/*

This Page

has been moved to new address

Improving Your Blog with Bloggy Boot Camp

Sorry for inconvenience...

Redirection provided by Blogger to WordPress Migration Service
*/ body { background:#135; margin:0; padding:40px 20px; font:x-small "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Verdana,Sans-Serif; text-align:center; color:#ccc; font-size/* */:/**/small; font-size: /**/small; } a:link { color:#9bd; text-decoration:none; } a:visited { color:#a7a; text-decoration:none; } a:hover { color:#ad9; text-decoration:underline; } a img { border-width:0; } /* Header ----------------------------------------------- */ #header { width:660px; margin:0 auto 10px; border:1px solid #468; } #blog-title { margin:5px 5px 0; padding:20px 20px .25em; border:1px solid #357; border-width:1px 1px 0; font-size:200%; line-height:1.2em; color:#eee; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; } #blog-title a { color:#eee; text-decoration:none; } #blog-title a:hover { color:#ad9; } #description { margin:0 5px 5px; padding:0 20px 20px; border:1px solid #357; border-width:0 1px 1px; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; color:#79b; } /* Content ----------------------------------------------- */ #content { width:660px; margin:0 auto; padding:0; text-align:left; } #main { width:410px; float:left; } #sidebar { width:220px; float:right; } /* Headings ----------------------------------------------- */ h2 { margin:1.5em 0 .75em; font:bold 78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; color:#777; } /* Posts ----------------------------------------------- */ .date-header { margin:1.5em 0 .5em; color:#579; } .post { margin:.5em 0 1.5em; border-bottom:1px dotted #357; padding-bottom:1.5em; } .post-title { margin:.25em 0 0; padding:0 0 4px; font-size:140%; line-height:1.4em; color:#fc6; } .post-title a { text-decoration:none; color:#fc6; } .post-title a:hover { color:#fff; } .post div { margin:0 0 .75em; line-height:1.6em; } p.post-footer { margin:-.25em 0 0; color:#357; } .post-footer em, .comment-link { font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } .post-footer em { font-style:normal; color:#579; margin-right:.6em; } .comment-link { margin-left:.6em; } .post img { padding:4px; border:1px solid #222; } .post blockquote { margin:1em 20px; } .post blockquote p { margin:.75em 0; } /* Comments ----------------------------------------------- */ #comments h4 { margin:1em 0; font:bold 78%/1.6em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.2em; color:#579; } #comments h4 strong { font-size:130%; } #comments-block { margin:1em 0 1.5em; line-height:1.6em; } #comments-block dt { margin:.5em 0; } #comments-block dd { margin:.25em 0 0; } #comments-block dd.comment-timestamp { margin:-.25em 0 2em; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } #comments-block dd p { margin:0 0 .75em; } .deleted-comment { font-style:italic; color:gray; } /* Sidebar Content ----------------------------------------------- */ .sidebar-title { color:#579; } #sidebar ul { margin:0 0 1.5em; padding:0 0 1.5em; border-bottom:1px dotted #357; list-style:none; } #sidebar li { margin:0; padding:0 0 .25em 15px; text-indent:-15px; line-height:1.5em; } #sidebar p { line-height:1.5em; } /* Profile ----------------------------------------------- */ #profile-container { margin:0 0 1.5em; border-bottom:1px dotted #357; padding-bottom:1.5em; } .profile-datablock { margin:.5em 0 .5em; } .profile-img { display:inline; } .profile-img img { float:left; padding:4px; border:1px solid #357; margin:0 8px 3px 0; } .profile-data { margin:0; font:bold 78%/1.6em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } .profile-data strong { display:none; } .profile-textblock { margin:0 0 .5em; } .profile-link { margin:0; font:78%/1.4em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Arial,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; } /* Footer ----------------------------------------------- */ #footer { width:660px; clear:both; margin:0 auto; } #footer hr { display:none; } #footer p { margin:0; padding-top:15px; font:78%/1.6em "Trebuchet MS",Trebuchet,Verdana,Sans-serif; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.1em; }

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Improving Your Blog with Bloggy Boot Camp

Queen of the Road
(I ♥ it when my Traverse talks to me)
Stowed Stuff ready for cocktails!
Well friends, Bloggy Boot Camp Boston with the SITS Girls was a huge success. Who the heck are the SITS Girls?  Read more here to find out what they are all about.

Fran and Tiffany threw a great cocktail party on Friday night at the Seaport Hotel, hosted by Mirassou Winery.  I really enjoyed connecting with so many other young and talented women who know what the blogosphere is all about.  Everyone was so friendly and enthusiastic about being there.

I'd like to give a big shout out to some of my new bloggy friends. Please take a look at their blogs of awesomeness!  These are just a handful of the amazing and talented women I got to connect with:

amusingfoodie.com, twohappyhomes.com, writingtosanity.com, mommysfabulous.com, dontmindthemess.com, glamamom.com, themodchik.com, charlenechronicles.com, andthenkate.com, memorymakermom.com, mommakiss.blogspot.com...keep inspiring me, girls!

What did we do besides drink wine and chat and tweet to each other all day?  We learned so many important tips and tricks about blogging and branding. We learned to reflect about who we are as bloggers.  What is our purpose on the web?  What is our promise? What is our story?  How can we take our blogs to the next level?  Here are some important tidbits that I took with me:

1)  Buy the domain names for your name and your kids' names.  It's the best $10 you could ever spend!

2)  Go list crazy and use SEO and Google trends (very important for blog post titles.)

3)  Create a media kit!

4)  Gather testimonials from all the brands you've worked with.

5)  Set your worth and don't be afraid to say "no!"

My head is still spinning from all the new information I've learned and I'm not kidding when I say it's hard to sleep.  I close my eyes and think about business cards, page tabs, headers, testimonials, media kits, brands, content, sidebars, plug-ins!  Whoa nelly!  You know you've got a lot going on in your head when you're dreaming about blogs.  Really? Yes, dreaming about blogs.

Bloggy Swag
So if you're thinking about starting a blog, go for it.  It's super easy. Just log in and chose a template at blogger.com or wordpress.com.  And if you're already blogging and want to learn more, attend a Bloggy Boot Camp next time the SITS Girls are in town. Inexpensive, fun, intimate and totally engaging.

More pictures from Bloggy Boot Camp Boston available here at the flickr stream, thanks to themodchik.com.

Labels: , , ,

posted by Unknown at Tuesday, May 10, 2011

12 Comments:

Anonymous Sandra Foyt said...

Great summary! I know what you mean about Bloggy Boot Camp being a head spinning event, even on my second go around I learned so much.

I also enjoyed hearing about your blog journey at lunch, and look forward to seeing where the road takes you!

7:57 PM  
Anonymous Desiree said...

Dreaming about blogs, huh? Could be worse. ;) So nice to meet you this past weekend...

9:34 PM  
Anonymous Kate said...

It was fantastic to meet you.

Funny you mention the tweeting, since I was just thinking about that. I think I actually tweeted at the person sitting next to me once. JUST BECAUSE I COULD.

10:14 PM  
Blogger @TiffanyRom said...

So nice to meet you, Annie!

I loved chatting with you.

Thanks for the great write up and for bringing such a great energy to the event.

xoxo
Tiffany

10:47 PM  
Blogger Tillerman said...

Thanks for the invitation to go to evo'11 in Utah in July for my birthday. I love hearing about all your ideas on how to blog better that you picked up last weekend, but I would much rather my family organized some outdoor experience near home for my birthday than take me to a bloggers' conference.

8:10 AM  
Anonymous Sarahviz said...

It was so nice to meet you - I loooove your profile pic!

9:36 AM  
Anonymous Sharon said...

Great post Anne! Hope we can see each other again soon...

10:50 AM  
Blogger Melissa said...

I met you there! I was the one without business cards because I have no idea what I'm doing, haha. It was nice to meet you there!

2:43 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Tillerman, it may not be close to home, but I'ms sure we can find some outdoorsy things to do in Utah! Let's stay the week!

4:41 PM  
Blogger Tillerman said...

Hmmm. I see that the 2011 Laser 'No Coast' Championships are in Park City in September. You could practice all summer on Chris's Laser, then we could charter 3 boats and go out there and do it.

2:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

If only I was retired...

2:08 PM  
Anonymous Lynn @ Maven of Savin said...

It was so wonderful meeting you "neighbor". Hopefully we can get together and blog chat over coffee or drinks soon! Great summary!

3:45 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home