Blogcamp

I always get excited about Blogcamp. I am totally in love with the ethos that the Evil Overlord has in a) making it free and b) keeping swag and so on to a minimum, and focussing on getting good content rather than ticking as many boxes as possible. I would rather have two or three useful talks than a dozen lightweight ones.

Which is how I came to be a trifle disappointed when Blogcamp London started last week and the Google+ presentation started with ‘a history of Google’ and the beginning of 42 slides of content. I know that I wasn’t the only one, judging from the tweets of the person sitting next to me, and the number of questions that interrupted the speaker. It’s a shame that the Google team didn’t seem to have done any research on their audience, and assumed that we (mostly) had a basic understanding of Google+ and were there primarily to find out how better to use it to our advantage as bloggers. I did learn that I need to focus on ‘rich snippets’, and that Google are working hard to integrate their online portfolio so that you should- eventually- need one password to sign in to everything.

 

I’d rather know how to use google+ rather than why it’s how it is. #BlogCampUK

— Gill Bland (@gillbla) September 13, 2012

 

During the much-needed coffee break, I had a chance to doodle to my heart’s content. I didn’t win the prize, but I did enjoy using the new Cross pen, which we were all given, for the brief time that I owned it. It flowed smoothly, no matter how much pressure you applied, and was very comfortable to hold. I rather shot myself in the foot when telling this to DH who summarily claimed the pen as his own. I think I’ll call it an ‘early birthday gift’, as it does match his other pens! Besides, I want to see if Cross make one with a finer point!

Stu Heritage looks like someone went through magazines, cutting out the body parts they like best and putting them together in one impossibly perfect package: blond, tall, and in a very tight t-shirt, he made some of the audience drool, and is possibly the reason he had a cyber-stalker. He is a very bad cook though. Phew!

I missed most of the chat with Keris Stainton as I was on a phone call (makes me sound much more important than I am. I nearly had to collect a child from school though. Could you imagine?) which was very well timed because I returned to find that lunch had been laid out, making me first in the queue for Diet Coke and tasty sandwiches.

Write your novel in e-mails to yourself to make it less intimidating #blogcampuk

— Fuss Free Helen(@FussFreeFlavour) September 13, 2012

What I really enjoy at events such as this is a chance to catch up with other bloggers, which is a bit like trying to catch up with a bunch of friends at a party: you never actually get that much time to catch up because there are a dozen people you want to see and they are all moving around the room and, you know what I mean, right?

And then there was Marcel. So lovely, well-prepared, happy to be interrupted and so eloquent with that slightly quirky speech-pattern that people who do not have English as a first language often use. I had lots of time for Marcel. He walked us around StumbleUpon, demystifying it, and made me see that it is something I should spend some time on. And he was just so lovely. Plus he totally listened to me about keeping to schedule and didn’t keep us from the cake and frozen yogurt any longer than necessary.

 

My conclusion? Blogcamp London 2012: rocky start, solid finish.

Plus, I think Sally may have smiled at me.

Don’t hate me, will you?