Can you feel the tension and anxiety building in the blog world? Nearly one thousand (mostly) female bloggers are a week and a half away from traveling to San Francisco for BlogHer 08. The posts about what do I wear? and will anyone talk to me? are already in full swing as some newcomers start to panic and wonder if they’ll be mocked if they don’t have a laptop with them or don’t say the right things.

Relax. Seriously…relax.

This will be my third year of BlogHer, and so far the part of the trip causing me the most anxiety is the flight. (Hate. flying.) I’m ready to see old friends, meet new friends, and party until I drop. However, I was a member of the nervous newbie club once, too, so I know how some of you are feeling. Allow yet one more person to give you a little advice on surviving your first BlogHer:

Hit the parties: There are a lot of parties planned the first night. I lost count somewhere after five. Some are invite-only, but most are open to anyone attending BlogHer. If you can, get to at least one of these parties! This is your first chance to mingle and socialize in a low-stress environment. Even if you have a hard time making the first move to introduce yourself to another person, I promise that someone will ask you who you are and will want to get to know you.

Prepare for short attention spans: At the same time, expect most people at these parties to behave as if they have some kind of attention-deficit disorder. It’s only natural – for those who have been to BlogHer before, they’ll be bumping into lots of people they haven’t seen since last year. And others will suddenly turn and see one of their blog friends standing right in front of them for the first time. So don’t be surprised if you’re talking with a group and someone disappears or squeals and run away. It’s not you – she was probably overcome with happiness to see another friend. It’ll happen all night, and as one person disappears, others will appear to join in on the conversation.

Expect happy surprises: Don’t be surprised if others come running to you, too. At my first BlogHer, I felt so lost when I was checking into the hotel. There were women everywhere – many were clustered in groups, and I was far too shy to approach one of these groups to find out if they were bloggers I read. I remember walking past everyone, dragging my suitcase behind me, anxious and feeling like I wanted to hide in my room for the next three days, when suddenly I heard, “Is that Christina? Hey, woman!” It was Izzy, and she was the first shout out of many I got that night. I was also invited to dinner with Mayberry Mom that night, too, which further helped to calm my nerves.

Hand out your card: If you don’t suffer from debilitating shyness, be sure to introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Have business cards if you can. They don’t have to be anything fancy: name, blog name, URL and e-mail address are plenty. You might think you don’t matter enough to have a business card, but you’re wrong. That card will help people remember you, and will help them find your blog afterwards. Without cards, I never would have remembered the blog names of everyone I met at BlogHer, many of whom I now read.

Be unstructured: Once the conference begins, you’ll meet even more people at the panels you attend. These panels are wonderful, with lots of information for beginners as well as advanced bloggers. But you may occasionally find you need a break, or find a session that doesn’t have any panels you want to attend. That’s totally OK. There’s no rule that you must attend every session – hanging out in the hallways chatting with others is sometimes just as valuable or more valuable than the sessions themselves.

Expect to be photographed: There are cameras everywhere. You’re probably bringing one, too. Remember that everything said or done at BlogHer is on the record, so be prepared to end up on Flickr. This especially goes for those who like to drink, but can’t hold their liquor. (However, if you do want drunken antics to show up on the internet, drink away!)

Branch out: You’re going to find bloggers in your niche, but you’ll also encounter bloggers on nearly any topic. Take some time to get to know bloggers outside of your niche, too. Surely you have interests beyond being a mom, right? Mommy bloggers are lovely, but there are some awesome craft bloggers, too. And pet bloggers. And life bloggers. And food bloggers. And shopping bloggers. If you can’t find someone who blogs about one of your secondary interests, maybe you need to start a new blog, eh?

So what I’m trying to say is don’t stress out about coming to BlogHer, because you’re going to have a good time. It’s a crazy, chaotic, and fun few days, where you’ll meet new friends, rub elbows with blog “stars” and maybe even find out that someone admires you.

Dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable, and don’t worry so much about your hair and makeup. After all, it can’t be as bad as my hair disaster from 06.

And if you need someone to give you that initial boost of confidence and support, come find me. I love meeting new people and I’m always available for a hug. At my first BlogHer several friends held my hand and made me feel comfortable, and I’m happy to return the favor for others.

Now tell me, who’s going to BlogHer?