#BlogPaws Bits and Bites

 On my way to BlogPaws 2013 I felt as if I was floating among the clouds. 

 

 Loved the room key!

View from my hotel room

THE NEWBIES!!

I was proud to be "in charge' of the Newbies Group

 for the third year in a row!

 The Newbies Group in prior years 

had only about 2 tables at the Newbies Friday morning breakfast,

 this year there was a whopping EIGHT! 

Reconnecting with my fellow blogging friends,  such as Terry Frum from Brian's Home and meeting (FINALLY) for the FIRST TIME the "as-nice-in-person-as-she-is-online" Christine Michaels, of Riverfront Cats and Pawsitively Humane.

As well as one of my most favorite people in the world,

 Carol Bryant of BlogPaws/Pet360:

 Kiril from the Opinionated Pussycat (which frankly should be MY name, but I digress).

 as well as many other bloggers who I don't  have photos with,

  I do not dare list them by name, for fear of leaving SOMEONE out!

On the Dog Front:
(due to Dakota's blog)
I was honored to be sponsored,
and will be having an on-going
partnership with
 Rachael Ray NUTRISH

There were sessions that I loved:

Such as:

Intro to Google Analytics

by Blerina Sanocki

Sr.Acct Mgr. Google

in a nutshell, if you are NOT on Google+

you NEED to be!

Changes are coming soon!

Also:

The Professional Product Review

by Rose Hamilton of Pet360

Carol Bryant of BlogPaws/Pet360

Rebecca Pollard of Pet360

and PetSmart's Jeff Davis

Key advice when working with a brand

 or when you are HOPING to work with a brand,

 "ALWAYS do MORE than what is expected!

There was:

VIP Influencer Marketing

by Susan Getgood of BlogHer

and

one of my favorites:

The Key to Marketing with Social Media

by rising star Kimanzi Constable

Before selling 80,000 books online

he delivered BREAD, YES BREAD!

BLOGPAWS IS ALL ABOUT THE ANIMALS!

There were cats, dogs, ferrets, chickens

 even a dog who wanted to be a FELINE!

Charles the Monarch
channels his inner feline
with his "Lion" cut

And...because I'm a "tell it like it is" kinda gal:
This was the first BlogPaws where I attended as both a cat AND a dog blogger which gave me a rather unique perspective.  Frankly I don't think people should even be divided  as Cat vs. Dog, but in the pet blogging world that seems to be the case.

I think that Deb Barnes of Zee & Zoey, summed it up the best when writing about what BlogPaws means to her: " But that’s not what BlogPaws is to me. To me, it is a sister and brotherhood of devoted, passionate, talented, creative, and incredible people who inspire others, whether it be through serious and informative blogging, to a humorous and funny blogging, to organizations devoted to rescue and adoptions, to every niche you can imagine to help the creatures of the world, both great and small, to be the best that we can be. We care and our role is important. In that regard, everyone is a hero and everyone is a rock star."

Which leads me to some "Bits and Bites" that I am still digesting
What I learned socially at BlogPaws 2013

That I am thankful that I have a cat AND a dog blog, which enabled me to connect with people who represent both, and enabled me to expand my conference experience by not being limited to interacting with one small group.

That people have their own agendas.

That the conference will be as good as YOU make it.
For this conference I didn't feel a compulsion to attend every session, my focus was more on connecting with fellow bloggers and enjoying their company. The "social" part of BlogPaws 2013 for me was the most rewarding and provided memories and interactions that I will cherish for a lifetime.

That sometimes people don't want to see or spend time with you, as much as you want to see and spend time with them.
  I won't lie, this bothered me and some others, more than I care to admit, but such is life. You have an event with over 500 people, you can't possibly connect with all 500. For every person that might not want to interact with you socially, there will be many more who will.  Don't define yourself by the acceptance or perceived non-acceptance of your peers. You matter, no matter what. Your contribution through the writing of your blog(s), MATTERS, no matter what.

Which leads me to a great quote that I found tonight:

“Without realizing it, we fill important places in each other’s lives. It’s that way with the guy at the corner grocery, the mechanic at the local garage, the family doctor, teachers, neighbors, coworkers. Good people who are always “there,” who can be relied upon in small, important ways. People who teach us, bless us, encourage us, support us, uplift us in the dailiness of life. We never tell them. I don’t know why, but we don’t.
And, of course, we fill that role ourselves. There are those who depend on us, watch us, learn from us, take from us. And we never know.
You may never have proof of your importance, but you are more important than you think. There are always those who couldn’t do without you. The rub is that you don’t always know who.”
― Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

and....

I learned that the joy of making a new friend whether it is orchestrated by planetary alignment, chance, or some other mystery that has come into play, it is one of the sweetest gifts ever! 

The adorable Sue of the popular blog,  The Island Cats and I both live in Michigan, (approx a half hour apart), but we had to travel to Virginia to meet for the first time! We discovered before we left Michigan for BlogPaws, that we would be sharing the same flight home, seated right next to each other! I had a great time getting to know Sue on our way to the airport and as we soared home above the clouds! We also learned that we are born the SAME YEAR EXACTLY A WEEK APART! How is THAT for planetary alignment?

the view flying home to Michigan!

 I look forward to re-connecting with Sue

 in MICHIGAN one day soon!

So there you have it, BlogPaws Bits and Bites. Thankfully, The "bits" far outweighed the "bites." If you are on the fence about attending a BlogPaws Conference, by all means GO, it will be an experience that you will NOT regret!