Mom Central Blogger University

2011 Social Media Conferences for Mom Bloggers

It’s time to start the 2011 calendar of social media conferences that would be of interest to moms (or dads) who blog.

January

Blissdom 2011
January 27-28, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Opryland Hotel
(Wisdom Workshops on January 26)

March

SXSW Interactive
March 11-15, 2011 in Austin, Texas

Bloggy Bootcamp San Diego
March 19, 2011 in San Diego, California

May

Bloggy Bootcamp Boston
Date TBA in Boston, Massachusetts

FitBloggin’11
May 20-21, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland

April

Mom 2.0 Summit
April 14-16, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana

SOBCon Chicago 2011
April 28-May 2, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois

Bloggin' Mamas Conference & Cruise
April 29-May 2, 2011 in Miami, Florida to the Bahamas via Royal Caribbean

Camp Blogaway Bootcamp for Food & Recipe Bloggers
April 29-May 1, 2011 in Angelus Oaks, California  (in the San Bernardino Mountains)

June

Bloggy Bootcamp Seattle
Date TBA in Seattle, Washington

International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) 33rd Annual Conference
June 1-4, 2011 in Austin, Texas
(for food writers and photographers as well as professional food workers and restaurant owners)

July

evo '11 - The Evolution of Women in Social Media
July 7-9, 2011 at The Canyons in Park City, Utah

Savvy Blogging Summit
July 14-16, 2011 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado

August

Bloggy Bootcamp Chicago
Date TBA in Chicago, Illinois

BlogHer '11 
August 5 - 6, 2011 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California
Early bird registration is open on the BlogHer '11 Eventbrite page

September

Bloggy Bootcamp Atlanta
Date TBA in Atlanta, Georgia

October

Blogger Bootcamp Denver
Date TBA in Denver, Colorado

2010’s social media calendar

• 2010 social media conference guide for mom bloggers

 

Updated 8/16/10

Why should you monetize your blog with OpenSky?

Today’s guest post is by Josh Korenblatt of OpenSky (New York) brand development.

We started OpenSky for one really simple reason: to make shopping better.

Now, you may ask (and we hope you do) “Dear people of OpenSky, what exactly is wrong with shopping?”

Well, on the one hand, nothing. I mean, let's be honest. It's easier than it's ever been in the history of commerce for someone to buy stuff. Kinda tough to argue with. Between Wal-Mart, Amazon, Drugstore.com and Zappos (and a bunch of other big guys) there's never been an easier, more convenient, less interesting time to buy shoes, paper towels, books and everything we feel we need to survive our modern times.

However, the one thing the big guys don't do (and really can't do) is actually know us and care about us. They just can't. They can sound like they do, but no number of focus groups or amount of 24/7 customer service can get them to understand us, or make them any more human. Because they're not. They're just big giant companies looking to get bigger and bigger. 

Buying from human beings

So yes, we admit it, we're as happy as the next person to get a deal on stilettos, toothpaste and 600 thread count sheet sets, but at some point there's something missing. And we think that “thing” is human beings.

Now, you don't have to agree. Maybe we're nuts, but we think that it's just nicer to buy stuff from someone you actually know, like and trust. It makes the actual buying of the stuff more memorable. This in turn makes the thing you're buying more special, because there's a real story behind it. And when that product is actually something that you haven't seen anywhere else, well then it's downright awesome.

If we were a wee bit older, we’d suspect that that's what the world used to be like. Our parents, or our parents' parents, used to buy stuff from actual PEOPLE. Before there were BIG BRANDS, there were NICE PEOPLE we trusted to help us make the right decisions. Imagine that.

Second edition of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income just released

Last week, Darren Rowse of Problogger.net and Chris Garrett of chrisg.com announced the release of the second edition of the book they wrote together a few years back - ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. (They refer to it as “ProBlogger the Book,” which makes me wonder if “Problogger the Musical” is in the works.)

Even though I own a hard copy of the first edition, I pre-ordered the Kindle version for $9.99 (a bargain) and received it this morning. If you want to purchase it for your Kindle, do so as soon as possible since the second edition will only be available on the Kindle for just a few days

Why should you buy “Problogger the Book”?

If you are new to blogging, ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income at $16.49 on Amazon is a real steal. But isn’t all of this information available online for free? Yes, not only on Darren’s and Chris’ blogs, but in their email newsletters, their ebooks, and their videos and podcasts. Instead, of searching around for all of that valuable stuff, you have it distilled down, formatted in a logical way, and available in one source – a book.

I’ve been blogging for years. What’s new to learn?

Me, too yet, I’m still learning and relearning all the time. (Try reading ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income as a refresher course. It will remind you of all basics that you may have forgotten like using lists in your posts or participating in blog carnivals.) The book also has information that more seasoned bloggers may need, like how to sell your blog.

I have the original book, so why should I buy the updated version?

If you look at social media books written even a few years ago, chances are that they’re hopelessly out of date. While ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income isn’t a complete rewrite, there are some significant updates including:

• A case study chapter from Darren that goes through his first four years at his main blog, Digital Photography School. He shows you how he launched it, what he focused on the first couple of years (and how that changed later on), and how he monetizes it. Darren also shows you how he drives traffic and income through email newsletters and social media.
• They’ve removed their chapter on blog networks, thank goodness. They say it because, “things have changed a lot in this space and many networks are not hiring any more or have changed their models significantly.” However, I think most people have decided that giving away your content for free on a regular basis is a bad idea.
• Besides new screenshots, updates of new tools, a few deletions of references to old tools, and an update to their stories in the intro, Chris wrote an important chapter on how social media can be used by bloggers.
• Finally, Darren and Chris are offering anyone who buys the book a series of bonuses like extra teaching and interviews with experts.

Not convinced?

Get  more information on the book at probloggerbook.com. Sign up for the email list to download a free sample chapter.

Anne-Marie Nichols is Mom Central Blogger University’s Managing Editor.
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Disclosure: All links to Amazon are affiliate links. A commission may be earned from a referred sale to their website.

The Performance Marketing Association introduces an associate level membership

A few months ago I wrote how you can fight the affiliate program tax in your state. One of the groups that is working hard on this is the Performance Marketing Association. The PMA is dedicated to representing the interests of the performance marketing industry through government legislation and regulation, and shaping policies that impact online marketers.

That’s you babe! If you’re earning money with your blog whether through ads or affiliate commissions, you’re an online marketer.

Last week, the PMA created an associate level membership at $99 per year. A $49 special rate is available through June 30, 2010.

Why you should join the PMA

First, the PMA did an amazing job here in Colorado to defeat the affiliate tax bill, even if Amazon fired all of their affiliates including yours truly. They are working hard in other states like California, Connecticut, Illinois, and Maryland, too.

You can learn more about the grassroots efforts being waged by affiliate marketers and register your support on the PMA website.

Second, they provide education on regulation of online marketers like the FTC guidelines for disclosure and validation in advertising claims or podcasts on a variety of subjects from the FTC guidelines to fraud.

Third, as a member you can display the associate member logo, participate in one working group and get your blog listed in their directory. Joining a professional organization makes you look more like business person and less like a hobbyist.

I joined to thank the PMA for all their hard work on my behalf. If your state’s legislature is thinking of enacting an advertising or affiliate tax law, maybe you should join, too.

Anne-Marie Nichols is Mom Central Blogger University's Managing Editor.

Update your blog conference schedule for BlogWorld Expo

If you are serious about becoming a more successful blogger, the one social media conference you MUST go to this year is BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2010.

They recently announced that this year’s conference will be on October 14 – 16 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center instead of at the Las Vegas Convention Center. While I will miss staying at the Las Vegas Hilton and getting my exercise by walking the mile to the conference floor, the Mandalay Bay is gorgeous and right in the middle of all the Las Vegas Strip action.

Attendees can get rooms for $109 a night, which includes free WiFi. If this is too expensive, the BlogWorld folks are working on lower rates at Luxor and Excaliber - both of these hotels are connected to Mandalay Bay via a free monorail.

Registration and hotel reservation links will go up sometime in May on the BlogWorld Expo website.

Why you should attend BlogWorld Expo

The Sessions: BlogWorld features tracks on monetization, audio, video, advanced podcasting, and new media 101 for people just getting started with their blogs, podcasts, video and social networking. It’s a good mix of sessions for novices to seasoned professionals, and the perfect conference if you want to learn new skills, improve your blogging or dip your toes into the world of podcasting or video.

Community: Also, BlogWorld covers communities not usually found at mom blogger conferences such as sports, travel, health care, non-profit and cause marketing, politics, music and entertainment, real estate, and milblogging (military blogging). I’m excited to hear that this year they’ve added a food track, too.

If you’re new to BlogWorld, you’ll notice that the first day, the Social Media Business Summit, is very expensive to attend. This content is to help corporate executives understand how to use social media to build their business and communicate better with their customers. Feel free to skip it unless your employer is paying for you to go.

The Speakers: Since the first BlogWorld Expo in 2007, I’ve seen some amazing people talk like Chris Brogan, Wendy Piersall, Darren Rowse, John Chow, Brian Clark, Liz Strauss, Sonia Simone, Jason Falls, Dave Taylor, Laura Fitton, Michael Gray and Ted Murphy. I’m sure this year will be just as good if not better!

Networking: You’re bound to run into a few familiar faces at BlogWorld Expo since over 3000 bloggers and podcasters go every year. But it’s also a place to meet PR reps, connect with tech and social media brands, and make new friends.

Fun: It’s in VEGAS. Need I say more?

More blogging conferences

Check out Blogger University’s 2010 social media conference guide for mom bloggers post for an extensive calendar of blogging events.

Anne-Marie Nichols is Mom Central Blogger University's Managing Editor.

More help for self-hosted WordPress blog hijackings

Another friend got his self-hosted WordPress site hacked into. This also happened to several other bloggers last summer - see my post Don't get hacked! How to prevent WordPress blog hijackings for how they dealt with it.

He wrote this up for the people who were hosting his site, so it’s for the technically inclined blogger who knows his or her way around FTP and databases. If that’s not you and find your WordPress blog hacked into, send your hosting company a link to this post.

Bottom line: make sure you are always running the most current version of WordPress. (The most current version as of this posting is 2.9.2.)

Backup

First, back up using the Export function of WP Admin before starting. Also, use FTP to backup any custom them files.

FTP

Make sure you have the most current ftp download version. Smart FTP is a good program to use. The current version is 4.0 and it costs around $60.

Fake users and admins

1. At the Host Level, login to cpanel and change the password. (Make it an easy password to remember since you’ll be changing it again.)
2. Login to wp-admin and change the password. (Make it an easy password to remember since you’ll be changing it again.)
3. While changing your password in the wp-admin check for any strange admins that may have registered. There should only be the blog owner and anyone else they have given privileges to. Unauthorized admins and fake users could be named MYSQL and Feedburner. You may also find that you have one or two “hidden” admins. Follow these steps to get rid of them.

Update WordPress and Plugins

1. Next make sure that you are using the most current version of WordPress and all the plugins. Update any as necessary through Smart FTP. 
2. If you are currently up to date, you will still need to overwrite all your files with a fresh download of WordPress and all plugins. Do this in Smart FTP and make sure you OVERWRITE the files.

How to get more inbound links to your blog: blog carnivals

To rise in page rank and get more search engine traffic to your blog, you need more inbound links (links from other blogs and websites to your blog and posts). So how do you know how many inbound links you have?

The easiest way is by going to Google.com and entering link: www.yourblog.com and seeing what the results are.

You should also try link: yourblog.com as well as  the URL of some of your more popular posts just to see who is linking to you.

You can also do this using Google Webmaster Tools. Here’s how.

How to increase inbound links

One way to increase your inbound links is by guest blogging, but that requires a lot of work. First you have to find someone interested in hosting your post, then you have to write it. (Chris Garrett's Guest Posting Workbook can help you streamline this process.)

You can also bookmark your posts at sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Facebook or StumbleUpon. Some of these sites use nofollow links (they don’t pass on “Google Juice”). To find out if a site uses nofollow links, use a Firefox tool extension like SearchStatus. It will highlight all the nofollow links on a web page.

A quick and easy way to get inbound links is by participating in blog carnivals. A few years back, blog carnivals were very popular. It seemed that at least once a week, a favorite blogger was hosting them on her site. When that was the case, it got kind of boring. After all, who wanted to read link roundup posts that much? Well, maybe it’s time to buck the trend!

Cleaning up your online profiles

Now that you have a new headshot, it’s time to update all your online profiles. Of course, there are the places you’re at every day like Twitter and Facebook, but where else are you?

One way to find out is to Google yourself. Try searching on – YOUR NAME profile, “YOUR NAME” profile, and “YOUR NAME profile.” Do the same thing at Bing.com and Yahoo.com, too. Then start clicking away and updating your profile.

Warning: if a site you don’t recognize comes up in a search make sure you have good virus protection software installed on your computer before clicking on it. Or just leave it alone.

(I clicked on one of those phishing links just to check it out. Virus protection shields immediately went up and put whatever it was trying to download into quarantine. I ran my virus protection software again, and the next time I started the computer, Windows cleaned up some corrupted files on my drive. Scary!)

Creating a perfect social networking profile

Besides your picture, what else should you have in your profile? Depending on what the site lets you do, here are some basics:

• Your name or how you want people to know you. If you’re professionally blogging, writing or consulting, you should use your full name. (On Facebook you may want to include your maiden name, so your high school friends can find you. If you’re blogging anonymously, call yourself by your blog name or a shorten version of it. For example, if your blog is Weight Loss Yoga Mom, maybe you want to use “WLYogaMom” or “YogaMom” instead.
• Location. We’re all concerned about privacy, so instead of putting your town, you may want to use the nearest big city or your general region. That’s why I often use Rocky Mountain High, Colorado instead of my town’s name.
• Contact information. Again, consider privacy and spammers. Many social networking sites let you keep your email hidden. If people want to get hold of you, they can direct message you on the site.
• Your blogs, Twitter and Facebook pages. List all the places you are at online. Some sites will pass “Google juice” via links to your blog. How can you tell? Use a program like Quirk Search Status, a Firefox extension that highlights the No Follow links on a website. Ning sites don’t pass on Google juice, but BlogHer.com does.

Your online profile: how to get a good headshot

Recently, I had a new headshot taken by Aimee Giese of Greeblemonkey. My last professional photograph was taken in 2006 and I had been using a picture a friend took two years ago in all my online profiles. I was way overdue for an update.

What makes a good headshot

Your picture is part of your personal brand - what does it say about you? For example, if you’re blogging to support your accounting business, you should look smart and professional. (Keep those reading glasses on!) If you’re running a personal blog, your photo can be more casual. Think about what you want convey – friendly, funny, serious, professional, geeky, adventurous, etc.

The next step is to find someone to take your picture. You may have a friend or relative who’s a good amateur photographer. Try some shots indoors and out. Remember to keep the backgrounds simple and use natural lighting when possible. Smile, have fun, act natural and be yourself!

Editing your portrait

You can use a photo editing program to get rid of redeye, blemishes, glare and shadows. I used an online picture editor, Picnik ($24.95/year for the upgrade) to smooth out the uneven skin tone in my headshot. (And to get rid of a few laugh lines as well, if you really must know.) Finally, make sure that your photo looks good as a small avatar. If you’re barely visible it may mean that your photo has to be cropped to show just your face.

Hiring a professional photographer

You may decide hiring a pro is the way to go. Ask around to see where business people in your area have their portraits taken. You can also use BetterBusinessShots.com to find photographers nearby. Ask if they have a studio or will meet you at an outdoor location if that’s what you’d prefer.

The cost for a typical headshot will start in the $150 to $200 range and go even higher. Inquire about sitting fees, getting digital copies loaded on a disc or jump drive, having  prints made, and touch ups. Also, don’t forget to include the cost of a trip to your favorite salon for professional styling and makeup – or having your stylist and a makeup artist come to the shoot.

Portraiture ownership

Find out before the shoot if you can purchase full rights and ownership of your headshot to use in any manner that you like. According to the Local Focus Photography blog,

…typically the photographer retains all rights to the image…and that includes all associated fees and costs.

Unless you have specified in a contract that you are purchasing exclusive rights to the photo and, the odds are…you don’t actually own the image.

Full rights may be too expensive. Instead, find out how much it will be for a low to medium resolution digital copy that you can use online. You may also want to purchase a few prints for your husband and mom. Make sure that all charges are specified in writing before you have your portrait taken. That way there aren’t any surprises or extra costs.

If you have purchased rights to make additional prints from a digital file, make sure you have a release form from the photographer. Believe me, the clerks at Walgreens will ask for it, so bring a copy with you when you pick up your photos.

More on getting a professional portrait taken:

• Projecting the right image: 5 tips for having a great professional portrait taken (cached version of the article)
• Why All Business Women Should Have a Professional Portrait of Themselves
• Are Professional Headshots in Social Media a Bad Idea?
• Professional Business Portraits Portraits of Distinction – some good tips from a professional photographer

2010 social media conference guide for mom bloggers

Here’s a list of social media conferences in the US, Canada and the UK that I’ll be updating throughout the year. Email me if you’d like to add another conference to the list.

JANUARY

Chicks Who Click
January 23, 2010 in Boulder, Colorado

FEBRUARY

Social Media Week
February 1-5, 2010 in New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Sao Paulo, London, Toronto

Blissdom
February 4-6, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee

Evolving Influence Fashion Blogger Conference
February 15, 2010 in New York, New York

Mom 2.0 Summit
February 18-21, 2010 in Houston, Texas

WordCamp Miami
February 20, 2010 in Miami, Florida

MARCH

Chicks Who Click
March 6, 2010 in Omaha, Nebraska

Bloggy Bootcamp Baltimore
March 6, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland

South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive
March 11-16, 2010 in Austin, Texas

Fitbloggin for healthy lifestyle bloggers
March 19-21, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland

WordCamp Toronto
March 27–28, 2010 in Toronto, Ontario

APRIL

BlogPaws for pet bloggers 
April 9-10, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio.

WordCamp Real Estate
April 12, 2010 in Denver, Colorado

WordCamp Orange County
April 24, 2010 in Orange County, California

SOBCon 2010
April 30-May 2, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois

MAY

Bloggy Bootcamp Phoenix
May 1, 2010 in Phoenix Arizona

WordCamp San Francisco
May 1, 2010 in San Francisco, CA

Social Media Success Summit
May 4-25, 2010 worldwide (the sessions are all online)

Camp Blogaway for food bloggers
May 14-16, 2010 in Angelus Oaks, California  (by Big Bear in the San Bernardino Mountains)

WordCamp Raleigh
May 22–23, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina

Casual Bloggers Conference 
May 28-29, 2010 in Sandy, Utah

WordCamp Fayetteville
May 29–30, 2010 in Fayetteville, Arkansas

JUNE

WordCamp Chicago
June 5–6 in Chicago, Illinois

WordCamp Vancouver
June 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada

Blogging While Brown
June 18-19, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

EVO ‘10 – The Evolution of Women in Social Media
June 24-26, 2010 in Park City, Utah

TBEX '10
June 26-27, 2010 in New York, New York

JULY

CyberMummy
July 3, 2010 in Ibis London Earls Court, England

WordCamp Boulder
July 10, 2010 in Boulder, Colorado (new venue)

Savvy Blogging Summit
July 8 – 11, 2010 in Breckenridge, Colorado

Upstate NY Blogger Conference
July 9-11, 2010 near Albany International Airport, Upstate New York

Bloggers On Bourbon
July 23-24 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana

AUGUST

Blogher '10
August 6-7, 2010 in New York, New York

Healthy Living Summit
August 13-15 in Chicago, Illinois

Bloggy Bootcamp San Francisco
August 21, 2010 in San Francisco, California

Social Media Masters’ Summit ‘10
August 23-24, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois

International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC)
August 25-27, 2010 in Seattle, Washington

SEPTEMBER

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
September 8, 2010 in Atlanta Georgia

M3 – Modern Media Man Summit for dad and men bloggers
September 9-11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia

Food Blog Forum Seminar
September 11, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia

Bloggy Bootcamp Philadelphia
September 11, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Minnesota Blogger Conference 2010
September 11, 2010 in Coco, St. Paul, MN

The Travel Bloggers Show
September 11-12, 2010 in Orlando Florida

SOBCon Colorado
September 17 –18, 2010 in Broomfield, Colorado

Type-A Mom
September 24-26, 2010 in Ashville, North Carolina

Camp Blogaway “Day Camp” for food bloggers
September 25, 2010 in Baldwin Park, California

WordCamp Kelowna
September 25, 2010 in Kelowna, Canada

OCTOBER

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
October 4, 2010 in New York, New York

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
October 7, 2010 in Denver, Colorado

Blogher Food
October 8-9, 2010 in San Francisco, California

Blogalicious
October 8-10, 2010 in Miami, Florida

BlogWorld Expo
October 14–16, 2010 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada

Creative Alliance (CA ’10)
October 15-17, 2010 in Ojai, California

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
October 18, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
October 21, 2010 in Cleveland, Ohio

The Relevant Conference
October 21-24, 2010 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Show Me The Blog | STL Blogging & Social Media Conference 
Oct. 23, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri

Bloggy Bootcamp Austin
October 23, 2010 in Austin, Texas

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
October 25, 2010 in Washington, D.C.

Social Media + Family, A Dad's Perspective (for dad bloggers)
October 26, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland

Blissdom Canada conference
October 28-29, 2010 in Toronto, Canada

NOVEMBER

I_Blog Conference
November 5-7, 2010 in Perry, Iowa

MomDots Aventures in Orlando Brandacation Event
November 5th-7th, 2010 in Orlando, Florida

Social Media University
November 11-13, 2010 in Orlando, Florida

Bloggy Bootcamp St. George, Utah
November 13, 2010 in St. George, Utah

DECEMBER

WordCamp Louisville
December 3, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky

Thanks to Jennifer James at Mom Bloggers Club and Wendy at Mommy Bloggers Guide for inspiring this list.

Updated 9/1/10