Join Us For Our May 2012 Meet-Up

Hey, Springfield bloggers, save the date and plan to join us on Monday, May 14, for our next meet-up! We’ll be back at the Farmers Gastropub around 7 PM once again. (But always check here, our Facebook page, and/or our Twitter feed for updates the day of. Things sometimes change at the last minute.) It was suggested at our April meet-up that we play a trivia game because everyone in attendance admitted to knowing a lot of really random facts. And so, since we don’t have anything better to do, we shall. Hope you can make it!

Join Us for Our April 2012 Meet-Up

As usual, the Springfield Bloggers’ Association will have their monthly meet-up on the second Monday of April. That is, the April 9. We’ll grab a table at the Farmers Gastropub around 7. We’ll do some eatin’ and drinkin’ and chattin’, and then we’ll adjourn.

If you’d like to meet other bloggers from the area or just need an excuse to meet some new people, we hope you’ll join us!

June Meetup Announced

Hey, Bloggers! Mark your calendars for Monday, June 13, and plan to join us for dinner, drinks, and discussion. Get to the Farmer’s Gastropub around 7 PM; if the weather’s nice, look for us on the patio.

A number of us are going to the KC WordCamp the weekend before, so we’ll hear a recap of the mini-conference from them. Bring your blogging questions, discussion points, and your blogging success stories. And definitely invite a blogging friend! We’re good people and don’t rarely bite.

Hope to see you there! (And certainly if you have any questions about our group or our meetup, leave a comment and let us know!)

–sja

Blogaroni May Recap

If you didn’t make it to our meetup on Monday, May 9, you missed quite the conversation. The Blogaronis totally didn’t happen, but that’s OK because we’re not very well organized. On a side note: If you’re interested in adding more organization to our little group, please let us know!

An ongoing theme at our recent meetings has been making money from our blogging. I think we’d all love to supplement our income with our blogging efforts! Here were some of the money-making tools and resources brought to the table:

• Google AdSense
• ProBlogger affiliate programs resources
• Amazon Associates
• Advertising networks — they were mentioned, but we didn’t talk about any one in particular

A few other things that made their way into our conversation:

• 23 and Me Genetic Testing
• Google Panda
• Missouri State University Small Business & Technology Development Center
• Blogger copyright rights — This Problogger article was cited.

We ate. We drank. And then we went home. We’ll post information about our June meetup soon!

–sja

 

2011 Blogaronis Scheduled for May 9

Join us on Monday, May 9, for the 2011 Blogaronis.

Rather than formally nominating and voting as we have in years past, we will spend the evening celebrating blogging in 417-land with dinner, drinks, and Dundie-style awards. Translation: everyone who RSVPs will receive a Blogaroni!

Here’s how it works:

1. RSVP using Eventbrite.
2. Wait patiently to receive your Blogaroni assignment. This 2-3 weeks might be a good opportunity to decide what to wear to our blue-jeans-and-flip-flops event. Assignments will be issued 1-2 weeks before the event.
3. Check your email for your Blogaroni assignment.
4. Scour your assignment’s blog, Twitter account, and other online properties. A Google search might be appropriate.
5. Identify 3-4 unique qualities about your assignment.
6. Choose one unique quality and create a Blogaroni category for it.
7. Make or buy a “trophy” for your Blogaroni category for less than $5. Be creative and have fun with it.
8. Bring yourself and your trophy to the Blogaronis on May 9. Be prepared to issue a short speech about your category. Also be prepared to give an acceptance speech for the category you will win.

Please plan to attend!

Words of Note for Thursday, April 7

A few words of note this beautiful Thursday:

• The 2011 Blogaronis — originally scheduled for this Monday, April 11 — have been postponed. Instead, we’re having a business-as-usual meet-up at the Farmer’s Gastropub. Join us around 7; if it’s nice, we’ll likely be on the patio. We’ll also have more information about the Blogaronis.
• Several 417 bloggers are heading to WordCamp Kansas City on June 11 -12. Registration is $50, and whether you’re a designer, programmer, or writer this mini-conference is a great opportunity to learn more about WordPress.There is also talk of hosting a WordCamp in Springfield later this fall, so if you are interested in helping host the Springfield event, attending the KC event might be helpful.
• A Missouri Blogger Meet-up is scheduled for June 18 – 19 and is here in Springfield. Looks like there will be activities all day Saturday and Sunday. Anyone is welcome to attend.

And that’s about all for today. Hope to see you on Monday! — sja

2011 Blogaronis — Coming on April 11

Editor’s Note 4/7: The Blogaronis have been postponed, but we are still meeting on 4/11 for a meet-up.

Hey, Bloggers,

We’re a little late to the races this year, but we will be hosting the Blogaronis in April! Mark your calendars for April 11 — more details will be provided soon — and plan to join us for an evening of celebrating blogging in Springfield!

As always, our events are only as lively and fun as our bloggers are, so if you’d like to help us make this event happen, please let us know!

Details are forthcoming in the next week or so! Hope to see you there!

Sarah Jo

Mark Thy Calendars For the February Meetup

Yeesh! Is everyone ready for the Great Blizzaster of 2011? While I hope you are all staying warm and safe this week, look ahead to Tuesday, February 15, and plan to join us for our February meetup. Note that we are meeting on a Tuesday rather than a Monday; seems as though some of you would rather spend your Valentine’s Days snuggled up with a loved one than with your fellow bloggers — and we have some pretty snuggly bloggers in our midst.

As usual, we will be at the Farmer’s Gastropub at 7 PM. We’ll eat, drink, and be merry! Bring thy laptops if thou wishes. We may just nerd out about something fantastic.

Meetup Reminder for Monday, September 13, 2010

Good news, everyone!

September may have brought the rainy season, but it also brings us another Springfield Bloggers Association meeting and the associated good times, good drinks, and good discussion.

Join us at Farmers Gastropub in downtown Springfied for a casual evening of conversation and discussion on September 13, at 7:00 PM!

Though we don’t really formalize our talk too much, we do have a subject to spur conversation. This month we’ll be talking about social media:

• How do you use it, and why?
• How important is social media and/or networking to your blog?

Have you got a question, comment, suggestion, or complaint? Send it our way–we’re always looking for new ideas or ways to improve your Springfield Bloggers Association.

Hope to see you there!

Sarah, Nigel, and the rest of the crew

August Meetup Liveblog

7:00 — We arrive and decide to move inside.

7:03 — The waiter promptly earns his tip helping us arrange tables in the back room.

7:15 —  We’re all seated and start introductions. A couple new faces tonight, along with lots of familiar faces.

7:28 — With introductions over and drinks delivered, Sarah dives into the business part of our little bloggers group. Title of the Handout — yes, there was a handout! — “Springfields Bloggers Association New Membership Guidelines.” Sarah emphasizes that these are guidelines with the sole purpose of strengthening our group and supporting a close-knit group who interact with each other regularly. The first person to be voted out will be Uli, unless he shows his pretty face at a meeting soon! In summary, these guidelines are being set up to encourage true association and companionship.

7:38 —  The Apple vs. PC argument shows its ugly face and friendships are ended.

7:39 — Ignoring the pending wars between Macs and PCs, Sarah moves to handout #2, “Springfield Bloggers Association Leadership Positions.” In summary, she’s having Mini Austin in November, so we’ll have to step up to see SGFBlogs continue to function as it has been. Contact Sarah if you would like to see a list of positions or view them online here [ link coming soon ].

7:52 — Nigel opens tonight’s discussion with the question: For those make money off their blog, how do you do it? Pamela [link coming soon] shares that, while her blog does not directly support her business, it does provide potential customers with a way to get to know her. Steve and Nigel concur that AdSense has not made much for them. Matt counters that AdSense has worked for him by “chasing news” and posting those blogs at sites like Slashdot and Reddit. He adds that it also depends on where your ads are located on. Along with Pamela, Matt has found some success through Amazon links. The Supervillian asks for clarification on how Amazon links work; Matt explains that when people follow a link from your page to Amazon, you receive a portion of the profit when they buy something. Harry and Steve discuss the interest gained from their posts on their Winter’s Bone [links] posts. Steve says, “I’m not selling the traffic level, but the community-building.” Matt agrees. Matt B. asks if anyone has tried selling ad space. Pamela says that she has received diet books in exchange for a review. The difficulty we all encounter with such a scheme is that we aren’t sure what to write about if we don’t like the book/product/company we are supposed to write about?

The topic wanders for a little, but we also discuss guest speakers. Most notably, Elsie Flannigan of Red Velvet Art, who Matthew S. went to high school with. Who else could come and teach us something about blogging?

8:28 — Now we’re discussing hosts and servers, so I (Linden) jump in to introduce the business card book, then conversation easily falls back into its natural paths.

8:53 — Desserts are delivered, checks are on their way, and another stimulating SGFBogs meeting nears its end.

This is Linden, signing off.