The Bison Incident
September 15, 2010, By Craig J. Heimbuch 8 comments
Something like this was bound to happen. Dads out on the road, meeting for the first time, exploring new ways to work together as emergent leaders in the new world of men's media. It couldn't all be academic could it? It couldn't all be about link sharing and blog carnivals. Nope, not with the Man of the House team around, it couldn't.
I suppose it makes sense to set the scene a bit. Managing Editor Jeff Pugh, Director of Video Content Brian Bowen, Associate Editor Kasie Baltes, Operations Director Jana Roszkowski, General Manager David Germano and I attended the M3 Summit in Atlanta this passed weekend. Touted to be the first men's blog conference - our answer to BlogHer, et. al - the M3 Summit represented an opportunity to shake hands and rub elbows with the best the new men's internet has to offer.
Things were going great. We met the likes of Doug French, Jason Avant, Ron Mattocks, Caleb Gardner, John Cave Osborne, Angus Nelson, Paul Banas and many more men, dads and bloggers on the forefront of a new conversation about what it means to be a man.
Things were going great. We were laughing and networking, networking and laughing. And after all was said and done on the first night of the conference, we decided to take the party out to dinner at a certain restaurant named after a media mogul, a Western state and a backyard cooking appliance. They sat us in an alcove, complete with curtains that could be drawn, should we require of few moments of mafioso-like privacy. And we were all there, the Man of the House team; Clay, Brad, Jane, Danny and Dixie from DadLabs; Mssrs Avant and Gardner and the folks from Scandinavian Child and Childs Play Communications. It felt like we were onto something big, an idea, a movement. It was the first supper for a new wave of media.
And then Jeff's bison steak was served.
Suffice it to say, this restaurant is known for its bison. It's part of the logo. It's been discussed on the news and dining blogs for years. And, in theory at least, bison is just the medicine for an America saturated with saturated fat and processed meat products. Bison is lean. It's healthy, good for you in all respects, apart from when it gives off an odor described by Jason as resembling that of a "decomposing seal carcass." Leave it to the group's lone surfer to get all nautical.
We took turns, like 12 year-olds discovering something mildly oozy in the woods. "It smells awful. See for yourself." We passed around the victim, made jokes about Jeff and botulism, quoted colorful movie lines - "It smells like a dirty diaper filled with Indian food." "It smells like Bigfoot's (expletive deleted)." And suddenly, we were more than just potential collaborators and link-sharers. We were friends. The kind of friends who promise to write after a week at camp. The kinds of friends who actually do.
All it took was a bit of rancid meat and a fifth-grade mentality.
I know I speak for the Man of the House team when I say that M3 was worth it. It was worth the long drive - though some of us flew - down in a Chevrolet Suburban. It was the hassle of hotel check-in and weeks of prep work getting our booth ready. It was worth the time away from home. Not only did we come away with new contacts to run our business, but with a sense of belonging. It can be lonely out there on the social internet. You can feel like you are spinning your wheels, playing tunes that no one is dancing to. And eventually you start to doubt that what you believe in - that there is a better way to talk about being a man, that there is a reality closer to your own - but having an opportunity to meet people who, like you, have a vision for a better way is, well, energizing. Add to it that you made new friends and somehow the experience becomes more - meaningful, memorable.
But don't take my word for it. Here's what some of our new friends had to say about M3:
Clark Kent's Lunchbox: M3 Summit: This Changes Some Things. This Changes Others. This Changes Nothing
And Triplets Make Six: M3 Summit Recap
The DADvocate: M3Summit – Dad’s Who Lunch, Chevy and a Social Media Lesson
Kevin Gainey: M3 Summit Made Me Lazy
Daddy Types: M3 Cliff's Notes. And Brian's Notes. And Jason's Note
Rebel Dad: Musings on Modern Media Man
Real Men Drive Minivans: Chuck Norris and Pay Per Punch Monetization (A M3 Summit Recap)
The Exceptional Man: Good Men, Good Stories
Father Muskrat: The Modern Media Muskrat Summit
Fastlane Blog: Update from the Modern Media Man Summit in Atlanta, GA
I'm the Dad, That's Why: Thoughts on M3, The Modern Media Man Summit
Ben Spark: I Talked About Photos
The Father Factor: Modern Media Man
Stay at Home Dad in Lansing: Tuesday 10 – Great things about the Modern Media Man Summit
Dad of Divas: I am a part of the Dad Movement at the #M3Summit
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