Design Bloggers Conference - The Future of Blogs

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Continuing the Design Bloggers Conference coverage I wanted to share how gorgeous the stage looked, kindly provided by Currey & Company. Over the course of the conference I was lucky enough to get to know (and have a wonderful dinner) with Cecil Adams, the Creative Director of this brand.
Not only did they incorporate Tangerine Tango (Pantone's Color of the Year!) but also a little animal print and metallic. There was a little bit for everyone and a really nice layout that allowed for an engaging conversation between the moderators, and panelists.

BlogStars: Social Networking, Content, and The Future of Blogs -
Moderator: Kyle Hoepner as Editor in Chief of New England Home
Ronda Carman (All the Best Blog), Tobi Fairley (Tobi's Blog), Cassandra Lavalle (Coco+Kelley)

  

Kyle was a wonderful moderator and really was able to get each member of the panel to share their last year of accomplishments and ah-ha* moments.

Once again, some of these *Live* Tweets are what stood out for me.

First up was Ronda.
Ronda Carman, among other fantastic accomplishments is a reviewer for the prestigious Mr & Mrs Smith boutique hotel collections which is one of my favorite hotel websites and is one of the early Blog-mesiters coming on to 5 years with interviews of many notable design leaders, including Carlos Souza, Kelly Wearstler, India Hicks, Jamie Drake and Eva Jeanbart Lorenzotti,etc.

• Social media and blogging allows you to be creative. The online world = infinite potential
• It's about how you communicate with your audience
• It is Not all about blog comments but instead about an interactive conversation
• Good content great photos..twitter is where the feedback happens
• You are the only one that does what you do -> Original Content

Next.. Tobi.

Tobi Fairley is an interior designer based in Arkansas, and among many other accomplishments also runs a Design Camp where she gives back to her community and helps other designers/bloggers get their start.

• I built it, they came ..now what? {talking about the becoming overwhelmed with so many connections, online presences, etc} and building your brand.
• I am letting it lead me and the results come from that 
• Collaborations with brands like One Kings Lane have helped grow the brand
• The blog has helped her business grow and expand ~ the beginning of her fabric collection began via twitter!!
• Twitter provides a platform for conversation/response in place of comments on blog

Lastly, Cassandra.

• First feature in Lucky Magazine, with a Washington Post write up... The doors opened through blog connections!
• The Internet is the great equaliser
• Number 1 source of traffic to blog for is Pinterest
• Do what you do well and collaboration is KEY bring it all full circle 
• Bloggers are no longer just bloggers, they're trend-spotters, curators, tastemakers, sources for inspiration

It was clear to me that everything I had been feeling over the past 6 months, since becoming more involved online on the various platforms, was true.

I really appreciated hearing the very many connections, and avenues, that each one of these panelists encountered as a result of their blogs and Social Media presence...
and was so excited when the following day that I was included in a little round up of bloggers by New England Home.

You see, The Internet IS the great equaliser and provides this fantastic opportunity to connect on a level of common interest without all the other issues in the way.
On twitter, you have to make your voice heard and understood in 140 characters or less. For someone that likes to talk, that is very difficult.

The truth is though, nothing can compare to a meeting at a conference like this one - where over a glass of wine or champagne, you connect in Real Life which allows you to speak on a much deeper level to one another when you do connect on Twitter or Facebook.



Now, please excuse me as I go tweet about this!








 *all images via these individual's websites.