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Blogging Conference Advice

Posted on June 6, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Once again, there are a bounty of blogging conferences coming up. Whether you are going to TypeACon (may cry since I will not be there in a few short weeks), BlogHer, SheStreams, or another in the months ahead if this is your first experience going to one it can be nerve wracking.

In February 2010, I was heading to Disney Social Media Moms for my first conference experience. I did not know what to expect since it was the first ever at Disney, but looked to my peers for some advice. In August, I went to BlogHer 2010 in New York City. This conference scared me a lot more. It was a much larger scale, many more people, and SO many things going on all at once. I have now been to three conference, and have this bit of advice for you:

BE YOURSELF!

The weeks before a conference people will be stressing over a myriad of things. These are a few items I worried about and my thoughts.

Clothes to wear for sessions and parties –> Take it from me, it is important to be comfortable in a professional way. No need to be too dressy if you will not be happy. People dress in jeans, others will wear cocktail dresses to some of the parties. Do what works best for you.

Techy gadgets to bring –> Take items that you are comfortable working with. Some people will work only on their iPad, others will have laptops, cameras, Flip Cameras, and then some. Only you know what you will use and want to have on hand for live blogging, or networking while there.

Business cards and what to put on them –> Give as much or as little information as you are comfortable with. Your name, blog name, Website address, FB/Twitter pages, phone number, e-mail address are all great starts. I also put my photo on mine. Along with my Angel logo, I have a small photo of myself. This helps people to put a face to my blog after chatting.

Making a schedule –> Do not stress over this. There is so much going on. Have a general plan, do not over book yourself, and go with the flow. As a Type A personality this is tough for me, but I learned the hard way at BlogHer that you can not be in three places at one time.

What sessions should you go to?! –> Only you know what your goals are. If there are a lot of choices at the same time, go to what is best for your future. Sure, your friends may be going to another location, but you will learn the most in a place where you need to be.

My biggest mistake time and time again – not taking enough photos at conferences with my friends. Each time I promise I will do better, and I forget. Do not make this mistake. Pull out your camera and capture these memories. They are well worth the moment to pause and pose.

If you are getting ready for a blogging conference, Tiny Prints would like you to know that they have business cards that you can customize. Their business card selection allow you to add photos, logos and design accents to a variety of formats.

When you go to your first, or subsequent conference enjoy the time, network, learn, have fun, and like I said be yourself! If you have been to a conference – what advice do you have? If you have never been an have any question, please feel free to leave them below.

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of a Global Influence campaign for Tiny Prints. By sharing this information with my readers, I will receive 50 free business cards to thank me for my participation. No other compensation has been given.

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Blogging Conference bloggy friends looking back me moments photos sponsored post Web business

The Online Mom Connection

Posted on May 20, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The world of blogging has opened up the world to me. I have met amazing people online, at conferences, and even locally. The reality is that the internet connects people that may have never met under normal circumstances.

Case in point, I recently had the opportunity to meet the Publisher of Genesee Valley Parent Magazine based out of Rochester, NY.

Barbara Melynk started her magazine 16 years ago and it is still going strong. The way we met is a long story. The in-person meet up was thanks to a blogger outreach connecting people from Western NY to the Capital District area. Although our meeting was short, Barbara was a wealth of information and a very classy woman. She has definitely inspired us. Barbara’s magazine also had an article called Her Words: Moms of Rochester Share Their Words of Wisdom Across The Digital Wires. The article shows how three bloggers in that area are digitally connected via their blogs. A great read for when you have time.

Here is a photo of almost everyone in the group that was at the informative meeting with Barbara.

Ali and her daughter – The Craning Gap
Kelly (green scarf) – Albany Mommy
Linda (yellow shirt in back) – Linda Carmical
Christina (sporting shades) – Cutest Kid Ever
Me (green shirt)
Barbara (yellow shirt in front) – Genesee Valley Parent Magazine
Sandra (left before the photo) – Albany Kid

Thank you ladies for a wonderful mid-afternoon filled with networking and lots of laughs.

So my question to you this week:

Who is someone that you have met online that you would love to meet in real life and why?

Pssst – be sure to check out my Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides giveaway.

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #152

Categories:
Aloha Friday bloggy friends friends interesting looking back me moments photos

You Can Catch Me There – April 10, 2011

Posted on April 10, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Spring may officially be here in the Capital District. As the weather warms up, I hope to be able to spend more time with my family outdoors. In addition to writing here, I have also been busy contributing to other places.

Since my last update, I have written two new posts on The Disney Driven Life:

Early Learning With Bear in the Big Blue House – Learning, growing, and teaching with Bear in the Big Blue House DVDs from Disney.
Disney Inspiration for National Poetry Month – April is National Poetry month. Stop by to learn about acrostic poems and read one from me, along with a hidden one by

NDM183

I have also been working on more articles for the KidsFunPlaza magazine. The April issue should be out in the Capital District within the week. You can check out the March Digital Issue here:

I have also had some new blog posts on the KidsFunPlaza blog:

My recent posts on KidsFunPlaza:

Some of the latest posts from my KidsFunPlaza colleagues:

Please stop by A Disney Driven Life and KidsFunPlaza to say hello to everyone else that writes there as well.

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bloggy friends DisneyDrivenLife Educational EduMICKation looking back me moments My Other Projects

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree

Posted on March 27, 2011 6:00 am by TheAngelForever

Almost ten years ago, TechyDad and I were married. At the time, my soon to be husband had never been to Walt Disney World.

It’s okay to gasp since I know I did.

When we were planning our honeymoon, we wanted to do something different. I am not a beach person. Over time, I convinced TechyDad that we should do a Walt Disney World honeymoon. We stayed the the Beach Club Resort, added on the Deluxe Dining Plan, made some advanced dining reservations (ADRs in Disney lingo), planned to see Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, and did several behind the scene tours. At our table, during our reception, we even had two special guests.

Fast forward to the first event at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. We were all invited to be guests at the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree. When we arrived, we were given Minnie Bride Ears or Mickey Top Hats. TechyDad and I almost bough similar ones on our honeymoon, but never did. Now, I had my own Mickey ears.

When we walked toward Franck’s, near the Wedding Pavilion, we were greeted by Franck and Edna. Yes, these characters were brought to life (Father of the Bride and Incredibles anyone?!) and came over to as many people as they could to welcome us to the event.

Franck and Edna explained that we should go make ourselves a candy box to take as our gift. Who are we to say no?! It was like Candy Land (which actually has a Disney version) was placed on a magical table before our eyes.

After this, we went into Franck’s to see all of the amazing wedding cake and setting displays. The photos do not do the creations justice.

Then it was time to head into the wedding Pavilion. On the way into the building, that I had always longed to see from the monorail, we were able to see the new Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Alfred Angelo Gowns that are inspired by the Disney Princesses.

Once inside, we made sure to take some photos of us wearing our ears. Christina from Cutestkidever and I are sporting our ears together. Sitting with us were Debra from AFrugalFriend and Cathi from Planes, Trains & Taxi Cabs.

Soon it was time to sit back and learn about the new happenings with the Disney Parks. We would also be the first people to see the Cinderella inspired dress, hear from Carley Roney from The Knot and The Bump, meet David Tutera from My Fair Wedding, and witness an amazing Disney style wedding.

It was just the beginning of a magical evening. Many more photos to come soon care of the amazing photographers at Disney who captured the beauty of the evening.

Disclosure: Although we paid for our own trip to Disney World, we were given an incredible deal thanks to Disney. The sweet conference fee included 3 nights at the Grand Floridian, several meals for the entire family, 7 day park hoppers for everyone, conference/meals for me and some other items to take home. Also note that Disney never asked us to blog about this event. As a long time Disney fan it is my pleasure to share my experiences from the event.

Categories:
Blogging Conference bloggy friends Disney DisneySMMoms fun looking back photos

Our Adventure Begins at the Grand Floridian

Posted on March 26, 2011 9:03 am by TheAngelForever

Last Thursday morning, we got up before the sun came out, dropped our car off, and went to the airport. The boys and I were heading to Walt Disney World for the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. Southwest had us boarding the plane and ready to take off within 15 minutes. We loved that the Albany airport seems to be testing a new front and back loading system. It was a very painless experience that more cities should try. Before we knew it, the sun was shining and we were up in the air.

NHL and I sat together, while JSL sat with TechyDad. It was a quick flight and soon we could feel the sun and warmth of Florida welcoming us. Thanks to the Magical Express, we were able to gather the boys and a few small bags to head right to the Grand Floridian. As we got off of the bus, we knew it was going to be an amazing adventure ahead of us. We pulled up just in time to see this:

Yes, that is a bride heading to her Disney fairytale wedding in the Cinderella coach. Ah, only at Disney World will you just bump into things like this. We continued into the lobby for check in. We did the online check-in for the first time and it was amazing. The Luck of the Irish for St. Patrick’s Day was with us since our room was ready at 11:30. Rather than go right there, we went to the hospitality area in the convention center to officially check into DisneySMMoms 2011!

The magic was just starting as we were handing our Park Hoppers, papers, agendas, and other goodies. Once we were finished there, we walked over to find our room. The grounds of the Grand Floridian are beyond gorgeous and the rooms amazing. These are just a few photos of our first glances at the place we would call home for three nights.

Since we had a few hours before the first event of the evening, we packed the boys up, put on sun lotion, and went to the Magic Kingdom. For the third time, we rented a double stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals – which was a lifesaver many times.

When we were waiting for the monorail, someone recognized me. It was Kim Moldofsky from Hormone-Colored Days and Mom Impact.

After exiting the monorail, we went into the Magic Kingdom. It never gets old listening to your children gasp and chatter away when they see the Castle for the first time on a visit.

We were all hungry, so we stopped for lunch, then we did a few rides

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the room. The boys relaxed for a bit, while I went to the Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree. More coming very soon!