FAQs about BlogU

What do I wear?

Wear whatever makes you comfortable. It will be a long weekend with walking fair distances, so comfortable shoes are recommended. We personally don’t care if you show up in pajamas, but remember you are meeting potential business partners and doing networking, so business casual is the most appropriate attire. Jeans are fine.

What is the bathroom situation?

Because we are in college dorm rooms, not every room has access to a private bathroom. This is one sacrifice we had to make in order to keep the conference affordable. There are a few rooms which do have private baths, some rooms are suites which share a semi-private bathroom with another room, and of course there are hallway baths that are available to everyone. We recommend bringing flip-flops to wear in the shower. It’s just like college!

See, we told you that you were going to “get schooled.”

What about security?

The university takes campus security very seriously. There are on-campus security guards and campus police on patrol 24/7. If at any time you feel uneasy, they may be reached by using a blue light emergency phone or by dialing 301-405-3333. In an emergency, dial 911. For more details, see http://www.studentaffairs.umd.edu/safety-security

As for your room, you will be provided with a key and a swipe card. (DO NOT LOSE YOUR KEY because the college charges a fee to replace it, which you will be responsible to pay.) You are advised not to leave valuables unattended in your room.

Do I need to bring sheets and towels?

Nope. The college provides those.

What if I am Anonymous?

No problem. Some members of our faculty are anonymous bloggers too! We can’t make any 100% guarantees that your face will not wind up on the internet, but we will do our best to make sure that doesn’t happen.

When you register, you will have the option to put a red letter “A” on your badge. In this case, the Scarlet Letter stands for “anonymous.”

We will be very clear with all attendees that if a person is wearing an “A” on their badge, they are not to have their photo posted online. It will also help you remember when you get home and are sorting through your pictures which ones are okay to post on your blog or social media and which pictures need to stay private (or have an anonymous blogger cropped out of them).