#BlogCampUK 2012

I like blogging. And I like camping.

So when I heard about BlogCampUK 2012, it seemed like it might be a nice idea to go along. Although the camping element involved no tents, campfires or singsongs, there was in any case plenty of fun to be had.

Swap burnt sausages for YooMoo, singsongs for seminars, and tents for the Google Campus and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what was involved.

Having never been to a blogging event before, it was an interesting experience for me. First of, I got to go accompanied by NO CHILDREN. This is an extremely unusual occurrence for me, and the first time I had left both children without me in the care of Grandma for a whole day. I got to read my kindle on the tube! (and it’s lucky I had the kindle with me, because somewhere along the way, my train ‘lost it’s driver’. This resulted the train being delayed, and me turning up late – which is a bit mad since I probably had the least far to travel of the majority of the other bloggers who were there).

Secondly, despite in my student days being pretty good at ‘web stuff’, these days I am not so au fait with how things work. Which meant that the first seminar courtesy of Ade Oshineye of Google (who described Google Plus and Google Hangouts) was an eye opener for me. Before, I *think* I was aware of Google Plus. Now I have a much better idea of how it all works! Apparently, there will also be tutorials going on the Tots 100 page. Hurrah!

And then came Stu Heritage (a Guardian journalist and blogger at Luv and Hat), who talked a lot about a-holes. Not literally, but in terms of ‘trolls’, criticism, and how to deal with such things should they appear on your blog. (The Wee Man’s favourite book at the moment is all about trolls, but apparently that’s an entirely different meaning of the word). He was very entertaining, very informative, and should one of those non-underbridge-dwelling species of troll creature ever attempt to make it’s home on my blog, I now feel sure I will be able to swiftly and efficiently evict it. Or at least stun it into submission.

(Alternatively, should I wish to avoid such things entirely, he recommended ‘writing about dust or…nothing’. I shall keep that in mind for future troll-less inspiration).

Keris Stainton then took to the stage and did a bit of a Q&A for budding authors. I am not a budding author, so this was not entirely relevant to me. But it was still interesting to hear of her experiences – and her recommendation for dealing with how to write…’you just have to sit down and write’. Of course!

By this point I was getting just a bit hungry. Savoury smells were wafting from the rear of the room, and it turned out to be large trays of sandwiches, fruits and a selection of beverages. At this point, I also took the opportunity to put names to faces and it was great to meet some of the bloggers that I’ve had a tweeting relationship with (Mammasaurus and pinkpoetlikeme) but never actually met before – as well as meeting some others who were previously unknown to me (big wave at MumFriendlyJo, annesmart and TheBookMums).

Along with lunch came the opportunity to do a bit of doodling with my new Cross pen – we were challenged to doodle a visual representation of our blogs, and the vast range of interesting doodles that resulted were really interesting to look at.

Fed, watered and happy we returned to our seats and were treated to a session about Stumble Upon from – a site I have joined but didn’t really understand before. Now I do – and I’ll definitely be playing with it a lot more in the future.

CAKE! YooMoo! Yes, that’s what came next and of course there was huge excitement, who doesn’t love a nice piece of cake to accompany a bit more ‘getting to know you’s’?

(Blueberry and pumpkin seed yoghurt might sound just a little bit strange, but believe me it is strange in a very tasty way).

Then came a brief summing up of how to be a success (basically be yourself, and enjoy it) and then it was all over.

Time for a quick drink with liveotherwise (and the extremely well behaved and very cute Tigerboy) and AnotherGoldfish, and then it was back home to normality. Grandma and both children were all well and happy, and I now feel ready to tackle the previously unknown world of social-media-stuff-I-didn’t-know-before.

New friends, new knowledge, and a new appreciation for pumpkin seeds and blueberries. That’s what Blog Camp is all about!

So thank you, Tots 100 for a splendid day.