What IF?

My favorite thing is to go where I've never been. Diane Arbus

Every once in awhile I come home from an event, so thrilled by my discoveries of new people and ideas that I ask myself -- what if I hadn't gone? What IF I had only imagined and never explored?

This happened to me last week.

As I was driving home from New York, I kept thinking -- what if I hadn't gone to the BlogHer Business 07 conference?

It was there that I discovered Nelly Yusupova who can build a website that I need built, and teach how technology can be harnessed to help me, and in turn you, dare to dream. I also discovered Carmen Van Kerckhove, a 30 year-old Belgian-Chinese woman, whose blog has been a vehicle for finding her voice.

Then there was Elise Bauer, one of the WSJ's twenty hidden influencers of the web. Elise is doing precisely what Psyche's journey encourages us to do: embarking on a hero's journey because of and for relationships. Elise's technological expertise has allowed her to share recipes with millions of readers each month, which recipes can bring people together, whether families or communities, through the sharing of a meal.

And finally, had I not gone to New York, Elisa Camahort, one of BlogHer's co-founders, couldn't have shared with me the Pew Internet & American Life Project's finding that roughly 50% of all bloggers are blog-hers. Women may be under-represented in the press, film, and television, but we are not under-represented in the wide, wide world of blogs.

Which of course makes sense.

Because of the ease of blogging (have computer, can publish -- no rules to play by or political waters to navigate), many who would never have dreamed of being published in the world of old media, are now pointing, clicking and publishing here in the blogosphere.

As we blog, we are writing about who we are, what we care about, and we are finding our voices.

And telling our stories.

And we're the hero.

Have you had an experience recently during which the discovery of new people or ideas was so thrilling that you found yourself wondering, what if I hadn't shown up?

If you know that you want to write, but writing and publishing a book is too daunting for the moment, why not write-by-installment via a blog?

Comments

[Jenn]

"As we blog, we are writing about who we are, what we care about, and we are finding our voices"

YES! exactly. The blogosphere is the ultimate democratization of media, putting the stories back in the hands (voices) of the story makers, the storytellers, not the story spinners....

thanks for stopping by my blog. Looking forward to getting to know you!
and in the meantime, check out my friend Jill's website: http://themuseisin.com/ you need to hook up with her.

[Whitney Johnson]

Thank you Jenn.

I'm attaching a link to your website because there is a great podcast (c. 3 minute) under Best of JeSais asking the question -- Why blog.

http://www.akajesais.com/

Best to all,

Whitney

[Anna G. Kerr]

Since I discovered BlogHer, I have been wanting to go meet the women behind the words I read every week. Thanks for bringing BlogHer to us, Whitney.
This is a full-circle moment for me. See you at the next BlogHer in Chicago.
Anna
http://www.shadesofsuccess.net

[Whitney Johnson]

Anna --

So glad you are going to be there. It is just such fun to meet be amongst so many women who are finding their voices!

Best,

Whtiney