Small Reasons to Consider a Blogging Conference #typeacon - Recap

 This past weekend I attended Type A Con, for the second year in a row.  It was held in Charlotte, NC (which should be called the City of the Fountains, if it isn't already) and it came at the perfect time for me.  I've been feeling a little burned out on my blog - not that I was ready to cut back or anything but just that I needed more inspiration.  A three day blogging conference was perfect.

 I was able to focus on something I love - blogging - while taking a break from family responsibilities.  I signed on as a volunteer for the conference so that my registration fees would be waived, and I enjoyed volunteering more than I expected.  It gave me an opportunity to meet folks I might not have crossed paths with otherwise, and I still got to attend some great sessions.

Humorous statue on the side of this wall, huh?

 I think that sometimes people feel like you have to be a really big blogger to go to a blogging conference but that's not true.  You will meet folks from all sizes and shapes and topics of blogs - and everyone will have one key thing in common:  a passion for blogging.  For my introverted self, Type A Con is just the right size.  I am able to make connections and have fun, but I don't feel too overwhelmed by it all.  Also, it has a laid back vibe to it - you can wear your jeans and won't feel underdressed.  In fact, the jeans I wore were ten years old and frayed at the bottom, and I still didn't feel bad about it.

 The best workshops I attended were one on Google+ and one on Facebook.  Although I'm on Google+ (find me here), I haven't done much with it.  But I learned in the session that Google+ can really give your overall Google standing a bigger presence.  I am also on Facebook (I would love you so much if you liked me there - and commented on my flash giveaway from yesterday) but I haven't done a lot with my page, other than putting my blog posts on it.  Which means I'm not really working it - so I am going to try to be more interactive there. 

 I feel refreshed after my time away.  I have new ideas for how to make small improvements.  To make my online footprint a higher quality.  I also got to connect with other bloggers and brands with amazing ideas who have so much passion for what they do.  And I got some cherished me time during an incredible run along the Little Sugar Creek greenway very early one morning. 

 It was also quite a treat to go out to eat, in nice restaurants, and to go THREE days without cooking a meal or filling a sippy cup.  I didn't even realize how desperately I needed a break and some time to connect with other moms.  Like Jdaniel4smom, pictured below.

 And I also discovered that if I had to eat the pan-seared scallops on ravioli from Aria Tuscan Grill every night, for the rest of my life, I would die happy.  But poorer. 

Have you ever been to a blogging conference?  If not, would you ever want to go?