PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE: At a recent Chamber After Hours, one of our new chamber members, Jennifer Barbour of Another Jennifer. Com, told me she was getting ready to leave for New York City to attend a large blogging conference. My ears perked up, because the more I learn about social media, the more I am intrigued by it.

I asked Jennifer is she would share her experience with all of us. She graciously agreed; below is her “report,” and I hope you enjoy her update about social media as much as I did.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Jennifer Barbour. Through writing and consulting, I help businesses tell their stories. You can find out more and read my blog at www.anotherjennifer.com.

We’ve been having some discussions about blogging and social media at the chamber lately, and what we can do to get more locals businesses involved in promoting the Bath/Brunswick area as a whole. There’s a small group of us forming to help aid the process. More on this in a bit.

Still on the fence about social media? Let me give you a few stats about the event I attended in New York. It was the eighth annual BlogHer 2012 conference. BlogHer is the largest community of women who blog. It’s no surprise that they also host one of the biggest blogging conferences on the planet. Three days of events were devoted entirely to blogging. A total of 5,000 bloggers attended from all over the world. And, yes, there were even a few men at the conference.

According to BlogHer, more than 37 million people were reached during the conference on Twitter alone through more than 150,000 tweets and nearly 20,000 users. That’s a powerful group of people, if you ask me. And more than a few brands and celebrities agreed.

Martha Stewart and Katie Couric were the keynote speakers of BlogHer ’12. President Barack Obama officially kicked off the event by addressing attendees live via video. There were countless big name sponsors, from Hot Wheels to Johnson & Johnson, clamoring to connect with bloggers who are willing to use their influence to promote brands to new audiences.

Of course, there were also a number of helpful panels and workshops. The topics ranged from the technical to political. I mainly stuck with the writing and advocacy tracks. I was also honored to be asked to lead two grammar clinics on how to identify and avoid common grammar mistakes. I’ve been writing about some of our discussions on my blog, if you’re interested.

I came back from BlogHer with a mountain of business cards, lots of notes, and a whole lot of swag. Overall, it was the personal connections with other bloggers that really stood out for me. I found myself acting as an ambassador of Maine. More than one person sent me an email after the conference thanking me for telling them about our state. I blog about Maine from time to time, though my audience is largely out of state. Imagine what we can do for this area if we made a community effort through blogs and social media.

Blogging since 2007

I’ve been blogging since 2007, both personally and professionally. I have made connections through my blog that I would have never been able to do without one. My writing and consulting business was built using social media, and its direction continues to be driven by the success of my blog.

If you’re interested in doing more in social media, or maybe you already are and just want to “talk shop,” join me and Jim Bouchard on Sept. 19 at the Border Trust Business Center in Topsham for a lunchtime presentation, “If you’re not on social media you don’t exist — The essential guide to branding and marketing your business using social media.” You’ll find details on the chamber website at midcoastmaine.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS: There’s a party tonight under the tent at Thornton Oaks Retirement Community’s backyard. Tonight’s (5 to 7 p.m.) event provides an opportunity to make use of the networking power of the SMMC on a summer evening. Enjoy classic jazz by Elephant and Bear (aka Sam Chandler and Peter Eberhardt — you’ve heard them before at Chamber After Hours) and the wonderful and creative food provided by the dining service at Thornton Oaks. Take part in tours of this lovely property. Bring plenty of business cards to give out. The event is free.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS: SMMC welcomes Woodex Bearing Company, Inc., a manufacturer in Georgetown, to its membership. To discover more about this business, go to www.midcoastmaine.com.