Average Jane

Average Jane Is Going To BlogPaws!

I just found out last week that I'm one of the official BlogPaws Paws on the Ground bloggers. That means I'm not only going to the conference, but I'm part of the team helping to promote it from now until registration closes on August 26th. I've been wanting to go to a BlogPaws conference since they first started and I am very excited!

If you love pets and blog about them even occasionally, you'll get a lot out of the conference. There's even a full track just for veterinarians. If you can get your vet to sign up, they'll get 20% off their vet track registration and you'll get to attend the regular conference for free!

Even if your vet isn't interested, the regular conference cost is very reasonable and I can hook you up with a 20% discount (just email me or comment and I'll send you the code).

A portion of the attendee fees and sponsorship dollars goes to shelters and rescues. Also, at the end of the conference, one registered attendee will win a donation to the animal rescue group of his or her choice.

I talked to my cats about the upcoming conference to see how they felt about it, starting with Trillian:

Me: Hey Tiny, I'm going to a blogging conference August 25th through 27th that's all about pets!

Trillian: Uh, you're not taking me along, are you?

Me: No, no. I'll be flying there. You're more of a road trip kitty.

Trillian: Whew. Okay then. Well, have fun.

Me: I'll probably bring back some cool treats and toys for you guys.

Trillian: Whatever, as long as I don't have to go.

* * *

Dr. Jones was nearby and overhead my conversation with Trillian, so it made sense to talk to him next:

Me: I'm...

Jones: You said treats! What kinds of treats?

Me: Well, I don't know yet. But I'm sure they'll be good ones.

Jones: Are you bringing home any paper or cardboard? I love chewing on that stuff, too.

Me: If I bring home anything paper or cardboard, it'll probably be something I don't want you to chew up.

Jones: Can I have a treat right now?

* * *

Xena wandered into the kitchen, so I stooped down to have a little chat:

Xena: Did I hear you say you were leaving for a few days?

Me: Yes, at the end of August I'll be going to Tysons Corner, Virginia for BlogPaws.

Xena: You don't say. Well, I'll take care of my, I mean, your husband until you get back.

Me: That's very thoughtful of you.

Xena: If you want to extend your vacation, go right ahead.

Me: Well, thanks for that, but I'll need to get back and go to work after the conference.

Xena: Suit yourself.

* * *

Finally, Velvet and I had a chance to sit down for a bit:

Velvet: Can I go with you?

Me: No, it's best if you stay here.

Velvet: But won't there be lots of people there to pet me?

Me: Well, yes, I'm sure there will be lots of cat aficionados at the conference. But you'll get petted here and I won't be gone very long.

Velvet: I'm going to miss you SO much! I think I'm going to lick your hair for a while now.

Me: No! Please don't lick my hair. We've talked about that. No licking of hair. No licking of any kind.

* * *

So that went well.

But seriously, this is such a cool conference and the speaker list is, well, pretty much everyone you could hope for at a conference about pets, animal welfare, etc. There are a number of people attending and speaking that I already know and many that I've been wanting to meet for a long time.

As I mentioned before, the cost is rock-bottom and even the hotel rooms are only $119 per night; cheaper than that if you find yourself a roommate.

I hope you'll be able to attend. I'm really looking forward to going.

Average Jane Goes to a Conference

Yesterday I attended the 140 Characters Conference in Hutchinson, Kansas. It was the first social media conference I've ever attended that focused on Twitter rather than blogging. It's actually misleading to say that the 10-minute presentations were about Twitter - they were really about communicating with other people using online technology.

I drove the approximately 250 miles to Hutchinson on Sunday and made it there in time to change into my Halloween costume and head to the Kansas Underground Salt Museum with my roommate Gigi Belmonico, who was one of the speakers.

There was a reception in the lobby and we took advantage of the opportunity to tour the museum itself, which is 650 feet below ground level in a working salt mine. A tram took us around various parts of the mine while its driver explained the history of salt mining in the area. This is the mine where Mike Rowe filmed the salt mining episode of "Dirty Jobs."

Here's Gigi in her Halloween costume and hard hat (every visitor and worker had to wear a hard hat and carry an emergency breathing apparatus) posing by a giant chunk of salt:

Dynamite car:

An example of the movie memorabilia stored in the mines:

The conference itself was from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday. The format was for presentations to last 10 minutes each, which allowed for a tremendous variety of topics. Because the theme of this particular conference's location was "small town," there was some emphasis on agriculture, small town tourism, etc., but most of what was said could be applied to any business or person in social media.

After the conference, there was a reception at the Kansas Cosmosphere. It's only been about five years or so since my last tour of the museum, but I appreciated that we were given the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at some of their collection.

Here's the hatch of the Apollo 13 command module, which was just sitting in the office:

Here's a Russian space suit they had filed away:

I love this stained glass window above the entrance to the museum. The slogan at the top is also the Kansas State motto, which seems very appropriate for a space museum in Kansas:

Obviously, space tourism is big in Hutchinson, but I was still surprised and delighted when I saw the water park in the middle of our hotel. This was the view from our room window:

If I'd been a kid, you wouldn't have been able to get me out of there with a crowbar.

All in all it was a great way to spend the beginning of my vacation week. My thanks to Jeff Pulver and Becky McCray for all their hard work putting on the conference and related activities. Thanks again to Gigi for inviting me and being a great roomie.

Average Jane, Live and In Person

Guess what I'm doing this weekend? I'll be attending Chicks Who Click, a conference for women in technology. Not only will I be attending, I'll be speaking on a panel called "Customizing Your Social Toolbox," with Mark Logan and Tara Anderson, moderated by Zena Weist.

There's a wonderful speaker lineup on other panels and presentations as well. You can see interviews with many of the speakers (including me) on their blog.

I can tell I must be doing something right when it comes to establishing myself in this industry because I already know a lot of the speakers, even some of the ones who aren't from Kansas City.

So that's my Friday and Saturday. What do you have planned this weekend?