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I am pleased to announce the Type-A Parent Conference opening keynote speaker, who will share his blogging journey from zero to full-time business.

And the opening keynote speaker is…

Chris Garrett

Chris Garrett is an online marketing consultant, coach, teacher and all-round web geek. He helps bloggers, consultants, freelancers, authors, coaches and speakers to grow their business by attracting and serving engaged audiences of people who know, like and trust them. He is the co-author of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income.

See his site, ChrisG.com, and follow him on Twitter, @chrisgarrett.

Special thanks to Wiley for sponsoring the opening keynote.

If you want to blog to thrive and grow as a business, you won’t want to miss Chris’ opening keynote! Be sure to register while there are still tickets available at the early bird pricing.

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I am excited to announce the closing keynote speaker for Type-A Parent Conference 2012. She is the most powerful keynoter I have seen. She will make you laugh and cry. She will teach you, motivate you and get you fired up.

And the closing keynote speaker is…

…René Syler

@renesyler

René Syler is a woman on a mission!

After two decades as a television news anchor, including four years on CBS’ The Early Show, Rene decided it was time for a change. Tired of reading from a teleprompter, René was determined to find her own voice and inspire women like herself – juggling busy lives, raising children and trying to live up to impossible parenting ideals. The result is René’s missive on modern motherhood, Good Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting and its subsequent website, Goodenoughmother.com.

René believes passionately in finding your voice and living by your own standards. As the daughter of two breast cancer survivors, René underwent a highly-publicized, preventive mastectomy in 2007. She now works tirelessly to promote early detection and travels the country speaking to groups of women (and men) about health issues, modern parenting and the importance of putting yourself first.

René writes for several websites, including TLC’s Parentables, Evenflo, Everyday Health and has her own column in The Birmingham News. She also makes regular guest appearances on TV shows, including CNN, BET, The Joy Behar Show, The Doctors and The Nate Berkus Show, is an in-demand speaker, continues to build the Good Enough Mother brand and is a proud wife to Buff Parham and parent to Casey and Cole.

Believe me, you will not want to miss her keynote! Be sure to register while there are still tickets available at the early bird pricing.

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I recently read a post, Myth of Doing It All, and just knew I had the perfect speaker and topic for the conference closing keynote. As digital parents, I think there is little doubt we all struggle with this. Additionally, Liz Gumbinner has been a leader in this space, promoting ethical behavior through initiatives like Blog with Integrity, which she co-founded, and standing out as a defender of bloggers getting fair pay for work.

Liz Gumbinner knows a little something about being a working mom. By day, she is an ad agency creative director, but online, she’s best known as the co-publisher and editor-in-chief of shopping and trend blog Cool Mom Picks and sister site Cool Mom Tech. Called “the online arbiter of cool for the swingset crowd” by Parents Magazine, Cool Mom Picks been cited as a favorite parenting blog by Real Simple, InStyle, and the Telegraph UK. Liz is also the author of the popular personal blog Mom-101 which has been featured in the New York Times, CNN and NPR, and called “funny some of the time” by an enthusiastic anonymous commenter. Liz can be found discussing parenting trends and culture in national magazines, newspapers, and shows including NBC’s TODAY Show, CBS The Early Show, ABC News Now, and CBS News’ @katiecouric web show. She has also been named a top digital influencer by Forbes, Nielsen, Parents, and the New York Post, and is a recent recipient of a 2011 AWNY Game Changers award. Liz lives in Brooklyn with her two daughters and her partner Nate who, thankfully, cooks.

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There is a fresh new batch of speakers to announce for Type-A Parent Conference. There are also many updates to the official schedule (most of the sessions are in there, many of the speakers, and some of the evening parties).

I am excited to announce the following speakers added to the #typeacon roster:

• Jason Avant (@petcobra), session: Dad Bloggers (Tribes Session)
• Stephanie Beal (@unbelievaBeal), session: Parent Blogging – Is It Time for Moms and Dads to Consolidate? (Passions Track)
• Debbie Bookstaber (@buzzmommy), session: Affiliates, Yes Even Your Blog Can Earn Revenue (Practicalities Track)
• Kris Cain (@littletechgirl), session: Social Media and Tech Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Stacie Connerty (@stacieinatlanta), session: Review Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Melanie Edwards (@modernmami), session: Latina Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Erica Mueller (@ericamueller), session: Basic Blog Coding (Programming Track)
• Clay Nichols (@daddyclay), session: Dad Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Lucretia Priutt (@lucretiapruitt), session: Social Media and Tech Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Linda Sellers (@linda_sellers), session: Review Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Jo-Lynne Shane (@JoLynneS), session: Group and Community Bloggers (Tribes Track)
• Aliza Sherman (@alizasherman), session: Mobilizing Your Blog (Programming Track)
• Roxana Soto (@roxanaSB), session: Profitable Bogging Without Selling Your Soul (Practicalities Track)

See the complete list of speakers announced to date on the Speaker Page. There are just two months left until the conference, so be sure to register now!

Photo of Melanie Edwards, Tara Ziegmont Gerner and Robin Dance by Rick Bucich of Tiny Prints.

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Session coordinator Heather Solos (@heathersolos) and I have been working hard to plan sessions and speakers, and are excited to announce the next round of Type-A Parent Conference speakers.

Newly added to the Type-A 2011 roster are:

• Sherry Aikens (@babypop), session: Leveraging Your Social Capital to Earn Through Ecommerce (Monetization Track)
• Barbie Angell (@barbieangell), session: Creative Writing and Powerful Storytelling (Passions Track)
• Michael Carnell (@carnellm), session: Blog Self Defense – Dealing with Hackers, Spammers and Other Web Menaces (Programming Track)
• Janice Croze (@5minutesformom), session: Integrated Social Media Marketing Campaigns (Marketing Track)
• Stacey Ferguson (@justicefergie), session: Profitable Blogging Without Selling Your Soul (Practicalities Track)
• Ana Flores (@spanglishbaby), session: Profitable Blogging Without Selling Your Soul (Practicalities Track)
• Andy Hayes (@andrewghayes), session: Design and Usability: Don’t Make People Hate Your Blog (Practicalities Track)
• Mr. Lady (@mrlady), session: Parent Blogging – Is It Time for Moms and Dads to Consolidate? (Passions Track)
• Jessi Langson (@tokissthecook), session: Blogger Outreach That Works (Marketing Track)
• Jim Lin (@busydadblog), session: Parent Blogging – Is It Time for Moms and Dads to Consolidate? (Passions Track)
• Ron Mattocks (@ck_lunchbox), session moderator: Parent Blogging – Is It Time for Moms and Dads to Consolidate? (Passions Track)
• Jendi Pagano (@jendisjournal), session: Video Editing (Programming Track)
• Danielle Smith (@daniellesmithtv), session: Video Editing (Programming Track)

See the full list of speakers…

We are also in the process of updating the schedule. All of the business sessions are now on the Type-A Parent Conference 2011 schedule.

Photo by Robin Dance

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The first round of Type-A Parent Conference speakers and sessions are now announced. The list includes the opening keynote, as well as several of the speakers for the first day (Type-A Business, which features advanced and business-oriented topics for bloggers and social media sessions for businesses). Here is just a sampling of the sessions announced:

• Getting Freelance Writing Gigs and eBooks from Concept to Sales (Monetization Track)
• Blogger Outreach that Works and Writing a Pitch (Marketing Track)
• Facebook Pages and Traffic Building Bootcamp (Intensives)

To attend both the opening keynote and these sessions, be sure to register for the Type-A Parent Conference+Business pass. The Early Bird rate for those passes just sold out, but I added some so more people could get the discounted rate. Special thanks to my session coordinator, Heather Solos (@heathersolos) who worked with me to develop the great programming. Also, just a note, the call for speaker proposals closes on March 15th.

See the speakers and sessions announced today…

Photo by Robin Dance

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I am very excited to announce the Type-A Parent Conference opening speaker, Patti Digh (@pattidigh). She is a longtime blogger, bestselling author of Life is a Verb and a mom, and her opening keynote is entitled, “Blog is a Verb: How to Find Your Voice and Write with Intention.”

“If the Buddha had two kids, a dog named Blue, a Southern accent, and a huge crush on Johnny Depp, his name would be Patti Digh,” wrote one reviewer after Digh’s grassroots bestseller, Life Is a Verb, was published. Digh (pronounced “dye”) is a Southern-born master storyteller whose stories are full of humor, poignancy, surprise, pain, and knowing. Life Is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be Mindful, and Live Intentionally, was one of five finalists for the prestigious Books for a Better Life award and a nominee for a Book of the Year award from the Southern Independent Booksellers Association (SIBA).

Her award-winning blog on which it was based, 37days.com, brings together readers from ages 12 through 95 across the globe; readers of that blog created an unprecedented 43-city book tour for Patti when the book arrived. Patti has published three books since Life is a Verb, including Four-Word Self-Help: Simple Wisdom for Complex Lives, What I Wish For You: simple wisdom for a happy life, and Creative Is a Verb: If You’re Alive, You’re Creative, which is also a nominee for a Book of the Year award from SIBA. Her smart, funny, and moving writing and speaking will touch your heart deeply. Audiences come away from her readings and speeches both laughing and crying, and with a clearer sense of what’s important in their own lives.

Here is a video that explains the amazing story behind her blog and her bestselling book, Life is a Verb.

Why 37 days? from Patti Digh on Vimeo.

To see the opening keynote, register for either Conference or Conference+Business pass to Type-A Parent Conference. The Early Bird conference+business passes just sold out, so I added more, but be sure to register soon!

Watch out tomorrow, when I will announce the first batch of speakers!

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When seeking out a closing keynote speaker, I wanted to find a woman who is an outstanding role model for attendees: a trailblazer, a thought leader, someone who has the decades of experience that many in the social media and blogging space don’t yet have. I am pleased to announce that the closing keynote speaker, Aliza Sherman, is the epitome of all of those ideals. She has been a change-maker in this space since the 1980s, and continues in that role today. Beyond that, she is one who hasn’t let her years of dazzling success and acclaim go to her head. She has been warm, helpful and friendly to all her fellow bloggers every time I’ve seen her at conferences.

Aliza Sherman, aka @alizasherman, started the first woman-owned full-service Internet company, Cybergrrl, Inc., and the first global women’s Internet organization, Webgrrls International, that boasted over 100 chapters worldwide and over 30,000 online participants in the 90s. She launched the first three general interest web sites for women – Cybergrrl.com, Webgrrls.com, and Femina.com – predating all other major women’s web sites. Her pioneering work on the Web was recognized early on when Newsweek named her one of the “Top People Who Matter Most on the Internet.” More recently, Fast Company named her one of the “Most Influential Women in Technology.”

Aliza is the author of seven books including The Everything Blogging Book, Streetwise Ecommerce, and PowerTools for Women in Business. She is recognized as a thought leader in the ever-evolving landscape of Internet media, marketing, and communications, specializing in social media marketing with Conversify, the agency she co-founded in 2005. She is a frequent podcaster and blogger and has had a mommy blog since 2003 when she began sharing her experiences with multiple miscarriages and post partum depression.

She is an avid RVer and loves Karaoke.

Find out more about about Aliza Sherman and all the Type-A Mom 2010 speakers…

Also, just FYI, there are only 12 Early Bird tickets left. Be sure to register soon!

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The schedule was just updated to include most of the sessions, and the speaker list was updated as well. I have many of the speaker slots filled now, but you can review the list of sessions to submit or resubmit as I will add some more speakers later. I am also still accepting speaker proposals for the Dad Track, as I am still working on the sessions  and speakers for that.

There are just 31 Early Bird tickets left, so be sure to register now! The special Type-A Mom rate at the Asheville Renaissance is also for a limited time and with a limited number of rooms, so be sure to book early and use the official link to get the reduced rate!

Photo by Rick Bucich of Tiny Prints.

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What type of work do you do? Describe some aspects of your typical day!

My “day job” – I’m the Technology Specialist for a state-wide e-learning project. This means that I manage anything related to web and course design, technical support, desktop publishing, SEO, and marketing.

Additionally, as owner of ModernMami.com, I handle content development, blog management, marketing, SEO, and social media monitoring and promotion.

How long have you been doing it and what got you started?

I’ve been in the e-learning industry for three years and have been blogging for about the same time.

I got started with blogging soon after my daughter was born. I needed to connect with other mothers since at the time, many of my friends did not have children. I was also seeking ways for me to work from home and stumbled on blogging as an option.

What is the most important thing you like to keep in mind? What are your future plans or goals?

I always have my family in mind. They are my motivation to keep working so hard.

My future goals are to work from home as a consultant/freelancer and provide social media and content services for others.

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