BlissDom '10: What I learned

BlissDom was everything I hoped it would be. Here I'll be writing about what I took from the breakout sessions I attended on Friday and Saturday. Tomorrow I'll tell you about the people I met. I'm still giddy inside about the people, and I wasn't even one of the hundreds of blogging ladies who had a picture taken with Harry Connick, Jr. on Friday night.

There were two categories of sessions: business and writing. I stuck to the writing sessions with one exception.

 

Friday:

Connecting with Your Community of Readers:

The words of wisdom in this session for me came from Amy Allen Clark of Mom Advice who said, "Don't be afraid to let your blog grow and change as you do."

I also heard about LinkWithin in this session, which I realize is something I enjoy at other blogs. Don't be surprised if you see it here soon.

 

Striking a Balance: Peaceful Co-Existence Between Your Online and Offline Life:

Here, Megan Jordan of Velveteen Mind said things I needed to hear. When she said, "Social media is so competitive and moves so quickly," I knew it wasn't just me as a newcomer feeling this way. When she said she had "just a second-ed" her kids out of an entire day while she tried to keep up online, I knew what she meant, and knew there were times when I could remind myself of my own "she's a whale of a mom" tagline. When she said she wanted to "do a few things and do them well," I thought, "Me, too."

 

Saturday:

Blogging with the Stars: Snapshots of Four Successful Blogs:

Panelists Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom and Michelle Mitton of Scribbit had tips I thought I could use.

In the beginning, Tsh said, she "replied to every comment," and "ended every post with a question." That gets people talking, she said. She also did some "back scratching," reaching out to bloggers who were more, less, and as established.

Michelle said, "Don't be afraid to try new things."

Evolving into a Professional Blogger: Paths to Success:

This session is the one business-track session I attended. Here, Kim Moldofsky of Hormone-Colored Days said the thing to be if one wants to be attractive to companies is a "social media mom." "Have a footprint," she said. Have a blog, a Facebook fan page, a presence on Twitter, a Flickr photostream, and so on.

Content is Queen: Communicating Your Brilliance Through High-Quality Writing:

I don't  know about my brilliance, but this session got me jazzed to start a series. I can't remember who said it keeps people coming back, but whoever did -- thank you.

Memoir Writing: The Power and Mystery of Telling Our Stories:

Again it was Megan Jordan's words that found my ears. When she said she asks herself if the reader can find herself in her writing, I thought it was something I could stand do more, myself. "If you want people to read it, it needs to resonate with them," she said.

There was lots more said in each session, of course, but these are the notes that I highlighted with yellow crayon last night.

What did you learn this weekend?

Comments

[Paula Jean]

Thank you, Rebecca! I wasn't able to attend Blissdom and as a new blogger, your recap was a great resource for me! Thank you for sharing your notes!

[Rebecca at Toothwhale]

You're so very welcome.