How to Survive Your First Blogging Conference

I'm back from Bloggy Boot Camp.

And I'm bursting with information.

But first, before I do anything buck wild like try to figure out if I too can use SEO, I'm going to tell you all I learned about surviving your first blogging conference. Because going to a blogging conference is a lot like going to a high school reunion.

At a school you didn't attend.

But you accidentally joined their facebook page and thought it would be a hoot because everyone seemed so cool.

1. Read Diary of a Mad Woman and  SDMomfia's tutorials of all you need to know. Memorize them. Pretend they're your guidebooks.

2. Dress comfortably. Since I was attending Bloggy Boot Camp in SoCal I knew this would require a visit from my sister of the jeggings fame. I wore jeans, ballet flats, a light shirt and a short sleeved sweater. I loved my outfit and the way I looked. Which made me feel confident enough to walk into a room of near strangers.

3. Be bold. Be your blog. We write so many personal, intimate details of our lives on our blogs. We tweet sassy comments. We facebook kisses and hugs. We are hip, happening, confident people. Remember that when you walk into the room. Be that person. After all...isn't that who you really are?

4. All bloggers are created equal. Whether your blog has ten followers and twenty hits a day or thousands of followers and thousands of hits a day, we all write our posts one word at a time. So if a bloggy crush is standing right next to you and oh my God she's going to talk to you! Don't stand around stammering like a tween at a Bieber concert. Say hi. Admire her nail polish.

5. Don't let anyone make you feel bad or insecure. Look. Here's the thing. I don't have a degree in marketing. I don't write for a living. (Although I would be interested, hint, hint.) But I love writing and I love the connections I'm making through blogging. We all have moments of self doubt. Yes, even me. (Astonishing!) This is not the place for that.

And if, someone sticks their foot in their mouths and says something that could be interpreted as condescending, laugh. If it was accidental, they'll appreciate it. If not, it'll confuse them. Win. Win.

6. Not everyone will get your sense of humor. Or maybe that's just me. Please be sure that, when speaking to a vendor rep, you explain that you do indeed miss your children and that when you commented that you were having such a lovely time that you were thinking of selling them so you can attend conferences full time, you were joking.

7. Do attend the mixers. You might find a new favorite wine. Oh and network. Right. Network.

8. If you see someone standing, not talking to anyone. Go talk to her. She might just be the coolest person in the room. She might also be me trying to decide whether or not I've made enough of a fool of myself.

9. Bring a pen and paper because there are going to be things so mind blowing that you'll want to write them down. And if you forget pen and paper, you might have to do something like take a screen shot of the presentation with your phone. Which means that you may or may not forget what the shot meant when you get home. And, for the record, I brought a pen. Just not to the conference room. Fail.

10. Go to Bloggy Boot Camp as your first conference. I honestly think my incredible experience has to do with the fact that there were only around 125 people in the room. With assigned seats. And we moved around. A lot. And sometimes we were lucky to have a fantastic blogger stay with us through each move. A bigger conference might have been overwhelming, but BBC was a perfect first experience.

This last one doesn't need a number. Enjoy meeting your bloggy buddies in real life. Hug them. Pretend they scare you. Meet their mothers. Talk to them far past dinner time. You'll be glad you did.