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Lessons Learned – Blog Bash

4 Comments

May 18th, 2009 at 00:18 by Eseell in Blagging and Blog Bash and Guns and Life

Some things I learned from the NRA convention:

  • Take more than one picture. Some of the photos I took didn’t come out the way I really wanted them to, but in order to avoid being an obstacle to other convention-goers I kind of snapped quick shots and moved on. I also didn’t get all the shots I wanted of some of the cooler displays. This is the wrong thing to do. Take the time and the shots necessary to get it right.
  • Take the time to wait in line for events you want to see. You’ve got all weekend. I really regret not meeting R. Lee Ermey personally. I only saw him in passing and let the line deter me.
  • If you blog anonymously, put your nom-de-blog on your press credentials. I prefer to be called by my real name face-to-face, but even fewer people knew who the hell I was because I made it more confusing than it had to be. Like LabRat said on day one: our blog identities are a significant part of who we are.
  • Make business cards. Even if you’re just giving them to other bloggers who already know you by reputation, business cards help you make an impression. I actually already designed and ordered business cards for my blog from FedEx/Kinkos this evening. I will not be unprepared next time.
  • Don’t be afraid to just hang out. Don’t feel like you need to be on the convention floor all day.
  • Speak up. Introduce yourself to people. Given my extremely introverted nature, I feel like I didn’t do too poorly at this, but there is definitely significant room for improvement.

4 Responses to “Lessons Learned – Blog Bash”

  1. Arizona Rifleman Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 00:39

    The first point is important: I tried to take at least 3 pictures of each subject prior to moving on, and even so I ended up with some blurry ones.

    Also, a decent camera helps. I have a small, old, beat-up Canon point-and-shoot digital camera, while my friend has a really nice Nikon D40 digital SLR with a few lenses. The D40s pictures are considerably better than mine.

    Finally, comfy shoes are a must — my feet are killing me from walking around. A good pair of socks and well-broken-in boots would have been a lot better.

  2. Eseell Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 18:10

    I’ve definitely got the camera for it, I’m just not a very good photographer :)

  3. Capitalist Pig Says:
    May 18th, 2009 at 18:44

    Your lessons learned list matches mine. If I had taken a slower pace, I wouldn’t have missed out on people I wanted to speak with. I wish I had been more extroverted at the beginning of the convention. Between the rush to get to everything and the sensory overload of it all, I ended up being a wallflower in most social settings. My enjoyment of the weekend increased greatly when I interacted more, instead of just witnessing the events around me.

    I still have tons of posts to write too.

    It was a pleasure meeting you.

  4. Linoge Says:
    May 20th, 2009 at 19:06

    Thanks for the list… I am already making plans on attending the next one in Charlotte, and among the list of things for me to do already is securing a better camera and making up business cards. Hopefully I will see you there :) .

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