Cybher : The Aftermath
Bollocks to the unwritten rule of "never blog about blogging". Over the past few days I have probably bored you all with talk of CYBHER. But, y'know, the reason you get such great shizzle on this blog is because I get off my arse and get do a bit of geeky stuff on the side. For some strange reason a blogging conference billed as "Geek Is The New Chic" and "Innovate Not Imitate" floats my boat.
When one person has an inspirational idea and works though that to bring it to life to hopefully inspire others then I'm impressed and suitably excited. I am still so energised by everything I experienced on the day and have so so many illegible notes scribbled on bits of paper but I need to make a master list and work though it.
When I saw the schedule, I picked out some sessions to attend. I was confident I had chosen the ones relevant to me but also saw that some other sessions were "double booked". I am relying on other round-up posts (available on the Cybher linky) and blagging handouts to keep me up-to-date with everything but I'm high-fiving myself for choosing the sessions that I did.
I was fascinated whilst listening to keynote speaker Zoe Margolis (a.k.a. Girl with a One Track Mind) talk about how the press outed her when she was an anonymous blogger and writer and the lengths (no pun intended) they went to to achieve this. In one way it makes me glad that I've never been anonymous but also made me consider how much I haven't written about from my dark and distant past. Zoe's passionate mention of feminism lead nicely into the next session that I'd chosen to attend...
The Ins And Outs of Erotic Blogging session was serious and light-hearted at the same time. Ruby Kidell (who I can now call a 'proper friend' for many reasons) and Lori Smith kept us amused and informed with tales of how to write about sex. Anonymity was mentioned again with the advice that "if someone wants to find you, they will". Ruby and Lori also spoke about how feminism and sex go together but that isn't how it is portrayed in women's magazines. They stressed that the content on blogs is powerful so use that power wisely.
Next up was a session called Pump Up The Volume which was run by the ladies from The High Tea Cast. Podcasting is becoming more popular in the UK and can easily be incorporated into a blog in so many different ways. I think I may have found the bridge between having to work in a mainstream job so that I can pay the bills and living the dream of writing and radio presenting where I can be heard but not seen. Their practical session involved us breaking into groups to discuss what podcast we would broadcast if we had the chance and then seeing a live demonstration of an interview being edited and uploaded. One of the (very few) male attendees at the conference, Ryan Duggins, jumped at the chance to be 'interviewed' by Ruby Kidell. He regaled his tale of a very recent trip to a dominatrix - all in the name of journalism, natch - and you can hear the results here.
Talk about sensing a theme. Totally unintentional, promise!
Then lunch... then about 10 minutes to crap myself when I realised that it was my session next.
There was one minor hitch - the lack of laptop (not ideal when your presentation is only available online or on a USB stick) - but it was quickly sorted and I headed into my 40-minutes of 'me time'. I'll not bore you with the details but if you want to read through the slides they are available online at:
If you attended the session and would like to give me some feedback then please get in touch by email, on Facebook, on Twitter or just leave a comment here. I did ask
I've got loads of pictures over on Facebook and the best part of any event is the afterparty. I got to be reminded what a great hugger Tara is. I taught Kat to swear in a Northern accent. I played dead with Claire and Manda. I made Claire ride the Underground. I got my boobies snuggled by Lizzie. I met Fenn after seven years of 'knowing' her online. I never got round to talking to loads of people, I re-engaged with old friends and made plenty of new ones (by the way - it's not stalking, it's called "social media lurve"). I stayed up far too late, had far too little sleep and had some fabulous ideas whilst rather drunk. I learnt lots, I was inspired, and I have decided what I want to do in blogging and writing. And it's all down to one women...
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| Sian... you fucking rock!! |
But when I walk through my own front door and my husband says, "You look like SHIT..." I know it was a good weekend.