Bloggers Unite! at #VoicesOf2013

Trying to get a room full of bloggers to shut up is a difficult task, but somehow Kidspot managed to do just that with their amazing and informative Voices Of 2013 Melbourne Masterclass! We all gathered at the Smart Artz Gallery (hehe - get it?) in South Melbourne to be educated and enlightened by some of blogging's finest. Our first speaker was the wonderful Aleisha McCormack (I'm Doing My Best, Comedian, The Circle reporter) who spoke about finding your brand, making ideas happen and being creative with not much ($$ wise).

Some of her tips included:

• Work with other bloggers instead of seeing them as competition
• Plan events and posts that are mutually beneficial
• Make every 5th post something that challenges your readers

We then had our first panel which featured Karen Andrews (Miscellaneous Mum), Kate Forster (Author and blogger) and Lou Pardi (Agency Marou), and was moderated by Wendy Tuohy (Herald Sun blogger and columnist). This panel was all about how to find and refine your voice.

Here's some of the tips I picked up from these experts:

• Write how you talk
• Find out why people like you
• Pretend you're writing your blog to your best friend
• Learn how to self-edit

After a short break to devour the scrumptious hors d'oeuvres, we reconvened for the second panel which was all about SEO and how to set yourself up for success. This panel was moderated by Nicole Avery (Planning With Kids), and featured Pip Lincolne (Meet Me At Mikes), Kate Ulman (Foxs Lane) and Dave Jenyns (Melbourne SEO Services).

This is what I learnt:

• Set up Google Authorship and link to your blog
• Decide on one keyword/phrase per blog post
• Keywords can be in the title, body or description
• Create 'How To' blog posts

I had a great time and learnt a lot of new blogging ideas. I'd like to thank the girls at Kidspot for putting on such a great event and I look forward to future events! I want to leave you with this quote...

"Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy" - Theodore Roosevelt

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