Social Media Sisterhood - Type A Mom Conference Recap, part 2

Sisterhood
Community
Authenticity
Integrity
Karma
Pay It Forward

These words saturated the spoken and unspoken conversations during the Type A Mom Conference. 

Meeting women I've spoken with online in person for the first time and being embraced in a warm and enthusiastic hug. 

Meeting women I had never seen before on Thursday, and being hugged goodbye by them on Saturday.  And the best part?  Being around women who are as motivated and immersed in social media as I am!  I've never been around a group of women who understood and identified with why I spend time interacting with "people I don't know" and who are more transparent on their blogs than they could ever be in person. 

Meeting some of these women behind the beauty, the sadness, the passion, the stories..  They have let others online in their communities into their private thoughts.  In meeting in person, there is not fear or judgment, only acceptance and gratefulness.  Having shared journeys together on their blogs, they have supported one another and know one anothers' hearts.  It's a beautiful thing.

Katja Presnal did a great recap of her thoughts on the conference, and the words to the HSM song "We're All In This Together" kept resonating in her head.  I find it resonating in mine as well.  Jessica Smith's recap contained the lyrics to "Dreams" by the Cranberries.  Both are uplifting songs about community and sharing and support.

I have not been blogging long.  I have been tweeting for only a few weeks longer than I have been blogging.  But I was thrilled to meet many of the women I converse withon twitter and on my/their blogs.  I was even more excited when I realized that my chatterbox nature had been noticed by a lot of women who I had not ever interacted with.  It is rather surreal to be encouraged and lauded for my talkativeness, my microblogging emotion dumping, my #followfriday posting. 

I could get used to being encouraged because I talk a lot. Seriously.

I came up with an idea for business while at the conference, and my network of "internet friends" have been insightful, supportive, interested, and full of suggestions as I make decisions about pursuing this business.  I would never have had any idea who to talk to or bounce ideas off of were it not for these PR savvy ladies.  Ladies who are just like me.  Ladies who enjoy social media, who love to connect with others, who write for themselves and others, and who know how to guide a new blogger and pay it forward.

While I learned a lot from the conference, the biggest impression it left me with was that I had found my social media sisterhood.  So many women, so many stories, journeys we are on, so many different ideas about how to use social media... but all of us having the same foundation.

Here are some pictures of my social media sisterhood!

photo of Deb and Anissa courtesy of Cindy

Photo of me with Sarah Mae courtesy of SarahMae from Like A Warm Cup of Coffee

Photo of Amy and Jessica courtesy of Kristile Cain

Photo of Sprittibee, PensieveRobin, and Amberrunsamuck courtesy of Robin