ALONG COMES MARY

Yes, it’s finally here. I have had every intention of presenting you with my 3rd & final part about my awesome weekend at The Lifestyle Blogger Conference (#LALLBlog13, as well as #LALLBlog14, now 😉 ) & well, somehow….May slipped through my fingers. But, here it is below & as I have said before: this is such a small fraction of the highlights for me. I really hope you will do your own, further research to learn more about all the amazing speakers. Below, I begin continuing on from the Saturday panel, “The Ethics of blogging”. Enjoy! xo

“Ethics start with you” was one of Lee’s first lines to us. It was my first time meeting Stephanie & the path to her success is one that I certainly could see myself following. “I read the how-to’s & didn’t follow the rules” she comments. She still has ‘blogger’ in her Blogger URL. She is not a cook, so she wrote a book filled with recipes for her slow cooker. Chris feels lack of transparency is a no-no, “Its knowing right from wrong. Coca Cola doesn’t steal pictures from Pepsi.” Klout had a different opinion from each of these pros: Lee swears by it, Stephanie thinks its junk & Chris feels somewhat in the middle as it can be important to some brands…but didn’t know her score. The subject of censoring comments had many good moments, too. “If you own your blog & someone leaves a negative comment, its like letting them p*ss in your pool.” says Lee.

Tools & Tips to Write Clear, Concise & Grammatically Correct Blog Posts that will Brand YOU, an intense 90 minutes course with Creative Custom Writer, Sarah Grear, was one of the most inspiring workshops for me, personally. Sarah had such a dynamic presence & delivered her ideas to us that left me feeling empowered & anxious to rejuvenate my blogging journey. Yet, her advice could be utilized in any aspect of your creative process. “If you want to be passionate, be passionate & true, & accurate. Step it up & take your content seriously.” Some of her other tips from my notes are: Create a style sheet, this is essential if you have or would like to have a team for your blog. It can be a great tool just for you, too, & Don’t rely on your proof reading software. I stand by this, too, while I use my spell check, I know t doesn’t catch everything, & Sarah says it best, “We’re our best software. Trust yourself.” 

Research your readers, & just because you may be similar, you cannot assume they’re you. Do a survey with them, see whats working for them & where they feel you can improve; you need to hook readers in at your first few lines (which I am hoping I did if you’re still reading this) & like I mentioned from the SITS night, Sarah also says its best to find your title within your blog post….so wrte, then title. (*Super excited that Sarah clued me in that one of her favorite authors, & mine, Elizabeth Gilbert, will be in Mailbu next month….I got one of the last tickets!)

This is such a small amount of information that I learned, I want to give kudos to everyone I heard speak, & I encourage you to check each of them out: Gabriella Hernandez, Martha Gil de Montes, Jeremy Pepper, Ricky Garray, Francis Bertrand, Cesar Rolon, Devina Ferrara . I cannot recommend this conference enough & hope you consider attending next year.

To read Part 1 in this 3 part series of posts, click here. For Part 2 click here!

(*Photographs property of Along Comes Mary. From top: Lee, Stephanie & Chris, Left: Sarah, Right: Ana Lydia & Carolyn West & above right: Devina Ferrara.)