Women Bloggers Convene at BlogHer '07 in Chicago

I've been making my way from New Jersey to Chicago for the BlogHer conference, where women bloggers from throughout the world will gather for the weekend. As someone who spends lots of solitary time with her computer blogging a few times a day, I am really looking forward to meeting, talking, and sharing with many other women bloggers. And sharing what I learn with you.

BlogHer is a wonderful community meeting place on the web where you'll find women bloggers writing about family, business and careers, politics, entertainment and books, feminism, art and design....in a word, everything. It's the kind of site where you go for a few minutes and before you know it you're there for hours reading some really amazing writing. BlogHer has more than 13,000 members who write upwards of 10,000 blogs.

The conference, BlogHer's third annual, is a remarkable opportunity for women bloggers to come out from behind their computers and leave their many jobs and roles behind to connect with each other for a few days.

Creating community online is a big theme of this year's conference, but there are lots of sessions on topics including the business of blogging, bloggers' identities, passions and hobbies written about in so many blogs (food, art, photography, crafts, etc.), and technical tips to help bloggers make their blogs even better and more widely read. You can check out the conference via Second Life if you can't get to Chicago. Here's a look at the conference lineup.

I'll be on a panel entitled, "The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Online Communities." I come to the discussion as a mom who did not come of age with the Internet as my kids have, but who is empowered more every day through the social web. I love how the web provides a forum for women, for everyone, who have something to say but did not have such a public venue to say it in before the blogosphere took off. I hope to leave BlogHer with ideas for bringing more moms (and dads) into the ever-shifting conversation about technology and family.

One canceled flight, one lost bag of luggage later, I arrived at a session for panelists and am already awed by this gathering of so many smart, interesting, and dedicated women. The fun and learning begins tomorrow. Stay tuned.