I’m very rushed right now because May is very hectic for me, but I will be at Blogher. I’ll also write Susan Mernit.

One thing to consider. A bunch of us felt comfortable presenting at Dark Odyssey because there were no cameras or recording equipment.

Although I will be at Blogher, there will be no official events for the sex bloggers, because I personally am unwilling to out myself. I plan on organizing a private event for the sex bloggers.

Are you coming to NY for any of Audacia’s readings?

As for spending money - ideally I would like it to be free. This is very doable - I just organized PodCamp Atlanta, a free unconference, on a fairly small budget. Yes, people would have to pay for travel and lodging if they are coming from out of town, but it sure beats dropping a few hundred bucks for a conference fee.

Roundtables, networking, learning - absolutely. I can’t imagine a conference not having those components!

At present the goals stated are a bit nebulous. Forgive me for asking the selfish question: what’s in it for me? If you want women to take the time (and spend money) to attend the conference, what are the benefits of doing so? Is it just a big discussion group that exists to define what women are doing with the web or is there more to it than that? Is it a way to create a network of sex-positive people? Is it a way to educate women about new technology and new trends? Is it a way to help women with their online businesses?

I agree with JT that an action plan is helpful.

My vague thoughts here are that it would help if you had a definite business strand to your conference. Maybe this is because I’m used to porn industry conferences where there are roundtables and discussions about business issues, and often there’s the promise of learning something new. Networking with other women is of course vital.

I had a bunch of stuff typed out but I just deleted it. Maybe because I suspect I have a different idea of what a conference should be about.

You talked about capitalism… I work on the web to earn my living. That doesn’t mean I don’t have feminist ideals, or pro-sex ideals, but it’s a big part of why I do what I do. So my thoughts are coloured by that. If I did live in the US, I think I would want to attend a conference that could help me learn something, help me network, and - ultimately - help me to improve my business. It would be a bonus to participate in community based stuff on top of that, but that alone wouldn’t be an incentive to get me into some decent clothes and out of my office.

OK. I’m going to post this comment even though it’s a bit meandering and vague.

This is a terrific idea. Count me in.

Not sure where I might have implied that.

All I’m asking is when, where and how are filters appropriate, and when aren’t they? When should the goal be to eliminate them, and when should it be to preserve them? Those aren’t questions that necessarily have right or wrong answers or that have answers that could be applied blanketly.

Happily, she’s Scarleteen-familiar and has spread word of it and other resources to her peers. The information they get from her, or from sources SHE recommends, is given far greater weight than it would if it were tainted by association with an oldster like me. The middlemen would kill the process.

Amber, the conference sounds great. I look forward to hearing more about it as your ideas gel!

Cyn