It was not to BEA…but it was on Twitter!

I had heard of the annual Book Expo America conference and trade show before this year, but to my knowledge it was a book-industry thing not open to civilians. Either I was wrong about that in the first place, or book bloggers aren’t considered “civilians” – we’re “new media.” At BEA 2009 this past weekend in New York City, the programming included a book-blogger panel (including my Festival of Books friends Amy and Natasha), which was covered on Publishers Weekly‘s website, and a blogger “signing” area (more of a meet-and-greet).  Book bloggers have been excitedly posting and Twittering about their BEA plans for weeks. Aside from the books and ARCs everyone hoped to collect there, bloggers were most excited about meeting each other in person.

Unless. of course, they weren’t going – and plenty of us weren’t, so we were talking about feeling left out and
twittyparty
bumming over what we’d be missing. Those comments, and the belief that misery loves company, inspired the idea of an official “pity party” for those who wouldn’t be at BEA – but where would such a party happen? On Twitter, of course! Rebecca of The Book Lady’s Blog bravely took on the hosting duties, and the word spread around the book-blogiverse in record time about the BEA Twittyparty. The event was scheduled for 8-10 PM Eastern time on Friday night, coinciding with the real-life BEA Tweetup in New York City that none of us would be attending.

8-10 PM Eastern is 5-7 PM in my time zone. I was driving home from work when the party started and had an errand to take care of on the way, so I arrived late and couldn’t stay long. It was my first Twitter party – first virtual party of any kind, really – and it was fast, frenzied, and fun. I Tweeted in when I got online, and immediately got swept up in the flow. The guests used the previously-designated hashtag “#BEATwittyparty ” in their tweets to make them stand out to each other, and the active use of that tag brought curious visitors around – you really can’t have a bouncer at a Twitter party. I found that it was easier to see what was going on if I used Twitter Search to keep up with #BEATwittyparty rather than using my own Twitter stream – but notice that I said “see,” not “keep up with” what was going on. Keeping up was just not possible!

It doesn’t matter what you wear to a Twitter party – come in your PJs or party clothes, because who’ll know the difference? You’ll have to provide your own refreshments, but since you’ll be using your computer or phone the whole time, be careful not to spill! Following the activity through ahashtag instead of your own stream is a great way to meet new people on Twitter, since you’ll see Tweets from people you might not have encountered otherwise; I found some new folks to follow (and gained some new followers) that way. You can participate as much as you want, or be a total wallflower and just read along – no one will give you a hard time either way. Even though parties usually a source of social anxiety for me, this one wasn’t so bad – I popped in, talked to some people, and then said my goodbyes. I would like to clarify one Tweet of mine, though:

I DID NOT WIN A KINDLE. I saw Trish‘s tweet from the BEA Tweetup in my regular stream and passed it along to the partygoers. I don’t know if some people missed the “RT @trishheylady” in the excitement or what, but I received a few congratulatory tweets that were completely undeserved. Please consider them forwarded to Trish.

Even with that little case of mistaken identity, BEATwittyparty was a great time. (Betty and Boo’s Mommy recaps it here.) There’s already talk about another Twitter party soon, for an occasion yet to be determined; whatever it is, I’d love to go, and hopefully I’ll be able to stay longer next time. However, if there’s a BEATwittyparty again next year, I might not mind missing it for the real thing…

After reading other people’s accounts of it for the last couple of years, I was quite certain I wanted to attend BlogHerCon in 2009. The money to do so came as a generous Christmas gift, and I bought my tickets months ago. I had no idea that another conference would come along that would interest me as much – possibly even more – so of course, one did. There’s only room for one in the calendar and the budget, though, so by this fall I may need to do some thinking about a choice – BlogHer’10 or Book Expo America next year?

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14 comments

  1. Yeah, I was really wondering why so many bloggers were at BEA because I thought it was just for professional book people too.

  2. Amanda – I like the fact that it’s open to book bloggers, but I guess I just don’t think of what I do (in that respect) as “media.” Then again, there are a lot of things about the blogiverse I don’t really know until someone makes them explicit for me.

    Ti – I call it “BlogHerCon” to avoid confusing BlogHer, the annual conference with BlogHer, the website (and my advertising provider) that organizes it. It’s a much more generalized blogging conference:

    “BlogHer ’09 will bring bloggers from every corner of the blogosphere together for hands-on learning, rich discussions, opportunities to meet with the brands that support them and plentiful networking opportunities.”

    This year, it’s being held in Chicago on July 24-25. It’s probably NOT going to have a lot of book- or book-blog related content, unfortunately, but there are several sessions on the agenda that interest me – and if I can get over my nerves and speak up, I hope to meet some folks, too!

  3. I think book bloggers could register under press! The general public can go but when I looked, it cost more than $100 for the three days. I think bloggers got in for free. I’m hoping they keep to those rules next year. The BEA twitty party was indeed a lot of fun. =)

  4. The feeling, post BEA, seems to be electric. I wasn't there, but oh, I keep reading and wishing.

    And might I just say thank you. Again. You know what for.

    xo

    b

  5. Meghan – Next year's BEA is supposed to be scheduled for during the week instead of over a weekend, so I wonder if as many book bloggers will be able to go – but I'm pretty sure even more of them will WANT to go! I'm gathering that the bloggers this year (or at least some of them) got in as press, but maybe one of them will comment here and tell us for certain?

    Anyway, hopefully there will be another BEATwittyparty to occupy those who can't make it next time!

    Beth K – Same here. I really wish I'd had it on my radar sooner…

    And yes, I think I DO know what for – and you're most welcome :-).

  6. I'm with you on being jealous about BEA this year & wanting to plan to go next year.

    It makes me even more excited about BlogHer, though. Definitely looking forward to meeting you in person there (as well as the conference topics)!

  7. TexasRed – Some time in the next few weeks, I have to do a "Are you going to BlogHer?" post. I'm actually getting more nervous about it as it gets closer!

    I still don't know if they've decided on the Room of Your Own sessions and if my book-blogging suggestion made the cut – but even without it, I hope to meet you, and other book bloggers, in Chicago!

  8. Aww, thanks so much for the link … although others did a much better job of capturing the fun of the BEAtwittyparty than I did. It was fun to be part of it and I'm loving all the new blogging friends I've made as a result.

  9. B&B's Mommy – That party may have been the most fun I've ever had on Twitter. It was very hard to capture it all, though, and I thought you did a great job – so, you're welcome!

  10. I wish I had known you last year when BEA was in LA!!!!! I went then as well. Now it's stuck in the big NY forever it seems.

  11. Amy – Same here! Last year, I didn't even realize that going to BEA was an option, so it's really too bad I didn't seize the opportunity when it was local :-). But if I go to NYC next year, maybe us West Coast girls can catch a flight together?