I’ve been struggling to find the words to describe my experience at BlogHer 2010; I think because it did not live up to my expectations. Because I let all the pre-BlogHer hype go to my head, it was never going to be as fabulous as I dreamed.

I was expecting sessions so jammed packed with information that I wouldn’t be able to take notes fast enough. Not so. The sessions were very informal and not very informative and it turns out most BlogHer attendees skip them anyway.

I was expecting lots of fabulous, swanky parties. I did attend one that I’m embarrassed to say I twitter stalked my way into but for the most part the parties were invitation-only or had a mile-long waitlist.

And I was expecting this experience to launch my newbie blog into the blogosphere. But, in a sea of 2400 bloggers, that was never going to happen and I was naïve to think so.

Here’s what I wasn’t expecting:

I didn’t expect to get along so well with the women I roomed with at the Hilton. Why? Because I didn’t know them at all before the conference. AT ALL! I kind of knew Cara but only from Twitter; I met C.Mom at the train station on the way to New York; and I met Cynthia when she checked into the room. We had a great time as roomies and I really hope we’ll keep in touch post-BlogHer.

I didn’t expect to network as well as I did. I met so many talented writers and bloggers. Some by design – like writers Jennifer Margulis and Stacy Morrison – and others by chance – like MaggieDammit in the elevator and Deb Ng at the lunch table. I was a little star struck when I met each one of them (and a little conference scatterbrained as well) but they were all very gracious. Again, I hope these brief encounters inspire connections that last well beyond the conference.

And I didn’t expect to break out of my shell the way that I did. I’m shy and quiet and terrible at small talk. But I didn’t let these shortcomings stop me from making the most of this experience. I introduced myself to the bloggers and brands that I wanted to talk to. I even participated in the Yahoo Shine You Reinvented on camera interview. EEK!

There were many great moments during the conference, many memories made, many lessons learned. But hands down, the most significant for me was sitting in the audience during the Community Voices Keynote, listening to other bloggers – other writers – read their posts and being reminded why I was there and why I started on this wild journey to begin with. I am a writer and I have voice that wants to be heard. One day I’d like to be standing on that stage, to be recognized for my talents and celebrated by my peers, and to inspire my audience with my words. My BlogHer experience may not have been what I expected but it was definitely worthwhile.