The Birth of BlogCon or, How Four Women Came Together to Make Something Awesome

When four women from the same geographic area meet up to discuss blogging, magic happens. Or in our case, we met digitally first and then in person later. You see, like most technophiles, we stalked each others’ blogs, Facebook, and Twitter accounts before we gave high fives, hugs, and handshakes. But in a way, that made working together easier. Before we forged “in real life” relationships, we were cultivating digital ones and part of that led to the birth of BlogCon. We get asked a lot of the same questions over and over:

“How did you guys get started?”

“What does the Fearsome Foursome do?”

“What’s with the squirrels?”

The goal of this post, dear friends, is to answer some of those questions and to tell you how we came up with the idea for BlogCon and have been working together ever since to make this event a reality. It’s been an adventure, that’s for sure, but I don’t think any of us would trade it.

So, let’s start at the very beginning: the internet. Karla, Leslie, Michelle, and I have always been early adopters of technology. Think back. Wayyyy back. American Online discs and that awful screeching noise made by your modem back. This is where we started to fall in love with the new, the exciting, and the interconnected.

Each on our own paths, we chose areas of technology to explore that played well with our talents. Graphic design software, programming languages, social media, blogging, and content management systems are just a few flavors. Over time, they became second nature to us, making us feel confident enough to share our expertise. This is where the foundation was laid for us to meet. We all had technological talents that put us into the same circles.

The process for us coming together was gradual. We met each other at different times, through Twitter conversation or by chance at a Tweetup or similar networking event. Over time, we started talking. Then we started hanging out on the NEPA Blogs community. Pretty soon, the Fearsome Foursome were on a crash course to meet all together on the same night: NEPA BlogFest this past spring.

We schmoozed, socialized, and met other bloggers with enthusiasm, but the idea for something more grew out of a conversation between Michelle and Karla. What if we were to bring together other bloggers and actually focus an event around blogging and developing our skills? From there, Leslie and I were drafted (very happily, of course ) into the cause.

We met via Google Hangout soon after and started putting our heads – and talents – together to build NEPA’s first blogging and social media conference. Leslie, our Digital Designer Pixie, started putting together promotional materials, logos, and a website design. Michelle, our IT Goddess, started mobilizing fellow bloggers and sponsors to bring the event to life. Karla, “The Brains”, secured relationships with local non-profits who could benefit from the event and got us a space. I stepped into the role of Search Wizard and Aspiring Grammar Nazi, putting together spreadsheets, calendars, press releases, and copy for marketing materials and the website. We play to our strengths – and that’s what makes us work.

As for the planning process so far, it’s been a lot of work, but we knew that getting in. We’ve all pulled late nights emailing, working through website kinks, and finalizing plans. But I think the rest of the Foursome will agree with me when I say we’ve loved every minute.

The reason we started this event isn’t just about blogging. It’s about bringing NEPA out of the technological dark ages and celebrating the new, the undiscovered, and the blossoming subject of new media. We’re early adopters who have already experienced this magic – and we want to share it with the rest of the community. We also want to help out those in need by giving all proceeds of the conference to two very deserving charities. We want to give, and do so freely. Over the past few months, we’ve given our time and talents to a worthy cause that manifests what we truly believe in (*ahem* Our Manifesto).

As for the squirrels, that was just something fun that happened along the way. Believe it or not, we nerdy girls have a sense of humor and we like things that are cute (cat videos, anyone?). During the early stages of the logo design process, the idea of using squirrels came up and we just sort of ran with it. Squirrels are cute, clever, and they’re EVERYWHERE in the 570. In our minds, that made it the perfect symbol.

I hope this helps to answer some of your questions about us and why we’re doing this, but if you do have something else that you’d like to know about us or NEPA BlogCon, feel free to ask us in the comments! We encourage discussion, feedback, and engagement. After all, we’re bloggers. It’s our bag, baby.

P.S. You can also check out these pages on our site to learn more about who we are and what we’re doing: