- I can teach new bloggers to start their own WordPress blogs.
- I can hail a cab.
- I can craft a t-shirt!
- Chloe from “Project Runway” is the same height as me- four foot eleven and three quarters
- I CAN say thank you!
- I should have drank more water.
- Cosmopolitans (the drink) are yummy!
- Pina Coladas are yummy too
- I do need a blogroll.
- If I take my iPod, I should take the headphones.
- Cute sandals can mean cuts and blisters-next year, take tennis shoes.
- I need to take a promotional gift next year.
- Affiliate badges should only be for products I really, really love.
- An un-conference is a very groovy thing.
- I am very proud to be part of PayPerPost.
- I am also more excited about blogging than ever.
- I want to start two more blogs plus a directory.
- I took too much stuff. Hotels have stuff. So do stores.
- Next year, I’ll have to ship home all the sponsor gifts.
- I can’t wait for next year!!!
I’m in the process of editing the 200 photos I took and I’ll get them uploaded to Flickr as soon as I can. If you haven’t already been to my Flickr page, it’s http://www.flickr.com/photos/table4five/
Other upcoming features on Table for Five: a better list of links to sites I think you should be visiting, a better blogroll, and probably a new site design with better definition between the sidebar items. Also, the ability to subscribe to my blog as a newsletter, through Zookoda.
AND, most importantly: After spending a good part of last Friday talking to Robb Leeland and Joe Vaughn from the PayPerPost sales team, I have been planning a new strategy in regards to accepting both paid blogging and paid product review jobs on this site. You will be seeing a lot less posts about sites or products that do not relate to either parenting or blogging, although if it’s really a lot of money, I might make an exception, because the fact is, this is my business now. I have accepted the fact that I am, indeed, a professional blogger. Not every blogger is, and that’s fine. And it doesn’t mean that I don’t write because I truly enjoy it; I definitely do. But when I can combine an enjoyable post topic that also informs you, my readers, about something you might be interested in, with monetary compensation, then everyone benefits.
So, photos are coming, as well as lots and lots of posts about the terrific bloggers I met (So many, and all so fabulous), what I did in Chicago, and more thoughts about blogging. I received dozens of products that need sampling and reviewing over on MomReviews, and I’ll talk about all the yummy food I ate on MomCooks.
I know from my stats and dashboard info that there were a lot of readers checking in over the weekend, and I do apologize for there not being anything new to read here! It was so weird, I was at a blogging conference, we had free, lightning fast Wi-Fi in every room, and I barely had time to even turn my laptop on! You are all SO terrific, thank you for coming here to Table for Five!
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It was so wonderful meeting you at BlogHer. You were alot of fun to talk to and walk with (Saturday night back to the hotel).
I hope the blisters are healing!
I read your 100 things/ about page. I am now following your instructions.
I clicked on your sight because your an Elizabeth, too. I like liz’s, especially myself. No kidding.
Now your on my RSS feed. I’ll be reading you, each and every post…..
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Lisa- I’m so glad I met you as well! I had a great time chatting with you over our dinner at the Navy Pier, and during our walk around and then back to the hotel. My feet however, are SO unhappy. I have little cuts on the tops of both feet from walking around the city Friday night, and Saturday just made it worse
Next year, I’m bringing tennis shoes!
I just read your Open Letter to the old man in the Tight Trunks at the Pool post, and I almost snorted my Diet Coke out of my nose! That is one of the funniest posts I have ever read, ever! Sorry about your corneas
Your newest fan,
Elizabeth
I made it home, girl! I didn’t get on the early bus, because I looked online and missed it. So I arrived at home at 12:30 am last night.
I’m tired, sore and ready to attack my blog with the things I’ve learned!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Liz- You should have been at BlogHer, there were tons of Elizabeth’s! Thanks so much for reading, and for following my directions
Hope you enjoy Table for Five!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
{{{Dana}}}!!! Liz told me you missed your bus, I couldn’t believe it happened! I’m glad you made it back, finally! I have so much to write about, I hardly know where to start! I want to take a photo of all the swag we got before my kids tear into it. I hadn’t even looked all the way through the messenger bag-did you see the Blogger t-shirt? Ryan is already wearing it. Talk to you soon! xoxo
Twitter: blondemomblog
says:
Sounds like you had a great time! You go girl!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Jamie, thanks! If BlogHer is doable for you next year, you should definitely come. It is amazing!
Sounds like you had a wonderful time
Sounds like you’ve learned alot and have a GREAT plan. I’m glad to hear more positive things about PPP.
I hope I can go next year just to meet people and YOU of course!
Great post! Can’t wait to see your 200 photos!
So great to meet you at BlogHer in Chicago! It was really a pleasure getting to know a PayPerPost Postie who is so enthusiastic about her work, and so much fun in a conversation!
It was great to meet you at BlogHer.
It’s good to hear of a blogger who is able to take advantage of PayPerPost in a positive fashion. For many bloggers/blogs, it is still awkward, which is a large part of the backlash against it. I also have concerns about the $$ — it is much much lower than typical freelance rates.
But if bloggers like you can figure out a model that actually works, for you and your readers, that will make a great example for others who wish to do it.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Felicia- I really did, even if I did strain my throat and exhaust myself. Small trade-off for the priceless contacts and information I got out of it.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Amanda- It’s time for people who are Posties to stand up and say so. Unless another company comes along and starts paying bloggers a good fee for their writing, and provides the kind of customer and community support that PPP does, which I doubt will happen any time soon, PPP has got to be taken seriously as an income option for everyone.
Come to BlogHer next year! Yes!
Twitter: blm03
says:
So how do you get companies to send you samples so you can review them? I would love to do some of those on my review site.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Marrakech-I’m trying to get them all edited and posted, but it’s not going as well as it should. I don’t know Photoshop at all, how the heck do people get the red-eye and shadows out of their photos?
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Robb- Have you spoken to Ted since you got back about how the conference went? I know he is super busy, but I’d like to shoot him an email and let him know how happy I was that PPP was there, and what a great job you and Joe did with the sponsor table and everything. And how you talked me down off the ledge after the mean mommyblogger made me cry
It was such a pleasure meeting you at the conference. If ever need anything, do not hesitate to reach out!
Thanks,
Joe V
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Susan- It was a pleasure to meet you as well. I was glad that PayPerPost was a conference sponsor, because it is an alternative way for bloggers to get paid to do what they love to do. Yes, it is less than freelance rates, but you can start with PayPerPost if your blog is 90 days old, even if you have no PageRank, and immediately start earning $5.00 and up per post, two posts a day. Someone at that level is probably not going to be freelancing anyway. And $60 or $70 a week can make a big difference to a single-income family.
I’ve bookmarked your blog, and I’d love to talk with you more. Thanks for stopping by!
Great post! Happy to hear that the team helped!
So glad you had a good time and got so much out of it! I can sense a renewed high energy from you when you talk about blogging
Twitter: pz5wjj
says:
LMAO at #10… I suppose you’re not the only one to do this…
I would SO loved to have gone there. To be with fellow bloggers would be a treat!
Twitter: mom101
says:
It was nice to see you again Elizabeth and you can gush over my children any old time you’d like!
I’m pleased to see that you’re going to focus your PPP posts about parenting and children. I think the authenticity of your voice gets chipped away when you start writing about random whatevers just for five bucks. While you are indeed a “professional blogger” keep in mind that people come here not for the ads but for you. When you tip the balance, you risk losing your readers.
I’m concerned about your comment that another company won’t come along and pay bloggers a good fee for their writing. I respect that you have a relationship with these guys, but bloggers have the power to determine the market. If no one is willing to accept pennies to write ad copy, then they will have to raise it to nickels. Or dimes. Or dare I say dollars?
If what you want to do is be paid for writing, maybe there are more lucrative venues for you than blogging about watches or karaoke machines or whatever. Don’t feel like “oh well, this is the best I can do so I might as well take it.”
Believe in your value, Elizabeth! If you don’t, no one else will.
I am sorry that I was the mean mommyblogger who made you cry. I like you, Elizabeth. You know that.
I used to come here to read stories about your kids and family, thoughts that you had to share, funny stories. My comment at BlogHer was not directed to you personally, but at a system that is nothing short of exploitation.
I like reading the authentic Elizabeth who has something to say, not something she is selling to me. I believe in your value.
Listen to Mom101. And ask yourself what are YOU really getting out of this?
Elizabeth, you make a good point about the difficulty of being a new blogger and trying to get hired by places that pay a living wage, but the places that pay bloggers well want to see evidence of what Chris and Liz have talked about as your true voice, not an archive of posts about products.
I’m paid to write at several sites, and the ones that pay the most courted me because they felt I had something interesting and different to say. Building a career as a blogger or writer is hard, but taking five dollars for a product review is not the best first step. I agree with Chris and Liz–your voice is worth more than that.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Joe, it was great to meet you as well! But somehow, I failed to get any photos with my own camera when we were hanging out at the cocktail party, so if you or Robb have any, could you let me know?
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Lisa- The way I got started is, I wrote a post titled “I love Swiffer, yes I do”, and P.R. firm that was doing a project for Swiffer contacted me. It took about a year, and then I joined Parent Bloggers Network and Mothertalk. I mostly get books and the occasional product now, and I review them on MomReviews. My suggestion is, write posts about stuff you love, with links to the product home page, and companies will find you. Also, come to BlogHer next year! There were tons of product reps there looking for bloggers to send things to.
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Ted- You have excellent employees in Joe and Robb, which I’m sure you already know. They did a fantastic job representing and promoting PPP at BlogHer. I spoke with Lisa Stone regarding some PPP backlash that I heard in one of the sessions, and this is what she said:
PayPerPost was the only paid blogging site invited to be a sponsor because BlogHer knows that they 1. pay bloggers well, 2. pay them on time, 3. provide exceptional customer support, and 4. provide exceptional community support. I was proud to tell people I work with PPP, and I will continue to do so here and on my other blog MomReviews. I’m looking forward to meeting even more of the PPP team at PostieCon!
-Elizabeth
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Tammie- It’s that whole go to BlogHer, get empowered thing; It charges me up! I really hope we see you next year-bring Myles! Childcare is free!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Mimi- I didn’t even realize it until Sunday when I was packing my bag for the train, I thought if Joy wanted to sleep, I could listen to my iPod-no headphones. How was your weekend with your sister and her family? Bet your Mom was in heaven, huh? Tell her I said hello!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Graham- My friend Joy is British, in fact, she is moving to Manchester next month. She says there is a directory called Brit Blogs where you could do some networking with other British bloggers!
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Liz- You are so right. I wish I could just sit and pick your brain for all of these business ideas that you have. I really feel like I’m floundering here. I was just looking at my PayPerPost Direct badge- the way it works is, an advertiser can hire me directly rather than have to post his ad offer to everyone, and PayPerPost handles the transaction. I have it set at $25.00, and so far I have had three jobs at that rate. But it needs to go up, because I am worth it. I’m thinking, $50? $75? I’ll have to see what other bloggers with my PR and Alexa are charging.
But then again, why have I not sold a single Blogad? Why have I not had a single offer on ReviewMe? It seems like the only jobs I get are when I drop the price. If I am a business, then don’t I need to be earning money? I don’t know how to place myself in the market so that my rates are reasonable, yet will also actually get me the jobs.
Yes, I want to get paid for writing, but those lucrative venues of which you wrote just aren’t contacting me, yet. DotMoms, ClubMom, The Imperfect Parent, even BlogHer-I know I could do that level of writing, I just need the chance to prove it!
This next year is going to be a big test of my ability to believe in myself, as you say. Thank you for the reminder
xoxo
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Chris- I came back to the session to find you and talk to you personally, but you had already left, and I didn’t see you again all weekend. I should have tried harder to find you so we could talk about it together. I don’t think you are a mean mommyblogger, I swear! You weren’t directing that comment at me, I know that! My reasons for getting upset had a lot more to do with my own personal internal turmoil, and sheer exhaustion (and a bit of a hangover, too) than with what you said.
I promise you, I pinky swear to you, the “old” Elizabeth is back. I’m done with writing about mortgages and drug rehab and debt consolidation. I raised the money I needed for BlogHer, I tried something new, it didn’t work. Please say you will keep reading, and I promise you will find those thoughts and funny stories again.
I just need to raise $300 for a plane ticket to Las Vegas this November so I can go to the BlogWorld Expo. Do you know anyone who is hiring??
Twitter: Table4Five
says:
Susan- Your advice is very helpful. So what you are saying is, I should set my rates at what I believe I am worth, and then keep being ME, and eventually the advertisers or the respectable paying sites will come, is that correct? It is so hard to turn down the easy money, it is very alluring I have to say. I see all these bloggers in the PayPerPost system who have made thousands and thousands of dollars, and I think that I want to make that kind of money! I really appreciate all this community support I am getting from you and Chris and Liz; it means a lot to me that you want to help me succeed.
Okay, I’m curious, what kind of promotional gifts do bloggers bring to BlogHer? I guess I never imagined that the bloggers would bring shwag, just that they’d receive it.
Great list, Elizabeth. You had such a great group of roommates! I’m glad you made it to Chicago and I think you are a great example of a pro blogging success story.
Looking forward to seeing you next year!