Dad 2.0 Digital: The Takeaways

As mentioned in an earlier post, I spent this past weekend at the Dad 2.0 Digital Summit.  It was a three day affair, and overall was a great success, so I wanted to take a minute to celebrate the Dad 2.0 crew for creating a small intimate conference where men could meet, have heady discussions, share their writing, meet sponsors, and have an excellent time furthering the conversation of fatherhood.  

I have been to two or three digital conferences since the pandemic began, as well as EVERY Dad 2.0 Summit.  I'm a big fan of Doug French and John Pacini and the whole XY Media company that produces Dad 2, and I think they did a great job of adapting the original conference to a digital format while maintaining the spirit of the physical conferences.

FEEDBACK:

At the closing toast, Doug and John asked for feedback on this new format-- what worked, what didn't- and  hinted that they expected that some of the innovations that occurred during the Digital Summit may make it into other summits (or that they may adapt the digital summit as a portion of their offerings)

For the most part, especially considering this was the first time they did it digitally, they did a fantastic job.  I had some minor ideas for tweaks, listed below.

WHAT I LOVED: 

The Programming.  I thought the programming was (as always) excellent.  Below this section I've gone through in greater detail about some of my favorite parts of the conference.  From a programming aspect, every aspect was well done.  The presenters were all great, and the fact that I got to go to everything (all on one track) was greatly appreciated.

Three panelists (and the moderator Doug French) from the Freelance Writing panel.

The Intimacy: I also loved the intimate nature of the event.  There were about 100 people registered, and I saw some of them on the first day, but most of the Zoom calls I saw had between 20-35 people on them.  Most of them were previous attendees, so I  knew most of them, but there were a few new guys (and at least one guy dialing in from France, and I think another from India!)   Very quickly, there was a good feeling in the Zoom chat, and lots of questions and puns and dad jokes throughout the event.

Tom & Lucy Riles
have a new book
available on Amazon

This was about 1/3 of the people who typically attend Dad 2.0.  This may not be enough people to make the conference viable, but the small number of people that were there made it feel very cozy and intimate feel like the experience we shared together was special.  I don't know what the top number of people would stop me from feeling that way.

The Comradery: More than the programming, I always love coming to Dad 2 for the comradery.  There's a good feeling in the room,  nobody's a real jerk, and people are very generous with their time, their energy, and their friendship.  This came through, especially in the happy hour, hosted by Tommy Riles and his wife Lucy , and the annual Dad Voices event, where people share their writing.  That's always a special part of the event, and it remained so in the digital version.

WHAT NEEDS TWEAKING:

The sponsor activations  There was an hour each day to meet with the sponsors, and it both wasn't enough (I had to cut about three meetings short to make sure I got to everyone so that I could get my special scavenger hunt code from them, to put me in the running to win an Amazon gift card (I am in the running, tied for first-- I think it will be a random draw)   and it was too much.  At most of the zoom rooms that I went to, I was the only person there, and the people jumped on me.  I'm not sure what can be done, but I did not feel like I got the same quality introduction/experience with the sponsors that I might normally get at the conference, and I'm guessing the sponsors might feel the same.   And even though I'm in the running for the prize for the scavenger hunt, not sure that I like the way it was handled.  

I think it could have been done in a more fun way. (see below for an idea)

Life gets in the way:  This is something else, I'm not sure how they could do it differently. Usually, when I go to a conference, I go somewhere else, and I have nothing else to do but go to the conference.  That's my full agenda.  Going to a conference while having to get lunch for my kid, take him to skating practice, help with his homework, do laundry, make dinner for the family, etc.-- all of those mundane things got in the way of me feeling even more engaged in the conference.  Perhaps if the conference were only one day long it would help.  (but then there wouldn't be the same kind of energy)

Add personal interactions:  I would have liked to see something added into the mix,  where you got to make more personal connections with people.  Maybe it's using the Zoom breakout rooms to discuss some of the issues, and then come back to the main session with your group's ideas? Or a scavenger hunt event, where there's a speed dating group to meet the sponsors, and your team wins sponsored prizes for a judged "interaction"  or quick video?  I would like more opportunities to hang out virtually with other guys and get to know them better.  If they could sign a chain restaurant sponsor (or a delivery sponsor) maybe that could happen over a small group lunch or dinner?)

These are minor quibbles. Overall, I had a great time, and can't wait to attend the next one.  

Dad 2.0 Digital Summit Starts Today!

 This weekend I was supposed to fly to California to attend the Dad 2.0 West Coast Summit-- an extra-annual conference where marketers, social media leaders, and blogging parents connect to discuss the changing voice and perception of modern fatherhood. 

 

This was one of the souvenirs from a previous 
Dad 2 Summit.  It turns out, it's now worth
beaucoup bucks!

I have the rather proud distinction of having attended EVERY SINGLE ONE of these conferences.

Read my recaps of previous conferences.

 I went to the first one at my wife's insistence-- I did have a dad blog, but I wasn't thinking about marketing, I was thinking about writing, but she wanted to go to Austin for South By Southwest which was happening simultaneously, and this felt like a good way to visit Texas and write off some family vacation expenses. 

 I loved that conference-- the community of guys, some of whom I was already reading, but many that I didn't know, and the diversity and breadth of writing talent and marketing savvy was palpable.     

And I even knew a few guys there! (it turns out that unbeknownst to me, my pals from the New York City Dads Group were also attending in Austin (and also have been to every event )  Talk about Kismet!

Since that time, I've visited various places, including San Diego, San Francisco San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Washington DC to be with my community of dad writers, marketers, and sponsors, and it's been an important part of my "Recharging process"  in terms of my parenting writing, and why I am even blogging at all.    And I've done some great events, met some great companies.  I even got some writing work out of it!

One of the cool events that I got to do as part of the Dad 2.0 Community. 
Tour the Meadowlands with Doug Flutie!

This year at the last conference at the end of February in DC, they announced that they would hold an additional summit this year in Los Angeles.  I signed up for it, although wasn't sure if October would be the best time for me to travel.  But I've been to every one of the summits, and I thought what the heck.   This wasn't exactly pre-COVID-  I remember being a little leery of my cab drivers and wondering who sat in the Lyft before I got in.  But it was definitely before the lockdowns, and the mandatory masking, and the implosion of social gatherings.

THE DECISION TO GO DIGITAL

Dad 2.0 made the announcement this summer that they were going digital, and that my ticket would be good for both the digital conference and the next meat-conference they hold. I was happy because with COID I wasn't planning on traveling anywhere anytime soon. 

  The three days have been on my google calendar since March, but they were just marked off as three days.  Usually when I go to a conference I have traveled there, and I have NOTHING ON MY AGENDA except for the conference.  I am there, everything else is on hold.  This week, I need to fit in the conference in between my weekly D and D game, my son's skating practice, shepherding him through his homework and virtual classroom day, my wife's busy work schedule, and more.

 When my wife and I went over the weekly schedule, I said Oh, Dad 2.0 is this week.  She said, "Well, when will you not be available for looking after our son?"  Which was both a perfectly reasonable question and something to which I had no idea.  I don't typically plan out the conference until I'm on site.  When I went to the website to look at the schedule, I noticed something that makes perfect sense, but is also a stark reminder that no matter how connected we get, we won't be together.  

The Time Zone Change!  Although it was originally a west coast conference, all of the times for the official schedule are on Eastern Standard Time.  Since I live in a Central Time Zone state, I need to translate those in my head.  And there are guys attending from Europe who have to translate everything 7 or 8 hours.

Here's the schedule- and since this is my blog, I've conveniently translated all of the times to Central.  

Do the math in your own head!

DAD 2 DIGITAL SUMMIT  Schedule All times in Central Wed Sept 30 2:30 PM Newbie Seminar 8:00 PM Twitter Party Thurs Oct 1 8:30 AM Fitness with Dai Manuel (Part 1: physical) 10 AM: Opening Doug French and keynote: Michael Ian Black 11:45 AM: Marketplace- Sponsor Networking 1:00 PM Crafting the Counter Pitch 2:30 pm Hack Search and Grow Your Audience  3:30 PM Build Your platform 4:30 PM Stay-at-home Influence

Friday Oct 2 8:30 AM Fitness with Dai Manuel (Part 2: mental) 10 AM Workshop 11 AM: Video gaming and Family entertainment 2020 trends 11:45 AM: Marketplace Live- Sponsor Networking 1:00 PM Raising Boys To Be Good Men 2:30 PM SEO Like a CEO 3:30 PM Podcast Marketing 7 PM: Happy Hour with Tom and Lucy Riles 8 PM: Dad Voices  Saturday Oct 3  8:30 AM Fitness With Dai Manuel (Part 3: Nutritional) 10 AM Workshop 11 AM Hiring A Virtual Assistant 12 PM How To Pitch Anything 1 PM Freelance Writing  2:30 PM Closing Keynote & Closing Toast

SPONSORS

It will also be interesting to interact with the sponsors.  Typically at a conference like this, you spend a lot of time in their booth, getting to know people individually.  Not sure how it will work digitally.  

They have a fair amount of sponsors.  In the past Dove Men+Care has been their major sponsor, but they decided to sit this one out.    Here's a list of the sponsors for Dad 2 Digital.  From what I can remember, most of these sponsors have not been involved with Dad 2.0 previously.  

Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament  (which is a bold move, considering that most of their locations are either not yet allowed to operate, or are not operating at even close to full capacity.)  I love this place, and actually reviewed their Chicago show back in 2015

Here's a video I took then of some of the swashbuckling and joustingaction.

GSK-Glaxo Smith Klein-- a global health care company. 

Intellivision Amico- A throwback to the 1970's is making a comeback, and are presenting a new platform for videogames  is still around, and they are reinventing themselves to play on the same field with XBox, Playstation, and Wii.  Very excited to find out more about this!

This looks like a fun platform for playing games!

WaterWipes  - the wipes that were invented by a dad.

Babo Botanicals - organic, soy-free, gluten free sun care products.

Bluehost- one of the top wordpress and web hosting providers.  

Connected Camps- a not-for-profit providing fun learning experiences that foster creativity, problem solving, collaboration and interest-driven learning.
 They use Zoom and Minecraft as platforms to teach.

Constant Contact- one of the leaders in online marketing.

LiceFreee!- A safe alternative to traditional chemical pesticide head lice treatment.

Mediavine- a full service ad management and monetization partner for bloggers.

Trane a maker of HVAC and home comfort equipment.

Fathering Together is a 501c3 that supports individuals who identify as fathers to become better parents and people.

REGISTER

There's still time to register for Dad 2.0!  To do so, visit http://www.dad2.com and click the red register button.  

It's $99 for the digital conference only, and $149 to register for the digital conference and Dad 2 2021, wherever that might be in the physical world.

I'm not sure where it will be, but I'm pretty sure I will be there!

The Five Dimensions of Manhood

Larry Hagner, of the Dad's Edge Podcast.

At the recent Dad 2.0 Summit, I attended the podcast discussion where I listened to a number of interesting guys talk about their podcasts.  As part of that discussion, Larry Hagner, the driving force behind the Dad Edge podcast and the Good Dad Project, talked about what he called the Five Dimensions of Manhood.   (He was talking about what his content is about, and what he talks about, and he mentioned that all of his content falls into one of the following categories)

According to Hagner, there are 5 main dimensions of being a man (and I think that we could safely say for all people, although he focuses specifically on men)



Here are the Five Dimensions that Hagner outlined.

Hagner is also the author of the book
The Dad's Edge, available on Amazon.

1.  Health (including Physical, Spiritual, and Emotional)

2.  Work

3. Relationship with spouse/significant other

4. Relationship with children

5.  Finances


I was really intrigued by this cosmology, so I went back and listened to a couple of podcasts where he explains his idea more thoroughly.  (those podcasts linked below)

I listened to two or three podcasts with him on it, and for the most part, I like what he has to say.  He's well-spoken, thoughtful, and has great stories and insights.  In one of the podcasts, he says that everyone has a couple of core competencies in one of those five areas, but we all have deficiencies as well, and we need to be firing on all cylinders on all of them to be really happy.

I'm pretty sure these are NOT the Five Dimensions
that Hagner had in mind.
SHOP THE FIFTH DIMENSION ON AMAZON.

In another podcast, he talked about the fact that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with (outside our spouse and kids).  Another topic he talked about was how it's easy for a man to feel isolated and alone, to feel like he is spiraling out of control, and to take on all of the burdens of your family on your own, even though your partner might be ready to help.

[This is true for me for sure, even though my wife is the primary financial earner.  I still feel all of the financial pressure, as if it were my own.]

 All of what he said totally resonates with me.  However, I find that it is hard to separate what he is saying from the knowledge that he's selling an "answer" to your fears and ills, in the form of the Dad Edge Mastermind group, where for  $97 a month you get to become mastermind/accountability partners/friends with a group of other guys who will support you and help you and be your friend when the going gets rough.



I'm skeptical of the group part, and I am not planning on laying down any money to join an alliance of any kind.  Part of my skepticism is that I don't like being sold to, and part of it is I'm wary of group stuff like this.  I'm not much of a joiner, and when the answer seems to be "join our group for a fee"  I start to think about the money, and not wanting to be a sucker.  This could be either my superpower or my fatal flaw, depending on who you are talking to.

This is part of my problem.... I'm a Marxist!

Don't get me wrong, I've spent money on stuff before, and I know that the guys who have joined are grateful that they have.  He's had a few of them on the podcast episodes that i've listened to. 

While I can definitely imagine benefitting from being a member of the group,I can just as easily imagine myself having a terrible time with it.   And I'm not sure that I'm ready to take a risk like that to become part of the group.

If it were free, I'd probably try it, but it's not (and quite frankly, I can imagine that if it were free it would be terrible.  The guys you want in a group like this have to want to grow, and have to have some skin in the game.)


I guess what I'm saying is that even though I think I could benefit from something like this, I'm probably too much of a cheapskate to ever actually pay for something like this, for fear that I would be wasting my money.  This would fall under dimension number 5... Finances.  Which apparently I'm pretty screwed up about, and could benefit from being a member of a mastermind... (Whoa!! Catch-22!)

Are any of you guys members of a similar kind of mastermind (or even this one?)  Has it been helpful?  I'd love to hear your thoughts either here or via email.

And if you'd like to hear Hagner talk about his own ideas, you will very much enjoy what he has to say (and resonate with his honesty)

PODCASTS ABOUT THE FIVE DIMENSIONS  LARRY HAGNER

On The Dad's Edge Podcast
https://gooddadproject.com/dimensions-of-manhood/


On Alanis Pratt's Intimate Conversations Podcast:
http://intimateconversationspodcast.libsyn.com/larry-hagner-releasing-the-pain-of-the-past



On the Unbeatable Minds Podcast/Videocast
https://unbeatablemind.com/larry-hagner/

Seeing Dad 2.0 2020 with Clear Eyes and a Full Heart

This was my 9th Dad 2.0 Summit.  I've been to every one of them, as long as you don't count the Dad 2.0 that was actually at Mom 2.0 (which I guess was Dad 1.6)

The conference has just ended, and I'm trying to put into words my ideas and feelings about the conference in general and the love I have for being in this community of men and dads.

VULNERABILITY IS AT THE HEART OF DAD 2.0

At one of the early Dad 2.0's, Brenae Brown came and spoke, and talked about vulnerability and how important it was.  At the time, I thought, yeah, yeah, buzzwords.  And the guys who spoke and talked in those early summits were evolved, but a lot of the conversation revolved around the marketing and branding side of the conversation.  And that's what I thought I wanted from a blogging conference. I wanted to use this idea of vulnerability to get gigs.

At the podcast panel, some podcasters talk about how to create great podcasts
and get great guests.

Now, 9 years after the first Dad 2.0, it's not only the men at the conference that have evolved, but the conference itself.   The seeds that Brenae Brown planted way back when have grown fruit, and the last few Dad 2.0 Summits have been bigass flowers of masculine vulnerability and wonderfulness.  Story after story of dads being vulnerable, dealing with bad situations, dealing with good situations, and dealing with their own weaknesses, foibles, and vulnerabilities.  Discussions about the "professional" end of blogging still happen, but they are not the main point of the conference, and I think sometimes they are not even the point of the conference.

This certainly has something to do with the programming choices and the sensibilities of the founders/owners of Dad 2.0, John Pacini and Doug French, but it also has to do with the men and the brands who self-select to be here.

THE BRANDS THAT SUPPORTED DAD 2.0 2020

A little instagram filter magic and - a clown walks
among the dads!

Speaking of brands here's the list of the companies that were in attendance this year, along with what they did/asked for in activation. I want to personally thank each and every one of them for being supportive. 

I was surprised that a lot of companies that have sponsored in the past (Facebook, Google, Kidde alarms, Wrangler Jeans, to name a few) all were not in attendance this year.  Do they no longer want to be in front of dad influencers?  Are they getting them in a different way?

Dove Men+ Care was the premium sponsor, and this marks the 9th year that they've been with the conference in some way.  They brought their customary barbershop and product giveaways back.  They also asked men to sign a Paternity Leave pledge, and asked Dads to create content videos that either asked their congresspeople to support Paternity Leave or imparted some kind of knowledge onto men.  I didn't make a video this year, but I've seen several in my feed so far.

Me (clownbeard) posing with Brickbeard,  one of the Lego
characters.

Best Buy came back with their affiliate program  They have been pretty generous and focused on getting their products in front of dad influencers.  They were pushing their influencer program, which I am already a part of, although it seems like it's been on hold.  (The last program they ran seems to have been in December)

Caulipower was a new sponsor this year, showcasing their delicious pizzas and chicken products.
ry year.

Legoland was also back this year, touting this year's opening of Legoland NY.

Bark was in attendance, showing off some great work they've been doing in assisting authorities in capturing online predators.


Fodada the t-shirt company provided shirts.

There were a couple of non-profit sponsors, including Responsibility.org promoting responsible drinking, and GSK, who are promoting awareness of a  vaccine for Meningitis B, a strain that has been killing college students in the US. 

And there were a couple of sponsors on the website that I didn't see at the conference, including Capital One Bank and Healthline Parenthood. I must have missed them!

FATHERHOOD MATTERS AT DAD 2.0 2020

This year the conference tried something a little bit different, they put all of the speakers and keynotes, and blogger spotlights on the first day, and then on the second day they did all of the practical workshops/split aparts/ and panel discussions.

Me (right) with Jason Falls, left.  Jason and my wife have been colleagues, but it was great to finally meet him in person!

It was interesting, but it made for a very heavy day on the first day, as vulnerable story after vulnerable story was told, and there was a lot of sitting.  I think I prefer a more varied day, and wished they had found a way to change up the tone and the pace of the speakers.  (Not to say there wasn't some comedy- Jason Falls had some great and much needed comedy moments, as did opera star Kenneth Kellogg and Youtube video star Taylor Calmus.  But I would have preferred more, interspersed with some of the amazing and heart breaking stories that were told (especially the Bark video, in which Roo Powell of Bark shared how she pretended to be an 11 year old girl to entrap some child predators on the internet.  It was chilling.  (It took 1 minute before somebody attempted to prey on the 11 year old girl once her fake profile went public.)

Here's the chilling  video:


I was also just amazed at the quality of some of the writing that was featured, as well as the

MY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SUMMIT

•Dadfluence
Thinking about the idea of not being an influencer, but of influencing people, and influencing them not (necessarily) to buy products, but to take actions and to have their own ideas.  Doug French, the founder of the conference said he despises the word, but loves the idea, and I mostly have to agree, although dadfluence might be growing on me a little.

• Impromptu conversations
I had a number of impromptu conversations with people from all over the world.  I noticed that a lot of men were journaling and meditating and discussed that several times with people.
We also had a shabbat service for the first time, and said Kaddish for our friend Oren.  It was a great way to connect on a Friday night, and I will definitely continue/participate in that tradition at the next Dad 2.0.  Several non-Jewish dads were there too, and it was great to explain what we were doing and bond over the similarities and differences of rituals.

• Old friends
I've been coming to the conference for  awhile, and seeing old pals (Many of whom I see in person only once a year is always a delight.  It's great to reconnect with people.

Representatives from a number of City Dad Groups (which I've been a part of for 11 years!)

• Practical tips
Although vulnerability was the watchword, I did get a lot of practical tips and ideas from the second day of the conference, including some great ideas about building a subscription service/community from Deborah Moebes, ideas about how to support your kids as they become content creators in their own right from Jason Falls, advice on pitching and promoting yourself to brands from Patrick Quinn and Jessi Sanfilippo, and some great advice from Julie Powell, who during an offsite dinner encouraged me to write every day, something that I have not been doing with regularity.

 • Dad Voices
While bloggers are selected officially to be blogger spotlights, the best readings happen at the end of the night, where anyone who wants to can put their name in the hat and read an old or new blog post or just tell a story.  It's always energizing.  I went  around 11:30 pm, and it was great to read one of my posts out loud to a group of appreciative guys.

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR DAD 2.0

While I felt like sponsorships were down this year and the activations were not as grand (in the past we went to offsite parties, had venue activations and world-premiere movies, and sometimes got some pretty expensive swag) I still had a great time and enjoyed so much being in this community of like-minded men.

Dad 2.0 announced at the conference that the next conference was going to be in Los Angeles in October, and that it was going to focus more on practical and actionable ideas to make you a better influencer.   (If you purchase before tomorrow using the code DAD2LA, you can get entry for $79!

 I'm not sure I will be able to afford to go (the most expensive part of the conference is flying and hotels, and I have spent what I expected to already to come here this year.)  Nevertheless, I'm hopeful that I can attend, and keep my streak of attending EVERY Dad 2.0 intact.

It's also not clear if there will be two summits a year, or if this is just a time-change.  Either way, I'm hoping Dad 2.0 can find a way to keep bringing it's message to both the veterans and the newbies, because Dads who are woke to their vulnerability and influence are a powerful force for good.

Into the Scrum: On Being a Dad Influencer

New Podcast about the community of Dad Influencers.
Get the Podcast on Itunes

Two friends and colleagues in the dad blogger (excuse me, Dad Influencer) world have started a great podcast that they've titled Into The Scrum.  The podcast is about the community of Dad Influencers, and as they pithily put it on their twitter feed  "How to get gigs, support colleagues, and lift all boats."

The two colleagues are Jeff Bogle (founder and writer for Out With The Kids OWTK.COM and Doug French (Originally LaidOffDad, he's moved his blog to MrDougFrench.com and is the co-founder of Dad 2.0 Summit)

Both are smart guys with lots of experience navigating the business of being an influencer and a fair amount of success doing it.  Jeff's blog is full of sponsored posts as a brand ambassador to Kia, PBS, and lots of other top brands.  Last year Jeff won the Iris award for his photography, and his writing is really great. (And he has two daughters, one whose nickname is "The Bear" I guess I wasn't as original as I thought!  Jeff is also a Kindie music fiend, and when I showed up at KindieFest in Brooklyn a few years ago, I was amazed to find out that he was hip deep with Kindie artists.  His Kindie podcast is also worth listening to.

 Doug deals with brands everyday as the "Content guy" at Dad 2.0.  He was an early influencer/adopter/blogger and was an author/contributor on Babble, one of the top parenting blogs.

 Their podcast is pretty funny, it's heartfelt, and it makes great points as these two guys talk about the problems and pitfalls (and joys, of course) of being a male influencer in the parenting sphere, which has been typically dominated by women (the dreaded mom bloggers).

I've listened to the first five episodes, and while there is a small tendency to get far afield (one of the episodes spent about 5-7 minutes talking about Jeff repainting his living room from brown to teal) they talk about great stuff.

In the first or second episode, they talk about how it is possible to be happy for other people who succeed, even when they are doing stuff you wish you had been selected to do, or feel like you could do better.  They term this JOMO (Jealousy Of Missing Out) because it is the opposite of MOJO -- which I don't have an acronym for- care to give it a whirl in the comments?  As long as the third word isn't Jerk, we are good!)

 Their argument is that there is plenty of work out there for good influencers, and they give tips on how to get that work, and best practices, and good ideas to be the best influencer you can be (both financially and morally)  Of course, a tip like "Be easy to work with" is easy to say, but they give tips like turning in your deadline assignments early, checking in with people who have hired you in the past, be genuine with your requests and interest in them as people, etc.  All excellentt advice.

This is a great idea for a podcast, and a great time for this podcast, as things are really starting to heat up for Dad Influencers.  I've really enjoyed listening to the last 5 episodes, and I have to admit, I want to listen to more.


In other words, I hate these rat bastids!  :O)

The French Bogle Connection.  (Bogle on Left, French to the right)

Listen to Into The Scrum on Itunes.

The Amazing Garden started by Brenae Brown at Dad 2.0

I usually write a roundup post at the end of Dad 2.0, but I had an insight today that couldn't wait.

Four years ago, Brenae Brown came to Dad 2.0 and talked about vulnerability and shame.  (For those that weren't there, or haven't encountered Brenae Brown, I encourage you to watch this video.  I'll wait.

This isn't exactly everything she said, but she said substantially the same thing.

At the time, Dad 2.0 was very focused on brand relationships, and lots of the workshops were about working with brands.  Not a bad thing, and I appreciated that and the knowledge that I garnished. 

But this year, there's a whole different level.

Yesterday and today, there have been a number of speakers that spoke about depression and hard times in one form or another.

• Mike Cruse @papapreaches talked about how he felt broken, and his depression and how his drugs weren't walking and how it affected his family, 
• Tony Buchsbaum  @tbuchsbaum spoke about realizing he was gay and how that journey to find himself affected his family.
• Doyin Richards @daddydoinwork spoke about his depression and about how people put him in a weird box of being a black dad.
• Matt Parker @theexodusroad spoke about his work defeating child slavery in Thailand and Southeast Asia
• Glen/Beleaf @beleafme talked about his suicide and hard life, including his mom telling him she should have aborted him.
• Buzz Bishop @DadCAMP talked about a friend of his whose baby was born needing a blood transfusion and nearly died.
• Tobin Walsh @thegoodbaddad talked about how he feels he's failing to raise his adopted son as a good black man 

And there were other phenomenal speakers as well.  But after all this talk of depression and hard times, I made kind of a joke that apparently I needed to be more depressed to be a better dad blogger. 

 But as I thought more about it, I remembered that incredibly moving talk that Brenae Brown gave and realized that the seeds of vulnerability that Brenae Brown planted are blooming.

And it's a pretty amazing garden.

Dad 2.0- San Diego

Just some of the great sponsors of Dad 2.0

I just arrived in San Diego for the 6th annual Dad 2.0 Summit.  I've written about this event a number of times before SEE THOSE HERE.  It's a conference for dads who write and blog.

The first event was a fantastic Drone Experience (sponsored by Best Buy and DJI (makers of the drones)  I missed the one last year, so was determined to make this one (and I did)

I did a pretty good job of flying the drones.  These things are around $1000-$1500, so they are not that entry level, but they hover like a charm, are super heavy duty, and their photography is awesome!

I'm enrolled in a contest to win one, so I'm hoping that I do!





- here's a little video of me flying the drone like a BOSS!  ---

Me flying a #phantom4pro like a BOSS! I would very much like to win this #sweepstakes, internet gods! @djiglobal #bestdads I have spoken!

A video posted by Adam G (@kafclown) on Feb 9, 2017 at 1:15pm PST

 Anway I got to talking to a first time Dad 2.0 Summit goer.  He's a guy who has a huge following (600K on Youtube, and he vlogs 4 times a week, does lots of brand stuff, etc.) He's based here in San Diego, heard about the conference, and showed up.  He asked me what I like about the conference, and I thought it was worthwhile to repeat this.

I appreciate of course,  meeting brands, and hopefully getting some business.  But for me, that's not why I come.  As a stay-at-home dad (or a "write at home" dad)  I don't have a lot of opportunity to meet colleagues.  I meet a lot of other dads, but most of them are working. I meet a lot of moms, but they aren't men who are primary caregivers.

At this point, 6 years in, I love to come to Dad 2.0 to meet with my community.  I see them online, but having a face to face interaction is just so much better.

The conference will go on for 3 days, and will feature a fair amount of brands, but also talks, and panels, and other moments about how to be a better blogger, how to be a better dad, and how to be a better person.  I'm going to soak it all in, and drink beer with my colleagues.

While I'm here, I want to thank the sponsors of Dad 2.0, without which this conference would be vastly unaffordable for me. Please look kindly on these guys, who are supportive of the dad blogging community.

Check out their twitters (in the photo to the right, and follow them as a good deed.)

They deserve it.

Okay, got to go downstairs and commune with the Dads!

Dad 2.0 Summit 2.016- Keynotes, Community and a Letter From the Dead.

It's the morning after the event, and I am in my hotel room thinking about the great weekend I just experienced in the company of 400+ dads, and what I want to take away from it (aside from the fair amount of swag that I was given by the sponsors)

This was my fifth Dad 2.0 Summit, and next year will be my sixth:  I already bought my ticket for the next shindig, which will happen in San Diego Feb 2-4, 2017 (Superbowl weekend!)  [You can buy your ticket for $99 (or $119, with a $20 donation to the Oren Miller Scholarship fund)  That price is good for the next 36 hours or so.  BUY TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE

They haven't picked the hotel yet, but they've got a couple of strong possibilities, and truthfully the event could be held in a Super 8 motel and would still be pretty great.  (Although I seriously doubt that a Super 8 motel has the kind of conference space necessary to put 400+ guys.)

Enough shilling:  here are my takeaways/extra special moments for this year's Dad 2.0 Summit.

This was a pledge that Dove Men+Care asked us to make as WE THE DADS.  Their #REALSTRENGTH movement celebrates Dads as heroes not for their physical strength, but for their character and ability to stay involved.  #AWESOMESAUCE

KEYNOTES: 
The three keynotes were quite good (as to be expected)  All of them had a great sense of humor and were well-spoken about their topics.

Brad Meltzer, who is an author, spoke about Legacy and about Heroes.  He's written a series of Heroes books for kids called I WAS... (Amelia Earhart, Abraham Lincoln, etc) that look really good.  The takeway from his speech was "Live like you want to be remembered."

Michael Strahan, charismatic host of morning shows and former NFL superstar, had a similar message.  But the takeaway that I got from him was "Be relaxed, be yourself, and be willing to try something and fail."  He talked about the fact that he didn't get cosmetic surgery to fix his gap-tooth, although he considered it.  He decided to like himself  He also talked about his dad:  Great quote "My dad is a when guy, not an if guy.  It's when you finish college, not if you finish college."  He surprised me-- I thought he'd be good, but he was a more heartfelt and honest speaker than I thought he would be (which may have to do more with my own pre-conceived notions of tv personalities and football players than anything else)

Derreck Kayongo, a former Ugandan refugee who ended up creating a non-profit to give 10,000,000 lbs of barely used re-constituted hotel soap to 3rd world countries (the soap would otherwise have gone away as trash)  He recently became the CEO of a Human rights organization in Atlanta.  I had met him at a previous Dad 2.0 and he was a compelling and funny speaker.  His story is hard to listen to, but at the same time so compelling.  And at the end he led us in a Ugandan song, in which he admonished us not to sing like an Episcopalian priest.

Here's my not so great video of the song:

LETTERS FROM THE DEAD:

the late Oren Miller

Perhaps the most chilling moving moment of the entire event was Oren Miller's widow Beth reading a letter that Oren wrote to himself in 2010.  Oren had gotten into the habit of writing letters to his 10 year later future self on his birthday.  After Oren died, Beth was cleaning up his computer and discovered these letters/emails/notes to himself.  She read one of them, which was supposed to go to his 47 year old self.  As she read and he talked about his kids, and his wife, and a few other things, I started bawling like a baby.  And I was not alone.  Nearly everyone in the room was bawling.

I talked to a bunch of people afterward, and we all agree that it was such a moving and visceral experience to hear that letter read.  We didn't talk too much about why, but here's my thought:  It was not because his writing was so good (although it was).  But because of the ineffable loss I felt for him, and the feeling of my own mortality.  As she read, I couldn't help realize quite forcefully that none of us knows what the future will bring.  10 years from now, I could be dead too. (or living in Canada, if Trump gets elected.)  I love the idea of writing letters to my future self in this same vein, although I am not sure I'd want my wife (or anyone else) to read them.

If you don't have one yet to destroy,
Amazon will sell you one.

I had another friend die recently, and I am sure if I were to read his notes to himself, I would feel the same way.  Perhaps its my age, but this hit me right where I live.

NOTE TO SELF:  start destroying anything I'm ashamed of and would never want anyone to find when I die.  (Goodbye, Hello Kitty diary.)



JUST TRY IT

I've been thinking a lot about doing some new stuff, and one of them has been a DAILY SONNET project, where I write or read a sonnet everyday.  I talked some to Randall Chase, who is a Periscope expert, and he suggested just trying it.  So last night I periscoped Sonnet #1 from Shakespeare.  I had no viewers during the periscope.  But when I talked to my wife the next day, she said, "Aaron saw your sonnet and loved it-- he wants to know where is Sonnet #2?"  I think I'll be continuing the experiment!

Here's the video of that: (It's raw, and an experiment, so cut me some slack)

The point is:  Just try stuff and see what happens!

COMMUNITY
There were lots of other great things, and lots of great content, but for me, the #1 reason I keep on coming is the community.  Being in a community of these great dads (many of whom are also great writers and raconteurs) is just plain exhilarating.  As a dad, you have your wife as a person to talk with, but she's your wife.  You are related to her.

Having colleagues-- work friends, if you will-  that I can  just hang out with for a few days, talk about parenting, and comic books, and make slightly obscure references to obscurer movies and books, and even on occasion talk about our hopes and dreams with-- this is why I want to come back to Dad 2.0

 To quote a former president-- It's the Community Stupid.

Just some of the great guys from Dad 2.0-- this is from the #citydads meetup citydadsgroup.com

Mr. Dadapalooza Goes to Washington #Dad2summit

As I've done in years past, I'm going to be attending the Dad 2.0 Summit in Washington DC this weekend.  I've attended every year they've had it.  I think it's the best blogging conference that I attend (and I've attended quite a few over the years, although I've been slowing down the last couple of years.)

You can read my roundups and takeaways of previous conferences, but I think it's the best primarily because of the size.  It's small enough that you (and by this I mean me) can really make connections with other bloggers and with brand representatives.  I'm not a blogger with a huge following-- I have a couple of hundred loyal followers, but it's not like I'm a blogging celebrity.  And I'm not writing this blog to make money.  I make a little here and there, but most of what I make goes into either the hosting costs or attending conferences like this!)

 I write to share my ideas and opinions, and to bond with other families who might be interested in engaging in conversation.  And this conference is great for that.

The content is good at the conference, but it's pretty good at all the conferences.
(Here's the Program : http://www.dad2summit.com/schedule2016)

  The big difference for me is that of course this is aimed at me directly as a dad.  (Most of the blogger conferences are aimed at women-- there's a huge disconnect sometimes in the message.)

Just some of the great Dad Bloggers I've met through Dad 2.0.  I'm in the Green Jacket 4th from the right.

There's also a social element, and I look forward to seeing these guys who I have met and hung out with multiple times over the years.  I've made some real friends at the conference.

I'm also looking forward to meeting new guys, so if you are new to the conference, please stop me  and say Hi!

Of course, a conference like this needs SPONSORS.  The conference cost would be a lot more (and probably a lot less interesting) if the sponsors didn't show up.


Below is the list of BRANDS/SPONSORS who will be in attendance: (some of them are in-kind sponsors or media sponsors- I think that means they didn't pay anything to attend, which is perfectly okay with me, as long as they are bringing something of value to the conversation.)

Many of these brands are in it for the long haul.  They've sponsored multiple years, they've really tried to engage with dads and issues around being a dad,  and they are in general good people.

If you're already a fan of these brands, give them some twitter love, and if you don't yet know them, get to know them. They are on the side of the good guys, and dads everywhere will thank you.  (At least this dad will!)

See you at the conference!

SPONSOR	HASHTAG	TWITTER FEED
Dove Men+Care	#RealStrength	@DoveMenCare
Kia Motors	#KIADAD	@KIA
LEGO	#LEGODAD	@LEGO_Group
Meta	#Heart2Heart	@MetaHealth
Best Buy	#BestDads	@BestBuy
Lee Jeans	#LeeEdge	@LeeJeans
hello products	#BrushtimeConfessions	@helloproducts
Rheem	#RheemReady	@RheemComfort
Domain.ME	#MentorME	@DomainME
Kidde Fire Safety	#StepUpStandOut	@KiddeSafety
MemoryWeb	#Dad2MemoryWeb	@MemoryWeb
Nickelodeon	#NickDad	@NickelodeonTV
Responsibility[dot]org	#Responsibility	@GoFAAR
Restonic Mattress	#DADrest	@RestonicBeds
SmartyPants Vitamins	#SmartyDad	@SmartyHealth
YouTube	#YouTubeDads	@YouTube
Embassy Suites		@EmbassySuites
General Mills		@GeneralMills
Hashtracking		@Hashtracking
Smack Apparel		@SmackApparel
MEDIA PARTNERS
Esquire		@Esquire
City Dads Group		@CityDadsGroup
Fatherly		@FatherlyHQ
Life of Dad		@LifeOfDadShow
CAUSE PARTNERS
Camp Kesem		@CampKesem
National At-Home Dad Network		@HomeDadNet

Thank you for sponsoring the #Dad2Summit!

Just an appreciation of the sponsors of the Dad 2.0 summit, who are making it possible for me to attend the conference this year (they haven't paid me to attend, but the price is low primarily because these brands realize that dad bloggers and the dad blogging community is important to be a part of) 

That's not a small realization.   

Over the weekend (and perhaps further) I want to give these guys props and some social media love for being in the right place at the right time, and putting their money in the right place.

Looking forward to meeting you all, perhaps working with you in the future.  Most importantly, thanks for being a forward thinking (and dad-thinking) business!  

SPONSOR	HASHTAG	TWITTER FEED
Dad 2.0 Summit	#dad2summit	@dad2summit
Dove Men+Care	#RealStrength	@dovemencare
Arctic Cove	#coolestDad	@ArcticCove
Best Buy	#BESTDAD	@BestBuy
Blurb	N/A	@BlurbBooks
Embassy Suites	#ESDadHacks	@EmbassySuites
Hasbro	#TransformersRID #Nerf	@HasbroNews
Hot Wheels	#HotWheelsDads	@Hot_Wheels
Kia Motors	#KiaDad	@kia
Kidde Fire Safety	#RemoteLyncDad	@kiddesafety
KIND Healthy Snacks	#GrabHungerByTheNuts	@KINDSnacks
Lee® Jeans	#LeeModernDad	@LeeJeans
LEGO®	#LEGODAD	@LEGO_Group
NETGEAR	#LifeConnected	@wififamily
PicMonkey	#PicMonkeyDad2	@PicMonkeyapp
RYOBI Power Tools	#DadsRockRYOBI	@RYOBIPowerTools
ScholarShare	#CA529Plan	@ScholarShare529
SmartyPants Vitamins	#SmartyDad	@SmartyHealth
STŌK Grills	#STOKRevolution	@STOKGrills
TreeTop	#TreeTopPlaybook	@treetopinc
Esquire magazine	#Esquiremag	@Esquiremag
Esquire Network	#ESQTV	@ESQTV