Published in the March 5, 2013 issue of The Edmonton Sun.
Linda’s social media column can be found every Tuesday in the Edmonton Sun.
BlogWest – Network away!
It’s one of very few blogging conferences held in western Canada and it returns to Edmonton for its second year this weekend.
Whether you’re a niche blogger, blogging for your business or wondering if you should get into blogging, the folks over at BlogWest say this is the conference for you.
“BlogWest is a conference that gives you incredible networking opportunities with some of Western Canada’s most influential online communities,” says organizer Felicia Dewar.
“It will leave you with clear strategies on growing, monitoring and improving your audience, your writing, your business and so much more.”
Local blogger Angie Pitre is one of the conference’s five ‘ambassadors’ – bloggers and attendees tasked with promoting the event.
Pitre has been blogging since 2005.
She was one of more than 150 people who attended the inaugural BlogWest last year, and says the connections she made there had her itching to attend again – and attend as an ambassador to boot.
“At BlogWest, I’m meeting up with my like-kind, my peer group in the blogging field. It’s great to connect with people who do what you do and to talk about new ideas and to see what are the new changes in blogging,” Pitre said.
“I just find the grassroots connection of chatting with other people and hearing their story and learning from them… is the great thing about BlogWest.”
Some topics that will be covered include tips to get more shares, how to develop fresh content, how to define your brand, and how to make money off your blog.
There’s also a ‘Pitching Panel’ where bloggers can pitch directly to some pretty big companies for collaborations on upcoming projects.
Pitre says it’s an opportunity not to be missed.
“If you live in Edmonton and you blog, you’d be crazy not to go. There won’t be a cheaper conference that you can go to and have so much available to you in terms of connecting and sharing with other people.”
She’s got a point.
Why not take advantage of the fact that this big blogging conference, with expert advice from local talent as well as pros across Canada, is literally in your backyard?
I think the sessions at BlogWest sound fantastic and wish I had worked my schedule around in advance in order to attend.
BlogWest runs March 7-9.
If your weekday life conflicts with the Thursday/Friday dates, there’s still a jam-packed Saturday session you can get a day pass for.
Head www.blogwest.ca or tweet @BlogWestMedia for more information.
#BlogWest2013 tweets are also set to fill up Twitter feeds over the three days – which is also a great way to glean some information if you can’t attend. I’ll certainly be taking advantage of that!
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Some Tweets of the Week
@baconbound: A rude Canadian is an Eh-hole. #yeg
@debbie_yee: Applause for the people who keep the #yeg LRT stations clean – they do a great job. #yegtransit
@hulshof87: The amount of live theatre in #yeg is insane. Looking at my Sterling schedule reminds me how lucky I am to be here. @Theatre_Network tonight.
@deecallico: No city in the world deserves HOVER CARS more than EDMONTON #yeg. Which would solve our POTHOLE woes. #yegtraffic
@waskasoocity: Sign of spring: Motorcyclist on Gateway Blvd. #yeg
