Nelly, Me, Sarah and Stuart Heritage - Photo from Tots100
– Blog Camp UK –
Cake, SEO, Friends, Wine & Cornish Pasties…….
The alarm clock went off at some ungodly hour, (0530 as it happens) and as I groped for the offending object I realised with a surge of excitement that today was Blog Camp day. I knew there had to be a VERY good reason why I was rising before the milkman had arrived. I was lucky enough to have secured a ticket for the first Blog Camp of 2012 in Birmingham; and, I was really pleased that I had a travelling companion for my journey there and back, as Nelly from Nelly’s Cupcakes was travelling from Newcastle and we had arranged to sit next to each other on the train……well, that’s if we could wrangle it, as we had seats reserved in different carriages! I was going to bake for the journey – scones and cakes for breakfast and en-route treats, but, time ran away with me and I only just managed to buy some goodies at the local bakery Thomas the Baker, in Malton the day before…..some Cheese Scones and Fat Scamps, Thomas’s version of Betty’s Fat Rascals, but much cheaper!
Nelly and managed to sit together, mainly due to my “winning smile” at one of the Sheffield United football fans, whose seat it was that I was sitting in, he gallantly allowed me to stay where I was, and Nelly and I chatted and ate our way to Birmingham……it was the beginning of a great day, meeting Nelly, we have been chatting on-line with for nearly a year now…..she’s ace, believe me! We had arranged to meet some LOVELY ladies, Charlotte, Jayne and Made with Pink and Lindsay at Birmingham station……the day was starting to shape up nicely, and off we all trotted, the WRONG way as it happens to The Studio and Blog Camp! To cut a LONG story short, we finally made it, having walked miles out of our way……but, rain and uphill trudges were forgotten as we finally checked in to BLOG CAMP 2012!
The Studio Venue Company (Photo Tots100)
The schedule for the day was jam-packed with activity and CAKE! In actual fact the schedule was titled Schedule of Blogging Goodness, so I was excited to see what was on offer for us. But before I share the schedule with you, which was full of goodness, let me tell you that FIRST on the list was the suggestion that we “First, grab a coffee, and something to eat”…….what a great idea and a wonderful way to meet and greet, coffee with croissants and pain aux raisins…..and hot chocolate, tea, fruit juices etc……..
Schedule of Blogging Goodness
10.30 am Session 1: Get Inspired with Muireann from Bangs and a Bun.
11.15 am Morning Coffee Break
11.45 am Session 2: Choose between our workshop on How to be a Snark, or learn about making video blogs the easy way, or get a Step-by-Step demo of setting up a self-hosted blog.
12.45 am Lunch
1.45 am Session 3: SEO tips for humans (not geeks) with Lee Smallwood, or, Photography workshop by John Taylor, or Susannah’s session about creating e-courses.
2.30 pm Mini Coffee Break
2.45 pm Session 4: Google’s latest changes is covered with follow versus no follow and sponsored content, or photo editing using free online tools.
3.30 pm Afternoon coffee and CAKE break
4 pm: Session 5: PR Q and A panel with opportunities to tackle the tricky blogger/PR relationship.
Lee Smallwood SEO Lecture (Photo Tots100)
So, which lectures did I attend? Well, we all had the privilege of listening to Muireann from Bangs and a Bun tell us to us how to sell ourselves and promote our image as bloggers. She talked a lot about taking your blog to the next level and developing your voice/brand, which I found extremely interesting. I feel I already have my own voice, but, it was reassuring to hear that it was okay to be “yourself” and that your followers followed you mainly due to this fact……you are your own editor as a blogger, and it’s okay to post strong opinions that may open up heated debate…….
Muireann from Bangs and a Bun (Photo Tots100)
I decided to stay for Stuart Heritage’s talk on “How to be a snark and get away with it“. I am a big fan of Stuart’s work on the Guardian, and his blog Luv and Hat is also a scream…..Stuart advised us to be edgy and have a “snarky” voice, but NOT to be a Dick! Okay, I think I know what he meant! His talk was quirky and made me look at my writing from a different angle……again, like Muireann, he was saying that it’s okay to be “left field” sometimes, as long as you aren’t over the top……a fun and different way of looking at writing blog content.
Stuart Heritage (Photo Tots100)
Next was lunch, and what a wonderful spread we had on offer; there were a variety of sandwiches, such as smoked salmon, cucumber, chicken, marinated aubergine and pesto, cheese and salad and ham – then there was hot potato wedges, and fresh fruit too. We sat outside on the terrace, but it was a tad cold, but again, there was unlimited tea, coffee and hot chocolate on offer, as well as water and juice. I was REALLY looking forward to next session after lunch, SEO tips for humans and not geeks! I have heard so much about SEO, it is bandied about by some old-time bloggers like a talisman, and yet it seemed to be something that was out of reach to us new or inexperienced bloggers….and the talk that Lee Smallwood gave was PHENOMENAL! At last, here was someone who told me what I needed to know, what I had been trying to learn for at least year, explained in SIMPLE terms and BINGO, it all fell into place and made sense! Lee was a FABULOUS speaker and I learned so much from his session, Lee, if you read this……thank you, thank you, thank you! I am still compiling notes from his talk, but basically for now, here is a synopsis of the main points:
Join Google+
Make your blog posts at least 500 words
Links are good, so link to other blogs in your posts
Images and Videos are good in your blog posts
Include at least 12 keywords in your post (There are Key word plugins you can get to help)
Photos of CAKE by Nelly!
After another coffee break, with biscuits, I decided to attend the BIG NO FOLLOW debate; I still can’t say that all my queries were answered, and there is definitely an air of ambiguity that surrounds the issue, but, I am MUCH clearer about what I must no-follow now; Tots100 has a wonderfully informative article here, that pretty much covers all that was covered on the day: A Simple Guide to Follow and No-Follow for Bloggers. Again, Lee was there to make it all seem so much easier! Next was the CAKE break, and to say that there was an almighty exodus would be an understatement…….and cake there was, all sorts of cake, and nearly all gone by the time I got there……that’ll teach me for staying behind after the session to ask the experts more questions!
PR questions and answers (Photo from Nelly)
The last session of the day, was the opportunity to ask a panel of PR representatives questions……and was a VERY useful session insofar that I actually got to meet them in person, the people behind the emails that arrive in my in-box! A REALLY big thank you to Stephen Waddington, Emily Leary, Rochelle and Edel from Frank PR and Andrew Burton from 3 Monkeys, who gave us tips and transparency in answer to our rapid fire questions! And so it was time to go……and after cake, coffee, sandwiches, cake and coffee, where did some of us go? To a wine bar of course! Wine to while away an hour before we had trains to catch…….we all discussed the day and ALL of us said how useful it had been, as well as informative, it had been great to meet so many other like-minded bloggers, and put names to @ tags! The whole day had been an amazing and fascinating insight into the nuts and bolts that hold the blogging world, and indeed my blog, together; I learnt so much and my head is JUST buzzing with all the ideas that I picked up……with HUGE thanks to Sally from Tots100 and Amy from Foodies100 for organising the whole event, and thanks to ALL the lovely bloggers I met who made me feel so welcome. So, where do pasties come into the day then? Well, having made our way back to Birmingham New Street Station, not the nicest place to be at night, Nelly treated us both to a pasty!
Hot Pasty (photo from Nelly)
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my day at Blog Camp……..if you get a chance to attend the next one, and I hear that Scotland maybe the next location, DO sign up to go along……..See you later with recipes as usual! Karen.
Love this ! Was a great day Karen, and a delight to see you!!
As always, it was FAB to see you again too Charlotte! 🙂
Great post Karen! Lovely to see you at Blogcamp!
Thanks Jayne, great to see you too….only a few weeks after last time! 🙂
Fantastic right up Karen. I almost feel I was there. Thanks also for the tips.
Thanks Choclette, more tips and notes to come…..
What a great day you had Karen, it sounds fascinating and it’s always great to meet new people and exchange ideas. How lovely to have had Nelly to travel with.
I think Scotland may be a bit far for me, I’ll have to wait until London (or Rennes) comes around again!
Jude x
PS I have been having a few problems checking your blog from my iPad, I can read all the others I have on my front page, but yours never loads, so I only get to read via Twitter (ironically on the iPad) or when I’m using my laptop. I just wanted to let you know, in case other people are having problems as well. Jude x
Thanks for the heads up about problems logging in to my blog Jude – I think I am having really BIG issues with my host 1-2-3 Reg, and I am so tired of the problems that I am having with them, that I am changing hosts soon, so it WILL be MUCH better very soon!
As for the Blog Camp, I am sure there will be one “down South” soon too….as, for Rennes, NICE idea, shall we put it to them?!! LOL!
Karen 🙂
What a packed schedule, with blogging tips, cake and socialising! Sadlywith baby, 530 is not an unfamiliar time of the morning for me …! X
I think I am still getting over my 30 hour car journey back to the UK! It was a packed day, but I learnt so many new tips.
Thanks for sharing with us. Sounds like a brilliant day indeed – so much to learn not to mention the delicious cakes! Scotland is miles away from me but hopefully there will be another one closer to me sometime in the future.
I am sure they will have a blog camp nearer you too Ros, and I have some more SEO tips to share once I compile all my notes!
It sounds like you had a fun and very informative day, Karen. There is so much to learn about blogging and all it entails. The best part is meeting other bloggers. I usually learn more from them than in any class. Terrific post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Cathy – the day was amazing, and as you said, I learned so much from other bloggers I met.
Sounds like it was fab, I was gutted I couldn’t make it, it was husband’s birthday. What are these keyword plugins you speak of? Did they give you any examples? I am rubbish at things like that, as a blogger I am the same as a translator, I enjoy the writing and translating, the admin part not so much.
Key words are related the post that you write, so if you are writing about cakes, use related key words that are related to cakes…..and use them several times throughout your post too! 🙂 Look out for the next one!
god it sounds good… wish I was there… so what is the answer to ‘no-follow’ then?
Wish you have been there too…….NO-Follow is simple insofar that it is No-Follow for all sponsored and paid posts…..and some posts where products and goods were sent for review as a National campaign.
Sounds like a great time! I’d love to go to blog camp in Scotland. Too bad I can’t just hop on a train! Maybe someday Paul and I will get to live in Europe. A girl can dream…
I know, what a shame you cannot make it! Keep on dreaming Lauren……one day it may come true!
You must have had a ball and sounds like you learned loads as well as meeting and eating loads of gorgeous cakes! I am always amazed by how much there is to learn and how everyone has their own take/ideas to share.
Thanks for letting us into this fun day out. Feel like I could have been there myself! xx
Wow – blogcamp sounded fantastic. Really gutted I couldn’t make it. Thanks for sharing so many great tips!
Very interesting read, Karen – and I’m glad I saw this on Google+ because for some reason it didn’t deliver via my Google Reader subscription. I’m gonna go check to see if I can figure out why or make sure I didn’t miss it, but thanks so much for sharing all these tips. The keywords part – I know they’re important, but part of me just doesn’t care to try to please those darn search engines 😉 I know…I’m so lazy 😉
What a fantastic day, and for free! Such a shame I could not make it. Would have been lovely to drink tea and eat cake with you again. Looking forward to any more tips you might have. 🙂
Great write up Karen! I was lucky enough to Blog Camp in London last Spring and it was really enjoyable. Being in Hong Kong, I wasn’t able to make it this year so it’s great to read up about the tips via your Blog. Thanks for sharing Karen 🙂
Sounds really interesting. I hope they run one in Edinburgh I so want to go. Interested in the idea of ‘at least 500 words’ maybe it’s just me, but I don’t tend to read long blog posts, I like lots of pictures! It’s a bit like learning styles, you need to vary to meet the preferences of all your readers. Not everyone wants to read lots of words but some people do! I think you can only be yourself as any kind of insincerity is really obvious.
Absolutely Janice, and I will still write what I am comfortable with, which may be 500 words, or 1000 or maybe only 250! And, like you, I also like lots of images, which is why I usually add 3 to 4 in every post. So, I will continue as always…..as it is my blog and I like to write and share what interests me! 🙂 I hope they run one in Edinburgh too,as it is only 2 hours from York and I can finally meet you and Jac…..
I gotta say Stuart Heritage’s photo was a great photo for the post! Go blog camp!
It is pretty good isn’t it? 🙂
OMG, I would LOVE to go to a British Blog Camp!! Especially if it’s held in Scotland because that’s where I was born! Unfortunately, it’s a long way from California 🙁 I love your blog and cannot wait to make your Cornish Pasties (I even have Atora in my LA kitchen!) Looking forward to following along, Karen 🙂
Hello Christina! How lovely to meet you,and I am thrilled to hear that you have Atora suet in your LA kitchen! I must pop over to Christina Cucina! Karen
Whenever you are in Los Angeles, you have my personal invitation!
Thanks for sharing, always so much to learn.