BlogHer Visits BlissDom

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I have a little confession to make: Last weekend, I attended BlissDom ‘10. (That wasn't the confession.) Before attending that conference, it had been eight weeks since I wrote on my own website. (That was the confession.) Eight weeks! There's nothing like an impending blogging conference to break you out of your non-blogging funk.

BlissDom '10 took place February 5-6, 2010 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. As an aside, if you’ve never visited the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, you really should add it to your to-visit list. It’s an enormous 4.5 million square feet, and beeaauuutttiiffffuullllllll. My favorite section is the Garden Conservatory, which is like the lush side of Hawaii, with orchids growing everywhere and waterfalls spaced throughout the property. The venue is like a Vegas hotel: tons of eateries, interesting nooks and gorgeous architectural and landscaped detail (without all the flashing lights and chiming slot machines to match).

Before the conference kicked off on Friday, February 5, BlissDom held "Wisdom Workshops" on Thursday, February 4. There were four tracks: Business, Writing, Creative and Geeked Out. I wasn’t in town in time to attend any, but heard from speakers that they were very well attended and heard from attendees that they were super-informative. Example sessions included PR/Marketing 101, Inspirational Writing, Photography and Coding/Back End. (Photo credit: Mishelle Lane of SecretAgentMama.com)

The main portion of the conference, held February 5 and 6, continued the Business and Writing tracks and included perennial favorites: personal branding, becoming a professional blogger, how to get published, the nitty-gritty of online advertising, etc. Sessions seemed to run in typical convention format, with speakers' presentations first and a Q&A period afterward. Because the panels were held in two adjoining ballrooms, it was impossible to get lost and very easy to float between sessions.

I attended BlissDom expecting to pick up some new tidbits, though I’d say that as a blogging conference veteran (I've been attending conferences since BlogHer '06, which means I have a ridiculous amount of head knowledge, most of which I’ve yet to implement on my own blog) I picked up more reminders than new information. I loved the opening keynote with Kevin Carroll -- he's got an amazing personal success story, spurred on by his passion for making time to play. (I second that!)

I loved the networking, meeting the women behind the blogs, putting a face with a name, matching online personalities with in-person selves. I loved finding new-to-me reads. I loved setting down the foundation for building relationships with new bloggers. (I also loved standing six feet from Harry Connick, Jr., who wooed us with his musical talents and Southern charm -- though I loved Deb on the Rock's blog post about his "women loggers" crack, too.) (Photo credit: Allison of petit elefant)

But more than anything, the combination of being surrounded by fabulous bloggers and great information helped me walk away from the conference inspired to kick-start blogging on my personal site again. It reminded me how much I love blogging, both on a professional level and a personal level. I’m excited to see how my blog develops, and looking forward to my next conference…BlogHer '10 in New York City!

To find out what others are saying about BlissDom '10, check out the MckLinky hosted on Musings of a Housewife.