BigTent had a blast at BlogHer

Over 1,500 bloggers ventured to Chicago last week for BlogHer ’09. Donna Novitsky, BigTent CEO, and I were thrilled to be part of this record attendance crowd! We learned about the latest trends of business and blogging, and met with mom bloggers and the throngs of advertisers interested in reaching their community. For an extra dose of BlogHer buzz, we also joined the three-day unfolding of events on Twitter.

A great opening keynote conversation with Lisa Stone (one of BlogHer’s founders), Tina Brown (Founder and EIC, The Daily Beast), Donna Byrd (Publisher, TheRoot.com), and Ilene Chaiken (executive producer of The L Word), set an energizing tone for the event. It was uplifting to hear how each woman has brought her successful, offline media career into the social media world.

BlogHer then gave participants a chance to explore every niche of blogging imaginable. Sessions ranged from WordPress geek labs, a personal favorite of mine, to discussions on changing FTC guidelines for bloggers.

In the thick of Tweeting, crowds, and flashy swag filling every corner of the Sheraton Chicago, Donna and I enjoyed catching up with some of our friends and leaders of groups on BigTent, including Silicon Valley Moms Group and Manic Mommies.

The parties, which included unicorn cake*, weren’t bad either.

BigTent is excited about the role we can play in helping bloggers evolve their conversations with readers and build strong communities. See you in New York in 2010!

Best,

Caroline & the BigTent team

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bigtentgroups

*unicorn cake:

BigTent update: More shop retailers, linked reviews

BigTent’s upgrades this week will help your groups raise funds and build community:

New retailers added to shop. Cost Plus World Market, Nautica, and EBGames are our newest additions to the group shop, where members earn money for your groups by making purchases through your BigTent shop area. For more information, check out our quick YouTube video:

Links to reviews available in forums. Discussing where to hold an upcoming Moms Night Out, or trying to find the best dentist in your area? Now it’s easier to share collective wisdom from your group’s reviews. When you’re posting something in forums, take a moment to link to a product or service review:

We love hearing from you and welcome all questions and feedback!

Best,

Michelle & the BigTent team

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bigtentgroups

BigTent headed to twins convention

As host to over 125 mothers of multiples clubs, BigTent is proud to be the largest provider of online groups technology for this special category of parenting organizations. In fact, the first group in history to adopt BigTent is a twins club, the Marin Parents of Multiples Club in Marin County, CA.

To show our support, we’re participating in the 2009 National Organization of Mothers of Twins Clubs (NOMOTC) Convention, held July 26 – August 1 at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. We’ll be answering questions in the Resource Room, and sponsoring the Club Networking Luncheon on Saturday, August 1. Hope we’ll even have some time to get into the convention theme, “Only in Vegas.”

I’m a mom of twins and former President of my own twins club, Mid-Peninsula Parents of Multiples, so BigTent’s efforts to support multiple-birth parents is very near and dear to me. If you’re planning to attend the convention, be sure to stop by and say hi!

Best,

Dawn & the BigTent team

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bigtentgroups

Building a team at BigTent

Taking a break from the daily grind, BigTent recently participated in an interactive scavenger hunt in San Francisco’s Mission District. Under the expert guidance of Melanie and The Go Game, we divided up into small teams and scurried off from Dolores Park.

Armed only with digital cameras, smartphones, and occasional clues,  we tested our collective talents with a variety of creative and fast-paced challenges. We solved location-based riddles, recreated famous historical events in photos, and sleuthed for special agents. We even reenacted famous movie scenes — using only our fingers.

We reconvened at Andalu, dining on delicious tapas and judging each others’ scavenger hunt results. In true team spirit, everyone brought home a prize, from self-adhesive mustaches to a dueling unicorn-vs.-narwhal set.

It was a one-of-a-kind experience, though Jaws did appear twice:

Have fun out there!

-The team @ BigTent

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bigtentgroups