SNAP Conference 2016 – It’s all about community!

SNAP Conference Recap | Just a Girl and Her Blog

Last week I attended the SNAP blogging conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and it was a total blast. I knew I wanted to write some sort of recap post to share the amazing-ness here on the blog, but when I sat down to write, there was one word that kept coming to mind over and over again: community.

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I have always said that blogging is best done in community, but never has that been more evident to me than at live, in-person events like conferences where bloggers come together from every part of the country (and beyond!) to learn, share experiences, and just be with other people who “get” the whole blogging thing.

SNAP was certainly no exception, and there were even a few specific lessons I learned about community while I was there that I thought I’d use to illustrate my recap post.

SNAP Conference Recap | Just a Girl and Her Blog

{Our cute room at the Little America Hotel– it was even aqua!}

1. Take the opportunity to soak up all of the information you can.

Now I’ll be honest, now that I’ve been blogging for a while, I sometimes go into conferences wondering if I will learn much more than I knew going in.

You GUYS.

I learned so incredibly much. Blogging is so multifaceted that it would be nearly impossible to become an expert at each and every piece that blogging entails. The teachers in the classes I went to knew a ton about their topics and really drilled down into the nitty gritty of the specific areas, and I came away with a ton of new ideas that I cannot wait to implement.

I was in awe of the Facebook strategies shared by Mique of 30 Handmade Days and Amy of The Idea Room. I had so many “aha” moments listening to Mallory and Savannah of Classy Clutter talk about the systems they use to keep their blog info organized. And I even got up the guts to try Snapchat after getting a crash course from Caroline of Armelle Blog. 🙂

But even more than the fantastic classes (and they were SO fantastic!), I learned so much from the conversations that happened around the lunch table or in the lobby coffee shop or during down time. Those small group or one-on-one conversations were absolutely priceless, and I loved coming away with little nuggets of wisdom from so many of the bloggers I met.

SNAP Conference Recap | Just a Girl and Her Blog

{The cute table setting styled by Chinet at dinner one night!}

2. Teach everything you know.

Donnie and I have shirts that Nathan from ConvertKit sent us that say that phrase, and I love it so much because it’s true. Whether you realize it or not (and this applies to bloggers and non-bloggers alike), there are things that you know and strategies that you use that can really help other people– don’t keep them to yourself!

I had the incredible opportunity at SNAP to talk about one of my favorite topics– eBooks– with two of my favorite ladies: Melissa of Silhouette School and Dawn of Dawn Nicole Designs. Sure, it was a little nerve wracking getting up there in front of a room full of people, but if sharing our experiences with eBooks could help other bloggers take that next step to grow their business, you’d better believe we were thrilled to do it!

SNAP Conference Recap | Just a Girl and Her Blog

{Photo courtesy of the lovely Melinda of Home.Made.Interest!}

I got so excited talking to bloggers afterward and hearing about their plans for eBook writing because I know what a game changer it has been for us and that it will be for them as well. On a selfish level, teaching is fun because you sometimes get to see that lightbulb moment for some people, when they realize exactly how much is possible, and that is so cool to experience.

3. Find your tribe.

Now in a way I feel like the entire blogging community comes together as a tribe because it is one of the most supportive, encouraging communities that I know. Within that community, though, I have been fortunate to find a few smaller “tribes” of people that I turn to when I need advice or when I want to vent or when I have something to celebrate, and spending time with girls from my tribe at SNAP was most definitely one of the biggest highlights.

SNAP Conference Recap | Just a Girl and Her Blog

{Krista from The Happy Housie, Sarah from Life on Virginia Street, the incredible Heidi Swapp who styled this super cute Palm Springs-inspired event (and is invited to join our tribe any time she wants 😉 ), and me!}

Blogging is kind of like a roller coaster. Some days it feels like everything is going well and you’re on top of the world, and other days it feels like you’re standing in the middle of the internet shouting and no one is listening. Your tribe will be there to celebrate with you during the highs and encourage you during the lows, and when you get to hang out in person, it’s kind of like Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one. 🙂

SNAP Conference Recap | Just a Girl and Her Blog

{Absolutely perfect gifts from my SNAP secret sister, Laura of Laura Kelly Designs}

If there’s one thing I came away with from SNAP it is that I am convinced now, even more than ever, that community is hugely important when it comes to blogging (and when it comes to life in general)!

I know it can be scary to put yourself out there and go to a conference (especially because most of us bloggers are introverts who prefer to hide behind our computers 😉 ), but I encourage you, if you ever have the opportunity to attend SNAP or another blogging conference, GO!

Soak up all of the knowledge that you can, be generous with the knowledge that you have, and find your people. I promise, blogging is so much more fun when done in community!

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Abby

18 Comments

  1. Your conference sounds like a wonderful experience! As a relatively new blogger, I am contemplating registration for my first conference. I think it will be a great time!

  2. Jelica@APrettyFix says:

    I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that blogging is best done in community. We need each other not only to grow our blogs, but to offer encouragement, support and advice. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Ignatia Karina says:

    Hi Abby, my name is Karina and I am from Indonesia. I really wanted to start a blog about health and Google got me to your lovely site and fall in love with your blog immediately. I had bought and read your ebook Building a Framework. Listening to your advice, I research first about blogs in my preference niche, underlining the importance of blogging comunity. But I couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. Health blogs out there mostly talked about nutrition and exercise. Yet what I wanted to blog is some medical stuff like webmd material, but I’d like to deliver it in a blog manner. I work as medical doctor and l’m looking to do some kind of project that could connect me with more people and hopefully could also help them, that’s why I want to do this blogging thing. What should I do when I couldn’t really find my blogging comunity? Thanks so much before 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Ignatia! Thank you so much for your sweet note! As far as community goes, the other bloggers you connect with don’t have to be doing exactly what you’re doing at all. They could be in related niches, such as more typical health and wellness bloggers. No two blogs are alike and each will have their own strengths, so it’s great to find people who are writing about the same field as you even if it’s not done in exactly the same way. I hope this helps!

      ~Abby =)

  4. Whimsies of a Nerd Girl says:

    That sounds like fun! I’m glad you enjoyed yourself! I was wondering, do you have any hints or tips on how to even go about searching for blogging conferences? I guess there’s always Google, but I feel like I wouldn’t find the best ones. Do you have any other recommendations? Thanks for all your blogging advice! 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      It can be a daunting task to try to find the best conference for you! This year I attended SNAP (https://snapconference.com/), which is for craft + home + recipe bloggers, and I will be going to Haven (https://www.havenconference.com/) in August, which has more of a home + DIY focus. Some others I have heard of are the Build Your Blog Conference (https://www.buildyourblogconference.com/) and BlogHer (https://www.blogher.com/conferences). I hope this helps get you started!

      ~Abby =)

      1. Whimsies of a Nerd Girl says:

        Thanks so much! 🙂

  5. curlycraftymom says:

    Thanks for sharing your review of the conference! I am making it a goal to get to one of these conferences next year! I just started using SnapChat, too and it is so fun!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

  6. jenn- yourstrulyjenn says:

    Abby,
    Wish I could have gone, but I plan to attend Haven. I know you did a great job speaking. I’m sure it gets just a little easier each time your present. Congrats again on the new book!
    Jenn

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Aw, thanks so much Jenn! So glad you’ll be at Haven! Have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  7. Mique - 30daysblog says:

    So happy that I got to meet you face to face! Thanks for the shout out. I loved your class as well. Thanks for the encouragement on this crazy/exciting journey. xo

    1. justagirlabby says:

      It was awesome to get to hang out in person, friend! You are so inspiring! Talk to you soon!

      ~Abby =)

  8. You sound so inspired that you have become inspiring. I do understand how important community is. I am still starting on building one on my blog. I think I may have started it out the wrong way, so I’m starting all over again. Thanks for sharing what you’ve learned. I do get that feeling sometimes when I think I’m very successful with blogging but then I just drop to the ground. Ha! I haven’t found my tribe yet. I would love to do blogger meetups here in my country. I know there are a lot of bloggers around where I live.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      That sounds like a great idea, Heide! I know that finding your “tribe” will be so helpful in your blogging journey! Thanks for your sweet words. Have a great weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  9. Gayle Randa says:

    Community! That is a powerful word. I worked 16 years in the Senior Care industry and we referred to our different nursing homes and assisted living locations as “Communities”. It meant our residents were in a community filled with people that loved and cared for them. Hearing you use it, gives it even more meaning! Thank you.

  10. Angela and Linda says:

    We were following your trip on IG and it looked like you had a blast! Hoping to be able to go to our first blogging event within the next couple of months. Congrats on having the opportunity to talk about your ebook. That is so exciting!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you, ladies! It really was a great trip! Would love to meet you at a conference sometime! Have a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  11. Hi Abby could you resend your post from April 27th? I just found it tonight. Please. somehow it got deleted before I could read it. I love reading them
    Thanks
    Joyce

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