Blog Networking

I wasn't able to attend the Blog Business Summit sessions (thanks for the summary, Zillow; er, Drew) last week in Seattle, but did go for the free drinks and appetizers huddle hosted by BlogHer one of the nights. It was an intimate gathering for Seattleites who blog on BlogHer and anyone else who wanted to talk amongst themselves. For the two hours I was there, I mainly chatted with a few people, but the commentary mirrored my experience as a blogger.

The summit wrap-up from Zillow is helpful for any blogger, and here are some tidbits of wisdom I gathered whilst networking for any travel bloggers:

1. Be honest and earnest - don't pull a WalMart.
2. When you bring personality into blogging, people tend to tune in more, and engage. One of the leaders at BlogHer said she'd blogged about subjects with vast variety, but when she decided to write about some funky symptom of an illness she'd gotten before heading to a doctor, many people commented with tips, suggestions, commentary.
3. Personal experience lends itself to the best stories, making them real. I know I try to do this, since most of my life is great fodder for blog post ideas.
4. There's a lot of noise in Blogville. Rise above it by making a strong statement or being unique. Stand for something. Have convictions. Or be entertaining.
5. Continue to find other travel bloggers and swap stories and advice. This helps if you get stuck about how you should proceed with anything from technical tweaks to content quality to story generation. Or if you simply need a boost of energy to recharge. Who doesn't need that?

Now go forth, travel the world, travel the country, even discover new places and scenery in your hometown. Then ponder, be yourself, and write it out.