I really enjoyed myself at the Blogging While Brown conference this weekend, and I walked away feeling like a new person. There was a good vibe in the place and everyone pretty much connected. In fact, the relationships were so strong that I almost felt like an outsider initially. The hearts and sincerity were so welcoming, people just drew you in and you no longer felt like a stranger. Anyway, following are my lessons from the conference.
1. I really need to brand myself. Working on that.
2. Black and white people use Twitter differently. Who knew that this was even a topic? And like all things Twitter – who cares?
3. Black people CAN get along contrary to the intentional negative images and stories on mainstream TV. There should have been a camera there to capture that.
4. A lot of black women bloggers have natural hair. Dr. Syb said she was going to conduct research to find out if there is a relationship between the two.
5. BWB attendees get education and relationship. I walked away from Blog World a social media guru with relationships with Naomi Trower and Blog World’s Facebook page. No one else kept in touch even though I reached out to them.
6. There really isn’t an incorrect way to use social media. You have to find the way that best fits your business, brand and purpose, and work it!
7. Social media success, like any other success, does not happen overnight.
8. BWB hooks you up! We really didn’t have to spend money on food during the conference. They had us covered from Thursday evening to Sunday morning. The event on Thursday evening was sponsored by The Capital Grille, Chrystal & Amir (The Duo Dishes) and Bren Herrera (Flanboyant Eats), but still…we didn’t have to spend any money. The price of Blog World was triple the price of BWB and we got less.
9. I got my first taste of Twitter and Hootsuite Blackberry apps. I intentionally stayed away from them on purpose. But, now I’m hooked.
10. I’m not the only person with 1,001 blogs, 999 Twitter names and 995 other places to find me online.
11. The group at BWB likes to blog and Tweet. I have found that members of The Social Media Club of Chicago like to mostly Tweet while blogging groups like to mostly blog.
12. Black and brown bloggers need more media attention because they have unique perspectives and voices in various topics. Is this opportunity for me???
13. Everyone was way helpful and didn’t mind sharing tips and advice. Great blessings!
14. I’ll be back next year!
My interviews with bloggers and BWB developments will be posted on The Write Design Company. I’ll post links at content is shared or go to the site to sign up for updates.
Thrilled to see that you are definitely following your passions & your purpose. You’re definitely a go-getter, Marcie and that’s a good thing:)
Clara.
It’s an interesting journey but I’m loving every minute of it. And support from people like you makes it a little easier. Just a little…:)