Blogging Conferences

 

Opryland Delta Atrium

Blissdom, BlogHer, Relevant…. I’m sure I’m leaving others out, but these are the biggies and the only ones I know about.

Blogging conferences are a great way to meet your favorite bloggers, hear from wonderful speakers who’ve been there..done that, and just get away with other like-minded people.

I would like to go to one of these blogging conferences, but can’t for various reasons.  The most important being I am not independently wealthy.

1. I totally missed the boat on Blissdom; it’s this week.  I can picture myself shmoozing with Nester Smith and Tsh Oxenreider (though, she might be a little buzy since she’s one of the speakers), blogging alongside other bloggy-minded women, laughing and crying and walking all over the Opryland Hotel.  Alas…it’s not to be this year.
2. BlogHer has three conferences this year:  BlogHer, BlogHer Food, and BlogHer bet.  BlogHer Food is self-explanatory.  BlogHer bet (bet stands for Business, Entrepreneurship, Technology) is for women who have a business, are looking to start a business or want to use technology to further their business.  BlogHer expects  thousands–yes, you read that correctly, thousands–of attendees!!  This is a little scary to a first-time blog conferencee.  Maybe after I get a few under my belt, I’ll be brave enough to attend one of these.
3. The Relevant Conference is in October.  While it’s later in the year allowing me to plan better, they (wisely) limit the number of attendees and registration starts on March 1st.  I’m betting this amazing conference will sell out fast.  I don’t know that we’ll have the money by then.  I also don’t know anyone going and so have no one with which to share a $190-a-night room for two or three nights.  Maybe I can talk my best friend into going.  That would be great!

So, I’ll be living vicariously through Nester, Tsh and any of my other favorite bloggers who’ll be rubbing elbows with each other and blogging about it.

Blessings,

Mel

Tips for Sticking to Your Daily Blogging

I know what you’re thinking. Who am I to be offering tips on daily blogging when I literally just joined the Postaday crowd three days ago?  I have two answers for you.

First Answer: I’ve been writing off and on for over 25 years. I started writing stories and poems as early as third grade.  During difficult teenage years, I wrote a lot of poetry.  I’ve written for a women’s ministry newletter as a contributor and an editor.  And I’ve filled quite a few journals.  My point?  I know how hard it is to get started and continue writing.

Second answer: I’ve been a blogger for three years.  While I’ve mostly been a hit-and-miss blogger during that time, there were short stints of daily posting or several-days-a-week posting.  A lot of that writing got done when I was on a creative roll.  Ideas would flow in so fast I would be drafting three posts at once.  I didn’t always get those extras published, but they were saved ready for a later date.  Some are finished, some are still raw.

So, how can you be sure to post daily (or weekly)?

• Get a notebook or sketchbook just for blogging ideas. I have a simple five subject notebook that I’ve divided into ideas, tips for blogging, etc.  I not only get ideas about what to write, but also about photos I have or photos I’d like to take.  Try to keep it with you all the time so whenever an idea pops up, you’re not using a napkin or an old receipt.
• Write two or three posts at once and schedule them for publishing. When I discovered this feature on my first blog, I was ecstatic.  You can schedule your posts to publish any day and time you choose.  Just be sure to finish a post you’ve started and scheduled.  Once you click on Schedule it’s going out for all to read, unless you edit your publish date and time before it posts.  I have published unfinished posts and it was embarrassing.  Especially when it posted to my facebook account.
• Make an appointment with yourself and stick to it. I learned about this from a Franklin Covey planner, Leadership, a few years ago.  It’s too easy to set aside something we want to do for everyone and everything else.  Sometimes it’s procrastination.  Sometimes it’s family or friends, housework or schoolwork.  I find I am a better person, wife and mother when I make time for me and write what’s on my mind.

Those are my tips for daily blogging.  Enjoy what comes to mind.  Get it out of your head and into the blogosphere!

Blessings,

Mel