Like a Boss

Last Saturday I attended the Blogger 2 Boss conference, tickets given to me by my school, Wade College. I knew as soon as I heard of this event that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to learn as much as I can and freshen up my blogging skills. Blogger 2 Boss was hosted by Lisa Petty, Leah Frazier, and Amber LaFrance of http://dfwstyledaily.com/. The day consisted of panels of speakers discussing important topics in individual breakout sessions of vital tips to us bloggers such as brand partnerships, monetizing our blogs, photography, legal issues, SEO, V-logging, and social media. I took in so much new information and am thrilled to utilize what I now know. 

Other than the wonderfully informative seminars, there was amazing vendor shopping and so many fellow bloggers that I was so happy to have met. Check out how the day went at Blogger 2 Boss!

To the event I wore one of my favorite authentic 1950's day dresses.

Featuring Escada heels

I added on the accessories with authentic vintage jewelry as well.

The rest of the photos are by me:

Here is my personalized schedule of what the day consisted of.

"There is no such thing as fashionably late when fashion is your business."

Here is Lisa Petty herself of DFW Style Daily. She gave a lovely presentation about how to correctly organize and plan ahead with our blogs. A helpful tip she pointed out was to have a basic edit calendar of the week ahead. Go through each day and figure out what it is you are writing about, then make a rough draft of the next few weeks in advance. For your blog, make sure you have a format that is functional, organized, and manageable. As for establishing readers, here is what she had to say:

Make it interesting

• Find content no one else has
• Do a drive by to get an idea in advance
• Make it seasonal
• Do a listacle (what I'm doing right now)
• Discuss current events (include quotes)
• Show how-to's

Be personal

• Cultivate obsessions
• Find your branding 
• Be yourself
• Be specific

General Info

• Know your worth (your hard work comes with a cost)
• Cover charity events
• Seek out difficult opinions and criticism from rival bloggers, teachers, and those who will be completely honest with you.
• Do digital thank you notes, follow ups, links, and be sure to share to social media
• Consider a personal uniform
• BE EARLY TO THE PARTY - In order to be photographed, promoted, and respected, it is important to arrive to events in advance. 

During the photography session with photographers Meagan Weaver, and Thomas Garza, and Leah Frazier of DFW Style Daily, we covered finding the right camera to start out, knowing how to do the right poses, and correct lighting.

• If you're inside you will need to find the right lighting. Natural light from windows is the best. If you're behind the camera be sure that the softbox is behind you.
• If you're outside, the golden hour is the best time to take photos which consists of sunrise and sunset. Overcast/fog is usually perfect because you don't have to search for shade from the heat or a try to find a good lit area. 

During the session of Copyright Infringement with Tyra Hughley Smith and Leah Frazier, we learned that as soon as you take a picture, you automatically own the rights to it and no one else can use it without your permission. 

• Technically, you don't have to have a registration to have a copyright. 
• If someone steals a copyrighted photo, they will have to pay the statutory damages, varied amounts depending on the use.
• You can have a group registration done with hundreds of photos from the same year for the cost of $35-$65, which will give you a copyright certification. 
• Always watermark your photos. As soon as you remove someone else's you have committed an infringement.
• You are entitled to the money someone else made off your image.
• A photo is not considered public domain until 95 years after it's publication.
• Legally an excuse such as being "innocent" or making a "mistake" doesn't count.

I now have many things to work on for myself just from this session...

During my last session about SEO tips with Nick Bonnano of Simple Media LLC, we covered topics relating to promoting and improving our website to increase visitors. We were made more aware of our content quality and usability. 

• Make sure your content is compatible on tablets, phones, and desktops. 
• Find a balance of keywords using a SEO pluggin
• Tag your images
• Use correct permalinks
• Link content on social media back to your blog

Throughout the day we were able to go to the vendors and shop around. (We were also given a wonderful swag bag filled with amazing samples and goodies).

One of my favorite parts of the day was the well needed manicure given to me by MiniLuxe. They are known for their hosipital quality sterilization techniques used in their salon. Their nail files and buffers are even given back to you after each use (or they will just throw them away). They "thrive to be the next Starbucks of nail salons" as said by Janel, one of the nice employees I was talking with.

I got a manicure done with the most relaxing hot oil treatment that they use, which is popular among their customers. Here is a preview of the fun time with them.

I ended up going with the classic half moon nails, made popular in the 20's through 40's. I was so happy with the result.

Here are photos of the beautiful jewelry from a few of the vendors!

Blogger 2 Boss was an unforgettable and most enjoyable day. Thank you to all of those who spoke and educated me on so much I didn't know before. I hope to see more events like this in the future. Also, thank you to my school Wade College for giving me the opportunity along with a few others from my school to attend this. We all had a lovely time!