Just Another #dpcon13 Post - Day One

"I need another brain so one can concentrate on the speakers and the other on the tweets!" Me via Twitter on the first day.

This pretty much sums up the two full-on days of Digital Parents Conference 2013. There were so many people, sessions and tweets to process that going to sleep afterwards was almost impossible. My brain just would not stop. So I'm going to split this in to two posts and this one will focus on day one.

I figured every woman and her blog would have an iPhone so had myself a custom iPhone cover made in case I left it somewhere silly. I thought this would help it make its way back to me fairly easily!

I had a fantastic time. I met some amazingly lovely people who were just as fabulous in real life as they are in writing on their blogs. I was so starstruck and dumbstruck for most of the conference that I feel like I spent most of it with a stupid grin on my face!

Bloggers are, as a rule, lovely people. But like in any social situation with a large group of people, smaller groups form, people who know each other, or identify with each other, tend to naturally gravitate towards one another and it can be daunting to try and insert yourself in to that circle. But try I did. Not as hard as I could have mind you, because I was damn intimidated by some of those groups of uber-bloggers, but I certainly gave lots of cheesy grins to them all!

When walking in to the main conference room on the first morning I must admit to some pretty hardcore nerves! There were tables everywhere with groups of bloggers sitting around. I made a beeline for the first face I recognised, which happened to be the marvellous host of today's linky, Jess from Essentially Jess.


She was lovely and welcomed me with open arms, making a space for me at her table and introducing me to the other (uber!) bloggers already there (Daisy, Roo and Two, Be A Fun Mum, My Mummy Daze and CRAP Mamma).

After a bit of a chat and some waving and smiling at other bloggers I recognised as they filled the room, it was time for the opening remarks from Brenda and then straight in to the keynote address by Jonno Fisher of WakeUp Sydney! Jonno was fabulous! WakeUp Sydney! is a community of people celebrating kindness, courage and compassion, and they encourage people to perform totally random acts of kindness. His speech on kindness was inspiring and a wonderful way to kick things off.

Following that was the first panel discussion, "State of the Aussie Blogosphere". The speakers, Darren Rowse of ProBlogger fame, David Lee from Nuffnang, and the excellent Eden from Edenland, gave some fantastic insights to the world of blogging and where Australia stands.

Some of the main points I took away from the discussion were -
~ Darren: There is really no magic formula to blogging in terms of frequency or length. Find your own rhythm, have something to say.
~ David: In terms of Nuffnang promotions, their bloggers have seen an increase in readership and response to sponsored posts.
~ Darren: Don't worry about stats, just keep going. Create great content, don't focus too much on reach. There is value in great content. Bloggers need to be consistent to build an audience.
~ Eden: Use your blog as a platform, a way to keep your name out there and find other places to write & be paid rather than doing sponsored posts on your blog if they don't work for you.

The food was sooooooooo good!!! I love buffetts!

The only downside to the conference was the fact that I couldn't get to every session. They were all so good and it was so hard to choose. If you'd like to see the full conference program you can find it here.

On the Wednesday I spent the day in the The Writing Bar, attending sessions run by Valerie Khoo and the Australian Writers' Centre. The sessions I went to were based on writing better blog posts and avoiding common mistakes; and how to get paid to write for magazines and online publications, both of which I got a lot out of. Valerie Khoo is fabulous and I could honestly listen to her talk all day. I am seriously considering doing an online course through the centre after attending these sessions.


The key points I took from The Writing Bar on the first day were -
~ Think of your structure before you start writing your post.
~ If you ask your reader a question, make sure it's one they can say yes to. This engages a reader.
~ Plan and think about what you're going to write before you start. You will save time in the long run if you plan it out.
~ Find a way to define a universal truth.
~ Find the right angle at the right time.

So that's it for the first day. There was some drinks ad mingling after the sessions were done and dusted, and a truly emotional session down in the amazing Curzon Hall cellars of some astonishing women and their stories of motherhood, heartbreak and strength.

Stay tuned later in the week for the next epic post on day two!


Comments

Kylie Purtell said…
Love this recap Kylie - I didn't go and love the info coming through now. It looked like an amazing conference and the venue looked totally wow. Looking forward to your second update.
Cheers Katy (sitdownmummy.com)
Kylie Purtell said…
Great wrap up post lovely. I was totally overwhelmed by all the big bloggers and didn't meet nearly as many as I should have because I just couldn't push past my silly shyness! Can't wait to read part two.


Fairy wishes and butterfly kisses lovely
Kylie Purtell said…
Bummed I missed both the awesome content and catching up with good people like yourself. I was watching the tweets all day and needed your spare brain as well
Kylie Purtell said…
I don't know how any of you managed to tweet aswell, looks like so much was going on. Those point on writing are very interesting, not at all what I expected, and probably not at all like what I do. Oops!
Kylie Purtell said…
I saw that tweet on the first day! Haha I was following the twitter stream online and even I got lost :p thanks for the great tips from DPCon13. Great knowing you met so many awesome bloggers and I hope to be able to meet them someday too!

Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Kylie Purtell said…
I'm still overwhelmed from it all!!! omg my head is spinning just thinking about it all!!! I LOVED meeting you .. you are beautiful and glad you had a great time!!! xx
Kylie Purtell said…
Sounds like a fab experience - I can understand being overwhelmed by it! Look forward to the next if your updates :)

Kylie Purtell said…
great recap - look forward to day two! is that an iphone cover in your first pic? gorgeous if it is xx
Kylie Purtell said…
Love the tips you highlighted from Darren, David and Eden. I think you're doing a great job breaking down an insane amount of useful information so far... I was only following the twitter streams, and my goodness, it was easy to get lost. And that stupid grin? If I were there, I'd be sporting that same one alongside you! Ha! X
Kylie Purtell said…
It was great wasn't it? I wonder how we can access the videos made of all the sessions we couldn't get too. There was just too much good stuff. I couldn't cope at all with Twitter and the real life talks so gave up on social media, a shame in lots of ways.

I've just found some handwritten notes from the photography talk and am aiming to action them when I get a minute later... if it happens!!
Kylie Purtell said…
WOW - incredible to put so many faces to avatars I bet. Sounds like a such a learning-filled day. Just gives blogging that extra in-person dimension. Some incredible names and writers were there! Pip x
Kylie Purtell said…
I bet it was just mental, like information and people overload! I can't wait to read and get some more tips! Thanks for sharing K xx
Kylie Purtell said…
Jono was such a delightful speaker, wasn't he? Loved his passion for making this world a better place by doing the little things.
So great to see you! Wish we had had time for a proper chat. Hopefully next time! x
Kylie Purtell said…
Wonderful reading all these DPCON13 posts. I've got my ticket for Problogger on the Gold Coast in September and can't wait - my first bloggy conference!
Kylie Purtell said…
It was so nice to see you!!!
Loved reading your notes, cause you got different things out of it than I did. And I know what you mean about it being hard to focus! It was insane!!!!
Kylie Purtell said…
Thanks for the wrap up for us sad puppies who weren't there Kylie - those Writing Centre sessions sound awesome. I dont know how you guys made it through two days though - it sounds exhausting! I'm looking forward to Part 2!
Kylie Purtell said…
It really was exhausting and ill freely admit, when Dave sent me a picture if Mia on Thursday afternoon I almost walked out then and there to get home to them... But the thought of peak hour traffic stopped me and I ended up having a great time at the gala. You should def go next year, you'll love it.
Kylie Purtell said…
It was great to see you too.

I'm loving reading everyone's wrap-up coz it's so interesting to see the different things and perspectives people have taken away from it.
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh I would live to go to Problogger but sadly the budget will only stretch to one conference this year and I don't think a 2 Minh old baby would enjoy it anyway! Lol! Can't wait to hear all about it though! I'm excited for you!
Kylie Purtell said…
He really was! He's definitely inspired me to look for ways j can incorporate more kindness in my life.

We def need to have a proper chat next time, hopefully at the next bloggy drinks, I'm excited already!
Kylie Purtell said…
It was absolutely mental mate, you would have loved it!
Kylie Purtell said…
It really was cool to finally meet so many of these people that I feel like I've known for ages because of their blogs, that's for sure.
Kylie Purtell said…
I was wondering that too, there are a few sessions I would missed that I'd love to seete video of.
Kylie Purtell said…
Haha, that stupid grin hardly left my face!

I've actually found it hard to condense all the info, there was just so much of it!
Kylie Purtell said…
Thanks Josefa! It certainly is an iPhone cover. I figured just about every person there would have an iPhone so if input it down and forgot it them it would find its way back to me pretty easily.
Kylie Purtell said…
It really was a great experience, can't wait for the next one.
Kylie Purtell said…
I was so glad we got to meet, you were on my secret list in my head of people I couldn't leave without chatting to.

Yep, my head is still spinning too!
Kylie Purtell said…
I hope you get to come to one too, I would love to meet you Ai! It really was such a great experience, evern with the brain-overload factor!
Kylie Purtell said…
I didn't tweet too much, I just couldn't keep up so I gave up in the end! I'm super impressed by those who could keep it up for a whole session!
Kylie Purtell said…
I was bummed you couldn't go either. You'll def have to try to get there next year, I'm already starting to plan and save for it!
Kylie Purtell said…
Oh I hear ya! I was shit scared half the time and kinda wish now I'd pushed myself a bit more out if my comfort zone. It was lovely to meet you , and I will def email you the full notes of the social media session you missed in Thursday, just need to find time to type it all up!
Kylie Purtell said…
The venue was spectacular. I've been there for a wedding once before but had only seen a small part of it so it was nice to get to see more of the buildings and grounds.

It really was an excellent conference, so good I'm already planning and saving for the next one!
Kylie Purtell said…
Hey Kylie. Totally agree with you on cracking the big blogger cliques. I just put my head down and walked past thinking some wouldn't want to be bothered by me. Then a couple of the super stars actually sort me out first! I have to keep reminding myself that they are normal people despite the size of their following.


It was so great to meet you and spend time hanging out. We have so much in common! Just shows that not everything we post on our blogs makes up the whole of who we are.


Great post.

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