Last week I attended the Alt Summit in San Francisco. I was thrilled and apprehensive to say the least. I am a 40+ year old blogger going into a conference I was sure would be dominated by 20 somethings, I had new business cards that I was sure would not compete, and I was convinced I would definitely not have the right thing to wear! But as I walked into my first event, all of that melted away. I decided that I am where I am and who I am and that, my friends, is what I bring to the table at A Bowl Full of Simple. Right off the bat, Alt was teaching me something already. Be who you are, stay focussed on what my point of view is and keep my content original and fresh.
There were several dinners offered to bloggers that were put on by all the amazing sponsors of the summit. I chose to attend the Bing dinner. I had heard so much about how Bing likes to work with bloggers. I thought this would be a great place to start. I learned more about their exciting ‘bingboards’ which you all are going to love. If you frequently search by image on the web, you will appreciate the visual content with bing boards. More on this to come!! I met some lovely bloggers that I will definitely be following and sharing here soon.
The next morning started off running! We had so many roundtables to choose from with stellar sponsors and ‘big time’ bloggers who I have admired so greatly. I was inspired by Liz Stanley of Say yes to Hoboken while she discussed Selling Your Own Ads. She reminded me to stay true to my choices of product inclusion, to not sell myself short, and to keep my audience informed. I loved hearing about where she began and feel like I can email her with more questions, super approachable!
I also sat in on a group led by two of my favorite local bloggers, Oh Happy Day! and SF girl by bay. These ladies had a lot of fantastic advice, we super fun + funny, and just a treat to be around.
Our opening keynote speaker was Mariam Naficy, founder of Minted. She shared with us the seven C’s. Conviction, Consumer, Courage, Cash, Creative Management, Collaboration, Children + family. She reminded me to stick to my convictions, don’t take NO for an answer, and have the courage to keep going no matter what others say or think. Thank you Mariam, you have so much to be proud of. Please keep sharing your knowledge + your confidence with others.
One of my favorite panels of the day was this trio! Alix, Meg, and Lane. These three represented, a part-time blogger, a full-time blogger, and a finance guy (who by the way was HILARIOUS!) Each had their own perspective on the Business of Blogging. My take away from all of them in the end was to “think like a big time blogger,” “know [my] value,” and to “invest to grow.” I was really interested in this group as the Business of Blogging is the next step to grow this little blog o’mine. I’m gaining ground on producing consistent content, and interacting with social media, but the business side is new to me.
Rena Tom, founder of Makeshift Society, had some bits of wisdom that I will hold onto “Accept Creative Roadblocks” is at the top of that list. It happens. Move forward.
Seeing Grant K. Gibson speak was one of those moments where you feel like you know the person speaking, but you have to remind yourself, actually, you don’t! Although, in my mind I live in many of Grant’s incredibly designed homes, he really has no idea who I am. Sadly, I had to admit, I’m just a follower!!
Hearing from Flipboard‘s founder, Mike Mc Cue was certainly a highlight of the day. Mike was the closing keynote speaker who really stole the show. I believe it was in large part due to his clever way of making his point through several poignant metaphoric stories. I also got the feeling no one knew just quite how fascinating and engaging he is as a speaker. Flipboard by the way, if you aren’t on it yet, you should click over and check it out now. Look for A Bowl Full of Simple on Flipboard soon!
Definitely the icing on the cake at the end of it all was a much anticipated party at the Pinterest offices. I was especially in awe because I’ve never worked in an office, let alone one that has transformed the way we do everything and at light speed. I went to school, then I went to school, then I went to school, and finally, I taught school. The energy of the bloggers, speakers, creatives, and entrepreneurs was intoxicating. I know now why these conferences are so crucial to bloggers. We work in front of a computer screen, often at home and collaborate online. Being in front of and next too successful creative people makes me happy. It fuels me unlike anything else.
I will be back for more. Thank you Alt!
