Reviews of Blogger Conferences

The place "Where Blogging Meets Business," The Blog Workshop is a brand new online conference for bloggers and vloggers from all levels of experience and niches. Being virtual, TBW's 6 sessions, spanning a 3 day period, are accessible from anywhere.

Taking place May 17th-19th, 2013, TBW will discuss blog design, the business of blogging, blog monetization, advertising, working with public relations and more. From the basics of starting a blog to earning money and connecting with brands and advertisers, TBW is going to cover it all, and you can learn it all sitting at home in your PJs.

TBW is also running a scholarship program and a grant program for bloggers or vloggers that are trying to grow their expertise in the field. These programs include a cash award and full registration for the TBW online conference.

While most blogging conferences can cost $1000+ when you include travel, because TBW is an online conference and you can save travel expenses, attendees will learn everything they need to know about blogging for only $175. Payment plan options are available and there is a discount for college students and educators.

Into the Blogosphere went I, blindly, boldly, and just a little bit clueless until I attended BlogHer2012 in New York City this past August. That’s where I learned what it was to be a committed, make a difference blogger and a whole lot more. There were panels for both newbie and the pro. You could learn about blogging for fun, for change, for money, or for platform building. You could pick up technical skills on SEO and HTML, learn how to add video and visuals to your posts, and perfect a social media marketing plan. What other conference can bring the likes of Martha Stewart, and Katie Couric to talk about developing content for the new social age? But the best part about BlogHer is the community. Many bloggers came with friends, others reunited with friends. I made new friends. Midlife bloggers like me eager to help each other be heard. Whatever expectations you might have before BlogHer will be surpassed by the end of BlogHer.

Julie Danis, Blogger at JulieDanis.com www.juliedanis.com and HuffingtonPost

In the almost eight years that I’ve been blogging, I’ve attended my share of conferences. Of them all, I have to say that Bloggy Boot Camp is the absolute best for boomer bloggers. I recently wrote a post extolling the virtues of the one I just attended in Las Vegas. Here are some of the points I made:

• Rather than a huge yearly blowout serving thousands, Bloggy Boot Camp is offered throughout the year at different locations within the U.S.
• Because it’s small, its very personal. You can actually meet all your fellow conference-goers. The physical layout of the event is designed to ensure you don’t get stuck at one table.
• The vibe is non-competitive, nurturing, happy. - People are there for the info and the networking, not the parties and the swag.
• It’s a one day event that is very reasonably priced.
• Tiffany Romero (@TiffanyRom), whose brainchild BBC is, is a dynamic social leader. Her energy is amazing. Her entrepreneureal and business skills are fantastic. Her willingness to share what she knows with all of us is boundless.

Jane Gassner, Midlife Bloggers www.MidlifeBloggers.com

Seven Reasons Why Evo Might Be the Conference You are Looking For

• Face to Face Brand Relationships- Evo provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet, interact with, and forge relationships with some of the biggest, boldest, and blog friendly brands around. Hallmark, Southwest Airlines, Proctor and Gamble, T-Mobile, Disneyland, Ebay, Whirlpool, McDonald’s, Together Counts, California Avocado, Lowe’s, Carter’s/OshKosh, Tillamook – just to name a few.
• Destination Setting- Held each summer in beautiful Park City, Utah. On-site hotel accommodations are first rate and reasonably priced.
• Amazing Workshops and Speakers- Everything from hands-on cooking and photography workshops and excursions to hearing from experts on a myriad of topics. Whether you are new to blogging, an intermediate blogger or a seasoned pro, there are tons of opportunities to learn and grow.
• Fabulous Blogger Networking- In this friendly, intimate conference, (Evo limits the registration to just over 300 attendees), connecting with fellow bloggers of all ages and themes is easy to do.
• Family Centered- Events are built in to the program that includes children and spouses, should you want to bring them along. At the end of the conference, there is an incredible family party to conclude the event.
• Meals are included- You can thank the fabulous brands who support the conference for sponsoring delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snack breaks.
• Swag Heaven- Wonderful and plentiful giveaways for you to explore and enjoy. Bring an extra suitcase.

Caryn Payzant, The Midlife Guru www.TheMidLifeGuru.com

I have only gone to two conferences on blogging, BlogHer and Blogworld. Although BlogHer is great for networking with other bloggers, Blogworld taught me how to make money with my blog. It explained the difference between a professional blogger and hobbyist. I learned from the best in the field on social media and making my blog a SEO powerhouse.

Audrey van Petegem is Senior Editor at The Succulent Wife www.TheSucculentWife.com.

Aiming Low's blogging conference outside of Atlanta this month billed itself as a "Non-conference". No mega-conference Girls-Gone-Wild Parties, no cliques to navigate, this small conference (around 75 attendees) was everything you would want in a conference: topical workshops on how to improve your craft of blogging and plenty of space to make real connections with other bloggers no matter who you are or what you blog about. Plus, it is only $50.00 deposit plus lodging and airfare. The deposit is then refunded to you once you attend.
Chloe Jeffries, Chloe of the Mountain www.ChloeoftheMountain.com

Bloggers who attended had the opportunity to attend conferences to learn new tip and techniques for social media. The speakers’ expertise ranged from those giving advice on how to deal with bullies on the World Wide Web, the importance of working with non profit organizations and how to build your brand and working with public relation firms.
Shecon 2012 was not all work and no play! Subway hosted a Fit N Fresh Event and was open to the bloggers and their families. Free airbrush tattoos were available along with the photos taken with Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The night life included a scavenger hunt of finding hidden Mickeys in downtown Disney and a wine party hosted by the Wine Sisterhood. Typical of any Blogger convention the attendees were given the opportunity to meet and network with other bloggers, several PRs and went home with lots of swag given out companies such as Hasbro, JayAtPlay, SpinMaster and ToyState.
Grace Hodgin
http://www.blessedelements.com/create

I attended the first SavvyBlogging conference held in Colorado in 2010. What I appreciated about this conference is the lack of hype and freebie frenzy. Several of the organizers are frugal bloggers so they did focus on keeping the costs manageable and for me, since it was in my home state I had very little travel expenses. By the time you add up travel costs, accommodation, meals and conference fees, a blogging conference can easily cost over $1,000 and if you're trying to run your blog as a business that's a sizable expense to cover.

At the time, the conference organizers had a policy of limiting the number of attendees to I think under 200. This made for a very different feel than BlogHer. For a conference or blogging newbie it would be much less intimidating.

The SavvyBlogging girls are very focused on blogging as a business so the year that I went there were several sessions that dealt more with that, such as setting yourself up as a business and creating a business plan, than just content creation. The sessions speakers were all very high quality and willing to share their expertise. I came away with lots of action items.

The downside to me of SavvyBlogging was that it attracted mainly frugal/money bloggers. I didn't find other bloggers writing about divorce so there were less networking opportunities. And because there's less brand sponsorship, there's less opportunity to build a relationship with brands.

Mandy Walker www.sincemydivorce.com

Here are two articles I wrote on my experience when I went to a past Blissdom conference;

Blissdom - big picture: http://www.sincemydivorce.com/blissdom-experience/

Blissdom - sessions: http://www.sincemydivorce.com/blissdom-sessions/

Mandy Walker