On the proverbial “heels” of the recently held BlogHer Conference comes one for the guys. Next month in Atlanta, it’s the “guys’ turn” for the Modern Media Man Summit, Sept. 9 to 11. It’s the first blogger conference focused on men in the nation and with a line up of sponsors that now includes Chevrolet, T-Mobile and Pitch Engine among others, it’s looking like this summit will do for male bloggers what other conferences are doing for the gals.
As part of a partnership with the Hispanic PR Blog and PapiBlogger, organizers will be giving our readers a $125 discount to attend the conference when they type the word TWITTER in the registration page.
This weekend I had a chance to “virtually” sit down with conference co-founder, daddy blogger and marketing executive Donny Claxton to learn more the Modern Media Man summit and the unique value proposition it has for both bloggers and marketers alike.
Manny: What is your background in marketing and public relations?
Donny: I’ve been involved in public relations and marketing for more than 23 years, having worked for two Alabama governors, federal, state and local campaigns, and as the communications director for Dallas schools, the 12th largest district in America. I began working with social media while doing math and science programs on behalf of ExxonMobil. This is where I got hooked on the power of social engagement, social media platforms, and saw that this is really the future, in present form, of where public relations and marketing all are headed.
Manny: What took the “guys” so long to get their blog conference and what are you doing to make it a success?
Donny: I’ve heard many a story already from the men and dads involved in setting up Modern Media Man Summit that they’ve all been talking about a men and dads conference for several years while attending Blog World Expo and BlogHer. This year, with the help of Debbie Lawrence of Macon, Georgia and a core group of men and dad bloggers, we’re working to put on the first conference. We’ve invited a solid line up of men, dad and women bloggers to gather and talk about what’s working with social engagement, not “social media.”
The Modern Media ManSummit is geared to help those men and dad bloggers who are getting into the thick of monetizing their sites and helping them forge relationships with brands that have long been wanting to make important social connections with men and dad bloggers as well. But it’s also so important to stress that this isn’t going to be a forum just for men and dad bloggers. We’ve got Liz Strauss and Carol Roth speaking and talking about how to partner with women, particularly on the social media/engagement side. Mom bloggers have really capitalized on how to do this. With this being the self-proclaimed year of the Dad Blogger, we’re really seeking to be bring a lot of guys along and help them establish the relationships that can take their hard work to the next level.
Manny: What kind of male bloggers are you expecting to attend and what percent of your conference is made of bloggers vs. marketers?
Donny: As I said before, we aren’t looking for any one particular sort of men or dad blogger, or woman or mom blogger to attend Modern Media Man. It’s really designed to be for everyone. This is the best opportunity so far this year for men and brands to link up and for women to be a part of the conversation, too. So when you ask what percent of bloggers v. marketers to show, we’re looking for a healthy balance. The great thing about conferences is that no matter who attends, there are going to be some great relationships established that are going to live on well after next month’s events.
Manny: What kind of topics are men mostly blogging about and why?
Donny: We have a great mix of topics that men bloggers are talking about online and have really put together a solid field of speakers to attend the event. I don’t know of another event in America this year that’s going to have as many published men bloggers speaking or in attendance, sharing their wealth of experiences as men and dads, but also about process.
There’s a solid group of photographers who are coming–we’ve even talked about an informal photo walk of downtown Atlanta one morning before it gets too hot and before the sessions kick off. Some of the guys are going to talk about the stuff they blog about, others are going to talk about how to work with brands. CC Chapman of Boston is going to be talking about what it means to be a guy in the 21st century, while Charles J. Orlando, the author of “The Problem WIth Women … Is Men” isn’t going to be talking about the nature of his book, but rather about how the term “Social Media is a bunch of BS,” and is worthless unless you’re making social engagement happen. Kevin Metzger is going to be talking about an in-depth study he’s done on dads and their interests, while Ted Murphy is going to be talking about how to make money on your blog. Dave Taylor, who is going to be speaking about the balance between work and family, really did a great job of gathering an array of speakers on a host of important and meaningful topics. Myself, Eric Elkins and Doug Block are going to be talking about how much is too much information to share about your family online.
Manny: Which types of brands/categories targeting male bloggers?
Donny: This past week The Dallas Morning News did a story about my work to promote the 2010-11 Chevrolet Traverse that I’ve been test driving off and on, and like the one you were able to use to travel the country. I turned my adventure in the car into a Website called TraverseAdventures.com. Brands like Chevrolet have been really working hard to reach out and engage moms and dads and get them to try out products we might not otherwise go into a show room and see. After a year of talking via Twitter, back in April they had me out to the Texas Motor Speedway for a day at the races. That’s when I really even first heard of the Traverse, and after seeing how much room it had in it, knowing how my three girls need to travel in separate rows, and it still looking like a sexy enough car for a dad to drive, I was hooked.
Others like the guys at ManOfTheHouse.com are working hard every day to establish new relationships with men and dad bloggers. T-Mobile, another M3 sponsor, knows that it has some great products and will be reaching out men and dads during the conference.
There are so many brands out there that have figured out men have a growing influence in what gets purchased in the home, particularly with the increase of SAHDs because of this economy we’re in.
Manny: What brands are you working with and how are they getting involved with your conference?
Donny: Chevrolet has been named our platinum sponsor for Modern Media Man. They’ve been fantastic to work with. They’re providing a number of cars to help men and dads get to Atlanta, of course we’ll be blogging, tweeting, and geo-tagging as we traverse America, but they’ll also have cars at the event for test drives, and they’ve generously arranged to have Cal Ripken, Jr. attend the opening night’s VIP reception.
The ManOfTheHouse.com guys have been so supportive, helping establish new links to men and dad bloggers, and like I said before, T-Mobile has really been great to work with and are looking to be highly active at the event.
Manny: Who would you say are the current leaders in developing strong relationships with male bloggers and what are they doing?
Donny: There are so many great companies out there that are showing they really understand the importance of men and dad bloggers. All you have to do is check out some of the blogs of the speakers we have coming and you’ll see there’s just a whose who of the top companies.
Manny: What is your expected attendance and who are your keynote speakers?
Donny: It being a first-year-event, we’re optimistic about the attendance and know that our speakers, Charles J. Orlando, Dave Taylor, Ted Murphy, as well as Cal Ripken, Jr. and a rising star, Todd Newton, all are becoming big draws. Each day the level of ticket sales goes higher. And with Atlanta being so geographically well-positioned, it’s easy to get to.
Manny: How can our readers register for your conference pass discount?
Donny: Registration for Modern Media Man is simple. There’s a discount code that your readers can log on with. To get a $125 discount they need to enter the discount code TWITTER in all caps. This will get them into all the sessions, access to the Chevrolet cars on site for test drives, and a lot of other great surprises.