Seven Minutes of Gold

I didn't go to BlogHer this weekend. I mostly stayed away from social media as well - we all know it isn't very much fun to sit at home on twitter and see all the BlogHer tweets when you aren't there. But now Sunday night has arrived, the post-BlogHer blog posts are starting to roll in, and I can't stay away.

The one thing I'm noticing the most chatter about is the presentation made by President Obama, and the presentation that was not made by Mitt Romney.

Both candidates were given the opportunity to speak at the conference.

When I think of President Obama's seven minute address to the 4,000 women at BlogHer this year, I feel like he is indicating his appreciation for the power of social media. It is as if he is saying, "Your voice is important, you are important, and your time is important."

When I think of Mitt Romney declining the offer to speak to the 4,000 women at BlogHer, it is as if he is saying, "Your voice is not important, you are not important, and your time is not important."

Not taking the opportunity to directly address the attendees of BlogHer - a powerful community of women with a variety of political affiliations, who reach hundreds of thousands of readers across the world each day with their words, in a personal way - seems foolish to me.

The decision to speak or not speak at BlogHer does not tell the entire story of how each candidate feels about women. But Romney's decision seems to fit into a trend of how he approaches women and how he approaches social media.

What do you think?

I want to know what Romney was doing all weekend long, that was so important, that he didn't have the time to make a free seven minute video appearance.

Here are some seven minute tasks:
1. Fill your car up with gas (if you can afford it).
2. Read a chapter of a book
3. Make lunch for your kid.
4. Check the mail (but not the email - because that takes all day, and never ends)
5. Read and comment on a blog post.
6. Water your plants.
7. Make a presentation to 4,000 powerful bloggers!