Video Post: Axiom @ BlogHer '11

Shelly and Andrea are back in the full swing of things here in the office after attending the BlogHer '11 conference. Andrea wrote a great post (click here to read!) giving all of us readers a snip-it of who goes to BlogHer. In their Axiom @ video they give us an up-close and personal look at what went on at the conference.

Blogger Relations 101

An article came out in the Star Tribune a few days ago about a company announcing to a room full of bloggers at the EVO '11 Conference that they would no longer be paying bloggers for reviews and other writing opportunities.

As expected, the bloggers were not pleased and the room erupted into heated debate.

I don't want to turn this into a question of whether or not the company did the wrong thing with their announcement and stance on bloggers. However, I do feel this is a good opportunity to discuss some of the nuances and intricacies of working with bloggers.

The issue of paying bloggers is far from black and white. Surprisingly, even the bloggers themselves have wide range of opinions on the matter. That makes sense, given the different factors that play into the blogger-brand relationship.

Some bloggers worry that accepting payment for a review comes across as "buying off" the review and alienates them from their audience. Many brands feel the same way, and don't want the review to be rendered pointless by the negative light it gets cast in.

I myself have worked with several bloggers on product reviews for companies, and have found that as long as you treat the blogger like you would any other writer or journalist everyone ends up happy.

But companies have different policies for working with bloggers, just like bloggers have varying policies for working with companies, and at the end of the day being open about the nature of the business relationship is vital to keeping everyone happy.

BlogHer '11: 3,500 of your Closest Blogger Friends

What an experience...BlogHer '11 is a wrap! Shelly and I had an amazing time in San Diego with 3,500 social media-savvy bloggers. I tried to take it all in, but there was just too much going on for one person to conquer it all. I found most attendees fall into one of 3 attendee types; the Learner, the Networker and the Swag collector.

• The Learner: BlogHer is packed with 2 days of informational, motivational and inspirational sessions. The Learner is there to soak in as much knowledge as possible from the experts by packing in sessions from 8am to 5pm with some one-on-one time at the 'Geek Bar' squeezed in. BlogHer brings in pros to cover everything from 'Perfecting the Product Review' to 'Boomer Blogging'.

• The Networker: Networking is everywhere at BlogHer, even in the bathroom line. I was warned to have more than enough cards on hand, and I'm glad I did. I would say the business people to blogger ratio was 40/60, which actually made for some great discussions. Bloggers want to connect to other bloggers and find companies they might partner with. Businesses and professionals are there for the same thing. It was great to meet the people I've only talked to on Twitter and to be exposed to so many new bloggers.

• The Swag Collector: Oh the swag! Companies from all walks of consumer goods descended on BlogHer '11 to get their goods into bloggers' hands. It was interesting to see how different brands integrated social media and blogger relations into campaigns. Some target specific bloggers with more private events....others were going for overall brand awareness with interactive booths and suites. Surprisingly, I heard from many bloggers that the 'Tweet to Win' contests were easy to win because few people participated.

I tried my best to be a little of each of these types by learning a lot, meeting great people and taking home a few goodies. The only question left is; will I see you at BlogHer '12 in NYC?

Garden Fling Takes Seattle By Storm

The following is a guest post from our own Shelly Gustafson, one of our gardening experts who recently attended a garden blog conference in Seattle.

This past weekend I had the immense pleasure to meet up in Seattle with a group of about 70 of the top garden bloggers from across North America (and a few from the UK!) at the annual Garden Bloggers Fling.

While "The Emerald City" has been having an interesting summer weather-wise, the sun decided to make an appearance just in time for our arrival.  However, it was back to the usual on Monday with a strong downpour taking over – but even that couldn’t lesson our enjoyment of the beautiful Bloedel Reserve.

The agenda centered on visiting Seattle’s most famous public gardens (and some private ones too).  Highlights included the breathtaking Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, The Dunn Gardens and the amazing Miller Horticultural Library. We also hit up some of the best garden stores and garden centers in the area including Ravenna Gardens in the U-District and Dragonfly Farms on Bainbridge Island.

The private gardens were amazing in their diversity featuring everything from a gravel garden to an “Urban Hillbilly Chic” concept that featured an abundance of handmade garden art.

All in all, it was a fun trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Seattle’s best gardens with a group that was sure to appreciate their unique beauty.

Check out Shelly’s blog 29minutegardener.com  (Urban Gardener) for more details on the trip and check out our Facebook Page for Shelly’s Photos and see the post on how renowned photographer David Perry’s tips improved her photographs!

Build-up to BlogHer '11

BlogHer '11 here we come! Shelly and I are getting ready to take off for San Diego to spend 3 days with more than 3,000 bloggers. That's a lot of iPads, laptops and smartphones in one place.

For the past few weeks Twitter has been fast and furious with #BlogHer11 questions, spreadsheets, invites, events, suggestions and prep work for the conference. It's enough to make a first time BlogHer attendee a bit dizzy, but the tweets are offering a lot of great tips.

This will be my 2nd blog conference, but definitely the largest. I'm lucky in the sense that I was able to ease into the blog conference world by attending the amazing, but smaller Type-A Parent Conference earlier this year.

So, with my Type-A experience and Twitter tips, here is my 'BlogHer '11 To Do List':

• Connect with bloggers I want to meet IRL and set up a meeting place and time. If you don't you may never see them, it's just that big.
  
• Schedule sessions to attend, there are 7 tracks to choose from.
  
• Sign up for the Geek Bar for more of a one-on-one with experts.
  
• RSVP to the parties and events, they fill up quickly.
• Get to know the spreadsheet of the sponsors; where they will be, what they are doing/hosting and their Twitter hashtags.
• Work on my elevator pitch.
• Have more than expected business cards on hand.
• Find comfortable shoes...and a few dressy ones as well.
• Get ready to learn a lot and have some fun doing it.
  

Stay tuned, I'll be filling everyone in on all the excitement and incite from BlogHer '11! I can't wait.