Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Savvy Blogging Summit: My Initial Thoughts

When I found out that I had been accepted to attend the Savvy Blogging Summit, I was amazed! I couldn't believe it, the day I'd leave for Colorado couldn't come fast enough.

However, as the day approached for me to head out the door to embark on my mommy road trip, it was a different story. I'd nearly managed to convince myself to skip it. The anticipation had turned into dread for more than a few reasons: I knew I'd miss my family, I am not a big fan of crowds of any sort and though I enjoy meeting new people, it overwhelms me to meet a lot of new people at once. I also managed to convince myself that I was even selected by mistake. After all, in my opinion there were some mega-bloggers planning to attend and my blog is teeny tiny in terms of traffic.

If I hadn't been sponsored by Adori Graphics and planned to room with Shannon of Living Life at Home I really could have talked myself out of it but to do so at that point would really have been tacky. So I went and let me tell you, it was so worth it.

I can't even express to you how incredible the conference was. On Thursday I had an idea of where I would like to see my blog down the road, and by the time the conference was over I knew how to achieve what I hope for and I also now have the tools to get me there.

The other bloggers were phenomenal. They were friendly and helpful, willing to share tips and even trials that they'd encountered. I excitedly met Robin of Our Homeschool Home, who, unlike me, actually drove out with her family in an RV! I also met Angie of Many Little Blessings, Amy of Raising Arrows, and Meghan of Half-Pint House who also write for the Homeschool Classroom.

The speakers were approachable, sincere and oh so humble! I didn't feel at all like I was being lectured to, but more like I was listening to a friend share valuable information that has worked for them in their own businesses. Oops, did I call my blog a business? I sure did! That's one of the first things I learned. I need to make the mindset from blog to business if I truly want my blog to become the informational hub that I hope it can one day be known as.

Our days were packed with class after class, taking breaks only for our incredible meal times. Oh, the food! Hmmm. Hmmm. Good.

I know many of you that read my blog are also fellow bloggers so I hope that you'll be excited to know that as I slowly settle back in at home, I'll be blogging about some of the tips that I learned at the conference. If you could care less about what I learned, that's okay too, I'll throw in some of the sights I saw along the way!

In the meantime, for those of you that blog, do you consider your blog a business or hobby? Why did you start your blog? Please share, I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

9 comments:

  1. Hobby -
    I started mine as a scrapbook of sorts to share information with our family that lives from California to Texas to Alaska and back to Oregon.
    Then - This year I saw a need for me to write about how we homeschool middle school - and will need to share our high school journey as well. So my target posts are mostly what we do with our days.
    But my readers have jumped from 1-2 every week to over a hundred a day. . . . I get searches on all of the nature tags of crawdads, fish hatcheries, tide pools, even Beaver Scat. :) (Thats my favorite). I am starting to see, especially since I joined the TOS Crew - that my writing might actually get me somewhere - and be beneficial to my family more than just "mom's time out". I don't want the blog run as a business per say - but I do want to be aware that opportunities for learning and growth are out there. :) I ALWAYS want tips to make a better blog. :)

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  2. It sounds like you had a great time!

    I see mine as a blog. I started my blog as a record of our homeschool and my children's growing up time. I continue it as the same but have found that the opportunity to write how we live this busy homeschool life with lots of children has been a blessing to others as well. I regularly receive email from readers with questions, which just amazes me because when I began blogging I had three followers - ALL Family!

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  3. I'm glad it worked out so well. And, I look forward to the tips you have to pass on - as well as the pics - I love Colorado :)

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  4. I can't wait to read your posts about the blog conference! I'm sure it was fun! how did you go about getting a sponsor? I see my blog as a hobby right now but I also can see the benefits of it becoming more one day. I have mixed thoughts about it. right now it's nice to blog at my own pace about our family and not have to worry about numbers, ads or anything else. glad you had a great time!

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  5. So glad you decided to "say Yes" as JD Roth said and come to the Summit! I'm looking forward to rewarding your key take aways!

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  6. Sounds like you had a great time! =)

    My blog is just my version of our travel story, written for my kids. Each year that we're out on the road, I'll convert the blog to a hard copy book for them.

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  7. You guys are great and it looks like we feel much the same way when it comes to blogging. Though I'd love to monetize mine and really utilize it as a business -to help pay for our adventures- I really don't want my blog to lose the feel it has now. On the other hand, I would like to do more with it but I don't want it to be overly commercialized if that makes sense.:)

    I've got a ton of tips to share so I hope I don't bore you!

    Krystal, I love, love, love the idea of having your blog converted to a book and your blog is perfect for that with all the stories about your travels and pictures! Great idea! I'd love to do something similar but I'm afraid it would take to much time to sort our what I don't want included. Maybe I'll contact you for some tips!:)

    Jenilee, When I was excepted to the summit I just threw a comment out on Twitter and Facebook asking for sponsors and that's how I got one. It didn't pay for my entire trip and I didn't really work at it past that, but it did buy my ticket which is what I really needed. I received just enough to really spur me on and know that I could do this.

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  9. I don't think I got to meet you at the Summit and you were one of the people I wanted to meet! Grrr.

    I agree that it was a fabulous time of learning. I'm also working to achieve the balance between viewing my blog as a business and keeping it true to its purpose.

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I love hearing what you think! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! Blessings!:)

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