Last time I talked about the key points to holding on when starting out as a blogger. One of those key points is asking advice from more experienced bloggers. While emailing could serve your purpose, what better way to ask more experienced bloggers for advice other than in person? I’m not suggesting you stalk them to find their home addresses or even to ask them for it. No, there’s a better way to do that — the Blog World Expo.

A question cropped up in Deb Ng’s Freelance Writer’s Job board about the importance of attending a bloggers’ tradeshow. Rick Calvert, founder of the Blog World Expo, expounded on his reasons in organizing the very first event. Rick, a tradeshow organizer by profession, asked more experienced bloggers for advice when he started blogging in 2005. Wanting to meet other bloggers in person, he inquired about a blog tradeshow, which to his surprise, didn’t exist. And that’s how the Blog World Expo came to be.

Now, the Blog World Expo attracts A-list bloggers from around the world. And it’s not limited to only bloggers anymore but also to Internet broadcasters, vloggers, and podcasters. There will be exhibits and conference sessions to attend and it will be held on November 8 and 9 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Those who are new to blogging would have questions as to why conferences like this are beneficial to one’s blogging career. Here are some answers I could think of:

1. It is an Invaluable Networking Resource

You troll blogs to comment and meet others, why not meet them in person? It’s a great way to add the human touch into your erstwhile purely virtual relationships.

2. You Get to Learn New Things

If you’re relatively new to blogging, you’ll glean new and priceless advice not only from the seminars available, but also from other bloggers. You may just be propelled from clueless to pundit.

3. It’s Fun

Honestly, you need to work “fun” into your lives one way or another. Meeting people who share the same interests as yours could be very fulfilling. Who knows — maybe you’ll even make new friends or long-term collaborators? The possibilities are endless.

Treat the Blog World Expo as an event to nurture your blogging muse and also, as a way to get that butt off that computer chair and practice your people skills.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 at 2:27 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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