August 05, 2006

I am a Woman Blogger

No, that title isn't a 12-step meeting introduction, nor is it link baiting in my case.

It's an important part of who I am.

I am one answer to the question: Where are the women bloggers?

I am the answer, "RIGHT HERE!" And right here, and right here, and right here.

Every woman blogger is an answer. Not every woman blogger has to give a shit about the question. But if a women blogger or a few hundred or thousand women bloggers DO care about the question, AND answering it, then good for them. And if they decide to have a conference, and charge $99 to get in, and put trojans and sweetener in bags and hand them out, good for them.

Even better for them that they do what Lisa has done, and listen to women and men who attended the conference and who were pissed off about the bags of condoms and the mommy bloggers in need of bibs, pissed at having to listen to the sponsors who made the price of $99 registration feasible, pissed about the food, location, connectivity, and more. Good on Lisa for hearing both the anger and the joy of the women and men who came from near and far, good for talking about it in public, good for deciding some things need to change, good for standing your ground on things that don't need to change.

Good for not apologizing for your voice.

When it comes down to it, folks who have been around these parts for half a decade or so will tell you this: what we do here is secondary to who we're doing it with. I trust Lisa, her judgment, admire her passion, and I congratulate her for what she and Jory and Elisa have done, and what they're about to do.

I don't know if I'll participate in the BlogHer Ad Network or not. But I sure am ALL FOR giving BlogHers new tools and opportunities for getting paid to write.

The economic implications of writing online -- of taking the "USE ME" out of user-generated content -- are officially undeniable.

Not everyone gets a book deal. Not everyone has ins at publications who still pay for contributed articles. Not everyone wants to be wed to their 9-5 job. Not all women with kids want to commute to an office every day. If one little piece of one little ad network on one little blog gives a boost to freeing women -- vocally and economically -- then I don't know what the hell there is to gripe about.

You go, Lisa. You go you star spangled girl.


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