On May 2nd, the annual Blog On conference took place at Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry. Some fantastic brands and PR companies were in attendance. There was some lovely food, with breakfast by Brioche Pasquier, The Co-Operative providing the wine and Hungry House sponsoring the wonderful cake, that kept us all happily fed throughout the day. Some of my favourite blogging buddies were in attendance, providing the company and the laughs. With some fantastic giveaways and goody bags, we were properly spoiled!
It was lovely to find out about some great new products such as the QVS range of great value make-up brushes and the new, cool science related toys from Brainstorm. (The Magno.Z toys are awesome!) Black Sheep Wools generously gave out some lovely things like pom-pom makers and French knitting spools, which will be great for introducing my kids to some new crafting skills. The wonderful Sandra from Thinking Slimmer was there and I'm excited to be working with her again soon. Hopefully I'll lose the last of my excess weight! The More Vitamin drinks were a great new discovery for me. Still or sparkling flavoured water with added vitamins and minerals for both adults and kids seems like a really good idea, plus the drinks taste lovely. An easy way of adding some extra nutrients to your diet.
There was a really informative and well delivered session on advanced blogging that I enjoyed from one of the PR companies in attendance. I don't really see my blog as a business, but still found some useful tips and ideas and the presentation was really professional and engaging. Other sessions included a YouTube talk. I leave my YouTube channel to take care of itself and it does pretty well, so I just carry on in my own laid back way! One day I might take up vlogging, when I can think of something interesting to say! The photography session gave us the chance to look at some nice pictures, then go off into the museum to take some of our own. Thankfully I had my technical, photography whizz and blogging buddy Bex to help me with the technical stuff while we snapped the steam train outside. The niche session we attended was on lifestyle blogging, but it didn't really resonate with me at all. Maybe I should have hopped across to the food blogging session instead?
I don't worry too much about my stats, rankings, DA or PR or any of that stuff - I write because I enjoy it and I love having a little corner of cyberspace to call my own. Every view is a bonus, any comments are excitedly and gratefully received. I really value being able to work with brands and work hard to provide a professional service that retains my own personal touch. I don't stress over my blog/life balance and switch off my laptop all weekend long to enjoy my family without distraction. I enjoy being a part of this community and have some lovely people that I count as friends. I'm one content and happy blogger!
Blog On is genuinely one of the most relaxed and friendly blogging conferences, and being in Manchester it is really convenient for me. I'd definitely recommend it to any bloggers looking for a good, bloggy day out! I'll be keeping an eye out for Blog On 2016.
