This past Saturday, I got up bright and early to attend and speak at the inaugural Springboard Conference in Boston. Kim and Christy have been working so hard on the conference (which Boston Parent Bloggers co-sponsored), and it was wonderful to see the fruits of their labor. Feedback on the conference has been excellent – it was a great size and had some amazing speakers in an intimate environment.
This conference was personally different from the many I’ve attended in the past. This time, I had to actually get up in front of group of my peers and speak – twice. First was with the amazing Cat Lincoln on a small panel discussion about brand ambassadorships. Then, I actually had a session of my own - Show me the money - Tips to monetize your blog NOW – based upon my Blog Monetization 101 site. So, while I was there to learn, I was also there to teach.
The first session I attended was the PR Panel led by Stephanie Azzarone, Cat Lincoln, and Laura Tomasetti. I’ve attended numerous PR sessions over the year, but this was one of the best, because they were truly honest about what they are looking for when they work with bloggers. The key takeaway here – “be delightful” (i.e., be a professional person to work with and you’ll continue to get opportunities).
Next, I headed to the Affiliate session. I’ve used affiliate marketing in the past with very limited success, and I got some really great tips. I always feel that if I come away from every conference with good contacts and one or two practical tips, then it’s been worthwhile. In the case of Springboard, I got one or two practical tips per session!
Finally, it was time for my session. I had a good crowd of attendees, and although it was the end of the day, they were still eager to learn, which was great. I hope they got some value out of the session!
Overall, Springboard was a great learning experience, but it was also a kind, supportive environment that was conducive to learning. I hope Christy and Kim plan to run it again after getting some rest!
Photo credit: Isra from The Frugalette and Charise from I Thought I Knew Mama.
I loved your session – and the rest of the conference!
Thanks Maryanne! It was great to see a friendly face when I was presenting!
I enjoyed the conference from beginning to end! Thanks for sharing your tips, Jodi!
Thanks Jane – it was great beginning to end!
I enjoyed the whole day! Even hanging out chatting in the expo area. Your session was so helpful! I loved breaking off into smaller groups to work, the feedback was great.
I agree about the Expo area.
I’m glad you liked the small breakouts – I hope they helped!
Jodi, I loved how active you made your session. I really appreciated having some time to think, make some goals, and then get some tactical advice on how to achieve those goals. Thank you!
~Emily
I hope they do too – it was fabulous! So sad I missed your session!! Hope to catch one of yours someday — for serious!