This post is part of the BlogHop Blog Conference at Home. To see the full agenda of learning sessions visit Blog Conference Newbie.
When I first started blogging four years ago, I was a bit of an anomaly in my community. I knew of no one else “in real life” who blogged or participated in social media.
As much as I loved it, I really craved someone to relate to. I am a relationship person. I thrive on friendships and collaboration.
Then as chance would have it, I happened across a loose network of bloggers in the Maryland area. Just a handful of ladies searching for something similar to I. What started out as a lucky meeting on Twitter with a handful of women, blossomed into network of bloggers in six states and a new initiative affectionately dubbed Momz Share.
The principal of forming relationships is nothing new in the blogosphere. We do it all the time over the wonderful world wide web. That being said, there is no denying that personal relationships are strengthened tenfold when maintained by consistent face-to-face interactions.
The benefits of developing your own hyper-local network:
Deep personal connections
A tribe to lean on, outreach to and identify with
Real-life friendships
Not convinced you need a hyper-local concentration yet? Then let me enlighten you on how I have been blessed by my relationships with some of the fantastic folks I have met locally: a feature article in a statewide magazine, speaking engagements in front of numerous professional organizations, a blog in the Washington Times community, a full scholarship to BlogHer, an online webshow, a brand ambassadorship, numerous complimentary family opportunities and on and on… The largest benefit however, has been the friendship and camaraderie with my peers. Priceless.
So how do you even begin to find your local tribe when the Internet is such a vast, crazy place?
Local and statewide publications. Check for family or niche bloggers on their sites and connect with them on their respective social networks. (Start a spreadsheet. I’m not kidding. Start one. I did.)
Ask! Take to Twitter, Facebook or Google + and ask around. Find folks through recommendations.
Search through various blog and online directories. Add them to your spreadsheet. (Yes, the spreadsheet again. Stick with me, there is a method to this madness.)Now that you have found and connected with some of these folks….Work that connection: In this harried work it is easy to unintentionally drop a connection, be sure to invest time in those relationships. And remember, this gang is local so you can (gasp!) get their phone number. (What a crazy concept, right?) Networking is key!
Organize something: Don’t dream about the opportunity – create it! Organize a coffee meeting, play date, girl’s night out, Tweet-up, brunch or workshop. Expending a little effort for the benefit of others will pay off in spades. If you are shy about putting yourself out there, reach out to me about using the Momz Share platform. (If you kept a spreadsheet, your outreach will be easier. Just sayin’)
Form partnerships: Hyper-local is a huge trend in blogging. Explore opportunities to pair up on projects to provide value to your readers and community. (Heck, start a local publication! Hey, AOL is doing it…)
Expand your content: Start a new blog, add a local section to your website or weave location into your titles. I frequently start hyper-local posts with titles like “DC Readers: Great Deal At …..” It will expand your opportunities and thus your network.
You’ll find that in reaching out to those closest to you, you’ll not only build a sense of community but also reap tremendous personal rewards. Now get out there and GO LOCAL!
Jennifer Gerlock is co-founder of Momz Share along with Lara DiPaola and Sunday Stillwell. MomzShare is a not-for-profit organization that seeks to connect bloggers and social media mavens in the MD, VA, DC region while also giving back to charity.
Lucky for me, my guy is a huge gift giver. He never, ever forgets a holiday. EVER. But in case your guy does, or in case you are the guy in question, you’ll find this video by Socialnomics incredibly funny. Enjoy and happy Valentine’s Day!
BlogHer 2010 was NOTHING like I expected. Which confuses me. And makes it hard to wrap my head around.
Let me start this post saying that I am a BlogHer newbie. A veritable baby in a sea of blog conference experts. Now, you must know that I stalked BlogHer online last year. Truly. I read all of the tweets. I visited all of the posts and I camped out on the Flickr stream. So I had an idea of what to expect.
My ideas were wrong.
Being a self-help kind of girl, I expected BlogHer to be centered around education and learning. Err… not as much as one would think. I mean, there were many sessions covering diverse topics. But many people blew them off. In fact, some of the bloggers I met confessed that they didn’t even go to one session, which blew my ever-loving-mind. I, personally, was there for an education. I own my own business and I blog on that site as well as here and at the Washington Times Family Today community so I was ready for some serious blogging and social media input. I was going to take notes and write serious posts on what I learned and how to apply it. Sadly, I will not be doing that. Yes, I did take away nuggets of good information but overall the sessions were designed to be very informal. (Apparently Power Point and handouts were not allowed.) That informality did not jive well with my personal goals.
But the networking, well, the networking opportunities were priceless. I’m an extrovert so I have no problem introducing myself to other people and engaging them in conversation. Which works to your benefit when you are in a huge convention like this one. And honestly, that is where this self-help gal gleaned the most information. I learned more from my peers than I did in the sessions. And I am completely okay with that. Learning is learning is learning!
My fellow bloggers and I conversed about honesty in blogging, we compared iPhone apps for productivity, shared our personal stories, observations and goals and really connected. That part was priceless.
I got to meet Dawn Meehan (author and blogger at Because I Said So) who was my inspiration for blogging in the first place and Jo-Lynn of Musings of a Housewife who was the first blogger to ever acknowledge my existence. My roommates Bailey (Makeover Momma), Lara (Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom) and Jennifer (Savoring The Thyme) were a blast to hang out with. And the parties and gatherings? I can’t even begin to describe how interesting and fun they were. From those I met some phenomenal entrepreneurs and inspirational professionals. I was treated like a queen. (Which any mom will tell you is rare.)
Most importantly: I left BlogHer with a new direction and new vision. I found inspiration in my fellow bloggers and they helped me clarify my vision for this blog. (Which will probably take on a new direction going forward.) The knowledge that I already had was reconfirmed by the sessions. I learned what to do and what NOT to do. Was it worth it to attend? Yes. Yes it was.
Besides all of that, I sure had one hell of a good time!
Wondering if BlogHer is for you? I recommend you read this article:
Not that I am cheating on you, but I have a confession to make… I’ve been spending time on other blogs lately. Gasp! I know, I know. Shameful.
But in an effort to be truly forthcoming and totally honest and thus beg your forgiveness, I thought that I would offer up some links to my other lovers blogs:
My Body Is Capable – A post on the love/hate relationship I have with my body. As part of a series on the fabulous Melanie Spring’s blog.
When it comes to social mediamarketing and engagement, I am in an interesting situation. I am fortunate to be straddling the line between blogger and business owner.
As a blogger, I have been blessed by many relationships with businesses looking to spread the word about their product or service to others. As a social media marketer I am fortunate to be able to see first-hand best practices and WORST practices at work. Being on the receiving end of many campaigns has given me an interesting perspective, indeed.
I know from experience that some of the readers of this blog are small businesses, corporations and/or public relations representatives. With that in mind, I thought that I might do a quick posting of some of the business articles that I have written on the topic of social media and engagement. Enjoy!
Working momma. Flibbertigibbet. Family environs upkeep manager. Deadline juggler. Intellectual magpie... Random postings from a life of a working DC Metro mom. Unapologetically myself.
Not convinced you need a hyper-local concentration yet? Then let me enlighten you on how I have been blessed by my relationships with some of the fantastic folks I have met locally: a feature article in a statewide magazine, speaking engagements in front of numerous professional organizations, a blog in the Washington Times community, a full scholarship to BlogHer, an online webshow, a brand ambassadorship, numerous complimentary family opportunities and on and on… The largest benefit however, has been the friendship and camaraderie with my peers. Priceless.
