This past weekend I attended the Say Hi Society mini blog conference. So. Blog conferences. Blogger meet-ups. I think it's a pretty popular thing amongst bloggers in Utah or Arizona. Maybe California, too? When I learned that we'd be moving to Arizona a couple of years ago, I was stoked because I knew there was a big community of bloggers round these parts. Where I lived previously, in southern New Mexico, I was the only person I knew (IRL) with a blog. (Not true anymore, because my kick @$$ friend
Santana now has a blog that you should definitely check out.)
The first blog conference I attended was as a huge, round, pregnant lady that would have her baby two days later. It was a little nerve wracking because I had no idea who any of these people were! Oh, except for
Ashley Nielson who was pregnant at that time, too. I actually hitched a ride with a complete stranger, aka
Jen Bosen, who has since become a friend. Right. I was in a new world, and it was pretty hectic because the space was too small and the air conditioner was broken?? This is a crime in Arizona. Maybe that experience is what led me into labor. If so, I'm grateful for it! Gwen came a week early!
Anyway, since then, I've attended a few more blog meet-ups, but I gotta say, they've all been
kind of awkward. Not, like, all aspects of each meet-up, but there have always been the little awkward moments when meeting new people and trying to get to know them in just a couple of hours. Miraculously, I have made a handful of internet and real life friends through these things! And
that is what I like about the meet-ups: socializing with like-minded friends. Yeah, my number one reason to attend these things is not to network or grow my blog following, but to hang with my peeps.
Also, there's the awkward aspect of being in a room full of people who are taking the talks and networking very seriously, while I'm just happy to get out of the house.
Okay, but seriously. I do enjoy listening to the talks even when I can't relate half the time because they usually inspire me to keep blogging or to think about what I want from my blog. There were two talks at this conference, and I walked in very late to the first one. See, I thought the conference started at 9:30 when it actually started at 8:45. (I'm a little glad that I was late because if I would have known that it started at 8:45 I would have been a little miserable; I hate waking up early.) So there was my first awkward thing. The speakers were Jamie Stum and Sarah Homec of
Mommy Mailbox. Honestly, I could not relate with their presentation. I'm sure it was more geared toward other bloggers who have products to sell, so that's great for them! It did make me more interested in their product, though. I may buy a subscription for myself or buy one as a present to a fellow mom.
The second speaker was Matt Molen, who I honestly have never heard of before, but he had some cool advice about using email to your advantage. Plus he had a lot of funny pictures from the internet in his Powerpoint, and that kind of thing always make me laugh.
I was giggling throughout his presentation, but it seemed like I was the only one?? He showed a clip of Elf and I might have been the only one to quote the movie while it was playing. Awkward thing number two.
He started off by asking "How are
you different?"
I don't ask myself that question nearly enough. I feel like I'm just another basic Mormon girl with a blog, most of the time. I don't give it too much thought when updating my blog, I just post about what is happening in my life. My blog has definitely transformed since 2010, just as I have. I often thought about deleting it when I'd change the content, but I knew I'd regret it. I'm glad I didn't delete (most of) the old posts!
How
am I different? What
kind of blogger am I?
I'm not sure. I know that I'm not a "mommy" blogger. I've always hated that term.... I'm no longer a style blogger, except on the very rare occasion. My recent content may suggest that I'm a fitness blogger, but that is
not right at all. I'm not a photography blog because I don't give out photography advice or tips- I feel like there is plenty of
that to go around, from people who do a much better job than I could. So that leaves me with the title of "lifestyle blogger." But when I think of lifestyle blogs, I think of inspiration and envy. I don't think anyone is too envious of my life. Maybe I have this all wrong and I shouldn't give myself a title. I'm just a girl/mom/wife with a blog that wants to share my stories. How am I different? You tell me. (No really, tell me, I wanna know.)
"What can readers benefit from my blog?"
I'd like to be a blog that you'd go to for relatable stories about motherhood.
I'd like to be a blog that you want to visit because I've got a "down to earth" attitude. *sunglasses emoji*
I want you to visit my blog because I try to be honest in my opinions, I make fun/funny videos you can watch, and I take pictures of pretty things and people.
That is what I've learned about myself during Matt's talk. And also that I may finally make a Facebook page for my blog and think about a newsletter at some point.
p.s. Look at this photo. ^ It was supposed to be a candid shot. I know this because all the other photos of the guests in the PASS gallery were taken candidly while they were intently listening to the speakers, but when I saw
Chrissy from afar with her zoom lens, I had to smile!
A-ha! That is what makes me different!
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