DP Con 12 - The Madmother Review

Well, it is over, done and dusted for another year. The Digital Parents Conference 2012. Now, I could sit here and give you a detailed breakdown of every session, the speakers, the tutorials, the damn fine examples of talent that were shared with all us attendees... But I'm not going to. Many others will provide you with those essential breakdowns.

MM & DFF

I am going to tell you what I learnt for me. There was much about finding your niche, carving your market, reasons behind successes. And whilst it ignited a fire in my belly whilst there, it is only since returning home that (sorry Valerie - there it is, my unnecessary yet so much a part of me fail word) I have had time to process, analyse, decide my path. What my blog, and blogging is to me.

My stunning, funny, amazing roomie... oh, and dear friend, Leanne from DFF.

I have come away with this. It is mateship. It is about connecting on an emotional level to others. It is about laughter and tears, shared experiences and new ones too. It is about friends.

MM & Suz from Segovia, who I have decided is dipping in the fountain of eternal youth.

Whilst I truly enjoyed and inhaled every learning experience at DPCON 12, it dawned on me later - the main reason I was there was to meet, touch, talk and be face to face with those I have made an online connection. Too many to name, and I'm sure I'd be forever editing the list as I remembered others, old friends, people from the before whom I've followed from early days (May, 2009 I joined up), women I have connected with in recent times. People I have felt close to without actually meeting face to face. People I now feel a stronger connection with after our irl conference encounters.

Diminishing Lucy & Suz

I discovered new friends too. Blogs I had not visited, or some I had once, but been unable to find again. Bloggers who started as strangers, by the end of the two days were friends. Some I shocked, some I laughed with, some I held as we cried in unison at shared pain.

The MOST fabulous of photographers... FE & me!
Old friends who shared a lightbulb "OMG IT'S YOU!" moment on the first night.

Every one of you made it an incredible experience, and I am so blessed to have been able to attend.

Lisa from Simple Loving Thoughts & Bernie from The Bernie Brand

Psst - watch out for me on your blog roll lovelies.




P.S. A massive thank you to Brenda and the whole DPCON team. This has to be one of the best conferences I have attended (and believe me, there have been a few). It was well organised, professional, smoothly run and yet still welcoming, and engaging. A hard balance to attain, but one you seemed to have mastered effortlessly (I know it was not without massive effort, but you made it look simple - the sign of an incredibly cohesive and organised team). So thank you.

Hornet's Nest - Or How Nuffnang Stuffed Up Big Time

I am a tiny little fish in a very big pond of Aussie bloggers. This year, my voice has been even smaller as I struggle to post in this busy world.

But over at Digital Parents a large hornet's nest is opening up and spilling forth multiple Mummy bloggers buzzing with ire, as some of our most proficient and well known big fish bloggers are leaping vocally out of the Australian territorial pool.
"Why?" I hear you ask.

Well you see in the blogosphere there is a large commercial presence that goes under the name Nuffnang. You see their banner on many a blog, and also the multiple ads that go hand in hand with said banner. I am not a commercial blogger, but that is a whole other post.

Now Nuffnang run annual awards. Many of the more well known bloggers are nominated in lots of various categories. The most influential blogger being one of the biggies.

And, in my opinion, they stuffed it. They chose a blog I decline to link, for I will not be responsible for boosting traffic to such a site. I find this person blatantly offensive, racist and sick in her rants. I will not term them posts for, from what I have seen, they do not deserve to be categorised as such. I would not even compare her writing to the scribblings of a child, they lack any style and the content is... well, vomit-worthy.

If this is what they consider the best of the Asia Pacific region then I must admit I am proud to not be affiliated with Nuffnang.

Oh, and the best bit? They chose to blatantly ignore their own TERMS AND CONDITIONS by choosing this blog as the winner! Commercial whoring at its finest!

Thank you DP for revealing this travesty.

Boy, am I grateful to be a little fish at this point!