So, I’m back from FitBloggin ’11. Actually I’m sitting in the BWI airport food court where I snagged an outlet and I’m hoping to tap out a couple of blog posts to get a jump on my week.
FitBloggin last year was in March. I came back from the conference last year with a lot of passion about my blog and the goal to stop being a “cocktail blogger” and take myself seriously. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but here I am a year and 400+ posts later.
It’s not an understatement for me to say that FitBloggin made my career. It was the kick in the pants I needed to move my social media life to the next level and I’ve been blessed that it’s been successful. I’ve met inspiring, funny, amazing people that have made my life so much better than it was a year ago. When I walked into the conference this year it didn’t feel like an “opportunity to network” or a “chance to build my brand”; it just felt like home.
I usually write for the “regular” people out there. People like me who are trying to live a little bit healthier and enjoy life a little bit more, but today I’m writing to the FitBloggers. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s awe-inspiring to see how far we’ve come.
Last year it felt like we were sending out tendrils trying to find each other and create a community. This year we’ve resoundingly established one. Last year there were a handful of sponsors to speak to; this year there was a plethora of brands and Roni (the organizer) had to actually turn sponsors away. How cool is that?
Let’s keep doing what we were doing before we hit the Inner Harbor of Baltimore. Let’s keep our passion and help our readers move to the next phase of their healthy lives. Let’s take the tools and the connections from FitBloggin and use them for good and not squander the opportunity we’ve been given this week.
I’m going to make a bold statement here. Let’s take a page from the Mommy Bloggers and become a force to be reckoned with both editorially and as an advertising force. Let’s stay in touch with each other and work with each other to grow our niche as a whole as we grow our blogs too.
My panel about being responsible bloggers sparked a great conversation and a call to action. Let’s pick a topic (one a month maybe? once a quarter?) and all write about it from our unique perspectives. Let’s pick something that’s being overlooked by mainstream media and make our mark. Let’s tackle something big like improving our school lunch system, or our feelings about BigAgra, or how we think Obama should tackle the obesity problem in the U.S. Let’s make an impact! Let’s make a difference!
So Roni, thank you for the privilege of speaking. I’d also like to thank @FitStudio for supporting a great group of bloggers and for hosting a pretty fab cocktail party. If you’re interested in being one of the bloggers who work with a specific topic, please drop me a line through the contact link or talk to me on Twitter.
What did you learn from FitBloggin? What are you fired up about? ((hugs)) to everyone,
Lisa
