“How Do You Blog” was the search I typed in some time ago, little did I know I’d be sitting here today recovering after a 3 day Blogger conference feeling inspired and exhausted. The ShesConnected Conference has done it once again, by gathering hundreds of bloggers and brands together they created an experience which was beautiful.
As a Conference Ambassador I arrived on Thursday to assist with any last-minute details, with an event of this magnitude it takes many hands to prepare! The ambassadors and ShesConnected staff joined together from across the country, finally getting to see one another face to face after engaging online for a year. It was a day of laughter and hard work which we can all be proud of!
Friday morning brought the beginning of the conference, as I rolled out of bed and rubbed my weary eyes I was greeted by the knowledge that I’d be meeting many people whom I’ve shared time with online. This is difficult to explain to anyone who hasn’t been involved in the online community, it’s something I was ignorant of as I typed in “How Do You Blog”.
Apparently my blog isn’t actually all about me…..it’s actually about the relationships I’ve had the joy of cultivating as I vomit out the words of my heart here on SoberJulie.com. This is what this conference was to me, the ONE day a year when I have the chance to see my online peeps, to see the whites of their eyes!
ShesConnected pulled together many Brands who are seeking to work with bloggers, PR companies, Publishers, Bloggers (established and those just beginning). This weekends was jammed with valuable information for all, panel discussions, networking, hugs and even God moments.
Personally there were two moments which stick out in my mind at the moment. The first happened as I was walking the Expo room interacting with brands and heard my name being called. I turned to see a beautiful girl who approached me hesitantly. In the midst of the noise everything seemed to slow down as she softly explained that she comes to my blog to enter contests but had become a reader. This quiet voice thanked me, she had taken the time to thank me for just writing my thoughts. This was a humbling moment which I shared with her. This girl’s words reinforced that as I sit in pjs typing someone is really listening.
The next moment happened at a Shades of Grey party….yes some of you may be SHOCKED that I would attend such an event…cough. Ok so I was touring around at the party for a while, enjoying the fabulous decorations and delicious treats when this stunning woman swept in and grabbed my attention. As a speaker at this conference I’d been approached by many folks over the course of a few days but oh man this girl demanded attention with the intensity she exuded. Within the space of a few seconds I realized why, God was in the room with us! It’s a very cool story which she’s written about much more succinctly than my tired brain can so please head over and read Holy Epiphany.
For now that’s all I’ll write about ShesConnected, suffice it to say that I’m a wreck and will be resting for some time but this weekend was worth it. I’m left not only feeling physically tired but emotionally bouyed. I have a clearer vision of my journey and the effect I am having out here in the blogisphere. For those who are interested, I will be writing about my Blogger Etiquette Session soon and will provide the presentation.
If you attended ShesConnected please leave me a link here of any blog posts you write, I’d like for us all to have a location to read about each other’s experiences.
Wow Julie, this was beautiful, and yet another reason you move me beyond words. God is good. I can’t wait to read everyone else’s ShesConnected stories. I have a funny feeling that women all over that building were tingling with the power of the Spirit. Still feel so very blessed to have had that Moment with you…plus I love that yuu described me as stunning! bah!
God was certainly busy this past weekend!
Thank you so much for sharing this Julie! I agree, this truly is the one day when all of our online connections solidify and become real. It always makes my heart happy to have the chance to see you in real life again!
As always it’s such a pleasure to see your beautiful smile Kathryn
Great post Julie! Thanks for sharing :) And what an incredible moment you had! I loved meeting so many of the people I’ve connected with online in real life. Hopefully next time we’ll meet in person as well :)
I hope so Brandi!!!
Awesome experience! God works in mysterious ways! I love when he reveals himself! I agree with you! It was an amazing experience! I was “Blog Star” struck! Gonna be honest, I followed your blog for awhile now and was so excited when I saw you Friday morning outside the Renaissance. You were my first “Blog Star Struck’ moment! ! :)
ha well my ego loves that you consider me a “Star” but my heart disagrees. It was fab to see everyone in one location after a long year apart
Julie, it was great to meet you at She’s Connected this year! You really are a down-to-earth lady. I am looking forward to posting a link to my impressions of She’s Connected later on in the week, as I am swamped with other things right now. I will link up here later!
Jenna
http://www.snymed.blogspot.ca
You’d better….loved meeting you as well!
Great post Julie! I really enjoyed listening to the sound advice from the panel you were part of. The tips, you and the other ladies gave will help me attain my blogging goals. So thank you.
Freda it was a pleasure to meet you and thank you for sharing your kind words, sometime when you’re on stage you’re not sure if anyone is getting anything out of the topic.
Great job, Julie! I loved meeting you and watching you in action. You were a wonderful ambassador and represented your brand very well.
Why thank you so much Pam
Julie, what an insightful post! I enjoyed meeting you this past weekend, as well as your breakout session on blogging etiquette. You rocked the conference and were such an awesome ambassador!
Thank you Nicole, I give all the credit for my session to the Fraggle Rock toy I had as a good luck charm.
what a great post Julie! I wasn’t at the conference, so I don’t have a post to link up but I will be hopping through the others!
Great post Julie for those of us who love you to pieces (like me) and all you share here at your little home on the web and for those who (again like me) don’t have an opportunity to attend such conferences but hope to in the future. You are a beautiful treasure online and I’m so glad you had a good time and are relishing in the experiences you had and friendships you made :)
I saw you many times at SCCTO but was too shy to say hi. I hope to change that at future conferences!