BlogPaws 2010

Well, I’m finally back and in the swing of things!  My trip to Columbus was exciting, eventful, and productive.  Slobber Dog had a great time hanging at his second home with his buddy Bella, and everyone was happy to see me when I got home!  So why the delay in posting about my wonderful adventures?  Well….I’ll leave that story for another day, but suffice it to say that I have a houseguest at the moment!

Anyway, back to BlogPaws.  I found out about this convention of pet bloggers quite by accident just as I was getting ready to leave for a horse convention being held in the same town at the same time!  Tell me THAT’S not fate?  So I signed up to go, and boy was it worth it.  I met some really fantastic people while I was there and got tons of great information about blogging in general and specific to pets.  It was held at the Westin and was entirely pet friendly.  I saw cats and dogs by the dozen and they even had a little doggie daycare service for those pets needing a break from the blog talk.  All in all it was a great time, with over 200 attendees.  The seminars they held were:

• Tips, Tricks, and Habits for SEO and Traffic Stats – this session was incredibly helpful and I could have sat through another 2 hours of it.  Stephan Spencer, in particular, was extremely helpful in guiding bloggers to success.  He even critiqued some of the audience’s sites and gave tips on improving traffic.
• Fair, Focused, and Fun Product Reviews
• Book Publishing in a Digital World
• Sponsorship and Advertising on your Blog
• Building your Blog Strategy
• Leveraging Social Media:  Using Today’s Interactive Tools – This was another helpful session for a social media newbie like myself.  Sure, I have a Facebook page, but I don’t use it for blogging purposes.  And I’m brand new to Twitter and just learning the ropes with it.  It was fascinating to hear how these tools have made critical differences to many bloggers in terms of their popularity and success.
• Business Blogging
• Be The Change You Want to See
• Contests, Sweepstakes, and Promotions – This was another good one!  I hadn’t given much thought to the legal aspects of contests – in fact, I’d just posted a contest on my other site, From The Horse’s Back, before leaving for Columbus!  It was very helpful to learn some of the regulations and tips to making sure contests stay fun. 

These four legged attendees cruised BlogPaws in style in their very own Pink Catillac!

If all this information gathering wasn’t enough reason to attend, the swag they gave out sealed the deal!  Huge bags filled with treats, toys, cleaning products, books….you name it!  I can’t wait to dig into it, it’s almost like Christmas!  As you can see, there was a ton to see and do at this convention!  Anyone that has the chance to check out the next one should definitely do it.  Meeting all those awesome pet bloggers has reminded me how great pet lovers are and reinforced my commitment to creating a successful online pet community. 

Click the link if you’re interested in checking out information about Blog Paws or want to see the slides for the presentations.