After posting on Friday night about being a bit anxious about attending BlogCamp, I'm delighted to report that it was fab!
As soon as I arrived and joined the queue for coffee I got chatting to the lovely Becky from Pinks Charming, we had a pastry and a little chat before it was time to go into the main room for the welcome.
It was quite a surreal experience, as there were so many familiar faces, yet I'd never actually met anyone before! It's amazing how close you can feel to someone as a result of reading their blog and watching their life on social media. Very bizarre!
We were welcomed by Sarah from Tots100 and the event sponsor, Wood Window Alliance, before heading off to our preferred sessions for the morning.
I chose to attend:
DSLR Basics - a great no jargon session, where I learnt that 'p' is king!
Love Living Chic Blogger Tales - The inspirational Jen talked to us about her journey, which was extremely thought provoking
Stats and Analytics - the only session of the day that didn't live up to expectations. I thought it would featured google analytics but it was about the Tots100 monthly ranking
At lunch I joined Becky again and also Amanda from Ginger Mum, who was also lovely. Eilidh from Mummy and Monkeys also joined us, so we had a fab chat about all things blogging.
After lunch I attended:
Tips for Busy Bloggers - a popular and useful session, with some good ideas for apps to try
Pinterest Advanced - lots of food for thought, I really need to sort out my Pinterest and use it more effectively!
Before the final session I managed to say hello to Jess from Mummy of Boy Girl Twins. I was so happy to finally meet Jess, she's one of the first bloggers I came across when I first started blogging and she just reminds me of me! If I don't have much time for blogging, Jess' blog is the one I always find time to read.
The final session was by Emma who blogs at From Aldi to Harrods. Her session was on 'Monetising Your Blog', which was really interesting. I've actually been in touch with Emma since and she's going to help me move my blog from Blogger to self-hosted Wordpress (I'm finally taking the plunge!), so keep an eye out for that!
After Emma's session it was time to say goodbye to my new blogging pals. We've agreed to keep in touch via social media and support one another where we can.
I left feeling really inspired - I now just need to find some time to put what I've learnt into action!
Did you attend BlogCamp? What did you think?
J xx
Tomorrow I'm going to be attending my first blogging conference. I'm attending Blogcamp, organised by Tots 100.
It's a free event (hurrah) and is taking place in Birmingham, which is only about an hour away from me. I was really excited when I managed to get a ticket as these events normally sell out super quick.
I'm excited about the day, but also a little anxious. It's my first event of this type, and I know that there will be quite a few 'proper bloggers' there and I'm paranoid that everyone will know each other! Also, with my recent marathon training my blogging has taken a bit of a back seat. I haven't been posting much, haven't been linking up to other bloggers' linkies and haven't been reading or commenting on blogs as much as I used to, so I feel a little out of touch.
However, I am hoping that the day will provide lots of inspiration and help me get going again. I'm also looking forward to properly meeting some of the other bloggers that I've chatted to on Twitter and whose blogs I read. Although, I think it will be slightly weird though as I feel like I actually know these people, when I've never even met them before!
So, I've bought a new notebook, painted my nails, ironed my clothes, checked my train times and packed my bag. I think I'm ready!
Wish me luck, or if you're also attending please come say "hello"!
J xx
Recently I've not been able to blog as often as I'd like. This is mainly due to changing jobs. I've been really busy getting settled in at my new job and coupled with keeping on top of the housework and spending time with the children and hubby, I just haven't had any time to fit blogging in.
I've missed it though and have recently started to get back into blogging more regularly again. It's also made me reflect on why I blog. I'd thought I'd share my reasons with you.
Also, not many of my 'real life' friends know that I blog and I often wonder why I don't tell them and I think I worry about them not understanding and them thinking that it's a bit vain and self-indulgent! When I do decide to share maybe I'll point them in the direction of this post...
To capture our memories
Life with three children is pretty chaotic. However, I'm very aware of how quickly time passes and how lucky we are to have three amazing children, so for me it's important that we do everything to capture these memories. I'm not that great at keeping the memory boxes up to date, so this is my way of capturing things so that one day my children can look back and read about the magical adventures we had together.
To develop my skills
I work in marketing and recently the emphasis on having digital marketing skills has increased. My previous role didn't allow me to develop these skills, so I did so using my blog. It's a great way of keeping up to date with changes in social media and digital platforms and it also provides the opportunity to be really creative.
Because I love to write (and read)
I'm pretty creative and I've always enjoyed reading and writing. I love writing about what's going on in my life as it provides a sense of clarity. I've always worked in professional services marketing, so being able to blog about fashion and beauty and anything that takes my fancy is a refreshing change! I also love reading other blogs and being part of the huge blogging community.
To give my children a deeper insight
Now this is a pretty deep one, but one day I won't be around and I want my children to know all the little things about me that I may not get round to sharing e.g. that I had lots of grey hair at 32!
The amazing experiences it opens up
I've had some amazing experiences as a blogger, despite only doing it properly for a short time. I've attended some great launch parties, been paid to write, reviewed some brill products and have even done some social media management for one of the brands I collaborated with. I've also met some lovely people. Blogging provides so many opportunities that it's exciting wondering what might happen next...
Why do you blog?
J xx
If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you've probably noticed that things have changed...
I'd had my previous design for over 12 months and recently I've seen some lovely blogs that are much cleaner and more modern, so it got me thinking and I decided it was time for a change!
I haven't been blogging that much recently, but I've found my mojo again, so making a come back with a new look seems appropriate.
I'm not the most technical, so I wasn't sure if it might be a bit beyond my skills, but it was pretty straightforward to upload a new template. I even pushed myself and did a bit of HTML coding!
I still have a bit of tinkering to do - I'm planning on adding all my categories to the main menu bar and I also want to play around with updating my header. Overall I'm really pleased with it and hope you like it too.
Below are a couple of images of my previous design.
I'd love to hear your feedback.
J xx
