Reasons to Attend Blogging Conventions and Conferences
Believe it or not, attending blogging conference can be fun,
and an absolutely terrific way of making some new blogging friends, contact,
and let’s not forget, the opportunity to network and connect with fellow
bloggers (think guest blogging opportunities)!
For starters, such conference allows you to interact with a lot of like-minded
people and learn from their experiences, as well as share some of your own. It
might even put you face-to-face with some of the biggest names in the blogging
industry, and just like any other conference which puts such people in one
room, you are bound to pick something up out of the experience.
Remember that such conferences are bound to have all sorts
of bloggers – niche bloggers, marketers, SEOs and SEMs, affiliate marketers, strategic
partners, consultants, and maybe even bloggers belonging to your own niche.
This means that people with diverse experiences will be present.
Chances are that you will pick something up from at least 9
out of the 10 sessions – even those boring ones which might not seem very
useful.
In addition, it is good for exposure. By meeting people, speaking with them and interacting
with them, you are spreading the word about your own blogs and/or the work that
you do. This could potentially be a great, previously-untapped resource of
traffic and subscribers, and the ability to get more visitors as well as fortify
your existence in the blogosphere are two excellent aspects for being a part of
such an event.
It might even hook
you up with people ‘in the know’, such as industry-leaders and established,
authority bloggers and pave a way for you to be able to connect with them
professionally in a direct manner. This might also allow you to follow the
footsteps of these leaders, and do what they have done with the need to do all
the legwork that they had to do to establish themselves when they started off. As
a bonus, you might even get to meet some of your favorite blogger in real life!
I personally recommend that whenever you attend such a
blogging conference, get out there and converse with people. Have your blog
URLs printed out on cards and hand them over to whoever you speak with. If
you’re an SEO, SEM, IM or belong to the industry, ask if you can speak at the
conference and tell people what you do.
If you do decide to speak at the conference, do so with
confidence and authority. It could do you a world of good in establishing
yourself as an authority on the subject you’re speaking on (a topic in your
niche).
If you already are an authority figure, blogging conferences
could help you meet and connect with young leaders and entrepreneurs. Speaking
with such people could give birth to new ideas, inspiration and allow you to
look at things from a fresh perspective.
Conferences such as these promote innovation and sharing of ideas. Mostly because there is a
large pot of expertise and experiences, all in one, single place. Attending
such a conference may give you ideas that you never would’ve gotten otherwise.
Such conferences allow you to give something back to the
community. When you speak with the attendees, you share your own experiences
with them and give something back, because when you do, you will grow as a
person and a professional.
And let’s not forget that almost all such conference have at
least one session exclusively on making money through blogging or monetizing
your blog in a better manner. It could
be an superb way of discovering new methods for earning some money.
Lastly, blogging might very well be what you do fulltime, it
might be the sole source of your income and your blog could be your business.
In which case you probably need to be able to constantly find work, attending a
conference might just do that for you!
Conclusion
Conferences such as BlogHer in New York are great for all
the reasons mentioned above. Also look for other blogger conventions or
conference in your area that you could attend. If you’re really serious and
passionate about your blogging, I strongly recommend attending one of these
conferences, especially if there’s one in or near your area.
If you know a group of bloggers in your own area, you could
even arrange one of your own! Decide upon a venue/location, time and start
sending out invites. Make a Facebook page, advertise it on your blog (and ask
all of the attendees to do so as well) and get the word out.
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