Indiana’s annual conference of bloggers (a.k.a. Blog Indiana, a.k.a. #BIN2010) wrapped up a few days ago and though I have yet to assimilate or act on the info and ideas from this event, already I’m looking forward to next year’s. Conferences are my kind of thing. To a fault. I don’t want to be a speaker but if there was some way to attend these things and get paid for it (full time), I’d do it. People are my preference. Sitting in front of the computer is my preference over manual labor. 
As many veteran conference/seminar attenders will tell you the most valuable stuff happens in between sessions in hallways, lobbies, and restaurants (like Scottys Brewhouse and Houlihans, if your BFF’s show up)This dynamic was certainly evident throughout the weekend. It was fun to meet so many people I’d only met via Twitter.
One drawback with this kind of crowd is that everyone stays tethered to their devices (guilty). This means that “free time” often becomes time for actual work. Unfortunate but understandable. Perhaps that’s an opportunity for a different kind of sponsor. Maybe a spa or massage therapist should sponsor a disconnect or off-the-grid room.
Though it might seem to be about blogging, and it certainly has an emphasis on the subject, BlogIndiana featured a wide range of session topics. There were plenty of social media marketing specialists holding forth and spouting off. Lots of web design and SEO tips. All topics quite relevant to bloggers, both professionals and hobbyists. Local celebrities like Paul Poteet and foreign marketing experts like Jason Falls (he’s from across the river) were on hand. Local social media superstars were out in force as were soon to be famous authors: Douglas Karr, Chantelle Flannery, Kyle Lacy, and Robby Slaughter.
Some of my favorite sessions:
Why Your Site Sucks – Douglas Karr * Excellent tips to help insure an effective website. And Doug’s a seasoned, if not well-prepared, presenter.
Off The Cuff – Paul Poteet *Paul’s very entertaining. He’s an old media guy (not old, media guy) that’s made the transition to a new medium. Check out his YouTube channel.
Producing Content Without Agony – Robby Slaughter *Super practical tips for bloggers. Numerous expressions of, “That was worth the price of the weekend.” Notes and slides on Scribd.
There were other sessions I attended that yielded some good ideas but I’m too lazy to give a run down of everything. One I missed that got rave reviews was Kenan Farrell‘s on legal issues related to blogging and social media. Hopefully it will become available on video. I’d pay for it.
Overall, the BlogIndiana team did a great job. Seemed to me the weekend was just about problem free (other than Paul Poteet’s tragic eMachine fail, maybe a fundraiser is necessary). Props to them for all the hard work. But since they asked for it, here are my suggestions:
- Do more to facilitate the “in between” times. Time and space are the important factors.
- Ditch the swag bag. Have the sponsors come up with digital swag.
- Come up with more targeted tracks (blogging, small business marketing, social media, web design).
- Keep improving quality of session content. Expectations are only going up.
If you’re interested, here’s more from and about BlogIndiana 2010.
Blog Indiana Photos from Bob Burchfield
Blog Indiana 2010 Speaker Slides
John Uhri’s BlogIndiana sketchnotes (my favorite!)
Jessica Journey’s review of BlogIndiana 2010
Please leave links to more related info in the comments.
Image Credit: Bob Burchfield www.aroundindy.com
Tags: #BIN2010, blogindiana
Posted in Indianapolis, Social Media | Comments (0)
Posted on Wednesday, 25th August 2010 by Bill Bean
