What did I learn from the conference in London for Cybermummy 2011?
It isn’t a trick question, honestly. I learned that I am capable of doing more.
This is not an ordinary blog post, I will save that for later. I need to get this out, and I need to begin talks. I am sorry for being so cryptic, but you know how the net is, and how ideas get lifted.
I need to reach brands, and I need to have talks with people who can, and people who won’t get paid for it, and won’t mind not getting paid.
It may, or may not work, and anyone involved will be taking a huge leap of faith with me.
If it doesn’t work, I may get egg on my face and be ostracised from the blogging community for ever, but this is something I had planned locally, that I want to amend and take further.
But, it’s not about me.
I’m not one for being light and fluffy, although I can be as niave and inconsistent as any other sleep deranged mother. I didn’t attend any of the money making sessions, and decided to head for the ones that would help me stay legal as an online blogger (but I did sneak in at the end of the over-running one which had successful business ladies giving a talk on how they make money from their blogs).
I have had an idea forming for a while that I had begun to move forward with implementing locally, but hadn’t as yet rolled it out or secured any sponsors. I know what I wanted to do, and what my end goals were, and it needs people to help get us there and take this to the next level. My ideas are based around a concept which needs work, and shaped, and I would love to have it corrected, and challenged by someone who is more skilled than I at developing concepts.
The beauty of it is that I don’t know how it will look in the end, or if many people will support it, but with the joint networks of bloggers, the potential is phenomenal.
I missed seeing some people I wanted to talk to, and for that I am regretful, but hopefully a chat can be opened up very soon to amend that.
A little discussion at the flower market on Sunday was the final catalyst that had me deciding to take this leap of faith, to believe in myself, and all of us, and do something about it across the UK blogging network.
The BIGGEST impression on me was made right at the beginning. Sarah Brown affected me. I am not going to deny that. I had expected not to like her, but after listening to her speak, and a shy hello, I changed my opinions, and the possibilities of working with her, or someone like her for the future began to spin in my head and make the potential of my projects wings spin even faster.
As the PM’s wife, she could have made the choice to be a well adorned, and beautifully dressed decoration to hang on the end of her husbands arms, and just be trotted out at public functions with a frozen smile on her face, and a damp platitude on her lips. She didn’t. She chose to act.
My blog is heading more and more down the road of serious issues, yet I also want to retain a sense of freedom, and call this blog mine. I want to add some light and fluffy things and take advantage of the little luxuries that life has dealt me. I will separate this project from my personal blog and twitter once an initial brainstorming session has been arranged and covered.
This project is not FOR me, it will only be started BY me. This will be OUR project.
I have had lots of ideas running for a long time, and I am ready to find support for them. My blog is not suitable for that. As I said, this project, is NOT about me.
From cybermummy11, I took away the impression that we can pull this off together, all of us, not just those who went to cybermummy.
Our world needs the people who go out and have fun and enjoy themselves, but it also needs ALL of us to move forward with taking some social responsibility.
I NEED – help.
I NEED – support
WE NEED a room where a group of bloggers who can, and / brands / interested parties can meet, with the travel and accommodation expenses of the attendees covered.
WHAT IF – i’m talking about you?
WHAT IF – you want to work with me?
WHAT IF you want to be part of us?
WHAT IF – you contact me?
WHAT IF you take a leap of faith with me?
WHAT IF you can spare an hour a year, or a month, or a week, or a day?
WHAT IF- you volunteer ?
WHAT IF you can write press statements.
WHAT IF you can provide the space, or the sponsorship?
WHAT IF you can make a difference, and have the contacts to help make my ideas into a reality?
WHAT IF we talk?
WHAT COULD we do?