From AmyInOhio

The Pre-Blogher luncheon is planned.

FB page (my first, feel the coolness) will be the go-to place for RSVPs and details.?Ǭ† No invitation needed, all are welcome for a little Pre-Blogher mingling so tell all your friends – especially the ones prone to buying a round for the rest of us, cause dooode it’s on like donkey kong:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=85582328374

RSVP so I can give the restaurant a rough count, but come and go when you can as you arrive into town.

When I was in grad school, I was the Recruitment Adviser for my sorority. They were in a rough patch and they decided the way to air their feelings was through one of those fishbowl activities where they sat in a circle and tossed a bear around – whoever had the bear got to talk.

Some members were feeling excluded, overlooked, unimportant. It happens. One of the seniors, who really, was so funny and such a nut, and … now that I think of it …. she was exactly like Victoria. Heh.

So this girl says, “Look, the four of us (meaning she and her 3 BFFs) are very close, we are – but there’s no reason it can’t be “the five of us” or “the forty-five of us” and I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel left out.”

That has stuck with me. I’m not the best at pulling others into my secure circle – I need a damn tshirt to advertise to the world “it could be ‘just the five of us’”

***thought shift***

I was bugged a couple weeks ago when a bunch of peeps got to go to Disney for a weekend.

By bugged, I mean, ragingly jealous. I’ll totes admit that – I would have LOVED to take my kid and my hubs to Florida for a weekend. Oh, and of course learned a lot of stuff. And met new people.

But there was more to it than that. There have been at least three trips, one conference, and some HUGE company giveaways/loaners recently. Now, my understanding is that sponsors/companies reached out to these bloggers – there was no announcement, application and selection – there was no pool of applicants or volunteers ….

… it SEEMS that I see the same names going to these really freaking cool invite only functions. Like a group got picked by company A, so when company B decides to do the same thing, they check out who company A invited and pick them.

Which hey, they are paying the bill so CLEARLY they can do what they want. And the people they are choosing to go to these things? effing awesome. I mean, it’s not like I’m looking down on any of them – they rawk and have worked their asses off to be noticed for good things.

My ‘but’ is … and this goes back to the opening of this rather random post … by companies doing the hand selecting, they will forever keep their pool of knowledge to “just the four” when really, I *think* there’s a lot to be said for a knowledge pool of “just the five of us” or “just the forty-five of us” … and the companies are short changing all of us when they hand pick. The networking that goes on at these events is frequently the most important part. I can prove it – look at Room 704 – the blog that originated as a room party and now won’t shut up – without skipping a session and gabbing nonstop for a couple hours about the possibilities of a new blog – 704 wouldn’t exist – which would suck, because I’m thrilled about that whole jobjob every day.

I wonder what other awesome could happen if the knowledge pool got larger ….