Will Knott

I’ve only ever made it to one of the Irish Blog Awards. And I want to go to this years (its in the CIA Hotel, great venue in Cork), but Ken was asking for tips for new attendees, yes this post started out as a comment. Most of the tips equally apply to the forthcoming TeenCamp Ireland event.

Here goes.

Don’t be shy. Go and talk to people. The name tags are there for a reason.

Speaking of name tags; Don’t dress up in anything that might be ruined by sticky labels (I’ve heard stories).

Don’t be afraid to admit that you haven’t read their blog (but don’t be surprised if they have a hard time explaining what they blog about). Rick, who won best pop culture blog, didn’t know he was a pop culture blogger until he was nominated.

Do chat.

Don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something. Ask.
This is a new area for a lot of people. Some of use are experts that don’t know it yet. Don’t be surprised if none of the explanations match.

Be prepared to present (this is for TeenCamp and not the Blog Awards). If you think you know a topic really well, be prepared to put your name on the board to get up and talk about something.

Do listen. Telling everyone that you’re wonderful is all well and good, but listening to the responses may teach you where you can be better. Besides, talking and listening is called a conversation.

Don’t be intimidated if it appears that everyone knows everyone else. Some do, after all, they have spent the last year reading about each others lives. Some of these “old friends” may be having their first face to face meeting.

Don’t pretend you are “Twenty”.

Do have fun. (Terms and conditions apply. Fun levels can go up as well as down.)

Go dance. Someone has to.

Do take pictures if you are that way inclined. Don’t take pictures very late in the evening. Or at least, don’t upload. Hair will let down, even by those of us without any.

Start something. “The party ain’t over ’till the fat lady sings”, is wrong. Its over when she stops. Join in, keep the song going. Sometimes the song outlasts the singer in the same way that a chat becomes a tweet, becomes a blog post, becomes a news article, becomes a major incident, becomes an official resignation and arrest becomes slew of blog posts, news items, tweets and international best selling book.  It all starts when two minds meet and actually do things. Get the ball rolling.

Bloggers are people. Some are extroverts who want the world to know about them. Some are business people who are revealing life behind the curtain. Some are shy and reveal parts of their lives to help themselves and others. Some are story tellers, who have to write. Some are investigators who have to help and reveal truths. All are different, but share one thing;

They blog.
They write.
They talk.
Go chat.

Will Knott

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