Minnesota Blog Conference Breakout Sessions

I was so blown away by the opportunity to attend this conference. It was unexpected and exciting. I had no idea what to expect other than seeing a room full of other bloggers and learning more about the “craft”.

As we were at the Keynote sessions I was overwhelmed with the knowledge and experience the panelists had. Some of them had been internet hounds since the early 90’s. I felt like a guppy amongst the sturgeon! I have a long way to go is all I have to say!

The 4 breakout sessions I attended were:

Finding Your Authentic Voice: the benefits and risks of sharing your personal life online.–Heather King

Kate Hopper had me in tears. Her story is so personal and powerful. She read one of her blog posts and the end had me all welled up. She really encouraged us to be authentic. We don’t have to be like any other blogger. We can take chances. Who knows, maybe I’ll either start posting more personal stuff here, at Woven by Words or create another site altogether. Her example of her own life portrayed in her blog was absolutely beneficial.

Blogging shouldn’t be a hassle. It should be easy! It should be fun! - Julio Ojeda-Zapata with special guests Leo Laporte, Garry Tan, and Patrick Rhone

This session wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I thought I was going to learn about how to write, post, and general blogging so that it wasn’t a hassle. I hadn’t read the “info” before I attended the class. My bad.

Julio went over a number of platforms I had never heard of before so he gave me so much new information. What these guys know is so beyond what my mind can comprehend. They know the ins and outs of the internet and I think they could recite it in their sleep.

How can I host blog giveaways without giving away my integrity? – Molly Snyder

I really appreciated this session! I haven’t really talked to people about MMR to see if I’m doing things write. In many ways I started by doing the same “things” as others in the sense of how I created the giveaway requirements and extras. It was so encouraging to learn that I was doing a lot of things right.

It was also good to discuss the products we’re willing to giveaway. I don’t want MMR to be a product “whore” where I’d review any product just to get something for free! I can honestly tell you I have definitely turned down products that I didn’t feel were “family-friendly” or I thought my family wouldn’t actually use it or I thought I just wouldn’t ever do the review. I don’t want to jip my readers or the companies/individuals.

I really feel as though I’m doing a service by sharing my opinions and experiences with products I think you might enjoy or find beneficial.

I want to discuss one topic that was brought up and that’s WHO wins my giveaways. I stand before you now and tell you I will NEVER fix a giveaway. I will NOT allow someone to be the “winner” because I know them, or they’re family (which none of my family has ever entered one of my giveaways), or some arbitrary reason. Every single one of my giveaways will be drawn by Random.org. If someone wins 5x in a row, well lucky them. It’s only because of Random.org. If you never win, I apologize SO MUCH because I always want everyone to be a winner.

Growing as Writers: Taking Your Blog Posts to the Next Level – Kate Hopper

Heather gave us the opportunity to think about our writing and what elements we could be adding more of: smells, locations, sounds, etc. She also had us do a writing exercise. She wanted us to be there, what were we feeling, how does it affect us today as a person, a mom, a friend.

Who knew I was going to be attending a counseling session! It was good stuff. I was able to see how I could bring some depth to what I write on my blog.

I want to take a moment to thank The Q Kindness Cafe for providing a wonderful lunch for the conference attendees! The sandwiches were yummy and we appreciate your kindness!