I'm at boot camp . . .

I'm at boot camp for the weekend.  Bloggy Boot Camp that is.  It's an amazing social media conference that's being held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.  Normally a one day conference, #BBCChicago is a special, two-day event that's focused on the business of blogging.  Yes, blogging is a absolutely a business.  Especially for the almost 150 women (and a few men) sitting in a conference room with me.  We heard some of the best marketing and PR people around share their experiences working with brands and bloggers (good and bad).  I walked away from the day with 20+ pages of notes and TONS of practical information that, just by sitting in the room and absorbing the information, made me feel smarter about my blogging.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

*Adam Keats from Weber Shandwick talking about a Blogger's Hierarchy of Needs (a spin off of Maslow's Hierarchy for all you fellow marketing junkies).

*Danielle Wiley, Missy Maher, and Sarah Ingram taking about how important it is make relationships with marketing, brand and PR people BEFORE you need them.

*Tiffany Romero giving us detailed information about what should be included in your About Me section (and things not to forget!)

*Francesca Banducci reminding us to "Be A SuperHero" when you are working with a brand, and help to make the PR person you are working with look the same.

*Elise Loehnen from Beso explaining the ins and outs of Affiliate Marketing.

*Meagan Francis talking about looking at your revenue stream like a three-legged stool; three or more sources of income will keep your business balanced so it doesn't topple over.

I am so happy that I made the leap to attend this great event.  If that's what Day One was like (and that was just a half day session), I can't WAIT for what today brings!  Have a great one!!