These days I’m holed up in tropical paradise and my world revolves around a small radius: home, the kid’s school and the beach. It’s a good life and normally I don’t stray too far, but it hasn’t always been this way.
As soon as I left high school in the UK I traveled to France and the USA. I have a photo of myself on top of the one of the Twin Towers in New York to prove it. As a student I regularly hitchhiked from London to Paris to see the Mona Lisa or just eat a decent croissant.
I’ve taken rickshaws in India, wept in badly driven buses on moutain passes in Turkey, bounced along on the back of a gravel truck in Zimbabwe, been ship wrecked when a traditional dhow I was sailing in sank off Kenya and raced the busy streets of Bangkok in tuk tuks or on the back of motorcycle taxis.
I call myself as a travel fiend but these days luring me away from my home isn’t so easy. When you live by some of the world’s most stunning beaches in a temperate climate it’s understandable that a trip to the city or even just the local shopping mall becomes a chore.
So how come I jumped at the chance to take three buses, one train, one plane and two taxis to meet a bald, bespectacled man in a cold city? Especially given that I already have a perfectly lovely man at home anyway.
In case you don’t recognise the man in the picture above my latest trip was to see, hear and even feel Darren Rowse aka Problogger. Darren’s a legend and role model for me and a hundreds of thousands of other bloggers. If you want to know the secret of his popularity I’d break it down into 10 tips which I’m basing on his modus operandus.
10 Blogging Lessons I’ve Learnt from Darren Rowse
- Know your stuff.
- Help people.
- Avoid hype.
- Be yourself.
- Stay humble.
- Rise above negativity.
- Watch your statistics.
- Listen to your audience.
- Try new things.
- Love your readers.
The Problogger Conference
Recently Darren hosted a blogging conference in Melbourne which was very exciting for me and the other 150 bloggers lucky bloggers who got to hang out with him for the day. Some bloggers were so excited they went into a frenzy of tweeting, blogging and videoing all through the conference.
I’m old school though and was happy to just sit there, soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the hubbub 150 bloggers make when they get together, make notes on paper and have a quiet giggle about the problogger’s matching outfits. Then rush up to them and get my photo taken with them afterwards.
The Speakers
Darren has lots of clever blogging friends so it wasn’t just Problogger we got to hear speak. We also heard words of blogging wisdom from:
- Chris Garrett – Canadian font of online marketing knowledge with a Yorkshire accent.
- Yaro Starak – Australian font of online money-making knowledge with a Canadian accent.
- Collis Ta’eed – Speed talking netsetter who’s not afraid to mention that he frequently hangs out at “sausage fests”, even in front of his lovely wife Cyan.
- Pip Lincolne – Groovy chick with no discernible accent, fabulous taste in everything and some highly crafty ways.
- Shayne Tilley – Man of mystery from the super successful Sitepoint.
Chris Garrett’s a lovely man and we both overcame our shyness to snuggle up for a photo. Please note how shiny and happy I look in all these photos, meanwhile the probloggers aren’t looking quite so keen.
Chris didn’t join us for drinks in the bar afterwards, probably because meeting 150 bloggers in one day was all too much excitement for him. Looking at this photo I can see why. He couldn’t even have a quiet cup of tea without being pestered by people.
Thank You
Darren and Chris for letting me have my pic taken with you.
Yaro for hearing me out with my tips on your hair dos and wheels.
Pip for having a quick chin wag as we dunked our tea bags.
Sally at Snappy Sentences for letting a near stranger have a sleepover at her place so I could get to the conference.
One Top Tip For Bloggers and Entrepreneurs
If I could only share one tip with you from the conference it would be this:
Go to a blogging conference to meet some other like-minded bloggers and be inspired by the pros. Networking is one of the keys to blogging success and a Problogger conference is a great way to do it. The 1,846 mile round trip was worth it but it’s good to be home.
If you can’t get to a Problogger conference at least check out the website for some top blogging tips including these motivating guest posts written by me:
- Getting Over the Blogger’s 6 Month Itch
- 4 Classic Mistakes I Made In My First Year of Blogging and How I Got 1000 Subscribers Anyway
- 7 Signs of an A-List Blogger in the Making
Missed the Conference? Buy the Book
Hopefully I didn’t scare Darren and the other bloggers too much and there will be other conferences. But in the meantime I recommend Darren and Chris’s book 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. I read it ages ago and am probably due for a reread. That’s part of the joy and frustration of blogging – there’s always something more to be done. I came away from the conference with a endless list of things to be done but more determined than ever to do them.
If you haven’t read 31 Days to Build a Better Blog already you should – you can download it instantly now and at only $19.95 it seems like a no-brainer to me. Click here for more details.
By the way, this is an affiliate link. Yes, Darren and Chris will be proud of me, I can almost hear them applauding me now.
Who or what inspires you to keep striking out for what you want?
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Thank you so much for helping with that. I can’t wait to see you here again soon.
Good luck with all your plans! Annabel
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Annabel,
It sounds like the conference was a great success- the speakers were among the best in the world at what they do. You can’t go far wrong with that kind of networking experience.
Which part of the UK are you from originally? Me, I’m near Glasgow in Scotland.
Hi Scott, you’re right, world class speakers and only a few miles from my home:) I’m from the Midlands but my dad gave me a family tree which traces my family right back to Robert the Bruce so we could be distant cousins:)
Hi Annabel,
Nice write up, I can see why you’re a successful blogger
Yaro
Hi Yaro, how exciting to see you here and thanks for leaving a comment. Very disappointed I didn’t get a pic with you too but hopefully next time:)
Annabel, look at you hang out with the celebrities. YES I would travel even 2000 miles to see Darren in person!!
Such a nice tribute to the conference -I had been wondering about your experience. I am quite nervous about Blogworld – or blogoplooza as honey calls it – but I will thrive on the energy of others and learn heaps of great information. I will definitely write up about it. Wish I were seeing you there in October – hey, you know Darren is going to be there? You sure you can’t make it ? 
!
Hi Farnoosh, oh I so so so so want to go to BlogWorld. I just need a benevolent sponsor. I’ve seen Darren – now I want to see you:)
Annabel, I wish I could sponsor you – I’d say that my husband sponsored me by yelling at me to sign up. I would NOT be going if it weren’t for him. I am very nervous about going. I am going to hope for a sponsor for you in the next few weeks. Fingers and toes crossed. You just never know!!!!
Looks like a real fab gathering — but I particularly like your comment about the matching blogger outfits. you and I would most definitely share that giggle. Was there an explanations? I think their nametags should have been sewn on – like the guys at the gas (petrol?) stations. Anyway…looks like it was a hit for you! So glad you could take advantage of something (relatively) close to home.
Hi Amy, lol, I think it’s just a strange coincidence! I had a fab time. Would love to have one with all my readers there too and wish I’d taken pics of all the bloggers, not just the super stars:)
Oh’ My God! WOW! You are so lucky Anne you had this moment with him. I really wanna meet Darren Rowse. I am a subscriber to his sites. Wow!
Congratulations! You rock again Anne! Good job!
Count Clement II
http://www.bestspotsinthephilippines.blogspot.com/
Hi Clem, another Dazza fan then:)
Annabel, I’m so excited for you that you made it to that conference! I’m going to my 1st, a Bloggy Bootcamp in Philadelphia that the SITs girls are having, in Sept. and can’t wait!
There’s so much to learn! You do a great job of sharing the knowledge and many of us are grateful to you for that.
I was surprised that I hadn’t read, 7 signs of an A-list blogger in the making, but glad I found it here. I waffle a lot on whether the blog is getting better or if I should just cave and work with a professional designer. Over all though I find the blogs I love are the ones that are well written and fun to read, so I think I’m doing ok with that.
Thanks for the post!
Hi Barbara, that will be so fun too. I wish our conference was longer. I’d love a long weekend of blogginess. Re your design, it’s a tough one but if you do ever decide to invest and go with a professional design I’d love to give you a quote:) Yes, the content is key and you’re doing a great job with that. I’ve been noting how prolific you are!
Couldn’t agree more on your tip about going to an event like this. It was amazing to be in the one spot with so many fantastic bloggers to listen to and learn from. Great write up Annabel!
Hi PlanningQueen, and lovely to meet you there too:)
Wow
That was an jam pack house of successful marketers, I really wish I was able to sit there and soak up some tips from these guys who are known world wide when it comes to marketing.
“TrafficColeman “Signing Off”
Hi Coleman, I’m a lucky lady! Great to see you here and thanks for leaving us a comment:)
Thanks You Annabel
“TrafficColeman “Signing Off”
I am so jealous of you Annabel, but I will try to not let my jealousy seep into my opinion of you!
Cheers!
Hi Joshua, I know I’ve been a bit boastful but on the other side there are many more people (in fact just about everyone I know outside the blogosphere) who’s wondering what’s wrong with me! I hope you get to attend an event like this sometime, I’d love to meet my readers one day.
Thanks for this. Just returned from my second blogging conference which was oddly much more difficult than my first! Looking at the positives of it, which were MANY, but just glad to hear there is so much to look forward to, and loving the idea of the six month itch article. Will read now!
Hi Mem, glad you found some new reading there. I’m quite shy so the conference is hard for me too but it gets easier every time!
Annabel,
Great stuff here. One thing I’d add for those people who see this and say “well I don’t have these a-list bloggers in my town” is to then be the organizer and bring together a bunch of bloggers. Regardless of skill level people still have a great opportunity to learn from each other.
Hi Srinivas, thanks for swinging by:) Absoulutely. I’ve had a few tweet ups with local bloggers and twitter users and that’s fun too. You don’t have to hang around with a-list bloggers to learn and be inspired, all bloggers will do that for you. Thanks for adding that. In fact I have a local tweet up this week but I’d so love to get to the States one day and meet all my US readers like you.
Annabel,
I will have to keep my eyes open for something in my corner of the country!
Ah, you lucky duck! I keep hearing about all these great blog conferences! I live in conference capitol of the South, Atlanta, GA, but we don’t seem to have any here
Bernice
http://bernicewood.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/give-your-energy-level-a-jumpstart/
Hi Bernice, there must be local Atlanta tweet ups or social media networking events. I challenge you to find one and get there:) About 50% of the bloggers at this event were female which is brilliant.
Greetings Annabel,
I’m genuining glad that you got to go to this conference and that it was so enriching for you, and hence for us. I love seeing all these photos of you. I appreciate your passion for travel and blogging.
BTW, you write the most terrific headlines. My answer to the question is that I’m not so sure. I wonder what your thoughts are about the necessity of traveling less to reduce oil use and dependence? That might be an interesting blog post! Since I read that 71% of oil goes to driving, travel, and transporting our goods, it’s really made think and wonder how much we need to curb these activities and I’m blogging about the question too. Like you, I live in a paradise (Hawai’i) so I don’t feel compelled to leave frequently, but I’m starting to think twice about driving and flying.
Hi Sandra, ooooh, that’s a tough one! I want to say that of course it’s so important to meet people face to face and sometimes the only way to do it is to fly. But maybe that’s just an excuse…. For the record we do try to be travel smart and walked to school yesterday for that very reason so hopefully there’s some balance.
Annabel,
Thanks for your thoughtful answer. When blogging is your business, that clearly puts a different spin on the question. Sometimes we do need to travel for work, that’s for sure!
There are no easy answers to these environmental questions, but I think it’s great that people are thinking about them and talking about them. It’s inspiring to hear about you walking to school with the kids!
Dear Lovely Annabel,
I like your personal take on PB Event : it’s really great to read about how it was for you! I definitely think there should be a picture of me here. I very big one . BIGGER than the ones of the boys. I fact, I think you should have my face as your header. For real. Honest. BUT apart from that, this is a great post, by a great gal about a totally great day! See you soon, I hope!
xx Pip
Hi Pip, thanks so much for checking us out and commenting. You’re right, it’s missing that pic of you! In fact I hardly took any photos which is such a shame. I wish I had pics of all the bloggers. But why don’t you have a smiley gravatar then everyone could see your shiny happy face right here in the comments:) Please go get one them come back again. If you play your cards right I might just make you the star of one of my posts some time. You deserve it!
Birds of a feather flock together, Annabel. You will be right up there presenting in no time.
Hi Rob, blimey, don’t pressurise me:) Lol!
That is a lovely write up. So glad you enjoyed the day despite the travel!
I have to admit the “blogger uniform” was accidental but hilarious
The opportunity to share a taxi with Yaro came up so I jumped at it. Of course that meant I had to skip beers with my new blogging buddies but my introvert’s social battery was flat at that point so I don’t think I would have been much use
I second the Blogworld suggestion, I think you would get a kick out of it
Hi Chris, you were a star and now a double shining star for checking out our hot spot and leaving us a comment. Thank you.
I soooooo want to go to BlogWorld. You’re going to wish you hadn’t mentioned it. Please will you and Darren be my benevolent sponsors? Jade Craven is being taken there by Dave Navarro as his networking assistant so I’d be very happy to press the flesh singing the praises of you, Darren and your excellent book while you hole up in the bar/casino/hotel room:)
I can see it now. My blog will be plastered in ads and love for your blogs and book and the entire blogosphere will promote you from blogging idols to blogging gods with the power, kindness and generosity to make little bloggers dreams come true.
I’ve met you and Darren now and that was fabulous and now I so want to meet some of my lovely US readers who will be there. 50% of my readers are in the States and it would be fabulous to see them in real life. And alright, I confess, I’d be tickled pink to meet Leo Babauta and Chris Guillebeau, Sonia Simone and Jonathan Mead. Oh I could go on forever…
When Coca-Cola took me to Shanghai I did a fabulous job for them with PR, marketing and advertising with blog posts written about my experiences and interviews far and wide. I can send you the details, it was a big job and all done free and gratis because I was happy they took me to a social media conference in Shanghai. Tens of thousands of people now see Coca-Cola in a different light because of that. Imagine what I’d do if I got taken to BlogWorld in Las Vegas!
Ah, it’s good to dream. I’m looking for a corporate sponsor but a bit half-heartedly as I should really stay home writing but I want to go to BlogWorld so much. Toes and legs crossed but fingers left free for writing:)
I think if I was to pay for you or any one person there would be a lot of folks upset with me, starting with my wife
Lol, bring her too:)
I was kinda sad I didn’t get the opp to have drinks with you, Chris, but I totally understand. My social battery was drained to the point where I was physically sick but I had a rare chance to hang, so took it.
Just wanted to bump in and say imagine having the opportunity to sit next to Yaro on the plane. Seriously. That happened by accident and it was hilarious. And, er, I may have spent most of the time working in my notebook because my social battery was that drained.
Did want to clarify that the networking assistant thing is based on a year of unpaid work just helping Dave out, and is going to be really hard work.
I’m really glad that I only have to travel 70kms or so, although it was rather exhausting travelling to the opposite end of the country the next day. Was totally worth it as I got to meet Catherine Caine at Brisbane briefly! I want another training day.
Anyhoozle I better go to bed now
i suck at this sabbatical thing I’m meant to be doing
Hi Jade, thanks so much for coming by and leaving a comment. These events are pretty full on and hard when you’re used to sitting home alone on the computer all day like me! It was fab to meet you and great to hang out in the bar afterwards. You so deserve that trip to Blogworld:) Your fabulous generosity and networking nouse are insurpassable. Enjoy it and I want to hear all about it!
Hi Annabel
It was great catching up with you – and you were an excellent house guest
Melbourne was so much fun. It was inspiring to hear what the speakers had to say as well as all of the ideas bubbling in the audience.
Definitely worth the 1,846 miles!
Sally
Hi Sally, lovely to see you here and thanks for leaving a comment:) Yes, it was worth it. I’d do it all over again if you’ll have me back and the probloggers can handle it!
Annabel, Every time I read your blog, I learn several new things about blogging. This time, it was about the Problogger Conference, the big name blogger, Darren Rowse aka Problogger, his 10 Blogging Lessons, the value of networking, and the book I have to get, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Plus your writing style and personal tidbits (I’m fascinated to hear your travel ones) make your blog a fun read.
Hi Penelope, glad I introduced you! Every blogger needs to know about these movers and shakers, give us something to aim for:) Thanks for mentioning the travel bits too. I want to put in more of those so great you’re interested!
Annabel,
I’ve been following you and spreading your advice to my blogger/writer friends who are trying to get an audience for their books, just like I am.
At least you didn’t go to bed with Darren like you did with Seth Godin. Crazy to say, but we have a similar background as far as travel and education, and living in Central America. I was born in Denmark, (that’s different) lived in Nigeria, went to the English School of Paris, then boarding school in Felixstowe, U.K, moved to California and uprooted my family to “heal the entire family with three sons and a stressed out husband in Belize.” I enjoy learning from your blog and spread your advice, especially as I give presentations to writers about how to “grow your audience” with a specific theme in mind. Thanks Annabel and wish you all the best.
Hi Gutsy Sonia, amazing when you detail it like that. I guess I’m not so odd after all and I see we both have three kids which is an adventure in itself. We never visited Belize but I want to read all about your experiences there. It was definitely somewhere we considered.
Thank you so much for sharing my blog with your friends and clients. It’s fabulous that we can all share our blogging and real adventures here:)
Sounds like a fun time! I have yet to actually meet any other bloggers face to face. For now, I’ll have to settle for meeting others in the virutal space.
Hi Eric, Well, that’s better than nothing. We’re very lucky to be able to bridge the oceans with our blogs, tweets, emails and calls:)
Oh yeah, I’m a HOT subscriber all right…glad you are having fun Miss Annabel
Hi Connie, so hot you can’t put up the pic to prove it. Too hot to handle probably:)
Hi Annabel, you are really lucky to have a meeting with these celebrities in person. I hope, you are MORE passionate and motivated after this achievement. I wish i can meet these amazing persons. Btw I am amazed you have traveled too much.
Hi Imran, thanks for stopping by and commenting, great to see you here. Yes, I did end up inspired and motivated. I’m lucky to have been there. I dedicated about 20 years of my life to travel so I’ve been around a bit and still can’t get enough of it!
Oh this is so inspiring and well written. I’d much rather go to a smaller confenence than a big one. They can be so overwhelming for me. Anyone with ADHD has a hard time focusing. I think it’s be better with Darren. Love it!
Hi Tess, “inspiring and well written” this is music to my ears, thank you! It is overwhelming and hard to focus. The good bit is all the bloggers do write ups and videos of it so you can always catch up afterwards:)
Lovely sum up for the day Annabel and it was nice to get a chance to chat you albeit very briefly as we refilled our cups! It was great to put faces to some Tweeps and to hear what different folk are doing in the world of blogging and also what I am personally doing right (some things) and could do better (lots of things!).
Thanks for the posting,
Ann
@annnolan
Hi Ann, great to see you here after meeting you at the conference. I think I was hugging the tea and biscuit table:) We need to go easy on ourselves. It took those probloggers a while to work out what works and what doesn’t and even they are still learning. That’s what makes blogging interesting and the good news is we can only get better!
Hi Annabel
Wow, what a fascinating story! You write with s much life and colour – it’s a real treat to read your posts.
No, I wouldn’t travel all that way to meet Problogger, but in saying that I will most certainly try to attend the next blogging day he puts together. Looks like I will learn heaps and meet some really talented and inspiring people.
Thanks for sharing.
Michael
Hi Michael, thanks for swinging by and leaving us a comment:) You are lucky to be in Melbourne – home of many a fine blogger inc. DR himself. He often goes to tweet ups and so on I’m sure you can meet him. I need to have another web party so I can meet all my readers at least online if not yet face to face!
Annabel – This is a wonderful post. Thanks for sharing the notes from the training day, along with your insights.
Your shots with Darren and Chris look fabulous – am sure you’re going to cherish the memories and learning from the day for a long time to come.
Hi Kapil, thank you for leaving this sweet comment. Yes it was great for me! Not sure how Chris and Darren felt about it all though:)
Hey Annabel! Great write up, and so lucky you got to meet so many great folks!
I’d love to go to blogworld myself this year to meet a bunch of you all, but it’s not looking so hot at the moment. lol Maybe the next one!
If you do make it, definitely let us all know how it goes, I’m sure it will be as fantastic as your Melbourne trip!
Warmest
c
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