Top 6 Blissdom Takeaways

For me, Blissdom was a very different experience this year. I can vividly remember arriving home after last year's conference feeling so convicted, jazzed up and prepared with the right tools to grow my blog, get to know my readers better and share my story in a way that was authentic, honest and engaging. 

I arrived home on a post-conference high that lasted months as I set about to become the writer I wanted to be. It was my first time attending a blogging conference of any sort and my experience was priceless. It was because of last year's conference that I knew I wanted to return this year.

This year I left with a different feeling that I can't quite put my finger on. Based on my experience this year, I'm not sure I would consider going back for another year. There wasn't necessarily a conference high or even a buzz going as I walked away from the hotel, ready to climb into the shuttle that would begin my journey home. 

My experience this year may also have something to do with the place I am in with I Love You More Than Carrots. I'm not looking to make any lofty changes to this space, other than a contemplative move to WordPress. I'm comfortable with my voice and how I write and so I wasn't necessarily walking away with the same takeaways as the previous year. Perhaps that's why the post-conference high wasn't much more than a mere fizzle. 

Sadly, I was disappointed in a few of the breakout sessions, namely the one that I had been most looking forward to sitting in on. With that being said, there were a few speakers whose words continue to ring in my ears even as I sit typing this and I learned much from a few of my favorite writers in between sessions, in the hallways of the hotel and at dinners. 

In no particular order, here are my Top 6 Takeaways from Blissdom 2013:

6. Don't read what you want to write. Then it becomes a comparison game and comparison never wins. 

Jeff Goins brought up an interesting point. Don't read what you want to write or else you will find yourself constantly comparing. Did you want to write something similar? Maybe you feel that someone else wrote it better or that they already wrote it so it doesn't bear repeating even in your own voice. Don't do that to yourself. You want to write fiction? Read non-fiction. You want to write about motherhood? For the love, do not read other parenting blogs when brainstorming your pieces. 

5. Multi-tasking is a myth.

This was one of the first things Megan Jordan touched on in her breakout session "Uninterrupted Thought: The Power of Focus." I learned that when trying to multi-task just two tasks, your IQ drops 10 points. What's even funnier is that as I sit and type this I have no less than 7 internet browser tabs open. I might as well be a mumbling idiot at this point. 

In all seriousness though, when trying to sit down and write, shut it down. Turn off the wireless if you need to. Stop checking Twitter, scheduling tweets in HootSuite and waiting for that number to change in your email inbox. This is something I need to work on.  

4. Perfectly big hair. Forget incessant back-combing.

Okay, I learned this one from my roomate, Jennifer. I was not born in the south, raised near the south nor did I really ever know anyone from the south until I was in college. I blame being born and raised in the land of the New Jersey Housewives on this one and although I've perfected the Snookie poof, I've unsuccessfully watched YouTube video after YouTube video trying to achieve the perfect back-combed tease. 

Until Jen introduced me to this product, Big Sexy Hair Powder Play. All weekend I received compliments on my hair and I must confess that it was all thanks to this powder, my brilliant Southern roommate and the multiple times each day that we would stop back into the room to curl/fluff our hair.   

3. Twitter is for conversations, not dictations. The secret to being social is to talk with people not at them.

Bless that Scott Stratten. Use Twitter for conversations not constant marketing plugs. If you only tweet about giveaways, blog posts you've written and things that are constantly "me! me! me!" people will not like you. Interact. Engage. Twitter is a two-way street. 

2. #Latergram doesn't mean #lamegram. Experience the moment first, socialize it later. Be present.

Another golden tidbit from the lovely Megan Jordan. I wrote last year about finding balance between savoring moments with my kids and struggling to find time to write. Although I get better with achieving this balance each day, I am always a work in progress and need reminding. 

It was once assumed that when hash-tagged pictures "#latergram" on Instagram, the service wasn't being used properly as people were expected to share photographic evidence of their lives in the now. Megan brought up a good point. Be present in the moment. Savor it. Who cares if you post it later? Just because it wasn't documented at the exact moment it happened didn't mean it didn't occur.  

1. Don't be a jerk.

I tweeted about wanting to tuck Jon Acuff into my pocket and carry him around with me for all time. He is witty, brilliant, captivating, comedic, endearing- I could go on. He brought up a good point, one that you don't think needs mentioning, let alone repeating. Something that many of us should have learned a long time ago. 

Don't be a jerk, especially online. He even wrote an article about "How To Not Be A Jerk Online" and if you're wondering how to not be a jerk online he includes great pointers like the following:

1. Don't publicly announce you're unfollowing people on Twitter. 

2. Don't argue with someone anonymously. 

3. Don't mock people, even if you're blanketing the mockery with humor. It isn't funny.

In the short year and a half that I've been on Twitter, I've been guilty of two those. I don't do anonymity because a) that's lame and b) I don't have time to create a false persona to hide behind, I have enough trouble keeping up with my real one. But I've done those things because I thought it was "cool" to do them. I mean, everyone else was doing it, why shouldn't I? But you know what? That's stupid and people who do those things need to check themselves and find something better to do with their time. 

He sums up the article with this, "The Internet is full of jerks right now. Anyone can be a jerk. You want to stand out and be original and represent... grace." I hate to end this post with a quote from someone else but he just says it so damn well.

So there it is. My top 6 takeaways from Blissdom 2013. Will I return again next year? It's too soon to tell. Am I glad that I went? Yes. There is always something to be learned.