What to do when you can’t attend a blogging conference

This post comes from Kellie, of Three Lil Princesses.

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THIS week The Mummble gave five reasons why attending a blogging conference will help your blog. However, sometimes – for whatever reason – you just can’t attend the conference. For me, the thought of juggling a breastfeeding baby while trying to take in a full day of bloggy education at Blogopolis this month was just too much.

However, that’s not to say I missed out. In fact, during the Aussie Bloggers Conference in March, when there were numerous sessions happening at once, I had the benefit of being able to eavesdrop on all sessions at one time. How? Twitter.

Here is how I was still able to benefit from blogging conferences without being there:

Follow the official conference hashtag

Most blogging conferences, brunches and events have an official hashtag you can follow on Twitter. If you’re using something like Tweetdeck, you can set up a column for that hashtag to make the feed easier to follow. This is a chance to make your own notes or retweet the information that most appeals to you. And just because you’re at home, doesn’t mean you can’t put forward a question to the presenter via Twitter.  Or send support across the waters, as per with Aussie bloggers at BlogHer in the US.

Take part in a “not at the conference” Twitter party

There is always someone else who couldn’t make the event as well. Again, using a hashtag in Twitter, you can join with other non-conference bloggers to share ideas, experience and knowledge. For example, for Blogopolis a #NoNNB (No Nuffnang Blogopolis) hashtag was created. The bloggers who were involved shared an incredible amount of knowledge that was highly relevant to those participating. It was also a wonderful networking opportunity – if not also a bit of a laugh!

Find out about any live blogging taking place

It’s wise to find out if there is any live blogging taking place for more detailed notes from the conference. You can find this out by searching the official conference hashtag or putting out a tweet with the question. Usually live blog posts are uploaded minutes after the session is complete, so you’re able to get all the information in one hit.  This is ideal if you don’t have time to sit and watch the Twitter feed.

Read blog posts in the aftermath of the conference

Every blogger will take away something different from a conference. This is where searching out bloggers’ posts after the conference can give you a well rounded idea of what bloggers learnt. While the information in one post may not appeal to you, another will.

What are your tips for when you can’t attend a bloggers conference or event?

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Kellie O’Brien is a journalist, funny mummy blogger at Three Lil Princesses , mum to Princesses Ella and Holly and a lil princess herself, at just 150cms. OK, so that’s being a tad generous. As a breastfeeding mum she misses chocolate, wine and sleep. You can find her often on Facebook and far too regularly on Twitter.