So usually during SXSW I hide away from the mayhem as much as possible, but this year I was lured out of my hermitish ways by a workshop for food bloggers called Techmunch. It was so informational and there were parts of it that were incredibly inspiring. I loved hearing about food blogging communities and enjoyed listening to the speakers that encouraged sharing with one another and common love of recipes and food. I'm gonna be honest here and say that once words like leverage and buzz and branding started appearing more regularly, I found my mind wandering. These are all worthwhile topics if you are aiming to understand what drives different readers to different blogs. If you are interested in this kind of thing, Stetted posted a great 3-part recap over on her blog. She took great pictures of the speakers and really nailed what they presented and how a blogger can capitalize from networking. I found my brain to be pretty scrambled by about halfway through. It's not that I couldn't understand the information...but I wondered how it applied to me...and if I even wanted it to. I'm drawn to blogs for their beauty and the sharing of information that brings so many people together. I just want to cook for my family and friends, navigate the choppy waters of motherhood, take pictures...and share it with whoever wants to come along for the ride. I guess it just hit me that I'm not ever going to do the things necessary to be networked the right way. The thought of trying to stay on top of one more thing makes me tired actually. :) I DID thoroughly enjoy myself at Techmunch...I just had a bit of an identity crisis somewhere in the middle. As an aside the venue was upstairs at Parkside. It was a beautifully sunlit space...and I can't wait to go back. The snacks, provided by the restaurant were fresh and flavorful. As you can tell, I sat next to the cheese plates. Who goes to a blogging workshop and leaves with only pictures of the food? I do apparently. See the dilemma?
PS. Also? Kitchenaid was a sponsor, and I won a new hand mixer. Score!