And so, my first ever conference for bloggers comes to a screeching halt.

NOOOOO!!!

I was just beginning to learn at the feet of giants!  And by this I mean, bloggers who have been blogging way longer than I and who have far more experience than this gal from Queens, aka, me. And yet, this week does mark my one-year anniversary of blogging. One year?

Hooray for me! That’s 112 posts in 12 months and nearly 30,000 page views!

But anyway, I was just beginning to learn the secrets to their success!  And I was beginning to recognize that Mommy Bloggers–of which I am not one–are the new Soccer Moms, and they sure have a whole lot of clout!  Witness all the private parties, luncheons, spa treatments, hosted by big-ticket sponsors—just for them! From what I could tell, Mommy Bloggers represent 75% of all bloggers.  But that is solely based on how 2 out of 3 bloggers I met were MB’s.

Here’s what else I discovered:

Bloggers are very supportive of each other:  I met many a blogger willing to answer my questions and offer me tips of the trade.  Like, how mediabistro is a great site for anyone who creates or works with content, and I can learn my clout score by going to klout, which determines your level of engagement in social media. I’m a 37 and my score increased by 1 point over the past day (which I assume is a result of attending the conference and tweeting like crazy while I was there). Here are some other highlights of my conference experience:

Here, I’m with She Writes member and Assignment & Syndication Editor, Rita Arens. Rita participated on a panel, “Owning Your Beauty: If We Change the Conversation, Can We Change the Culture?”  Hmm, that’s a tough question to answer in just one sentence. What do you think?

Each of the sponsors had a suite. Here I am in the Hallmark suite with new friends and fellow bloggers, Margo (Nacho Mama’s Blog) and Berenice (Adventures of Three). Aren’t we cute?

Lisa Stone, Co-Founder & CEO of BlogHer, moderates closing keynote with, from left to right: Fatemeh Fakhrale,  Ricki Lake (yes, the Ricki Lake!), and Carol Jenkins. The topic, “Women in the Media, Women Making Media” was very insightful and empowering.

After all is said and done, I got a chance to sit down with Lisa Stone, Co-Founder and CEO of BlogHer, and let her know just how much the conference meant to me. Lisa gave a big shout out to Kamy and She Writes.  “I LOVE She Writes!” Lisa exclaimed.

Well, it’s officially over. I made lot of contacts, new friends–and so many memories! Hasta luego, BlogHer11. Thank you for giving me plenty of opportunities to network and nosh. It was sheer heaven!

Please note: Because I was so busy attending BlogHer11, The Road Taken saga will continue next week. So, stay tuned!