Although I have been blogging for 3 years over at Singing and Spinning, I have only been doing this site since the first part of March. I don’t get thousands of hits a day or even a week. But I love blogging. It is important to me to share how I am trying to balance life as a mom to two little girls, a wife to an amazing (and hot) husband, a Sunday School teacher, and a full-time employee with the desire to one day be able to do my own thing. Because I feel like sharing my successes and my trials with the world might be able to help someone, I decided I should attend the Casual Bloggers Conference.
I went wanting to meet some of the amazing women that I have admired from a distance. Some of these women for a short time and others for quite a long season.
My goal was to learn as much as possible about the workings of SEO and the ways to grow my little blog to something bigger.
The main thing I learned was that I am REALLY REALLY SHY when I need to be putting myself out there for me. I am not a shy person. I’ve been in sales my whole career. Being a friendly, outgoing booth babe was something that came naturally for me. Standing up in front of a room full of US Attorneys never made me nervous. Presenting to hundreds of people at a Sales Conference doesn’t make me shake.
Yet this weekend showed me that I am just as shy as I was in High School. Just as scared that people will meet me and think that I talk funny, I have gunk in my eye, I talk a lot, I don’t talk enough, I somehow put them off or they are too cool for me to be friends with. So, I didn’t meet as many people as I had hoped. I shied away from going to the concert and being a wall flower. I brought my own lunch so I wouldn’t have to worry about going any where (luckily on Friday, Mel was there and she picked lunch up for me).
My CBC Recap of the conference? Well…
I still don’t understand SEO as well as I would like, but I’m bound and determined to figure it out and what I did learn from Sarah will most definitely give me a better understanding of what I will learn.
There is a list of those amazing women that I did get to meet. Some of them I met for only a brief moment when we exchanged cards or I sat in their classes and can pretend like I met them. And then there were some that I got to visit with, dine with, sit with and hug. (Camille, Lolli, Brandi, Kim, Jenny and Loralee).
Twitter suddenly became something that I now understand – at least better than I did when I walked through the doors on Friday morning. Not only do I understand it a bit better but I found it to be fun and enlightening. Anytime I missed something a speaker said, I could check out the tweets to see if someone else at the conference thought it was cool enough to share.
Matt Townsend is a very very funny man and if I had it in me, I’d love to read his book and have Scott read it with me. But, there are so many things in my life that come before reading a self help book. And maybe that is a priority that I might need to change, but for now, I just don’t have the time to read it.
Jessica Bern made me laugh and wish I were funny. I’m just not. So instead, I’ll just be me and cross my fingers that people like me.
I felt overwhelmed by Blog Frog and wonder how on earth a mom that works full time is supposed to manage that community, twitter and a facebook page. Oh, and of course read Matt Townsend’s book and read Gorgeously Green. Plus keep up with the blogs of the women that I did meet. Sigh.
After the closing keynotes, I decided that CJane is really worth reading. I also think I might want to become a bit more green after listening to Gorgeously Green speak.
Oh, and I didn’t even take very many pictures! How silly is that. I had my camera on me the whole time, I just didn’t take it out except a few times on Saturday. So, here’s one photo as proof that I did indeed go and rub shoulders with some powerful and beautiful bloggers.
Twitter: imtopsyturvy
I didn’t take many pictures either, and I don’t have a ton of followers, but I do enjoy blogging. I thought I understood SEO after the lesson, but then coming home and trying to do it…? I guess I still am a bit lost. It was nice to meet you though! And you didn’t come across as super shy if it makes you feel any better!
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
June 6th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
Ashlee, that does help me feel better than I didn’t come across as shy. – thank you. It was great meeting you as well.
Twitter: 1momof5
I am so, so glad that we got to hang out. I have always been really shy, but blogging seems to bring out my social side. 🙂 I look completely bored (or maybe TIRED) in that picture! Ha!
.-= Lolli´s last blog ..#cbc10 – Highlights of the Casual Blogger Conference =-.
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
June 6th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
I think you looked tired of waiting for it to start. 🙂
My next conference, I’m making it a goal to be more out-going. We’ll see.
Twitter: stephsday
Sounds like it was a fun (albeit a little overwhelming…) experience.
I’m glad you are now enamored by Twitter. I really do like Twitter…much better than Facebook. I don’t, however, “do” Blog Frog. A mom can only do so much, right? 😉
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Tuesday Tours: What’s Happening on the Web =-.
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:29 pm
I think enamored just might be hedging on addicted. 🙂 The problem with twitter is that now I’m not reading the blogs in my reader- I’ll just click through to them with they are tweeted about.
Blog Frog is really cool, but I agree completely – you can only do so much.
Twitter: rudyrukus
Amy it was so great to meet you. I am feeling like you. Overwhelmed with everything. We should get together and get it all figured out. I can totally help you with blogfrog if you want! It is alot! I want to read Matt’s book too. And Jessica has had me in stitches since i met her. I have been looking her up on youtube and laughing and laughing! She is hysterical. Glad we got to have dinner together and listen to the closing keynotes. It was fun!
.-= Brandie´s last blog ..Reasons You Should Attend a Blogging Conference =-.
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
June 3rd, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Brandie- It was definitely great to meet and hang with you for the closing. I think we will have to get together and do lunch with a blog frog theme. I’m just not sure I have the bandwidth to add it yet – other than visiting other bloggers communities.
I’ll need to look up Jessica. I adore her blog and her tweets.
u were SUPER dreamy IRL and i loved meeting you. ur card was so cute i couldn’t wait to actually go online and check ur little homey place out. i love it here 🙂 love that i’m in ur picture too!!! hah
yay for new friends!
Ok when was Jessica Bern darn it! I missed it!
.-= vanessa´s last blog ..Don’t Miss Me TOO Much =-.
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
June 6th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Jessica was in the “finding your voice” panel.
Twitter: runwithmel
it was fun to hang with you on friday and i wish i would have met a few more of the amazing women in attendance.
and you should always just be you; you are AMAZING you are TOTALLY worth knowing! i’m just the lucky one who has known you forever 🙂
.-= runwithmel´s last blog ..how do you define success? =-.
Amy
Twitter: familytrifecta
Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 9:22 pm
@runwithmel- I am so glad we were able to do the first part of the conference together, you helped me feel comfortable 🙂 Thanks for sticking around the past 20 years!
This blog was advised to me by a friend. I have to say, browsing this was time well spent. I will inform more friends about it as well.
lol I am like you I went to try to find out how to grow my readership. I know actually, but I don’t want to do it the way I use too! lol I can teach you SEO a bit if you would like.. 4th grade style bwa ha ha and ps. camera in my hand, and only 4 photos to show for it! oh well
.-= Devri´s last blog ..Memorial Day =-.
Twitter: MarnaSuds
It was great meeting with you and chatting with you! I can totally see why you and Mel have been friends for like EVER! You are just as amazing as she is!
Twitter: therhouse
twas great to meet you briefly! i didn’t think you were shy AT ALL! lol! good for you. love your blog. it’s so pretty. 😉
…and i love that you have a photo of me in your cbc proof! HA! i may have you use that one too. so glad you came!