[bloghers act]

The BlogHer group is rounding up all 11,000 (and growing) network members to focus on a "red-hot" issue for one entire year. This will be the BlogHers act.

Elisa Camahort, co-founder of BlogHer explains:

"Have you ever imagined the impact if every member of BlogHer – more than 11,000 bloggers strong and growing every day -- focused our considerable brainpower, ingenuity and influence on one red-hot issue? How about if that one red-hot issue was the focus of an organized, year-long campaign to make a measurable difference that this community cares about?

Yes, some of you have. And you've emailed all three of us (sometimes more than once!) to ask BlogHer to take a leadership position in bringing the BlogHer community of powerful women together to create real change

Today, Lisa, Jory and I are very proud to say "yes." We're introducing BlogHers Act. And just like the BlogHer Conference is the conference the community built, we want BlogHers Act to take on a cause the community develops.


So today the work begins: It's up to all of us to determine, between now and the conference, what project we'll unveil and kick-off an action plan for at BlogHer '07 this July in Chicago.

BlogHers Act is an opportunity for the BlogHer community to have a collective impact on a global scale. We're going to pick a single issue, organize a year-long campaign, and blog the heck out of it.

We're starting today: We have asked the incredible duo of Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann, from the Been There Hurricane Clearinghouse Blog, to lead this effort for us, by helping us work together to identify both:

1. The global issue that the BlogHer community wants to support

2. A voter manifesto identifying the top issues that the community wants addressed during the American presidential election in 2008

Here's how to get involved: Cooper and Emily are taking suggestions for a BlogHer-wide survey of all members, who will vote and pick our red-hot issue. You can suggest anything -- are you already blogging about an issue you want BlogHers to get behind? Great! Suggest it.

You have until June 15 to suggest your burning issues. Then we'll launch a BlogHer-wide survey to vote on which of those issues will be the focus of the first BlogHers Act initiative.

We'll introduce the first BlogHers Act initiative at BlogHer '07 and start work immediately, right there at the conference.

Please help us make the most of this opportunity for a huge exercise in do-ocracy. We women certainly don't all think or vote alike, but we are the majority of voters and the majority of bloggers – and there are certain issues many of us care about, regardless of our ideological stripe.

Working together, we can make a world of difference.

Ready to hear more? Take it away Cooper and Emily…"

[thinking blog award]

Yay! Angela Thomas has tagged me with the "thinking blog award."



From the thinking blog site: "remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all - blogs that really get you thinking!"

Five blogs that get me thinking:

• Angela Thomas - especially all Angela's research into second life re: pedagogy and her unfaltering enthusiasm (and great presentations!)
• Sue Thomas - (no relation to Angela) although Sue posts on a variety of blogs it is her extensive work at trAce that I found when beginning my ph.d which showed me that there was someone *out there* with a deep interest in new media technologies and storytelling/writing. Of late, I'm a follower of Sue's musings on all things transliterate at the PaRT blog.
• Ruth Page - and her blog aptly named "digital narratives" which just fits so well with my research especially as Ruth is also concerned with where feminist theory comes into play in new media narratives.
• blogher - "where the women bloggers are." This blog, with numerous bloggers, is a space where (go figure) women bloggers can come together and (yup, that's right) blog. In 2005 the blogher co-founders (Elisa Camahort, Jory Des Jardins, Lisa Stone) held their first conference asking "where are the women bloggers" and now link to over 8000 blogs by women. Uplifting.
• Chris Joseph - originally known to me only as babel and as the uber-creative designer of works such as Inanimate Alice. With his current post at IoCT digital writer in residence his blog keeps me up-to-date with digital art side of new media.

So, what five blogs get you thinking?

[women, business & blogging - reminder for bursary applicants]

***APPLY BY 27th APRIL FOR A BURSARY (if you live in the East Midlands)!!!***

*****************************************************

Women Business
and Blogging Conference




Free bursary places are still available for conference delegates living in the East Midlands but the deadline for applications is FRIDAY 27 APRIL




Just tell us in 100 words why you want to come. Full details at http://www.hum.dmu.ac.uk/blogs/nlabwomen/2007/02/bursaries.html




Come to the Women, Business and Blogging Conference on Friday 8 June 2007 at De Montfort University to find out how blogging by women and for women builds networks, improves customer reach, monetizes creativity and infuses your business with Web 2.0 goodness! Speakers include:

Eileen Brown, Microsoft Technology Evangelist
Jory Des Jardins, Media Consultant & Co-founder of BlogHer
Meg Pickard, Head of Communities and User Experience for Guardian Unlimited

Business is becoming increasingly interested in social media and especially in blogs. In Europe
over the last year several conferences have explored the potential of Web 2.0 networks to increase business opportunities - see LIFT07 (Geneva) and Le Web (Paris) for just two examples. But there have been no European events focusing specifically on women and social media - until now.

Women, Business and Blogging is organised by NLab at De Montfort University, Leicester. NLab was developed in the Faculty of Humanities by Professor Sue Thomas to connect creative businesses with writers
and generate pioneering partnerships. In 2006 NLab ran a series of professional workshops and seminars on blogs, wikis, games and new media writing. In 2007 NLab is proud to present this first-ever European conference for and about women who read and write blogs.




Who should come?
This event is for small businesses, individuals, researchers, nonprofits, artistic and educational organisations interested in:
- women bloggers
- women in business
- women customers
- social media and networking
- creative communications
- innovation and cooperation
- customer relationships
- opportunities of Web 2.0 and the Long Tail
- usability

And, just to be clear, men are definitely invited. All the speakers are women, and we'll be talking about women users, readers and bloggers. But everyone is welcome to attend the conference and participate in the sessions.

Join the conversation
We'll be blogging right up to the day and beyond it too. Join the conversation at Tracy Harwood's
Biz Benefits and Jess Laccetti's Blog This

How much does it cost?
The conference fee includes refreshments, lunch and a delegate pack

Full Rate: £60 GBP including VAT
Concessionary Rate: £40 GBP including VAT
Bursaries: A limited number of Full Rate bursaries are available for delegates living in the UK East Midlands.

Where is it?
Bede Graduate School, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. A 5-minute cab ride from Leicester Train
Station. Leicester is in the heart of the UK, less than 90 mins from London by train and 30 mins from East Midlands Airport. We hope to see you there!

See the website for more information and how to register http://www.nlabwomen.com


For all enquiries, including press and sponsorship, please contact:
Margaret Barton
Short Course
and Conference Co-ordinator
De Montfort Expertise Ltd
De Montfort
University
Innovation Centre
49 Oxford Street
Leicester
LE1
5XY
UK
Tel: +44 (0) 116 250 6213
Fax: +44 (0) 116 257
7982
mbarton AT dmu DOT ac DOT uk

[frontline blogging]

This is what Elisa of BlogHer fame says of my blog at Frontline Books :

"I'm quite impressed with the kind of blog this shop is letting you create and manage...so above and beyond an e-commerce blog. Consider me subscribed."

wooo hooo!

Interestingly, my post on transliteracy for Frontline Books is the 4th most popular post and the post with the longest viewing (or should that be reading) time of 3 minutes 31 seconds

And, rather nicely, Frontline Books has just extended my contract for more professional blogging.