Design Bloggers Conference

Last week, I had the honor of speaking at Design Sherpa’s first annual Design Bloggers Conference in Los Angeles. It was a wonderful event filled with informative and inspiring discussions and a roster of A-list bloggers. Going to these events is always a wonderful experience, whether you’re a new blogger looking for tips or a seasoned blogger looking to recharge. It was so great to finally meet people I had been corresponding with for months or in some cases, years in person! I also appreciate all of the sweet readers that I had the pleasure of meeting at the conference.

I was asked to speak on a panel with Cassandra LaValle of coco + kelley, Grace Bonney of design*sponge and Tracy Porter whose energy and enthusiasm are infectious. Our panel discussed how our blogs came to be and the journey they’ve taken us on over the course of the past few years. It was really interesting to see how many parallels our stories have and to note where our paths have differed. I was so glad to finally meet Grace in person. I started blogging in 2007, when there weren’t many blogs around. Grace started blogging in 2004, so she really did pave the way for us in a sense. She has such a great story and so many amazing tips for blogging successfully.

I definitely plan to attend next year’s conference and hope to see some of you there! In the meantime, here are a few of my top tips for making your blog a success. Happy blogging, everyone!

1. Establish your blog’s identity and voice.

2. Create a clear editorial focus for your blog and engage your readers.

3. Explore opportunities that are presented to you (invitations to events, speaking engagements, etc).

4. Network, network, network!

5. Invite others to guest post on your blog.

6. Leverage your blog into something else. The possibilities are endless!