Top 10 Lessons from a Blog Conference
I am back from my first ever blog conference, which happily coincided with a business trip promoting janmary designs in Atlanta.
Here’s what I learned about blogging conferences (more detailed lessons from the sessions coming soon)
1. If you get the chance to attend a blog conference – TAKE IT.
| From SITS Atlanta |
2. Don’t be shy – just smile and introduce yourself, you have blogging in common, so conversation just flows. At one point over lunch the volume of chatting was so loud we could hardly hear eachother at the table. Although when you have a camp director in charge, it didn’t take too long to get us to shush when required!
| From SITS Atlanta |
“Clap once if you can hear me, clap twice…….!”
3. Socialise above and beyond the main sessions if you get the chance – as well as the sessions, there were some sponsored events, and also some informal gatherings – it is during these times when you can connect and really get to know more bloggers.
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| From SITS Atlanta |
4. Bring bloggy business cards – ideally with your real name, your blog name, your twitter name and a recognisable photo of yourself. Melissa from Momcomm has a great post on this.If your cards reflect your blog design – even better!
5. Remember to take some photos of the view from the top of the hotel.
6. It might be useful to also create a bloggy badge – I used this before I received my conference tag however with my accent I sort of stuck out and was memorable anyway!
7. It can be confusing to have your real name and your on-line blog name different, however several of the main speakers wish that they had NOT used there real names on their blogs.
8. Leave room for some swag – although Bloggy Boot Camp is not really about the swag, sponsors do play an important role in helping to fund the event, and they may donate some goodies to bring home – mine included Tide mini pens, lots of toothpaste, a book, a cork screw, notebooks and pens….and more
9. You may feel awkward bringing a laptop or ipad to the sessions, but I wish I had – I have not hand-written so many notes in such a long time, and I am now trying to decipher them and type them up into a useable format.
10. Bring a camera and be prepared to use it!
Have you been to a blog conference – any tips you can to add?
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Fantastic! I didn’t take any pictures and I regret this the most! 🙁
It was so nice to meet you. I must get some of your beautiful jewelry!
Hi JM,
Ha, you’re home! I am so glad you made it safe and sound and it appears you made new contacts – better yet, friends! LOL – you know it, this being the photographer thing. Its like if I TAKE the camera everyone is waving me away, blanking out their face, making it seem like a big awkward deal, but if I DON’T bring my camera they are like “ohhhh, we thought YOU would be taking the pics. Safer to risk being made out to be the paparazzi and suffer the consequences because than not get the pics. The pics are a re-visit, a re-living of precious moments. Mine’s part of my purse nowadays.
It was fun following your journey via twitter.
Miles takes his ipad with him and he uses a word processing app, I think its called Pages, to take down notes, minutes etc.
Love,
Barb
It was SO awesome to meet you, Janine! I loved hearing your accent (did you hear my slightly southern one?) and getting to chat with you! And hey I’m in a picture!
I totally enjoyed BBC too… mainly because I got to chat with so many bloggers. Really is just nice to be around peeps who “get it”!
Glad your home sad I didn’t get to see you but it’s only 4 months away now,
Can’t wait to hear all the details about your week
Bet the kids are so glad to have you home did the girls like their new clothes?
It was so awesome to get to meet you! BBC was such an amazing experience! I learned so much! Still trying to figure out how to apply it all! 🙂 Glad you made it home safely!!!
Woohoo! I made it into your pics! I don’t know that i have any with you- I think you avoided my camera. I Loved having dinner with you and chatting. And I’m seriously thinking of taking you up on your offer to come to Ireland.