Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

BlogWorld Expo 2009 Report

View Comments | Posted In News by David

As I type up this post, I’m sitting in the Las Vegas airport waiting for my flight home to Tampa. I thought I would jot down my thoughts about this year’s BlogWorld Expo.

  • Huge Growth. I was really impressed with how much Blogworld has grown. My first year was 2008 and it was pretty big then. For 2009, it was truly huge. Signs of a growing industry. I expect next year will be even bigger.
  • It is a Can’t Miss. If you are a blogger, I consider Blogworld to be the can’t-miss conference of the year. There were a LOT of newbies at Blogworld, however at least they took the time to hop on a plane and come to Vegas. That shows a level of commitment that is a step toward success as a blogger. For the bloggers too lazy or cheap to come to Vegas, well, you’re missing out. I’ll just leave it at that.
  • Better Monetization Track. Sure, there were those people who talk about ads, ads, ads. But, it seems there were more ACTUAL probloggers there who were talking REAL BUSINESS. Things like products, marketing. There were even a few outright internet marketers at Blogworld this year. Props to Jim Kukral for putting together the monetization track. With a few exceptions, good lineup.
  • Great networking. This is the #1 reason why I come to Vegas every year for this. It is great to get that “face time” with folks. If you come to a conference like this and act shy, it is to your detriment. I had dinner with Warren Whitlock a few weeks ago and he told me the only reason he goes to conferences is to meet YOU, so he doesn’t like it when people are afraid to walk up to him. I had a reader of this blog say she was nervous to walk up to me. Me?! :) She did, though, and gave me a really sweet gift that I can take home to my daughter. Thanks, Coree. Oh, Coree wrote a post about this, too.
  • We’re Adults, But Come On. The closing keynote was a bit of a train wreck. Kevin Pollack is absolutely hilarious. The Chad Vader guys and the Bloggess were a stretch. The keynote was dirty. I heard words come out of Guy Kawasaki’s mouth that I would have never expected (dude, you’ve got a brand to uphold – don’t blow it!). All in all, this was gutter-level humor I would have expected from a late night comedy special from crappy comedians on HBO. This is Blogworld and it is worthy of respect. Let’s act like it. I’m not opposed to a little foul language. I use it myself sometimes on this blog to get the point across. But, there are limits.
  • Evolution. Leo Laporte ended his keynote by saying to everybody, “Pretty soon, you will be THE media”. Right now, it is called “new media”. But, “old media” is dying. Kevin Pollack talked about his new show which is completely internet based. Leo, of course, has his own media brand (Twit) which is completely online. Bloggers are now gaining plenty of respect as media personalities, even despite the protests of the old guard trying to call bloggers untrained. I’m beginning to see the monetization stuff move into the realm of actual business rather than “beer money” crap like banners. All in all, it is evolution. I like it. I hope it evolves into next year’s Blogworld and I think the schedule needs to be designed around that.

I’ve got some follow-up post ideas from the conference which you’ll see soon. And, if you were at Blogworld, I’d like to hear your thoughts about the conference. Please comment below and let me know.

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  • It's funny that someone was intimidated by you. I have to say you are one of the most approachable people I've come across, but hey, people still have that fear of people.

    I know I've had to overcome it with some people in the past, but it's not a real issue for me anymore.

    Great report. Will take that trip next year now.

    Looking forward to seeing you soon.

    David
  • Hi David, sorry I missed saying hi to you at blogworld. Your pre-conference post was the first I found and I commented saying it would be great to meet. Hopefully, will get to say hi next year!
  • I totally get it. My stuff is not always for the faint of heart and people either get it and love it or they don't and are offended. Still, it's interesting to note that (according to alexa at least) the majority of my readers are college-educated moms and they prefer my more outspoken, irreverent blogs and columns to my far-more-tame parenting blog on the Houston Chronicle. I think the point (for me) of our keynote is that "new media" is changing and flexible and organic and has room for so many voices that might otherwise be discounted, labeled or ignored because they are silly, or unfiltered, or different. It's a brave new world out there.
  • Thanks for commenting. Yeah, keep doing what you're doing. I don't find it personally offensive at all. It just wasn't what I expected in that particular venue.
  • partywedo
    David,
    My second year to BlogWorld and first as a seminar attendee. (I took a cement mixer to display last year).
    The seminars where great and I had the opportunity to meet some very supportive people.
    Your point on the trend toward turning the industry into some REAL money is spot on.

    I walked out of the final keynote...just don't need to hear that stuff, and was embarrassed to be sitting next to mommy bloggers during that part.

    Coree is a nice blogger and great person. She helped us share some the elephants, and we thank her.

    I will continue to participate in BlogWorld and in the evolution of this exciting industry.
  • Thank you for the feedback David. It was great meeting you this year. I am sorry the closing keynote wasn't your speed. Honestly I laughed a lot myself and the room was full right up until the end.

    Our idea was to end the show with a show where everyone could lighten up and have some fun at the end and celebrate just how far new media has come. As of now I am leaning strongly in continuing that tradition for next year. We had over 120 sessions and 7 serious topic keynotes. That was our one "fun" talk and featured four very funny people and Guy as the host. I think Jenny, Matt and Aaron held their own quite well with Kevin Pollak who is one of the funniest comedians on the planet. That is a very cool thing for new media in my opinion.

    We could definitely improve our production, and Jenny is definitely adult content, It is very valid criticism that it may be too much for our diverse crowd, but we really wanted to give her a forum to be herself. She is amazingly funny and deserved to be seen at the worlds largest new media event imo. While she does use a lot of adult language, she doesn't really say anything "offensive". That's just my opinion and I could be wrong.

    Thanks again David. We are listening and we know we can improve.

    Sincerely,
    Rick





  • Rick,

    The problem isn't the keynote, it's the placement of the keynote. Many bloggers wanted to be inspired going home...the closing keynote didn't do that.

    I think it would do better on the first evening.
  • Got it Nathan and David. Not discounting what you guys said at all.
  • Rick,
    There wasn't anything about the keynote which was personally offensive, don't get me wrong. I just found it really weird to have something like that at a conference. I was more the venue, not the content. Hope that's clear.

    All in all, great job, Rick. I don't know how you manage to organize that event every year.
  • I'm so happy that I made it this year. Was great hanging out with you, Rich, Tim, Lisa, and many others. Also proves that the community is approachable and tight-knit.

    As for the keynotes...the only one I enjoyed (of the 3 I watched), was the Brogan one. @GuyKawasaki - Your shit is weak

    Tim the penny stock guy is my new hero.
  • David this is a good look at the conference. As the person responsible for putting it together from the speaker standpoint, I have taken many of these ideas, criticisms and praises to heart and if I'm asked to do it again next year I will make sure to take this all in consideration in making it a better show.
  • First of all, thanks for the mention and especially for being the coolest guy at Blogworld. It was great to meet you & I appreciate you reaching out to help get me past my nerves!

    The closing keynote had it's moments, and I did think parts were pretty funny but maybe not exactly what I had expected. I was shocked to hear Guy Kawasaki drop the f-bomb several times, and it just seemed out of character. We should have left feeling inspired, educated, and like we were taking over the world! (More like Leo's keynote.)

    Jim Kukral did a great job of keeping the monetization panelists on track and keeping the expectations of the audience in mind...even with Timothy Skyes' antics! ;) I especially enjoyed Brian Clark & Darren Rowse input on the live panel & the way they were able to come up with helpful strategies & honest input for each blog within seconds. All in all the event was a success & will definitely be back next year!
  • Agree with it all! I am a newbie blogger, well I've been going at it for two years but just now taking the steps to learn about all the details of going from good to great.

    The closing keynote was filthy. Saying the f-bomb a ton of times is not humorous. Guy K should have done a keynote like Chris Brogan did - uplifting, etc. I would have LOVED to know how he went from start up driving a Porsche to guy with 4 kids and kept the brand and balance.

    And if they wanted to do a talk show style - get Kevin Pollack to host and the Bloggess was great... albeit filthy. But I like lifestyle bloggers and thought that was a good way to bring a big part of the blogging sector into a keynote.

    Sorry, just my two cents. Kudos for getting everything up so fast. I'm still working on my wrap up!
  • carsonsl
    Great thoughts David! I really enjoyed the part about the new media and the old guard. I wouldn't disregard anyone's education in journalism but do here a lot from NPR about bloggers. I think many of the old guard are shifting into blogging as well. Formal scholarly advancement is great but in the end it's what you can do and produce. Even I have an education and that proves to me that it's all about seeing it through as with any other pursuit.

    Any of the old guard that have a problem with "untrained" bloggers won't be able to overcome that bloggers gained trust and reputation. I really like that about you, Darren and others. Even within your wrap up here you solidify some gained respect and trust that your students already have.

    Nice coverage, thanks for bringing your class along. At least I hope some others joined in. I even got to see a bit of Mystere on YouTube mainly because I had never heard of it, so I Googled it. Can hardly wait for my turn in Vagas although I wish they would move around to other places too. Well, on to module 9.
  • Dave, having dinner with Warren Whitlock is a memory you'll never forget!

    I was fortunate to be seated next to Warren at the JV Alert conference in San Diego and what a treat that was.

    Out of the entire conference I received so much genuine information in such a very small amount of time at dinner while being entertained by Warren’s very witty sense of humor.

    What he got through my thick brain is to just get the conversation flowing while others listen in and other people will be naturally drawn to you.

    I’m talking about Twitter of course; I then discovered he had written the first book on Twitter etiquette titled The Twitter Revolution.

    And from what I understand, if you’re trying to get a book published he’s the “Go See Man” to get the best publicity.

    I hope you don’t mind Dave, but I’d like to insert his Twitter URL here: http://twitter.com/BookWarren

    I always enjoy your post.

    Thanks
    Steve
  • darrenrowse
    Nice wrap up - have to agree on the final keynote - I giggled a couple of times early on but left about halfway through. I didn't find it offensive but wondered what the point was. Seemed like a missed opportunity to send a thousand or so bloggers off with some kind of an inspirational message and wrap up some of the themes of the weekend.

    I don't mind the idea of a panel like that - but wonder whether the last session was the best spot for it - last impressions count for a lot.

    Apart from that I did enjoy the event. While there's always going to be some speakers/panelists you don't agree with I think there was some good diversity in approaches which reflects how bloggers are going about things.

    Good to catch up again this year at BWE.
  • Nice to see you again, Darren. Next year, we've got to work on Yaro to see if we can get him there. I have yet to meet him in person. :)
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