I recently found myself chatting blogs & social media at a NEW (Network of Executive Women) event in northwest Arkansas.
My friend Ramona Collins (Addicted to Fries) and I were chatting with a vivacious gal who is new to the area and considering starting a blog.
A week later, we met for coffee. Our new pal was full of questions about starting her blog, and we happily shared resources, tips and words of caution with her.
Ironically, I think Ramona and I enjoyed the conversation and took as much away from it as the gal we were trying to support – it was a great gut check for our own sites!
Sharing best practices is a great reminder to take care of the basics on your own site.
Since I was in the process of relaunching The Little Magpie, the conversation (and the pointers I attempted to share) were immensely helpful nudges to myself, and I remembered to address some small housekeeping tasks on my site as a result. It all reminded me of a comment my Mom made often to me, and which I find myself repeating regularly to my kids:
Mind your own beeswax.
As we chatted about the “how to” of blogging, I made a sidebar list of all the housekeeping tasks I needed to attend to, and found that I walked away with as many resources and tools to checkout as the “newbie” we were supposedly supporting.
On the drive home from our rendezvous, an idea was born. Ramona and I are taking this show on the road, and we are SUPER excited to work together to launch something new:
The Concept:
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- A face to face and online resource for emerging bloggers testing the waters.
- Equal parts Q&A session, meetup and mastermind group.
The Who:
- Hostesses: Beth (Little Magpie) & Ramona (Addicted To Fries).
- Attendees: New bloggers & those interested in building an online presence.
The What:
- Regular meetings in Bentonville with loose themes to guide the conversation.
- Follow up component with links, resources, tips, challenges & action items.
- Virtual hub to ask questions, collaborate and join the conversation.
The When & Where:
- Monthly meetup beginning March 2016 in Bentonville.
- E-newsletter + tips sent monthly within a day or two of the meetup.
- Not local? No problem! You’ll still benefit & we’d love to have you – virtually!
The Why:
- The chance to learn, ask questions, grow and test the waters.
- Friendly, judgement free zone with “hosts” who will freely share information.
- Keep your bloggy skills sharp by staying connected to the front lines.
The How:
- Ready to jump in? Initial sessions are by invitation only to ensure we can give attendees plenty of attention & TLC. Just click here (or the image below), enter your name and email and we’ll get you the details and an invite to the first gathering!
Side note: we are big fans of Arkansas Women Bloggers (it’s how we met!) and other regional & state blogger groups, and we’ll be encouraging participants to get engaged. If you’re new to blogging, it’s one of the best places to start – you’ll join an active and supportive community that aims to gather, grow & connect bloggers.
#TheBlogHub is meant to be a starter nudge for those who are just starting and may not be ready to dive into a larger community, conference or meetup quite yet!
Excellent idea. I can’t think of better teachers or nicer ladies to be learning from. Both of the these ladies are full of great ideas and Beth helped me land my first social media client a couple of years ago. #smartladies
Oh man, Gina!! This is the nicest comment! Ideas, we have. That client was yours all along – still so proud of you & cheering from the sidelines. XO, friend! Thanks for the kind words.
Great idea!
Thanks, chickadee!! Hugs!
This is a great idea! I love your generosity of spirit, and I know that a lot of new, nervous (and not-so-nervous) blogger’s are going to learn a lot here.