Yesterday I went to my first ever conference. When I think of a conference, I think of a group of people dressed up in costumes and superfans of some comic book, television show, movie, characters, or something. I first heard about the Florida Blogger Conference from my friend, Victor at Hortipopia.com, when he went last year. I was so intrigued and grateful that he shared the knowledge he learned that year. I made sure he kept me informed of the next conference!
Fast forward to yesterday, September 20th, 2013, my first conference! I didn't know what to expect because this is completely new to me. I went in with the expectation to just be exposed to new ideas! I was blown away with all the knowledge it provided. I would love to go into great detail of all the information I got from the speakers, but that would take forever and defeat the purpose of this post.
Instead, let's keep it short and sweet!
Top Ten Things I learned from the 2013 Florida Blogger Conference:
- ASK! You never know what you can get/achieve if you don't ask. The worst that could happen is nothing will come of it or you'll get a "No." Either way, you don't lost anything.
- Business Cards are actually functional! I never had them before for my blog and I was discouraged on ordering some. I thought I would never share them with anyone, being the shy person that I am. I was wrong! You get the information to check out someone later when you have the time. I've seen some great networking right in front of me and the business card made the best impact on exchanging your information.
- Even if something doesn't appeal to you right away, you may end up being completely intrigued! I was exposed to a lot of ideas with several speakers that I didn't know if I would sit and listen to. The taglines to each session may not have caught my attention, but I'm grateful I gave them a chance. I definitely learned plenty of new things all day! J from J's Everyday Fashion was a personal fave!
- Think of your blog as your business, as your brand! I don't have intention of making money with my blog. However, it still should be thought of as a business. Even if I want to just spread the word, brand myself, network, and so on.
- Even if you don't have a buddy, you can easily make them! My friend went alone last year and had tons of fun. I usually don't do anything new without a buddy, so I'm glad he allowed me to tag along. However, I feel that even if I went alone, I still would have had the same amount of fun.
- Full Sail is actually nice. We had the event at Full Sail University and I never used to think anything of it, mainly because my higher education consisted of being an Education Major (not their targeted audience). It actually is nice and welcoming. A great space to have the event.
- Ford is so much more than a car. The speaker Karen Untereker (@unterekless) had great insights of all that you can do with social media and made Ford seem like something more than a car brand. Great presentation!
- Bloggers do some crazy things! Did you hear about that guy who sold his last name? Jason Headsetsdotcom, that guy, was a great speaker! He had so many odd ideas, but he made them work! It's amazing of all the things you can do when you're motivated! Plus, he had on a great shirt that I want to get to wear when I'm teaching!
- Bloggers are friendly and very encouraging. I got to meet an online friend in person and so many new people. (BTW, check out Yelle at Tender-Roots.com!) Even the speakers were easily attainable to talk with outside of the sessions. I'm very timid when it comes to sharing my blog, but people genuinely were interested.
- ASK ASK ASK! I have to reiterate that enough to anyone and everyone! (Even in my classroom.) You never know what is out there. You never know who/what can help you. You never know what you can get out of something if you don't ask.
I definitely got out of my comfort shell yesterday! I love hearing all the speakers talk about their journeys through blogging, branding, social media, and more! There's so much I want to do with my blog now! If you want to read more, check out the hashtag #flblogcon13 on Twitter!
BONUS! Check out this cool photobooth picture, courtesy of Snap! Studio Booth.
How about you? Ever been to a conference before? What was your experience like?
