Blogger events waste of your time?

How popular are you? Find out on this rating app, it’s free and no download required just enter your name! You have to be above level 4.5 to be a high level respected blogger! You got invited to some events for your blog or social media (Instagram, Facebook…etc.). Your panties are in a twist and now you are all jacked up and ready to attend this event. Make sure you first read my post on what you should consider doing at a bloggers event. These are pure recommendations which some might agree with and some might not. I know the rush, wow I’m finally on their mailing list and this is amazing. You’re going to be hanging with the «big fish». You are all ready and then there is this tiny voice in your head telling you, attending this blogger event is a waste of your time.

BLACK MIRROR NOSEDIVE REALITY?

Have you ever heard of the British TV series Black Mirror? Have you watched season 3 episode 1 called Nosedive? It’s a fantastic episode that relates to today’s bloggers, Instagrammers and social media people. It talks about how obsessed we are not only with projecting a perfect life online but also wanting to have that fake perfect life which is being projected to us online, especially today via Instagram. Best line in the episode «No one is that happy! ». You can see the trailer to that episode in the video above or you can watch it on Netflix. A phenomenal TV series I highly recommend to watch. Basically, that is how I see blogger or social media events.

Nosedive VS reality

So how do I compare the two? Well it has sadly come down to it that you are not relevant if you are not invited to one of these events. Then again you as a blogger have to ask yourself why you are blogging to even start with it. Did you start blogging to become famous, to make it a business, for fun or something else? What do you get from blogging? Most bloggers that pop up and become overnight sensation have many friends, good connection or have patterned with some PR company. It’s important to stress that many bloggers have started to blog as a way to save information and communicate with the world. What I find to be the best form of blogging. Blogging should have never become about popularity votes, when stuff becomes about popularity, you have to start to question the purity behind it. Why? Unless you are new to the online world, you are able to buy fans, buy likes, buy content, basically buy whatever it takes to become popular online. There was a whole scandal about celebrities buying followers on YouTube. You can google this online to find the facts it was even in the news.

Why are you wasting your time?

This brings me how back to why attending blogger (or similar) events really is a waste of your time. Having attending multiple events the point of them was and should be about networking opportunities. I can with confidence say that the vast majority events are useless. You will not get any valuable networking opportunities; and you will look to yourself and think I could have done something smarter with my time, spent it with my family and friends or even blogged for a matter of fact. So how do you know which events are worthwhile and which ones are a waste of your time?

What most events are about

Most blogger events I have attended fell down to a few things. It’s about everything but how to help you grow as a blogger. You will sit through a few extremely useless PR company’s presentations about how to blog (basic stuff), and what constitutes as a successful blog or social media, mind you that the real successful people were not even invited or God forbid mentioned, yes I have been to more than I can remember events like this. Another example would be Brands. They usually come to these events with hostesses and they are a waste of their money and my time, honestly. These girls are pretty and do not, I repeat do not know the point of the event. They have no idea what they are doing. The worst thing about this event is that the main networking person for those brands is not even there (or is hiding), the hostesses run the show, and they serve for nothing which you would be interested in. All they do is push their products on you in hopes that you will advertise their brand on your blog for free. Oh yeah, so much fun!

In addition to that, some blogger events want your Google Analytics. This is a big no no in my books. While some might disagree with me, I only give these stats to my manager or if I am directly communicating with companies I want to work with. I do not want a third party which I do not know well or who does not know what my blog is about representing me as their project without me even knowing this is happening. If an event requires this information I strongly advise you start asking them why they need your GA.

Then popular bloggers interview, I have no problem with fellow bloggers talking about their success, but these interviews fall short or are a snore, something along the lines of this. How did you become successful? What is your favorite color? What would you recommend? Oh my God seriously?! So basically, these bloggers get free advertising (and are being builded up) sending the message you want to be like them, but do you?  Is that the point of your blog? That pulls me back to Black Mirror the Nosedive episode.

Here is what I have come to understand, based on my experience and the experience of other bloggers with whom I have communicated about this concern. Most blogger events are very time consuming and a totally waste of your time. You will get nothing out of them but a goodie bag. If this is what your blog is all about, then events are for you, seriously. The vendors (brands) are absolutely useless for you as a blogger if networking is not a possibility.

No one is this happy! A two-year-old with a fucking balloon isn’t this happy. 

It’s about them not you! ‘member berries!

Another thing is that these events, mainly focus on advertising certain bloggers, brands and PR companies. They are all sending you one message, we are important and you want to be us or with us. What I find rather humorous. Most of these events target at advertising brands who paid to be at that event. The organizers need to ensure that they will be shouted out on a certain number of blogs and social media sites or else the purpose of the event was lost. Certain PR companies will also want to advertise their services or experts, and their silent blogger or social media clients. The organizers will want to show their clients that they can build up an importance around this event with a certain number of bloggers or social media celebs and get it even in the printed press (big deal, for real).

At the end of the day, these events are not going to get you anything but a goodie bag and you will write up a post advertising those brands for that goodie bag filled with samples you can get anywhere honestly. I have to be honest, I have done better networking with a proper blog media kit and reaching out to companies directly via e-mail. The only people I have met on these events is the hostesses that represent the brands (pretty faces with zero knowledge or networking power), and other friendly people aka bloggers. When it comes to some bloggers, some see you as their competitor rather that collaborating partners.

You’re not invited, for real!

Haven’t been invited to a bloggers event? Feel left out? Well congrats, you matter. Your blog should never be about if you are invited to an event or if you are a valuable guest speaker. You will get 100% better networking collaborating with other bloggers, reaching out to companies, or publishing relevant content that your readers like to read. My last word of advice, is do not start blogging in hope that you will be a pro blogger, just blog, skip the useless events and build your blog. Keep it light, contact companies with your media kit and do it yourself. I am certain that in time this is all you will need; and with time you will collaborate with companies you want.

Don’t waste your time on blogger events, those awards really don’t mean much if you are buying your followers, buying your likes, producing crappy material just to publish something, quality is always more important than quantity. Also, original work is always what keeps your readers close to your blog. The best example of a successful person online is Grav3yard Girl. She started vlogging to help her with her anxiety and due to her being genuine about who she is, she build a huge follower base. She still continues to be one of my favorite personas online.