It's Megan http://www.itsmegan.com Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:51:28 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Consider me inspired http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/08/consider-me-inspired/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/08/consider-me-inspired/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:51:28 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=326 So, how many days does it take to recover from the BlogHer11 conference? Going on four days and i’m still not there. Work’s busy and when I’m not doing that I’m blogging more, tweeting more and reading blogs more. That’s what BlogHer conferences do to you. You get home with a zillion ideas swimming in your head and you can’t sleep because you’re just too busy writing posts, checking in with new friends and making your blog into the best blog ever.

Before BlogHer11, I was definitely burnt out. I’ve been blogging about shopping since 2006, and posting felt like an obligation. But BlogHer has a way of inspiring you, of reminding you why you started blogging in the first place.

So consider me sufficiently inspired. It’s so great to meet new (and old) bloggers who are still in the midst of blog-love and catch a little bit of the fever.

I miss BlogHer! I missing the crazy non-stop from session to lunch to expo to meeting all kinds of great bloggers! I miss all blogs all the time. I miss walking around with confidence, smiling at everyone and feeling like I belonged. Like I was part of something and like these were my people.

So now all I can think is how can I keep the BlogHer feeling? How do I keep from getting burned out? What can I do to stay true to what made me a blogger to begin with?

Count down the days to BlogHer12. T-minus 356 days until lift-off!

Tell me again why BlogHer is only once a year? What can we do to remedy that?

]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/08/consider-me-inspired/feed/ 1 17 Things I Learned at BlogHer11 http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/08/17-things-i-learned-at-blogher11/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/08/17-things-i-learned-at-blogher11/#comments Wed, 10 Aug 2011 02:12:48 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=321 BlogHer11 was amazing. I’m  happy to say that I followed each and every one of my 15 Ways to Get the Most Out of BlogHer11.

Here’s a list of things I learned at BlogHer11.

  1. Being outside is good.
    For about 5 minutes I was irritated that I had to walk outside to go to the conference center. Then I discovered that…
  2. San Diego has the best weather on earth. 
    I want to live there.
  3. The San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina is an excellent hotel.
    I didn’t get a fancy ocean view, but I did get a corner room with lots of space. The bed was killer. Real down pillows and soft sheets.
  4. It’s good to own your beauty, but you don’t have to love it naked.
    I loved that there was no mirror across from the bathtub. I’d rather not have that view right after I get out of the shower. Granted I did go to the Own Your Beauty BlogHer session and I appreciate all that makes me unique, but I still don’t want to be faced with it post-shower.
  5. Room service can be good, fast and cheap.
    I loved that room service at the Marriott was amazing. They told me it’d be there within a half-hour and it was there in less than 20 minutes. The food was really good, and reasonably-priced off the kids meals (which even I couldn’t finish.)
  6. Starbucks makes everything better.
    Thank heavens for Starbucks in the Marriott. And another Starbucks in the conference center. Heck, I didn’t even mind standing in the long, long lines.
  7. Check-in can be painless.
    Not every hotel offers granola bars, strawberry water, hot towels and hand lotion on check-in. The Marriott did!
  8. Naps are not just for kids.
    I am convinced that the only way to survive BlogHer (i.e. attend the sessions, visit the expo, meet new people and party hard at night) is to nap as often as possible. I had a three-hour nap before CheeseburgHer and boy was I glad I did!
  9. Kindness is appreciated.
    One of my favorite BlogHer11 moments was at Sparklecorn when I hunted down BlogHers that were standing by themselves and brought them over to a table full of other single BlogHers. It made them happy and that felt good.
  10. Not all women are catty.
    Contrary to popular opinion, women are not always catty with each other. In fact, I’ve never felt so much positivity and openness in a group of women. Walking down the hallway, sitting down at a table of random strangers, hanging at the parties -I always felt welcome. Ladies were quick with a smile and compliments and they really made me feel good. I could walk up to someone and already have something great in common.
  11. I love BlogHer newbies.
    I absolutely adore new BlogHers and bloggers new to BlogHer. They have such fresh energy, are so open to learning and meeting new people. I love making them feel like part of BlogHer!
  12. Don’t miss the meals.
    Saturday was a busy day for me – I met with a brand in the morning and didn’t have a proper meal. Then I missed lunch because I needed a pedi (Thanks Scrubbing Bubbles), so I hit the expo and munched on Jimmy Dean Pancakes and Sausage on a Stick (yum!) and Dove Bars.  I skipped room service that night and had McDonald’s cheeseburgers and fries as a late CheeseburgHer dinner. Two days later, I just now feel like I’ve been properly nourished.
  13. Don’t be a swag hag.
    I’ll admit it – last year I was a swag hag and ended up dragging a car-full of swag home and don’t you know that half of it is still sitting in my basement. This year I focused on the brands, listened to their pitches and took only the swag that I could use (and fit in my carry-on). I went through my swag and recycled everything that I didn’t need/want and picked up a few extra things for friends and coworkers.
  14. Get some sessions in.
    Last year I only attended one session and I was so disappointed in myself. This year I attended a nice selection of sessions including old-school blogger burnout (how do we keep from burning out, again?), Change the World | Malcolm Gladwell is Missing the Point: Revolutions Are Happening Online (so inspiring!) and Change the World | Owning Your Beauty: If We Change the Conversation Can We Change the Culture? - that was a fantastic session – I think we can always use a reminder to be good to ourselves and love what makes us unique.
  15. Brands are smart.
    Last year Proctor & Gamble had a great “booth” (it was actually a small house!) where you walked around, learned about products and picked up samples. This year, the house was back, but instead of dragging all of these samples back home, they sent them to your home. I haven’t received mine, yet, but you can bet I’ll be all over THAT swag like white on rice. Yahoo Contributor Network did the same thing with the books they were giving away. Even better than that? Jimmy Dean made a donation on behalf of each BlogHer in attendance. (Thanks Jimmy Dean – I love you AND your sausage-cake-dogs. )
  16. Brands are stupid not always smart.
    Two of the smart brands above are also in my not “smart” category. Proctor & Gamble, for instance – they’ve got an amazing brand and great products and obviously a great marketing strategy. Or do they? Browsing through the P&G house, I happened upon the Febreeze section. A young lady ushered me over to a computer and asked me to enter my name and email and a bit of motherly advice. B-b-b-but I’m not a mom. Oh, you can just enter some advice from your mother. Umm, OK. What does this have to do with Febreeze? That’s my point. I’m not learning about a mom-related product, not a mom-focused booth, they’re not just selling products to moms – why limit your audience? Why market directly to moms when not all of the women at BlogHer are moms. Why risk offending even one potential customer? Why risk offending even one BLOGGER who can potentially influence thousands!? Silly, silly brands.

    Yahoo Contributor Network did the same thing. One very nice young lady was suggesting some topics that I could blog about for YCN and included my children. W-w-w-what children? Is this MomHer? Are you recruiting members for the Yahoo MomContributor Network? Riiiight. That’s what I thought.Marketing 101, people! Do your research. Know your audience. And do not offend bloggers. Yikes!

  17. QR codes are taking over the world.
    RedPlum won my prize for best use of QR codes. They had visitors scan a code with their phone to sign up for the RedPlum newsletter and then scan one of the hundreds of QR codes on a big board to win the prize behind the code – from movie tickets to iPads!
To be continued…
]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/08/17-things-i-learned-at-blogher11/feed/ 4 15 Ways to Get the Most Out of BlogHer11 http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/07/15-ways-get-most-out-of-blogher11/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/07/15-ways-get-most-out-of-blogher11/#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 03:27:06 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=316 I heart Zoot!BlogHer is really special to me. The first conference I attended in 2006 when I was invited to co-present on blog improvement. It was an amazing time. Not only did I meet a ton of great people and have some excellent conversations, I left BlogHer06 inspired to blog about what I was passionate about (shopping!) and try to make a go at it.

It was that blog that helped me shift my career into overdrive. I had always wanted to work on the web – designing, managing, writing – but I was stuck in a job where I was pigeon-holed as a marketing writer when I wanted to (and could) do so much more. My blog added to my resume an entrepreneurial spirit and the proof that I can build a successful web site from the ground up.

Me & Magno!After BlogHer06 I attended BlogHer Business 07 and then BlogHer Boston 08. I missed BlogHer09, but I came back at BlogHer10 and boy did things change! I will be the first to admit that I got more than a little swag-happy and completely distracted from the conference as a whole. I was invited to a party or two and did my thing, but like many attendees I caught party-envy. I came home disappointed that i didn’t really let myself enjoy the conference.

This year, things will change.

  1. I will NOT be one of the first to hit the exhibit halls and I will limit my time there and my swag hoarding.
  2. I will NOT be  a swag-a-holic and stalk the swag exchange for the best swag available.
  3. I will attend sessions.
  4. I will make new friends.
  5. I will have great conversations.
  6. I will attend those parties to which I am invited and will not pout when I’m not included in others.
  7. I will seek out other uninvited peeps and start our own public party! Everyone is welcome!
  8. I will seek out deer-in-headlights first-conference-goers and make them feel comfortable.
  9. I will seek to remind myself why I am there and enjoy every minute.
  10. I will not be overly concerned about the number of business cards I give and receive.
  11. I will not go broke on a new wardrobe to impress the other girls.
  12. I will dress simply and comfortably
  13. I will compliment all my beautiful BlogHer sisters as much as I can.
  14. I will not get overwhelmed.
  15. I will live in the moment.

What’s your plan for BlogHer11 in San Diego?

]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2011/07/15-ways-get-most-out-of-blogher11/feed/ 14 Calamity http://www.itsmegan.com/2010/09/calamity/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2010/09/calamity/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:34:57 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=313 Calamity. That’s the word of the day.

My day hasn’t exactly been a calamity so far, but that’s a fun word to say. Calamity. Calamity contains the word “calm” – isn’t that ironic?

Didn’t want to wake up this morning, but my clock was built with this function that increases the volume on the radio until you turn it off and it’s really good at making me get the eff up.

Getting out of my car and into work each morning is a calamity. I have six gazillion things to drape on my person – my laptop bag, my purse, my id and my coffee (well, it feels like six gazillion things) and I try to get out of the car with each of them in place. Not always such a good idea. Case in point: today I managed to extricate myself from the car with my laptop on my right shoulder, my purse in my left hand, my coffee in the right and the id clipped to my pocket. Success.

That would be until I got about 20 feet from the building and realized I didn’t have my id. Walked back to the car and found it on my steering wheel.

But at least I still had my coffee.

]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2010/09/calamity/feed/ 0 13 Obsessions http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/10/13-obsessions/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/10/13-obsessions/#comments Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:54:15 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=284 t13-136
Header by Samuli

Obsessions over the years.

  1. Cows. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea. Thankfully this one is over.
  2. Key chains. I used to collect them as a kid. I had no keys but I certainly had key chains.
  3. Monet. Waterlilies everywhere.
  4. Chat. When I first discovered the Internet, I found chat. Loved it so much that I would go to school even when I didn’t have class to get online.
  5. Madonna, New Kids on the Block. I kept scrapbooks. I think I still have the Madonna one.
  6. Phil Collins. A very unhealthy obsession ;)
  7. Shopping. My lifelong obsession
  8. Chococat/Hello Kitty
  9. Chocolate. ‘Nuff said.
  10. Twilight/Sookie Stackhouse … Edward Cullen
  11. Daisies, owls, the word believe
  12. Blogging
  13. Coupons


What about you? What are your obsessions?

*****

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

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]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/10/13-obsessions/feed/ 10 This weekend http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/10/this-weekend/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/10/this-weekend/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:55:52 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=282 I didn’t coupon yet this week. I might head out after work some night and pick up some of the freebies, but I’m not doing all-out couponing. Just didn’t feel like it this week. Sure, i got the paper and my coupons and clip, clip, clipped, but when it came down to the spreadsheeting, collating and hitting the stores I just didn’t have it in me.

Instead, I watched the five episodes of Grey’s Anatomy (and it would have been more if I didn’t have to wait for the next one to arrive from Netflix), did laundry, cleaned my room a bit, worked on a friend’s site and did some crosswords.

Jimbo worked on the shed most of the weekend. We did go out for coffee and then saw the Invention of Laughter and while it was good, I wouldn’t say it was great.

Saturday night we headed to my cousin’s house for a family poker game and did pretty well for someone who doesn’t know if 3-of-a-kind beats two pair.

It’s funny, since I’ve been couponing I haven’t’ done a lot of regular shopping. I think that’s good for my wallet. But it’s October and now’s the time to start shopping for that joyful holiday that is about 12 weeks away. And to work on my 2009 holiday wish list.

]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/10/this-weekend/feed/ 0 13 Random Thoughts http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/13-random-thoughts/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/13-random-thoughts/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:34:19 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=279 t13-136
Header by Samuli

Random things that just popped in my head.

  1. I’ve been pondering this for a while. When Starbucks adds whipped cream to my drink, what am I supposed to do with it? Am I supposed to do the adult thing and let it sink into the drink, or the kid thing (what I really want to do) and open the top and lick it all off?
  2. Weight. Screw it.
  3. Thinking about maybe, someday I might think about the prospect of procreating.
  4. I have a lovely husband.
  5. I’ve been thinking about taking on less projects. Maybe I can actually get something done that way.
  6. I leave work early for an appointment today. No, not that kind.
  7. I haven’t been keeping up on my blog reading. See #5.
  8. My posable Kermit the Frog has been showing up in all kinds of funny places in funny positions. Maybe I’ll show you someday. See #5.
  9. I haven’t made an actual dinner in quite a while. What should I make?
  10. I’ve been into Geneology lately (See #5) and have discovered so far that I’m mostly English and Irish. So far. I can’t find much about Dad’s side.
  11. I’m wearing $5 shoes.
  12. I’m already thinking about Christmas shopping. Must make a list. See #5.
  13. I still like my job. I’m really lucky. Thank you.


What about you? Do you love your Firefox? What are your favorite add-ons.
Still an Internet Explorer lover? Make the switch now!

*****

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307450570?ie=UTF8&tag=happiesnet&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307450570
]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/13-random-thoughts/feed/ 6 Friday fill-ins http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/friday-fill-ins-5/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/friday-fill-ins-5/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:04:47 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=275 Serendipity
Graphic courtesy of Tonya!

And…here we go!

  1. That’s In the hole is a bad place to be.
  2. While you figure out where you’re going ; I’m over here!
  3. The possibilities include: Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. Who’s the best guitarist?
  4. Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite cool day recipes.
  5. How will you know if you’ve found true love? When you don’t even question it.
  6. Janet’s perfect day at the beach includes wolf, her camera, clams and a stormy sky.
  7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to couponing, cleaning, vegging out on the couch watching tv, tomorrow my plans include more cleaning and book club and Sunday, I want to hit all the drugstores before everyone else; hike, maybe; buy a wireless printer, ipod nano and some cork boards perhaps; and spend some quality time with the love of my life!
]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/friday-fill-ins-5/feed/ 3 13 of the Best Firefox Extensions http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/13-of-the-best-firefox-extensions/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/13-of-the-best-firefox-extensions/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:42:41 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=271 t13-136
Header by Samuli

We’ve been upgrading people at work from Internet Explorer to Firefox and darnit if people don’t like change. I’m all about change – I find it fun and exciting. I’ve been using Firefox for years – it offers safer web-browsing, easy navigation from page-to-page with tabs and the ability to add-on and extend it’s capabilities.

Today I’m going to talk about my thirteen favorite add-ons for Firefox

  1. ForecastFox - Get international weather forecasts from AccuWeather.com and display them in any toolbar or statusbar with this highly customizable and unobtrusive extension.
  2. Google Toolbar – Access to all of your Google goodness.
  3. Yoono
  4. IE Tab – View a page in Internet Explorer within Firefox,
  5. Multi-row bookmarks – Not enough room for bookmarks on your toolbar? That’s OK, have another!
  6. Quick Restart – Need to restart Firefox? Save time and do it in one-click.
  7. FireFTP - Good for web-geeks like me. Who needs a separate ftp application when you can transfer files in your browser. Sweeeet!
  8. Autopager – Hate to click next and wait for the next page of search results to load? AutoPager automatically loads next pages when you reach the end of a page – and extends your current page with the new page. No clicking required!
  9. Autocopy - Select text and it’s automatically copied to the clipboard.
  10. Xmarks – Xmarks is the #1 bookmarking add-on. Install it on all your computers to keep your bookmarks and (optionally) passwords backed up and synchronized.
  11. Fireshot – Creates screenshots of web pages.
  12. ColorZilla – Customizing html somewhere and need a color code. This cool eyedropper (a la photoshop) picks up any color on your screen and spits out the code. Excellente!
  13. Better Gmail 2 – Add useful extra features to Gmail, like hierarchical labels, an unread message icon on your browser tab, file attachment icons, and more.


What about you? Do you love your Firefox? What are your favorite add-ons.
Still an Internet Explorer lover? Make the switch now!

*****

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307450570?ie=UTF8&tag=happiesnet&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307450570
]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/09/13-of-the-best-firefox-extensions/feed/ 6 13 Best Coupon Deals http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/08/13-best-coupon-deals/ http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/08/13-best-coupon-deals/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:13:50 +0000 Megan http://www.itsmegan.com/?p=267 t13-136
Header by Samuli

I had to get my Thursday Thirteen up this week, so I’m burning the midnight oil. I’m uber tired, though so a picture of all my goodies will have to wait until tomorrow. Here are the 13 best deals I got this week.

    Deals
  1. Bic Pencil 5 pk – Price = 2/$3
    - $1 coupon
    - $2 Single Check Rebate (SCR)
    = FREE
  2. Renuzit Crystals Elements Starter Kit – Price =  $4.99
    - $2 coupon
    - $3 SCR
    = +$0.01
  3. Glade 2oz. Fragrance Collection Candle – Price = $3.29
    - Get one free coupon
    = FREE
  4. Softsoap Body Wash – Price = $3.99
    - $2.00 coupon
    - $3.99 Register Rewards
    = +$2.00 (that’s right – I made $2 buying this item!)
  5. Starbucks Ice Cream – $4
    - Get one free coupon
    = FREE
  6. (2) Paper Mate Pens – Price = $1.98
    - $1.98 Extra Care Bucks
    = FREE
  7. (2) Bic Triumph two-pack – Price= $5.98
    - $4.00 coupons (2) $2 coupons
    = $1.98 ($0.99 each)

  8. (2) Ponds cleansing cloths 30ct. – Price = $7.98 ($3.99 each)
    - $3.00 coupon
    = $4.98 ($ 2.49 each)
  9. (2) Venus Embrace – Price = $15.98 ($7.99 each)
    - $4.00 coupon (2 – $2 coupons)
    - $5.00 Target Gift Card
    = $6.98 ($3.50 ea)
  10. (6) Nature Valley Granola bars – Sale Price = $15 ($2.50 each)
    - $4.80 coupons
    - $5 coupon for my next order (Box Tops for Edu Deal)
    - $3.50 (General Mills Deal)
    - $1.70 ($0.28 each)
  11. (8) Boxes General Mill Cereal – Sale Price = $16 ($2 each)
    - $4 coupons
    - $5 coupon for my next order (General Mills Deal)
    = $7 ($0.88 each)
  12. (2) Hefty onezip bags – Sale Price = $3.00 ($1.50 each)
    - $2 coupons
    = $1 ($0.50 each)
  13. Arm & Hammer Total 2-in-1 Dryer Cloths – Sale Price = $1.99
    - $1 coupon
    - $1.99 Mail-in-Rebate
    = +$1 (I earned $1! for purchasing this item!)


When was the last time you clipped coupons?

*****

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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]]> http://www.itsmegan.com/2009/08/13-best-coupon-deals/feed/ 6