Sunday, November 6, 2011

Latin American Bloggers Conference

Rubber tree leaf from Alberto's
Close-up, simplicity, eliminating the unnecessary
Search engine optimization, tight focus, 1-2-3 photography, "work the scene", editing software, monetizing. We spent an entire day of our brief and valuable time in Mérida at the 4th Annual Latin American Bloggers Conference. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Not only did we receive useful information and tips on a variety of topics related to blogging, the icing on the cake was the opportunity to meet many wonderful fellow bloggers from Yucatán and at least one other state ( Mazatlán, Sinaloa).  I can say in all sincerity that it was a pleasure to meet everyone. Newcomers were warmly welcomed into this diverse community of bloggers and lovers of Mexico.

The day began with a few of the attendees meeting for the breakfast buffet at Cafe Chocolate, a popular eatery for expats and locals. As soon as we sat down at our table we met Debbie and Malcom from Virginia Beach, who are now living out at the beach near Progresso. It is indeed a small world.  There are a few other expats from our corner of Virginia and we hope to meet them as well.

The morning session consisted of Marc's presentation on enhancing your blog site with great photography, a presentation by Barry on a useful editing software that can be used to set up the post and  directly publish to the blog site, and a panel of eight or so bloggers who answered questions and offered advice.

After lunch we divided into two groups, Blogger and Wordpress, then shared information and received tips from some of the more experienced bloggers. The day passed quickly and, truth be told, we were a little tired after absorbing so much information. The evening was pleasant, a couple of friends dropped by for a brief visit, and we ended our day with a walk to Gran Plaza for our favorite sorbete.





10 comments:

  1. Love your blog!! Where are you guys from? I grew up in Va Beach, my hubby retired from Norfolk,Va, and we are living in the OBX now. We are going to Merida January 1st for 3 months...We love it there!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Dianne. Thanks for the comment. We are from Norfolk (been there 24 years) and trying our best to speed up the move to Mérida. You will be here at a great time for weather, although right now seems close to perfection for us. We hope to be back late Feb/early Mar, so maybe we can get together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Marc,

    Thanks for the compliment. That shot was my first attempt at following instructions from your presentation, so thanks again for all the good and very useful information.

    ReplyDelete
  4. John and Alan, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you both!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Barb,
    It was so nice to meet you as well. We thoroughly enjoyed the conference and look forward to many more.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear John and Allan, I so enjoyed meeting you both. You are the most patient men I have ever met! I look very forward to getting to know you better as you spend more time in our fair Mérida.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Joanna,
    It was wonderful to finally meet you. We've read your book and check your blog daily and look forward to many more conversations in the coming years as we live and enjoy the magic of this special place.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ironically, I had no time to blog while in town for the blogger's conference. I'm only now starting to get back in gear.

    It was a really great day indeed. Now I'm back at work, hoping no one notices that I slipped my shoes off. My feet are still throbbing from all the walking!

    ReplyDelete
  9. When we are here for such a brief time, there is so much to pack in that blogging gets put on a back burner.

    Sorry your feet are rebelling. Surprisingly, I'm doing really well. I think the steroid injections worked amazingly.

    It was great to see you and Paul again. This trip worked out well on so many levels.

    ReplyDelete