By this time next week I will be in Las Vegas attending my 2nd conference. I was lucky enough to attend BlogHer11 in San Diego (my hometown) and since then I have caught the bug for attending conferences. Admittedly, I am no where near where I would like to be in regards to my blog. It has required an investment of time and heart to nurture a blog... Time that I simply haven't had. I am a wife and first time mom to a now 2 year old while holding down a full time job outside of the home. I have faced challenges. The biggest of which is the challenge of TIME. In the end, I always (ALWAYS) put family first, which left my blogging last on the list of priorities. I hope to find balance. This conference may help me find ways to do just that! I'm looking to learn and to improve!
I do see the value in learning from those who are already established. It is WONDERFUL how much helpful advice you can get by just asking a fellow blogger! I think that it is just the very nature of any blogger: to share. To share knowledge, encouragement, stories, a recipe, helpful tips, or to simply rant.
I am very excited to be surrounded by those willing and able to share their wealth of knowledge! Not to mention that I'll finally get to meet some of my online friends & heros IRL!
I would love to hear about your experiences are with blogging conferences. If you are researching conferences to attend, I would recommend checking out Someday I'll Learn for an informative post on blog conferences.
If you are like I was and feel that conference cost are keeping you from going... there are ways around that! If you feel that you are not ready, or haven't found direction for you blog (like me) - I think that you should STILL go. There is so much that you can learn. I'm unsure of where I am going to take my blog. But conferences can help you get there, even if you haven't decided where that is!
I have never sought out sponsorship as a means to attend conferences, but in no way am I opposed to it. I just haven't mastered the ways to go about it. I have dabbled in sponsored blog posts in an effort to raise funds for conference costs and to my surprise have earned enough to go! Even without sponsorship, I still have found ways of attending that hasn't hurt the family funds! For BlogHer11, and now for Blogalicious, I did not pay a registration fee. I volunteered my way in for both. Usually a call for volunteers is put out - spots fill quickly so be on the lookout for them, or contact the organizers directly. For me, it is a great way to be involved and get my feet wet with conferences.
I'll confess that I am on the shy side but I'm overcoming that little by little! I'd love to say hello and meet with you in Vegas if you too are attending! I hope that we recognize each other in person!
On a side note: I've learned than a couple of my friends on Twitter didn't realize that I have a blog. Perhaps the same is true for the other way 'round. On twitter I am @lifebycynthia let's connect!
See you in Vegas!
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