I was lucky enough to be invited to a bloggers networking event a few weeks ago and I have to say it was well worth the visit.
Blog Con London took place at the QEII Centre in Westminster. Throughout the day there were more than 300 seasoned and budding bloggers coming through the doors to either offer advice or ask questions. For such a small venue, there were lots of companies offering freebies and info about their products as well as roundtable talks every 30 minutes. So I was pleasantly surprised.
I learned quite a bit about the vast number of bloggers out there and just how intertwined blogs, social media, marketing and publishing are. Topics ranged from how to make money from your blog to aesthetics and boosting followers. One thing I didn’t expect was the number of people who paid to attend the event, just to find out what blogging was all about.
It’s weird how blogging started off as a bit of a hobby by a select few – it’s burst onto the media scene now and almost everyone is doing it in one way or another. From travel, food, beauty, art and business to nights out, politics and even cats – there’s something for everyone and you just need to find your niche.
The phrase “don’t knock it ’til you try it” sprang to mind and I really believe there is blogger in all of us. Most of the speakers at Blog Con London were just like me and you, who happened to enjoy talking and writing about their favourite subject and now have thousands of people dying to read their posts.
Blogging gives you a chance to express yourself, write about something you have a passion for and also gain a bit of a following, so why not give it a go? For businesses, I think it’s a unique way to tap into your customer base and show you are made up of real people, with real views and not just a business with something to sell. It can also open the door to share what goes on behind the scenes.
