Okay, Okay - I get the message
…And I mean that in THE MOST flattering way!
Several of my Social Media connects made plans to attend the Blogalicious Conference down in D.C. this year. Of course I was leary of the conference, due to the name, but hey, it wasn’t a exclusive event, and men have attended in the past, so I went ahead and registered.
Fitting In
On the very first day, I felt right at home because I immediately fell into my role as “BrothaTech Support” helping some of the attendees log into the wireless signal. Women love to talk (again, flattering) so word quickly spread that I was good with technology – Before you know it, I was doing some on-site consulting…free of charge of course.
Shout out to Anacostia Yogi for shooting the video
That actually felt good because even though I stood out as one of the few men at an event geared towards women, I found my place and was even able to add value to the conference. Since I’m a techie (and ran out of business cards) I used my smartphone to scan other attendees’ business cards using an app called Shoeboxed that automatically sent a reply email with my contact information. People were blown away by that and my QR Code necklace – They made me stand out from the crowd even more. Which is a good thing at a conference of 300+ people.
The Pushy Part
Some of the women were very open and honest in their assessment of my tech skills and abilities. They had no problem telling me I need to start presenting at conferences. Just what I need in my life – Another woman telling me what I need to do (Love ya’ sweetie!). I have held off from speaking/presenting because I thought that the information that I know is already out there – So I’m not presenting any new and original content. Of course, the women weren’t buying my excuse and persisted to make me feel all good about myself with positive reinforcement and support.
So thanks to all the pushy women of Blogalicious 2011 for making me feel all welcome at their conference, helping me get over my preconceived notions about speaking, and giving me the validation and confidence to move into my calling…
Thanks a lot!
Special thanks to Michelle Y. Talbert (@BlackLoveRules), Uneeka Jay (@PowerMommy), and Tonya R. Taylor (@SavvyBizBuilder) for the extra push!
