BlogWorld 2009 Recap

For those of you that didn’t know, we just got back from BlogWorld Expo 2009 in Las Vegas. It was our first time attending this event and we were really excited to meet some new people, check out the sessions, and see what the conference was all about.

The first thing I noticed when I got there was how fast the blogging industry has really grown and developed over the last few years. From what I heard, this year’s event was the biggest one yet, with just over 3000 attendees and a lot more than just your typical “general” blogging sessions. There were a bunch of niche sessions on: real estate blogging, miliblogs (blogs by military soldiers, spouses etc) sports blogging (Jalen Rose appeared at a few sessions), mommy blogging and a variety of other niches.

All of these guys are using their blogs for different reasons and in different ways, so it was great being able to hear their various view points on promotion, monetization, and growth strategies.

Another thing I noticed was how many newbie bloggers were at BlogWorld. Everyone from those who started their blog yesterday, to the ones 6 months in now trying to monetize their traffic.

One thing that really impressed me was that it showed they made a strong commitment to growing their blog and making it a business right from the get go. BlogWorld was definitely not cheap ( especially when you factor in plane, hotel, conference tickets, food etc..) so by attending it was a BIG investment to make. However, making that level of commitment is a necessity if you want to be successful in this space and it was great to see them showing it at such an early stage. I just hope they stick with it!

Some of the more popular panels at BlogWorld included:

Internet Marketing For Smart People: This session featured Chris Brogan, Darren Rowse, and Brian Clark and touched on the various strategies they used to grow their blog, create a community, and make a solid business out of their efforts. The panel was so busy, I had to sit on the floor!

Sponsored Conversations: This keynote session was moderated by Jeremiah Owyang and included panelists such as Ted Murphy from IZEA, Wendy Piersall and a few others. The main focus was on the new FTC act that requires all bloggers to disclose when they are being paid to write about a certain business, product, or topic. It was great place for bloggers to get their questions answered before the law goes into effect December 1, 2009.

Blogging Super Panel: Panelists for this session included Zac Johnson, John Chow, Darren Rowse, and Brian Clark. I thought this was one of the more valuable sessions for bloggers as they were able to pull up their blog and receive suggestions from some of the top pro bloggers in the industry. While this type of consulting would usually cost big $, attendees were able to receive some great advice for FREE.

All in all, I thought BlogWorld was a great event and is definitely a must attend conference if you are a blogger. Not only did they have a ton of great sessions, the networking aspect of the show was superb.

While I was there, I did tons of interviews with bloggers, affiliates, and other companies in the space, so definitely keep any eye out for those this week. Until then, feel free to check out the pics below from this year’s BlogWorld Expo.

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