Blissdom 2010…Harry Connick Jr is The Man!

If you missed my first Blissdom 2010 recap post, be sure to read it as it highlights my first day at the conference.

Harry delighting us with his words/song

So where was I? Oh yes, Harry Connick, Jr…Mr. New Orleans himself. Despite needing to prep for the Superbowl, he managed to find time to come to our blogging conference. A few songs, some whitty conversations with us, and 25 minutes later and about 150 ladies (and one man) were formed in a line that ended at the pot of gold: Harry! (Note: Proof of this photo opportunity hasn’t been uploaded yet, but I will add it once it’s available).

Harry kissing a Blissdom attendee...his words? "Not going to lie - this is kind of weird!"

We were given the opportunity to take pictures with him in groups of 6. Warned that his manager would pull him if any of us groped him, we patiently anxiously waited for our turn. When my group was up, I shook his hand and told him “You’ve made 500 women very happy. Thanks!” Why didn’t I just say, “I carried a watermelon?!” He put his arm around me and the others, smiled, and stood there waiting for the next group of drooling ladies to walk up. Such a patient man! So why was it exciting to see him? Not going to lie – the celeb status helped the excitement. But you could see the passion he had for New Orleans and helping others. True passion and dedication are rare characteristics, but Harry’s got them.

Showcased musicians, including Calvin Johnson

In addition to sharing his talents, he showcased four very talented musicians. I was lucky to get the opportunity to chat with Calvin Johnson, the saxophone player in the lobby at the end of the night. What a great experience that was! Not because he’s associated with Harry, but because the conversation was interesting and engaging…so much so, that I went to bed late again! After exchanging business cards, encouraging him to start a blog of his own to share his experiences as a musician/student, and sharing details of our hometowns, I returned to bed…to try and salvage what time I had left to sleep!

Saturday was yet again packed with opportunities to network with brands and colleagues, learn new skills, and reassess our passions and direction. Here are the sessions I attended that day, as well as the panelists and the messages I took away:

Leveraging Social Media to Build Your Business
(Panelists: Caitlin, Kim Christopherson, Amy Turn Sharp, Kimba, Kris Thurgood)

• Be yourself!
• Do your own social media….it’s more authentic and genuine than someone else doing it for you
• Build relationships for the purpose of building relationships, not just to profit.
• Social media campaigns are on-going processes and you need to stay on top of it. Takes tons of time to network. Reassess. Learn.

Evolving Into a Professional Blogger
(Panelists: Barbara Jones, Audrey McCLelland, Kim Moldofsky, Stephanie Smirnov, Nancy Smith, Alli Worthington)

• Have a personal strategy and take steps to get there
• Be honest in reviews – that adds value. Don’t always sugar-coat.
• Ads don’t make you established. You establish yourself.
• Everything you do should have metrics/trackable stats along with it. That shows what you can do.
• Don’t be taken advantage of! It’s okay to say no. Only accept it if you can do it.

Content is Queen
(Panelists: Emily Freeman, Amber Haines, Isabel Kallman, Deb Rox)

• Keep your readers first, but still stay true to you
• Does what you write have longevity? Will the content still be relevant a year from now?
• Don’t write long posts all the time. Remember, many people read blogs from their cell phones where text is limited or hard to read.

Wizard of Ads
(Panelists: Mary Anne Beasley, Paula Bruno, Melanie Sheridan, Michelle Lamar, Tsh Oxenrider)

• Is your blog ready for advertising? Content is king!
• Don’t clutter up your site; clean up your act
• Be careful what/how you review products
• Know your stats
• Different kinds of advertising options are: Private ads, Network ads (i.e. Blogher), Cost Per Click/CPC (i.e. Google Adsense)

The closing keynote session was about women, technology, and social community. Holly Hamman, Wendy Scherer, and Jennifer McKinney delivered messages about how important community is, how the internet has allowed us to redefine communities, and why women are so talented at cultivating them.  The conference closed with a movie and games night, equipped with popcorn and comfy clothes, but I actually skipped most of it.

While Blissdom came with LOTS of free products, swag, and chances to learn, the most exciting opportunity it provided me was to meet so many fabulous and talented women, all so different, yet so similar. From the moment I arrived, I connected with the four gals I mentioned in my first post (Janna, Rachael, Bay, and Erica)…women who I would never have met and bonded so deeply with if it weren’t for Blissdom. I can’t describe the connection we had, but it seemed as if we’d been friends for years. While some may not understand how you could connect with people you’ve never met before, I know the blogging community gets it.  No explanation neccessary. These gals not only have great blogs, but their passion, creativity, and forward-thinking was absolutely contagious, making the time we spent hanging out so enjoyable!

If I had to sum up my experience at Blissdom 2010, I’d have to say it was an opportunity to grow. Grow personally by reassessing my passions, professionally by offering opportunities to network, and to grow my community of genuine friendships. Would I recommend Blissdom to others? I think my posts this week have spoken for themselves. I’ll see you all there next year!

Don’t forget to link up your Blissdom 2010 Recap posts here. Can’t wait to read them all!

Tagged as: Blissdom, community, friendships, Harry Connick Jr