I am back from another year at BlogHer and I am still absorbing the social forces that always seem to come over me at this conference.

My blogging was quiet for day two of BlogHer. The second day was more open, in many ways. First, some sessions were outside (birds of a feather) or in rooms with few tables or outlets. Second, the sessions were more open – less structured, more q & a, more about the social impact that blogging has on our lives and on the world.

I spent the day going from session to session or just sitting with my fellow bloggers. Absorbing. Learning. I was overwhelmed by authenticity in the Mommy Blogging panel – sitting in a room with women who put themselves out there emotionally every day. Who blog the ups and downs of their lives and chronicle the lives of their children. To me this is brave and beautiful and amazing. And more than anything, humbling. It hit me with a realization that I have lost some of my authenticity in my aim to balance "reputation" with "authenticity", or perhaps more accurately "identity".

I sat on a panel with two other great women, Heather Armstrong and Rachelle Bowden. The panel was called "From Here to Autonomy" and was about making a living blogging – from the how to’s to the social dimensions. Check out the great recap by RookieMoms.

I really enjoyed participating this year as speaker. I went in eager to learn from the audience what questions they had of me and the response pattern that my story would evoke. The social dynamic of authenticity did not come up, which is a pity and something I will open up to my readers at another time, but we talked on lots of fronts. From daily pressures to advertising methods to RSS advertising to working at home. I really hope the audience enjoyed the panel as much as I did (thanks to my other panelists!) and if there are any follow up questions, I’d be happy to answer them.

The short of the conference: I loved it. I could probably do without the first day, it being more for beginner bloggers, but the second day cannot be challenged anywhere. It opened me to new passions in myself for writing and humbled my experiences. I feel inspired. I feel challenged. And I am looking forward to next year already.

Tags: blogher, blogher06, blog, blogging, blogs, conferences, women, inspiration