Speaking at BizJam Seattle or How Social Media Saved My Life

I've been trying to get back on the speaking circuit over the last year. I used to speak at no less than a conference a month "back in the day" when I was "in the biz" and was flown all over the world to speak about the Web, online community, Internet marketing, and women and technology, to name a few of my topics. The new media industry, that is. Back when I started Cybergrrl, Inc. and Webgrrls International and was living in NYC and was single and was considered a "Web Pioneer."

Fast forward to 2000 when I left Manhattan in an old RV and drove around the country for over a year, at first aimlessly, and then as the vehicle for two book tours (for "Cybergrrl@Work" and "PowerTools for Women in Business"). I did a few speaking gigs during that time - like a women's executive conference in Orlando for the then Arthur Anderson. But I was fleeing from the Internet bubble burst and was hard to find.

Fast forward to 2001. I was on my way back to NYC to start another book tour on September 11th. Put a little wrench in my plans as well as all the conferences we all held, spoke at or attended. I did end up speaking at a few including a major Hispanic business conference.

Fast forward to 2004. I start getting pregnant and losing each pregnancy. Nobody told me about miscarriage and none of the pregnancy books have more than a page or two on the topic. I start blogging about it. I'm also living in Wyoming, having run away from NYC to what I hoped was the most remote place in the USA that I could find and afford to get to (which left out Alaska at the time). I took a job and taught Internet workshops around the state of Wyoming, but that's a far cry from being "on the circuit." Everybody thinks I live in Montana. Nobody in the industry thinks of calling me for their conference anymore.

Fast forward to 2006, post-baby, struggling with motherhood and all the things that go along with it (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) that they don't tell you about in the books, and I'm unable to do anything - like attend conferences much less speak a coherent sentence which makes public speaking a little impossible.

In 2007, I began putting out the word that I'm trying to get back on the speaking circuit. I submitted topics, offered to speak on any panel where there was a slot, groveled, cajoled, begged. The first person to respond after months was Elisa Camahort at BlogHer. I don't even know if she realizes how much she saved my life by allowing me to speak at BlogHer last year.

I was still reeling from post partum depression and attended literally a mere month after my doctor finally put me on medication. The fact that I made it through that event is a testament to the amazing positive power of the women at that event as well as my dear friend Tery Spataro.

Since then, my overtures to all the major new media conferences have either been rejected or ignored (i.e. no response at all) or they've instead sent me information on how to register and attend rather than speak. Even BlogHer cannot book me this year because they have a policy to book 80% new speakers each conference - which is a great thing for other women speakers but I guess this year I'm not in that 20% of repeat speakers. They also scheduled a topic I submitted verbatim as a session on their Second Life schedule to be led (The Intersection of Blogging and Second LIfe), I guess, by someone else. (UPDATE: Elisa emailed me after reading this to say she thinks I am moderating that session. Maybe it was just some communication breakdown which is understandable with so many moving parts. It would be awesome if I am. Waiting to hear the final decision on that).

Not to be deterred, I still reach out and network and Twitter and blog about my desire to be out there speaking again. My topics have branched out to social media development (content, community, marketing, branding) and virtual world events and marketing (currently focused on Second Life but expanding).

Then a month or so ago, I joined yet another social network - BizNik - and one day decided to spruce up my profile and added an article I had written about business. That day, the co-founder of the service, Dan McComb, messaged me through BizNik asking if I'd speak at his conference BizJam Seattle. Talk about the power of social networking! Of course, I figured out a way to make it work, provided him with a topic, dusted off my bio, found a relatively recent photo, and I was on the agenda.

Surviving Social Media: How to Manage and Leverage Your Multiple Social Media Accounts

Now I'm prepping my itinerary for the conference as well as my presentation. I'm already connecting through Twitter with people I can't wait to meet while I'm there. I'm inspired, motivated, excited. And grateful to social media and BizNik for kickstarting things for me again.

I'm not giving up. I'm here, I'm healthy, I'm alive, I'm ready. And I have a lot of things to share. Can't wait to do it.

And hey, you should register for the BizJam! If you do, I hope to see you there.

Comments

[lynne d johnsoon]

This was an awesome post Aliza. Back in my days of trying to make it in the Web world and understand and figure out my place in it, women like you and your organization sort of helped me to start charting out my path. I'm happy you're back on the grind again. Looking forward to seeing what you have to share.

[Dan McComb]

We're thrilled to have you at BizJam, Aliza. Here's a stat that you and your readers may find interesting: BizJam has an almost equal number of men and women speakers (16 women, 17 men), something I'm told is uncommon at tech conferences.

But then, BizJam isn't really a tech conference, even though the entire first day is devoted to social media. It's an indie business conference, a place where small business people can connect with each other to grow their business faster and make them more profitable. We just happen to believe that technology such as social media is a fantastic way to do that!

I can't wait to hear your talk.

Best,
Dan McComb

[Regina]

Dear Aliza!
Thanks so much, for sharing this experience! When looking at a bio, you only see the big stations and it all seems so straight, clean - and easy! But that is not the way, sometimes yes, but most of the time there is a big effort.
Keep on walking! And have a wonderful BizJam!

@Dan McComb - indie business conference sounds amazing, and even the gender relations! I have been to so many tech, business events, conferences - and if it was not women-only, there were hardly many women at the stage. The event description sounds promoising. Wish you a great conference!
What a pitty that Seattle is so far from Austria ;-)

[Karrie Kohlhaas]

Aliza,

I'll be looking for you at bizjam. I feel like I am generally up to speed on the last 8 years of your life and we haven't even met yet.

Thanks for your honesty and authenticity in this post. There is so much they don't tell you in books. Maybe it's better that way because there are a lot of things people wouldn't do if a book told them "It's going to hurt like hell and there's a great chance you'll be horribly depressed for months, maybe years." Yeah, that is not a great sales pitch for anything.

I get it. I haven't had kids, I don't know first hand, but I have witnessed someone go through this.

I like people who tell the truth and bring the humanity back for us all. I think that especially online it's easy to hide out. Thanks for being real.

See you tomorrow! Can't wait to talk with you.

Karrie

[Havi Brooks (and duck)]

Sorry to be missing you at BizJamSeattle (in Berlin at the moment!) but following your live-twittering of it and it sounds full of awesomeness.

Glad/relieved to know someone was there to bring the humane, personable, accessible side to balance out the over-techey-istic tendencies.

Yay! And tell Dan my duck says hi! Biznik is the bomb.
Havi (and my duck)

[David Taboada]

"I'm not giving up. I'm here, I'm healthy, I'm alive, I'm ready. And I have a lot of things to share. Can't wait to do it."

What a blessing! Isn't it?