Such a great day at Carolina Blogging this weekend! Group organizers Heather and Sara really did an impressive job putting everything together, from getting interesting local vendors and a great conference space with solid wifi and pretty decorations, to all the details that make a good experience for everyone. I had a good time meeting everyone, it was great to meet my internet friends in person and to get to know completely new people who share my blogging interests. My favorite part of being around bloggers is if you want to set up a photo of random things, they won’t ask why, they’ll get excited, too, and suggest how to improve the light or the layout. Also, more than one person made a joke about something happening as frequently as Facebook changes the feed algorithm. My people.
There was a lot of great tips and advice from other bloggers, like how DIY and food bloggers are taking such great photos (Did you guys know there are factors in good photography besides finding an interesting texture?!?!? Turns out there are!), how successful bloggers plan posts, and how bloggers are authentically and honestly promoting products.
The day also raised larger questions for me, like what exactly do I want from my blog? How can I be more intentional about the way I’m sharing my work, finding some kind of balance between I guess I wrote a thing, maybe you sould read it if you’re bored and communicating solely though clickbaitery and social spamming? How can I be more intentional about the way I’m blogging? Without it turning into Work, and Deadlines, and developing a consistent brand, and planning consistent and optimized content around that brand, and I just bored myself typing that. Too much like work.
I was a little (a lot) intimidated when I followed a speaker who makes thousands of dollars every month on her blog. I mean, I make a little money here, but it’s more like covering my hosting fees here and the fancy coffees to sip when I read and write. I spoke a little bit about turning blogging for fun into blogging for new subculture-fan readers, and access to ARCs and beta codes. Anyway, I took some questions and ended up talking about all the things I love about Mr. Darcy.
Because I guess that’s my brand.
