Building Community: Mom It Forward Connects With Blogalicous Community

by Jill Greenlaw on October 4th, 2012 | 5 Comments »

This last week Mom It Forward had the opportunity to go the Blogalicious Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. This conference is for multicultural women and social media enthusiasts from all over the world to collaborate, connect, and uplift one another. It was my first year attending Blogalicious, and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was so much fun to engage with new communities. It always amazes me how much you can learn from people you don't know and how quickly friendships can develop.

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the "Community Jam" session in which our very own Jyl Johnson Pattee was a panelist. The group talked candidly about the blogging community and ways bloggers can be successful and find their own niche. These woman have been around the block a few times and were able to share insights and suggestions that were not only helpful but inspiring.

Later in the day, we enjoyed getting together with people in our niche. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the girls from One.org about ways they are connecting and supporting women in other countries fight disease and poverty in other countries. Mom It Forward loves connecting with women and moms that are not only making a difference in their families, but also their community and the world around them.

What is a conference without awesome sessions? Some of my favorites were the "Media Training" session with Theresa Albert, the Google+ session, and the "Pinterest Strategy" session with Stacie Keet and Christie Crowder. These gals know their stuff and so kind so share tips and tricks to understanding these platforms. I also loved the "Community Building" session with Amy Mascot, Erika Tinsley, and Lance Rios.

Let's Play really put fun into the conference by scheduling time to play and serve. Where else can you take time out at a social media conference to skip rope or swing a hula hoop around your waist? They also scheduled a field trip where conference attendees gave back to the community by beautifying a local Las Vegas school with a new paint job.

McDonald's threw a rocking Viva Las Vegas Night that raised the roof at the Red Rock Resort. The food was yummy, the atmosphere was incredible, and I was even able to get a massage and get my make up retouched before I hit the dance floor with a few of my new friends. It was the perfect way to spend our first night in Las Vegas.

We had many opportunities to connect with brands during the conference. There were photo booths with Shot@Life and Gain. A clothes designing contest with Ross Dress For Life. Bowling with The American Cancer Society; we bowled out hearts out and left personal love messages for those who have fought or are fighting cancer. And last but not least, the Gain Fresh Party with Doug E. Fresh. He literally had us all dancing our booties off for hours while displaying our Gain t-shirts.

On the last day of the conference, while we were walking around the pool, we met the funnest group of people. We relaxed in the hot tub and shared some of our favorite moments of the conference. We got along so well that we decided to take the party to dinner; some of us talked until midnight. These woman might live in different states, but we all have the same concerns, dreams, and ambitions. I felt like we not only made great blogging connections, but friendships that will last a long time.