale, but I think they are a great example of how you can have ethical sponsorship and a platform geared towards using an online community for social change. I think your idea would attract a lot of different women. I think it is a real opportunity to have a platform for motherhood and women's issues that isn't just about white women, which is a complaint I here often about the "mommy blogging" community (hate that term, but you know what I mean) and some of the blogging conferences.
I think you are misunderstanding who is likelt to run blogging conferences. It isn't ppl who write blogs. It's journalists/ prs who see blogging as the next big thing. Having blogged for 7 years I'm quite startled by being told there's a new mummy blogging movement and that there are now 1000s of UK mum blogs whereas 2 years ago there weren't 100. I can probably find more than that that are over 5 years old.
We need to take back the term blogging!
[...] night I spent some time reading through Ph.D. in Parenting’s account of BlogHer ’10, and then of BlogHer ’09, which led me to the question of whether babies belong at BlogHer [...]
I have only attended one BlogHer in '08 (that was San Fran right?) and have to say..the expo was small..but disappointing in its mommyness. I can see why the rumblings about mom bloggers started soon after that around BlogHer.
I wish that sponsors and trade showers were more technology focused...and more business of the web focused rather than on us being rabid consumers.
Granted BlogHer should take sponsorship from where it can (within reason) to maintain such a HUGE conference....but I find it sad that women are still being considered more mass shoppers and spenders on ANYTHING instead of the growing femaleness of entrepreneurship and small business that has been focused around the internet.
I wanted more tech companies..more computers and why not hosting co's and even the blogging platforms?
I can't imagine that a non mom would care about Scholastic or like when I was there Leapfrog and Sesame Street. What has that got to do with blogging?
Crunchy,
I'm a mom and even _I_ thought the sponsorship was too mommy-oriented... and would have been a lot happier with at least some more techier booths at the expo. And indeed it is sad that tech companies are missing the point about women - which is that they make the vast majority of household purchases. In our household that totally includes technology.
[...] each person attending gets something different out of the experience and has different takes on the tracks, sponsorship, expo, food, etc. It certainly is a diverse and dynamic crowd! Why do you attend and what did [...]
You're kidding, right? I worked for a female media buyer. They are out there.
I'm probably the only kid in America who hated the smell of Playdough. Still do. I avoided their booth.
I talked to the fish people because the sign on their booth talked about Omega 3 deficiency (they and called it O3D.) They gave their spiel about eat lots of fish no matter what. It sounded fishy to me. I asked them what O3D was because I hadn't heard about it before. They said, "we kinda made it up." I was very disappointed they were allowed to have a booth.
a mom here too and don't want mom stuff screamed at me at a BLOGGING conference
yes I was kidding, every media buyer I know is female!
I'm a little late to the conversation, but I would SO interested in some kind of change agents conference! I've been doing this long enough (4 1/2 years) to know (mostly) what I need to know about the mechanics of blogging. What I don't know, I can easily find online for free. But the opportunity to meet with, brainstorm with, hang out with other passionate bloggers working towards change in our culture? THAT would be - in the famous of the corporate world - PRICELESS.
So glad you brought this up Kate. I was recently reading a piece in Bitch magazine about the grief Judy Blume took for refusing to leave out "controversial" plot elements as required by Scholastic which then did not carry her books. And Judy Blume rules! :)
Once again, am excellent job of clarifying a slippery distinction.
Jill, are you saying that those more interested in change, civil engagement, transparency, ethical marketing (some of your categories, some of mine) are *not* the intended BlogHer audience? Frankly, that is the impression I get about BlogHer's model. Jory, Lisa and Elissa pay lip service to "change agents" but create an environment in which most activist would feel conflicted and uncomfortable.
Sorry I didn't see this till today Annie. Thank you for all you did to make the best of bad situation. It was very disappointing to me that so many women who blog and tweet as breastfeeding supporters went to BlogHer and *never wrote a thing* about the Nestle sponsorship being a problem. There is no reason for Jory, Lisa and Elissa to alter how they review sponsors because they were just shown that the vast majority of people who want to go to BlogHer will go no matter who the sponsors are. I appreciate Gloria Feldt's statement about women showing their power with their purses. But if she supports ethical marketing to women and children, why did she say nothing about the BlogHer sponsors while at BlogHer. My understanding is you were the only speaker to raise the Nestle issue at the entire conference.
My question now is, will you go to BlogHer '11? We all now know - before any of us have bought tickets - that BlogHer will almost certainly have sponsors we find morally reprehensible. So why am I hearing "green" "progressive" "politically responsible" bloggers already announcing they will go to BlogHer '11?
Jake:
Gloria did speak out at the conference. She made the comments referenced in my post while on the main stage in front of more than 1000 people.
With regards to BlogHer '11, I don't know yet. I will be responding to the BlogHer '10 survey. I will be talking to the BlogHer co-founders about suggestions for change. I will be looking at other conferences that might be a good fit for me and my goals. One change that BlogHer has already made is offering an "unsponsored ticket" for next year's conference. So people have the option to pay for everything themselves and not have sponsors pay for part of their ticket. I think that is better than nothing, but I don't think it solves everything. There is more that needs to be done.
Just a quick note to those who were at BlogHer '10. If you haven't filled out the post-conference survey yet, please do so. Here is the link (hope that works):
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=loxhadcab&et=1103653077925&s=11694&e=001vx-Btc_cJ5FV952dvBBxCdLNyVCocUZz7pk-1hJuNLuA5o8t6e2gzlQeyqQjbQZVfv5qH5WPyGy1EP9czXcezJAbQf9_GUJFBK75P4-loemzmSnyhW8xPrEDazLCbFH9LQIKrYk21rxTIjRxTrdQ4Q==
So many people have told me that they were not happy about the "anything goes" sponsorship policy and that they would be interested in seeing a conference specifically focused on Change Agents. If enough of us answer the survey with a focus on those issues, then that should make BlogHer more open to making those changes.
[...] bloggers and blogging, not by companies that want to use bloggers to shill their crap. I’ve criticized BlogHer before for accepting Nestle and other undesirable companies as sponsors and I was disappointed to learn that one of the sponsors of the Type-A-Mom Conference was the Corn [...]
I'm a little late with my comment - but reading your post makes me not want to go to these conferences. I am vegan and very selective about the companies I will promote or work with - don't shop at a regular grocery store because I try to eat all organic food by ethical companies, so I would not appreciate paying to go to a conference and then be inundated by all these ads/sponsors all over the place. I am also not a mom, so wouldn't be interested in many things they're shilling anyway.
[...] I don’t go there to be marketed to. I go there to network and to learn. In the past, I haven’t been impressed with the over the top commercial presence of sponsors who want to ma.... This conference is also a conference for women, by women, and about women, but there are no big [...]
This note to your reply is AGES old (like, a year? about?) but: yes: Kate's on target. That Change.org petition was filed by my internet friend Dana Rudolph, founder/publisher of http://mombian.com" rel="nofollow">Mombian, a resource site for lesbian parents. And it's quite true about Scholastic. They backpeddalled ultimately but only part-way. When my daughter's school does their bookfair I do all I can to persuade the organizers to go with local indie booksellers instead of Scholastic for that very reason.
And also? I would be so ALL IN for a Change Agent conference. So all in. What folks above (& below) in the comment stream seems pretty on-target, so far as I'm gathering about how you get a big conference to work (they are costly; corporate sponsorship does make them more affordable, etc.). But all that means is that a Change Agent conference would look very different, have different production values; include/ exclude different stuff. It's well worth trying to figure out. (Netroots Nation, e.g., or Blogging While Brown: those are horses of a different color). Anyhow: put me on your Change Agent conference mailing list, sister!
Polly:
I just attended the Women's Worlds conference, which is a major grass roots and academic feminist conference that takes place once every 3 years. They had tons of sponsorship from government, university and non-profit organizations, but no big nasty corporate sponsors. However, the ticket price was also a bit higher than the BlogHer conference (I was lucky enough to be there on a media pass, so I didn't have to pay the ticket price).
I still don't have all the answers, but I'm enjoying seeing different models and understanding what works and doesn't work. Maybe one day I'll get around to organizing something fantastic.
[...] you to everyone who came to the session and to Blissdom Canada for organizing it. Side note: I sometimes complain about the types of sponsors at social media conferences, but I have to say how impressed I was to see some great real food (Canadian Lentils), green [...]