If you see me at BlogHer... take pity on my brain

Next week is the long-awaited (by me anyway) BlogHer Conference 2008 in San Francisco, and I need to share my biggest concern. It isn't the thought of controversy, it isn't a fear of being in a large gathering, it isn't even "OMG, what am I going to wear??" In fact, it is a much simpler fear.

I have a terrible memory and I am terrified of meeting someone in person and not being able to remember their blog!

For me the visual cues of avatar/email address/URL are all tied up into my recollection of a blogger's story and life details, and in person you have none of those things. Sure, I can glance at their name tag and see their URL and hope that will jog my pathetic memory, but I know from last year's conference that that doesn't always work.

And I love it when people show their photograph on their blog, because then I at least have a tiny glimmer of hope that when I meet them in person I'll know who they are, but I read a lot of bloggers who are anonymous or pseudonymous and I haven't the faintest idea what they look like.

So now you know. My greatest BlogHer fear. I read and interact with a frillion bloggers online, but in person it's going to be like meeting them again for the first time. If I do this to you, feel free to mock me, but please DON'T be offended! It's not you, it's me.

Erika also blogs at The Plain Jane Mom Blog. Photo ©2007 Erika Jurney. This is an original Silicon Valley Moms Blog post.