I only had one 11am client this morning so after that I headed to the store to stock up on food. Apparently, Ben did some grocery shopping this weekend, but it consisted of Skittles, Bacon, Fiber One Bars and Juice Beer. I’m not lying.
And apparently he thinks we keep the Skittles supply on the nut butter shelf. Wonder what snacks he was cooking up while I was gone?!
I was shopping while hungry, which is a big mistake and ended up eating a pound of grapes on the way home. It’s okay, I like my grapes like I like my jokes – dirty 
I made a big salad for lunch with coleslaw, peanut dressing, onions and left over stir fry from Thursday night. 
Hope the 4 day old stir-fry doesn’t come back to haunt me for my afternoon shift!
And I had a Fiber One bar as dessert. It is so random that Ben bought these, but I like them even though they’re not “real food” so we’ll eat ‘em.
Healthy Living Summit was my 5th blogging conference! 
I went to Fitbloggin and Healthy Living Summit last year.
And Fitbloggin, Blogher and HLS this year.
After each one I get a lot of questions from readers & other bloggers about them. So here are a few of the FAQs:
Q: How do you find out about blogging conferences?
A: I find out about them though social media most of the time. Once someone who is on my twitter or Google Reader talks about one I’m not familiar with I look into it to see if it fits with my interests.
Q: Do you have to be a blogger to attend?
A: No! Definitely not for Fitbloggin or HLS at least. I did a session on “Blogging 101” at Fitbloggin. It was geared toward people who don’t have a blog or are just starting out.
I know the Healthy Living Summit had many attendees that don’t have blogs too.
Blogher is mostly geared for those that already blog.
Q: Did you contact American Express to get sponsored for Blogher?
A: No, they contacted me and offered. I already use AmEx regularly so it was easy for me to say “yes!”. If it was a company I didn’t believe in I would really think about it.
Q: What if I don’t know anyone that’s going?!
A: There are a lot of people who don’t know anyone else going into a conference. The first conference I went to was Fitbloggin last year and I only knew 1 person. I was super nervous! But, now everyone that I met last year and this year are good friends of mine!
If you have any other questions please ask in the comments.
you forgot foodbuzz! does that count as a blogging conference? maybe not. maybe it is more of an eating conference…
you are so informative! always!
Yes! I forgot about food buzz! It counts.
I’m really interested in attending some conferences in the future- they look so fun! But I admit, I would be totes nervous since I wouldn’t know anyone :/ I can only imagine meeting people- you get to “know” them through their blogs, but then you get to really meet them!
Such great questions I didn’t even knew I had until I read them. I’d feel awkward going without a blog, but it’s nice to know that there are those who do go who don’t have blogs. Maybe one day one of these conference will be a lot closer and I might actually have the option of attending!
I highly recommend attending a larger blogging conference. The learning opportunities are numerous . Local gatherings are excellent as well, though, and I think it’s important to know the other bloggers in your area.
i really like your dress & shoes at the conference!!
Thanks!
Thanks 🙂
What freaks me out is that I’m not a blogger with a mission. As in, I don’t have schedules, rules or even a set goal. Maybe it’s because I’m still a little new but even then I don’t know how to describe mine to others.
But good food + strangers that turn into friends = soooo much fun 🙂
Blogs are just supposed to be a fun hobby for most. You don’t need a mission 🙂 Just enjoy it.
you may have already answered this, but do you go to Foodbuzz?
I went last year, but don’t think I’m going this one.
just wanted to say thank you again for speaking about blogger safety.
super important issue & there need to be more bloggies out there like you! 🙂
I read this too quickly and thought you didn’t want trouble for your afternoon, um, something else. Not shift.
But either way, I’m glad things worked out. Errrr, even that sounds gross now.
Phew! It seems like Ben’s illness missed you!
Yeah! I felt a little “off” Friday, but that was it.
Is the blogging community really as nice as they seem online? You all seem to get along so well- no cliques or any of that stuff that can happen when you get a whole bunch of women together. Or is there, but it’s kept quiet?
I think the community really is nice.
But, there can seem to be cliques. I don’t think it’s legit cliques though, just people who are already friends gravitate to each other (which is totally expected just like at work or school).
I’d LOVE to be able to go to a conference! The only problem is they end up being too expensive. 🙁 One day hopefully!
thats awesome! i hope to go to one next year!!
One of these days I’ll get to a blogging conference! I’m hoping that when the day comes, I’ll have the courage to be outgoing enough to introduce myself to everyone. I can clam up in new situations sometimes…
I get shy at conferences too! But everyone is really nice 🙂
I saw a slew of pictures of you on various blogs from HLS. It made me miss your crazy face so much. Can I come to Cali?
Chandra and I talked about how awesome it would have been if you both would have came!
Thanks for the question-sesh. I was wondering today about how to get involved with conferences but it looks like you were already 2 steps ahead of me 🙂
My big question is how do you find the readers? I am totally struggling! I just revamped my blog and hope I can get better reception but i really struggle! then I read bloggers who are thriving at 1 months time.
Checking out your blog NOW! Word of mouth, baby 😉
Very nice Christine 🙂
Hey! I’m new to your blog. Im so glad you posted on this because I wondered if those three conferences are the only ones to attend. Are you going to TechMunch LA? It seems like all these healthy living-type conferences are on the east coast. Are there any others on the West Coast that are good to attend?
I’m looking into it 🙂
Omgggg I made it on to your blog. I AM FAMOUSSSS!
Evan and I missed you and talked about you constantly 🙂
Fun! I really want to go to a blogger conference, SO BAD. I couldn’t afford HLS, not even close. I’m still waiting!
We need something on the west coast!!!
Thanks for sharing this Monica!! As a newbie blogger this information is very helpful!! What are some good ways to get your blog out there?
I think commenting on other blogs is the way many bloggers first built up their audience. Good luck!
Thanks for answering these questions! I have one: how do you show interest in and ask questions about another blogger’s life when you already know lots of intimate details about them? If I met you in person, for example, I would instantly offer you copious amounts of watermelon and ask you about Vegas/Ben/marathon training/Vitatops, but I might be nervous about being a total creeper. How do you get over this or work around this strange dynamic at conferences?
It’s totally not weird for someone who reads my blog to ask about any of the topics I write about. We skip the “what do you do/are you single/have any hobbies” part of meeting and get straight to hanging out 🙂
I think the same goes for me meeting other bloggers. I ask about their husbands or pets because I feel like I know them too!