I posted this over at MomSpark, but wanted to let my readers have a chance to read it, too.
Are you a new blogger? Do you aspire to blog for money? Are you interested in attending a conference? Here’s my takeaway on blogging conferences:
I have attended three conferences…all three were very different.
At TypeAMom I was a new blogger very much blogging as a hobby. I left TypeAMom detemined to get paid…for something…anything. The speakers gave clear ideas on how to make money writing or promoting products. They made no guarantees. I found the writing sessions to be particularly helpful. Megan — TypeAMom would be a perfect first conference. Low key. Small. Asheville is an interesting and unique city. Very granola crunchy and vegan, but in a good way.
Mom 2.0 is a great conference. For as casual and laid as TypeAMom is, Mom 2.0 is the exact opposite. Much more corporate. I wore business-type clothes to the sessions. The evening events were more formal than TypeAMom, too. The brands were worth the price of getting to Houston. I met up with Hot Wheels, Oscar Mayer, 20th Century Fox, and quite a few others. The conference had a few one-off events: an art show where blogger’s words were made in to art, a screening of Despicable Me, a sneak preview of Flicka 2, key notes by Dooce and Ask Heloise, and many, many enlightening sessions. I had a slight brush with celebrity as I interviewed Michael Damian (ex-YR) the Flicka director.
Bloggy Boot Camp — Baltimore — was a one-day event organized by the SITS Girls. Yes, it was the event reported in the New York times. BBC would be ideal for the new blogger, too. Good for those who cannot spend 2-3 days away from their families. Cheap — $99 for the day including lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much of the information was not new to me. You might wonder if I was disappointed to attend a conference where I took home very little new information. I treated BBC like a social gathering. I met old and new friends during the sessions and at the lunch. The SITS Girls had the briliiant idea to have everyone change seats at the start of each session. I sat at 6 different tables during the day. I met so many new blogging friends. As far as brands go there was one main sponsor present, with no other brands represented. I liked chatting with other bloggers rather than pitching myself to others all day.
What conferences are you going to this year? Have you joined MomSpark yet? If not, why not!
