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You Are Here Home » Blogging » Reflections from Blog West 2012

March 12, 2012 By SoberJulie 30 Comments

Reflections from Blog West 2012

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This past week I had the opportunity to attend BlogWest 2012 in Edmonton, this was the first Blog Conference held in Western Canada. It all began when a girl had a dream, Felicia Dewar had attended a conference in Toronto and wanted to bring the experience to her home province for all bloggers to enjoy. With loads of hard work, great support and a few sleepless nights Felicia pulled off a successful conference in a mere 8 weeks!

Over the course of this 3 day event there were information-rich speaker sessions which caused me to pause and reflect. As a blogger I sit and pen my thoughts for the world to see and conferences give me the opportunity to consider my direction. Questions such as “What’s my brand” or “How far am I willing to go to spread my message?” spring to mind to challenge my outlook. Funny that second question was actually stimulated by my own speaking session, titled “Use Your Power for Good, Not Evil“.

JulieSpeaking

Writing can become an insular situation, sitting here behind my laptop clicking away I would hope that I’m mindful of my readers but immersing myself in a room of writers has the benefit of perspective.

Blog West stirred me up, this to me is a successful conference. I gained insights on questions I’d had about technical information, suffice it to say this means I realized that I know very little and will need the help of an expert!

The session I led was a great experience, it ended up being a discussion session (which is exactly what I’d hoped), where the attendees engaged in a lively discussion on using social media to affect change for good. I did have a friend video tape it and hope to share it in the future….but one take-away for myself is that I must be even more clear about my goal with my readers. I think that it’s not necessarily obvious to a new reader that I seek to remove the stigma of alcoholism and to encourage others to make healthy changes in their lives by sharing my story in a transparent manner.

So there it is, I need to refine my blog design a bit….nothing wrong with a new dress every now and again right?

Now onto the fun part, the photos!!!

Fabulous panels!

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Reuniting with fab friends!

 

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redneckmommyAngela-from-Disney

Dinners with wonderful folks!

 

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Thank you so much to my sponsor Adult Essential Gummies for allowing me to represent your brand while in Edmonton, it was an honor which I’ll never forget!

Adult-Essentials-bags

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Filed Under: Blogging, Misc, My Life, Sponsored Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pam says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:17 am

    I followed along on twitter and was so excited to see a tweet with you mentioned – and there was a lot! Congrats on a great experience, and glad you are back home safe and sound.

    Reply
    • SoberJulie says

      March 12, 2012 at 11:47 am

      It was wonderful Pam, although I will admit that I won’t be travelling alone again anytime soon….I found it too much for me. Next time I’ll link up with another blogger or ensure Hubby can make it.

      Reply
  2. Good Girl Gone Green says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:19 am

    It must have been a great experience to lead a session! I am so sure you did amazing! :) :)
    Good Girl Gone Green recently posted..The Mini Raw Vegan Carrot CakeMy Profile

    Reply
    • SoberJulie says

      March 12, 2012 at 11:47 am

      It was wonderful

      Reply
  3. Julia says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:22 am

    Sounds like a great conference!
    Julia recently posted..Join Me In The Finish Revolution!My Profile

    Reply
  4. SamiJoe says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:31 am

    Glad you came our way! It was indeed a fun, information filled conference.
    SamiJoe recently posted..Casa Guadelajara ~ Old Town, San Diego CAMy Profile

    Reply
  5. jennifer hunt says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:35 am

    I’m so glad you had a great time Julie! .. you look so fab!

    Reply
  6. MagzD says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:44 am

    It was great to have you out! Thanks for being such an engaging and inspiring speaker fr us :)

    Reply
    • SoberJulie says

      March 12, 2012 at 11:47 am

      Thank you so much for being so welcoming!

      Reply
  7. LaQuita (Just Us Girls) says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:44 am

    It sounds like you gals had a great time and learned so much. I’m looking into going to my first conference some time next year. I hope I get as much information as you did! :)
    LaQuita (Just Us Girls) recently posted..Chloraseptic Warming Sore Throat Lozenges & Kids Sore Throat Lollipops (R&G)My Profile

    Reply
  8. Canadian Dad says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:45 am

    I really enjoyed following the #blogwest Twitter updates while you were there. I can’t wait to see the video!!

    Chris

    Reply
  9. AnnMarie Brown says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:52 am

    Sounds like the conference was great! So glad you got to go and speak! :)
    AnnMarie Brown recently posted..Stretching your dollar… on Vehicles and GasMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Kelly @ City Mom says

    March 12, 2012 at 10:59 am

    Looks awesome Julie! I’ve never attended a blog conference before. I hope to this year!

    Reply
  11. Leslie says

    March 12, 2012 at 11:05 am

    I enjoyed your seminar and all of Blogwest. I am hoping they do it again and next year it will be even bigger and better

    Reply
    • SoberJulie says

      March 12, 2012 at 3:43 pm

      Thanks so much Leslie, Blog West this year was awesome and will be next year I’m sure!

      Reply
  12. tarasview says

    March 12, 2012 at 11:22 am

    great pictures Julie! I’m glad you had a good time :) I wish I had been there with you!
    tarasview recently posted..The Northern LightsMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Jennifer says

    March 12, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    sounds like a good event,
    Jennifer recently posted..The Toronto Zoo, Any Day of the Year!My Profile

    Reply
  14. Stacey says

    March 12, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    Great post on BlogWest. I feel behind the times; I’m impressed you have this up already. It was fabulous to meet you IRL; you are more amazing in person than online. I can’t wait to see you at the next conference! :)

    Reply
    • SoberJulie says

      March 12, 2012 at 3:44 pm

      We’re like soul sistas ;) I loved spending time with you, next time we room together!!! Corey and Brad can go hunting or something

      Reply
  15. Shairbearg says

    March 12, 2012 at 1:03 pm

    Looks like you had an amazing time!!
    Shairbearg recently posted..Friendly Followers for March 11, 2012My Profile

    Reply
  16. Laurie says

    March 12, 2012 at 1:14 pm

    I really enjoyed your presentation at BlogWest Julie, and I definitely think that discussion sessions can be invaluable in sparking ideas and thought processes so that we go home and evaluate our blogs and our goals, etc. I can’t wait to write my BlogWest wrap-up post to solidify some of the ideas I had during the conference.
    Laurie recently posted..Get to Know Me MemeMy Profile

    Reply
  17. Katrina Brady says

    March 12, 2012 at 2:20 pm

    Truly wish I could of been there with everyone! Hopefully next year. Looks and sounds fab!

    Reply
  18. Mark says

    March 12, 2012 at 3:42 pm

    Looking forward to see what design you come up with.
    Congrats on a successful conference!
    m.
    Mark recently posted..Current Score:My Profile

    Reply
  19. Marissa (@Stuporstar) says

    March 12, 2012 at 4:08 pm

    Thank you so much for coming out West Julie! You were one of my favourite speakers and it was great to connect with you throughout.

    Can’t wait to see the new blog design and where your next blog speaking event will be :)
    Marissa (@Stuporstar) recently posted..Edmonton Handmade Talent = AwesomeMy Profile

    Reply
  20. Jodi Shaw says

    March 12, 2012 at 4:48 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing everything with me *like I’m* the only one here ha ha but it was awesome! I’ve never been to a conference so it’s cool to get your insight and see the pics and catch a glimpse of what goes on.

    Reply
  21. Lynette says

    March 12, 2012 at 7:12 pm

    LOVE your topic Julie :) Looks like you had a wonderful time!! Hoping for a Blog East :)
    Lynette recently posted..The Muppets on DVD & Blu-RayMy Profile

    Reply
  22. Raj says

    March 13, 2012 at 10:01 am

    It was so nice to meet you Julie! Thanks for all your insights and advice on blogging and finding my direction, and of course for the outfit photos! Looking forward to staying connected with all of the amazing women I met at BlogWest.

    Reply
  23. Nicole03 says

    March 14, 2012 at 1:16 pm

    Nice reflection.. :) I really love hearing more about this..
    Nicole03 recently posted..All About ChineseMy Profile

    Reply
  24. Angie@Echoes of Laughter Blog says

    March 17, 2012 at 11:25 pm

    Hi Julie! It was so nice meeting you at BlogWest! It was so fun chatting with you and thank you so much for sharing your spirit and enthusiasm! Wishing you a wonderfuf weekend and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Angie xo

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. BlogWest 2013 – A Canadian Blog Conference | My Blog says:
    March 15, 2013 at 1:03 am

    […] friends, blog stars, and blog celebrities on twitter, dying over the constant updates: Heather Sober Julie Style […]

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