Top takeaways from #bloggybootcamp
Earlier this year, I read this NY Times article and learned about Bloggy Boot Camp. Organized by Tiffany R. (a very pretty girl), the one-day conferences are held in cities throughout the U.S. The primary audience for these conferences is definitely the “mommy blogger”, but there were also single gals, married women without children, and grandmas in the room. (The only two males at our event in San Francisco were Ted Rubin [Open Sky] and the rep from FRSHE.)
The energy level throughout the day was pretty high. Tiffany did a great job in keeping speakers to their time limits as well as providing some great insights after each speaker. She also has a great format where she makes you get up and change tables between each event. While this was a little cumbersome with a laptop, it’s a great way to force people to get up and stretch between speakers and also network with a wider range of people than you normally would.
My top takeaways from the day:
- Jessica Bern (@bernthis) started the day with a great presentation on video blogging (#vlogging). I haven’t figured out when, or if, I’m ever going to incorporate video blogging into my blogging strategy, but Jessica made it seem very doable. She uses an improvisational style to do her videos. She’ll often do several takes and then use the one that’s best.
- Jennifer James (@mombloggersclub) talked about how to build your brand using social media for maximum exposure. One of her main tips was to be consistent. If you’re going to focus on Twitter, make sure you have a consistent presence on Twitter. I also liked her ideas on branding yourself the same way across all platforms – blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Make sure you register the URL and names on all the outposts.
- Ciaran Blumenfeld (@momfluential) spoke about how to work with brands and the PR teams that represent those brands.
- After Ciaran, Tiffany followed up with some great tips about working with brands. Specifically, she talked about making sure you have an elevator pitch and making sure you can describe who you are and what your blog is about.
I liveblogged my notes from most of the sessions (I had to step out during the last speaker).
There are some great Bloggy Boot Camps coming up in 2010 and 2011. Definitely check them out if you’re looking for a smaller, single day conference.
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http://www.mirileigh.com Mirileigh
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http://www.sueannereed.com Sue Anne Reed