Networking, One2One and Blissdom’13

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DON’T EVEN THINK OF APPLYING HERE, YOUR TRAFFIC JUST DOESN’T CUT IT!

Well okay, I’ve never actually been told THAT, but I may as well have on numerous occasions. And I know plenty of other bloggers with engaged audiences, great writing skills, and passionate opinions who have come up against that wall too, all because they don’t have a gazillion unique views a month.

But wait. This morning’s lesson is going to be on public relations. And that’s where I want to grow, to up the public relations ‘savvy’ in my skill set, and encourage others to forge relationships, one at a time. One reader at a time, one PR rep at a time, one brand at a time. It takes time, patience, perseverance,… and help.

One of the first networks I ever joined as a blogger was One2One Network. I wasn’t instantly dismissed because I was a small blog, I didn’t get rejected because I was on blogspot at the time, and no one there made me feel inferior because I was new on the scene. I was e-mailed opportunities that fit my site, and then I could choose to accept them. And what made this network stand out to me from others was, I could reject those opportunities without the fear of blacklisting myself for other ones in the future.

I had plenty of questions (well I still do, just different ones now), and no matter who I turned to at One2One, I got valuable answers and helpful information all without feeling like I was being a bother. As a matter of fact, the support network on their site is invaluable to new and seasoned bloggers filled with resources including quality content, how-to’s,articles and webinars. The One2One team realizes the members in their network are individuals with different styles and views, and that translates into a strong base to share with others…one to one…

And here’s the second lesson, that’s even more important than the first. Be YOU. Just YOU. Don’t worry about ‘her’, or ‘them’, focus on YOU and what YOU can do, what YOU can accomplish, what YOU can offer a partnership, what YOU can bring to the table.

That can be hard for a lot of us to do. Myself included, and it’s why I’m writing this post.

Four and a half years into this blogging thing, and I’m always surprised when I get an e-mail inviting me to an event, asking if I’d like to be a brand ambassador or just getting a thank you from a public relations rep on a job well done.

It’s a humbling thing to realize that you’ve impressed someone enough to pass the litmus test, but also to know that there is a reason you did…because somewhere along the line, you learned the ropes through the networks and friends that gave you a chance, passed on your name and recognized your potential before you did yourself. These days it takes networking with people from many sources to become a successful blogger (and at the very least engaged readers…). And so each time you worked on a campaign, you tried harder to do better, whether that was with your writing, your photos or on your social media to pay tribute to those who believed in you and because you started to believe in yourself.

And now here I am wanting to take my blog to the next level, with the help of One2One Network who was there when I started off on this journey. One of the things I know I need to do, is put myself out there personally and BlissDom’13 seems like the perfect place to do it. A smaller more intimate blogging conference would allow me to share with newer and/or struggling bloggers what I’ve learned from networks like One2One and the importance of forging relationships. The sessions would also allow me to continue learning the areas I’d like to get better at; for the networks I’m involved with, the brands they represent, my readers and myself.

O2O is looking for a blogger to represent them at BlissDom’13 and I’d like to be that blogger. As a woman, mom, wife, and homeschool teacher who started on this blogging journey with no idea it would take me where I am today, I think I could be an encouragement and the ‘welcome wagon’ to bloggers who are not familiar with the resources One2One Network has to offer, to help them feel successful in an online environment that can often seem discouraging, overwhelming and impersonal. They’ll also be giving out 2 runner-up conference passes (because they know they’ll have a hard time choosing from all their qualified members, I guess!).

Either way, I hope to get myself to BlissDom in March, and if you see me there, I want to get to know you and say hi!, to exchange urls, e-mails, blogging tips & tricks and of course encouragement for those online and offline days where nothing seems to be working out the way we want. I want to make real friendships with like minded people, be challenged to grow and just have fun!

I wrote this post as an entry into the O2O ‘Full Ride’ Sponsorship to BlissDom’13 Conference. I have the chance to win a full sponsorship or a free conference pass if my entry is chosen. The opinions in the post are my own.

2 thoughts on “Networking, One2One and Blissdom’13

  1. Good luck. I love your blog and I have really learned a lot about some of the strangest things!

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