Build Your Blog Conference Wrap Up

I had the great opportunity to go to the Build Your Blog Conference this past weekend thanks to Taste of Home. I had a plan of what I wanted to accomplish. I had questions written down for specific classes and for specific people. Thankfully I was able to get many questions answered and I was exposed to many new ideas.

There are many things I learned this weekend. I thought I’d share a few to get an idea of what a conference is like and what to expect.

• Little America was fabulous and beautiful.
• There is no demographic that is not represented. Bloggers are a very diverse group which is what makes it fun.
• Bloggers are mostly social butterflies so it is easy to strike up a conversation with almost anyone.
• Chris Jones, Founder of Mitchell’s Journey and MyCore started off the conference getting us back to our own core values. My family story from the past year and a half has similarities so it was hard to hear and see some of the pictures because I was just in those rooms. I’ll be sharing a little more later.
• Matt Cherry from iBlog Magazine – A blog is a buisness so get on the buisness platform which is Linked In.
• Be honest. When meeting with brands during speed dating I was honest about my stats. I felt they appreciated my openness, some liked me better because of it.
• Start with your Why. David Mead sparked some deep contemplation. Of course I should start with why I am doing things. 
• April Perry – Audio podcasting can be done without makeup, in PJ’s and in a messy cluttered room or even in your closet in a rain storm.
• James Schend from Taste of Home – Give your readers what they want and as quick and as accessible as you can. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at the Taste of Home Trends Workshop. We learned a little about their editorial calendar process and what they liked from their submissions; be real, don’t rush, write like you talk. If you were wondering, yes they absolutely test and tweak if necessary (with permission) each recipe that goes into the magazine. They are very thoughtful and focus on their readers wants.
• The Tyler Robinson Foundation is about fighting pediatric cancer with Imagine Dragons. Of course I am loving this foundation because I am a cancer Mom. March 4th is the kick-off for their 2015 campaign. I’ll be sharing more about that later.

I was able to meet new people and make new blogging friends. I am really excited about some of the information I learned and am able to implement immediately. That of course means this week will be super busy behind the scenes tweaking this and that but all for the best. I am anxiously awaiting to view all the other classes I was unable to attend. I hope they are up soon! I am very thankful to Taste of Home for giving me this opportunity.