Women bloggers gather in San Jose to network, share and inspire

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Bloggers from around the country are in San Jose for the 10th annual BlogHer conference. BlogHer is designed to help women network, share ideas and inspire one another.

The gathering has come a long way. It started in 2004 with 300 people and has grown to more than 4,000.

"They are the next great author, and the next great star, and the next great stand-up comedian, the next great, they're out here," said author Jenny Lawson.

Lawson is a popular blogger who hit it big when her memoir, "Let's Pretend This Never Happened," reached the top of the New York Times Bestseller List.

She says the BlogHer conference for women bloggers made it all happen. "I met my agent here and I was able to share with her some stuff that I had written and she was like, you should write a book," Lawson said.

The types of women bloggers at the conference run the gamut, from those who share their love of food, to those who write about politics.

Mommy bloggers make up a strong contingent. Many are established, others are starting out and seeking advice.

"Just some tips to be able to make the jump, and be inspired and put that energy into starting up a new blog," said mommy blogger Kari Robinson.

The people behind BlogHer say blogging continues to grow, but there are challenges.

"Now you have the opportunity to move beyond text into video. Now you have the opportunity to think about mobile. More than half the bloggers' traffic comes from the mobile device so there is just always more to accomplish and evolve," said Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer's COO and co-founder.

Product makers clearly understand the power of women bloggers. Dozens of vendors came to showcase their goods, in hopes they'll be written about.

Entrepreneur Patricia Lund's hair volumizer isn't even on the market yet, but she hopes a blog write-up will create some buzz. "We've had so many people come to our booth and they get it. They just get it. Because they live in the real world, and they write about real things," Lund said.

The BlogHer conference runs through Saturday.