Monday, June 15, 2009

The combination of the fatigue, work hitting me from all angles, and me attempting to write yet another article for Hoops Addict had me not really wanting to write an entry about the conference I attended. Now I'm sitting here waiting for dinner to be ready, so I speak on the Blogs with Balls conference a bit.

When I arrived at the conference after a train ride I barely made, I walked into Stout NYC, and I noticed a bunch of writers with the same hungry look in their eyes that I have. Some had name tags, some were recording their every move with video cameras, and others were handing out business cards left and right. I handed out some cards, talked to people who looked inviting, talked with a few people I knew from DC.

Once the conference got started I learned how to use Twitter as a source of information, how to market a sports blog, how to advertise, what the regular media thinks about bloggers, and most importantly strategies on how to possibly get paid. I could name some of the panelists, but I am quite sure that no one who reads my blog would know them. Maybe Jeff Pearlman from Sports Illustrated or Dan Steinberg from the Washington Post but aside from them I doubt it. The larger point is this conference did a lot for validating my work on Hoops Addict. The articles, covering the Wizards, and busting my ass during basketball season and beyond is one thing. But talking and fraternizing with folks who like sports and writing as much as you do, is very refreshing and it has energized me.

I have some things that disappointed me about the conference, but I'll keep those to myself for now..One of the big highlights was the copious amounts of Guinness and finger foods the restaurant kept giving out. Great times!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I love Stout. It's one of my fave places to go when i visit NYC.