The Best Moment, PDX Edition

March 28, 2015 23 comments

Conferences are filled with so many great moments — that a-ha moment when a speaker says something that just clicks, the moment when you meet someone who shares your interests and goals, the moments (or moments!) when you suddenly are filled with a thousand great ideas for what to do next with your blog.

I had a few of those moments today! One of them was getting to see and catch up with speaker Ariel Meadow Stallings when she arrived. As we reminisced about our early blogging days in the 2000s, there were a lot of funny memories I got to relive. Another was at lunch at the table with Doctor Who as the discussion topic. It went from Doctor Who to companions to Fringe to acupuncture to privacy vs honesty in blogging, and a few other places that were just as interesting, with mostly people I’d never met before, so that was pretty fun. And getting to see someone’s face light up when they learned about a feature in WordPress that they hadn’t known about, but had been wishing existed, was awesome, as it always is.

Did you have a best moment today? Tell us in the comments!

Press Publish Portland: Saturday Logistics

Andrea Middleton

March 27, 2015 3 comments

Press Publish Portland weekend is finally here! Speakers have flown in from all over the country, and everything’s nearly ready for the first-ever blogging conference organized by WordPress.com. It’s going to be so fun!

Saturday’s conference will be held at the Embassy Suites in downtown Portland (319 SW Pine Street), on the mezzanine level.

If you choose to park in the Embassy Suites parking garage, all-day parking vouchers can be picked up at the registration desk which will allow you to pay only $7 upon leaving the garage. There is a yellow Hertz sign at the entrance to the parking garage, and a sign with a large E higher up. The parking garage entrance is on 4th, mid-block before Pine. The venue is also within walking distance of several bus and MAX lines if you’d like to take mass transit.

Registration will open at 8am. You do not need to print out a ticket; just come up to the mezzanine. To your left, you’ll see a sign that says Press Publish Registration (near the Queen Marie room), and that’s where you can sign in to pick up your welcome packet.

Opening remarks are at 8:50, and sessions will begin promptly at 9am. We’ll provide light morning snacks, coffee and tea all day, lunch at 12:30pm, and an afternoon snack around 4pm. When sessions end at 5pm, We’ll continue snack service for a social hour until 6pm so you can chat with your new friends and any of the speakers you wanted to meet.

We’ll have three tracks of amazing sessions for you! Refresh your memory of the schedule here: https://presspublish.events/events/portland/#schedule

Don’t forget to bring in your questions for the WordPress experts in the Happiness Lounge! They’ll be ready and waiting to help you level up your site. We’ll also have lots of great WordPress-branded apparel (for kids and adults!), mugs, phone cases, water bottles, battery packs, and more — all available to purchase via cash or credit card.

If you wish you had a nice-looking Gravatar like other people you’ve seen comment on this blog, tomorrow’s your chance! We’ll have staff photographers available to take a nice picture of you and help you connect it to Gravatar.

Need help? Event staff will be wearing blue Press Publish t-shirts. If you can’t find someone, you can call the phone number in your welcome packet. Press Publish’s code of conduct is here: https://presspublish.events/about/code-of-conduct/

For community-building and promotional purposes, there will be photographers and videographers at Press Publish. By attending the event, you consent to your image and voice being used in resulting photos or videos that may show your participation in Press Publish.

The hashtag for the event is #presspublish, if you would like to post about what an amazing time you’re having. 🙂

See you tomorrow!

Book signings at Press Publish Portland

Andrea Middleton

March 26, 2015 2 comments

The Press Publish Portland schedule boasts a number of published authors, and guess what? Three of our speakers have agreed to bring copies of their books to sell and sign at the event!

Kathy Cano-Murillo will be signing her latest novel, Waking Up in the Land of Glitter.

Cano-Murillo, known as the ‘Crafty Chica’ and for her line of craft products, has delved into the writing world to create one of the most lively, imaginative novels I’ve run across lately. Full of humor, love, friendship and some pretty cool art projects, Waking Up in the Land of Glitter will have readers howling one minute, sobbing the next, and reaching for their trusty glue guns to create their very own ‘love shrines’ before the end of the book. This novel was just a delightful glittery, shiny, light-hearted treat.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal )

Cecilia Gunther will be signing Letters for My Little Sister, “a book of letters, essays, and poems written by sixty-eight women about their experiences with Menopause.”

Letters for my Little Sister began as a real letter that Cecilia began writing to her little sister to help her sister navigate the journey of aging and menopause. Their mother died when they were young, and there was no one to give them this very personal advice. She realized the taboo and silence around this subject, and was struck with inspiration midway through: What if she could open up this subject, ask other women to contribute their stories and experiences, and bring light and warmth to a subject many fear talking or asking about. This book was born out of their overwhelming and wonderful response.

Jerry Mahoney will be signing Mommy Man: How I Went from Mild-Mannered Geek to Gay Superdad.

Comedy writer Mahoney struggled with his gay identity while growing up and, after settling into his career, stumbled through the process of coming out. He had long ago conceded that it was unlikely he could ever merge his desire for a life as an openly gay man and having a family life. Then he had the good fortune, after a torturous introduction to gay dating in L.A., to find a loving partner equally interested in being a parent. The couple set about actually trying to have a family and learned of the numerous obstacles facing gay couples. They decided on gestational surrogacy with donated eggs to avoid genetic ties and legal controversy. Thus began a two-year process filled with ups and downs, from being interviewed to determine their suitability to interviewing to find the right egg donor and surrogate, with friends and family on hand to witness every setback and triumph. The roller coaster of drama and comedy ends in the birth of their twins. Mahoney is equally heartfelt and hilarious in this chronicle of modern parenthood. –Booklist

After their talks, each of these writers will hold a book signing in the Happiness Lounge. Don’t miss the chance to meet Kathy, Cecilia, and Jerry and get signed copies of their books!

Press Publish Portland Livestream

Andrea Middleton

March 25, 2015 11 comments

Can you tell how excited we are about Press Publish happening this weekend in Portland? Because we are. Really. A lot. 🙂

As a Portland native, I wish that everyone could come to my beautiful hometown and enjoy this event in person, but I know travel can be expensive and difficult to arrange. That said, this is the first Press Publish ever, and we’re very eager to get as much feedback on the program as we can.

So (drum roll please), this Saturday we’ll be bringing you the sessions in the Queen Marie and Fireside rooms via livestream, for free, in exchange for your feedback on the sessions you watch in a follow-up survey. Just sign up for a free livestream ticket, and we’ll email you instructions on how to log in on Saturday to enjoy Press Publish from the comfort from your own home. We’ll email you the survey when the conference is over.

Tell your friends! Heck, invite some people over for a viewing party, plan a potluck, and make a day of it! Portland loves a potluck. We want everyone to enjoy the great content we’ve got planned for Saturday — the more the merrier. If you can’t be in Portland on Saturday, I hope you’ll join us via livestream. It’s going to be brilliant! Allons-y!

Come to the Writing Clinic in Portland and Get Some Feedback!

Mike Dang

March 24, 2015March 26, 2015 8 comments

Longreads founder Mark Armstrong and I will be leading a one-hour writer’s workshop where we’ll be giving some tips and constructive criticism on how to improve your writing.

The two of us have spent several years editing writers with a wide range of experience, and here’s your chance to get some one-on-one time with us. Having a second pair of eyes on your work will help you become a better writer. No writer is perfect — the majority of your favorite writers have editors who make sure their copy is clean and that their work is structurally and narratively strong. We’ll do the same for you by looking at grammar, tone, style, introductions and endings, and how to write concisely and avoid meandering.

If you’re interested in attending this workshop, you’ll benefit the most by preparing some writing for us to look over and critique. Have a specific blog post ready for us to look at, or better yet, drop a post URL below in the comments section now so we can prepare some critiques in advance. We’ll also have a piece or two on hand to go over as examples if you’re more interested in observing.

Either way, we’re looking forward to seeing you and your work!

Get Happy, Get Swag

Andrea Middleton

March 23, 2015 4 comments

Oh, Portland. Do we have some great stuff in store for you this weekend! “Yeah Andrea,” you say, “we already know all about the great speakers and sessions on the schedule. What more could we possibly need?”

Two Happiness Engineers at a desk — *photo credit: Marketing Melodie*

Why the Happiness Lounge, of course! 🙂 At Press Publish Portland on March 28, one great big room will be staffed all day by real, live Happiness Engineers, ready and waiting to help you, personally, get the most out of your WordPress site. Bring in your questions, doubts, and idle musings about using WordPress, and get advice from people who help people with WordPress as their full-time job.

Got a problem with your sidebar, footer, or donate button? Trying to figure out how to get your blog to do that thing other people’s blogs do? Need advice on Jetpack, Polldaddy, VaultPress, themes, or plugins? They can help you with all that and more!

Need a new t-shirt, water bottle, battery pack, coffee mug, or sweatshirt to help you show off how much you love WordPress? We’ll have a swag store, too, where you can buy WordPress apparel for kids and adults. Need a new Gravatar? We’ll have people with some great cameras on hand to shoot a spiffy new picture of you!

And if all you crave is a little quiet time to relax, charge up your phone, and maybe have a cup of coffee with your fellow bloggers, the Happiness Lounge will have a charging station and plenty of space to gather, chat, and rest.

We can’t wait to see all you Press Publish Portland attendees this Friday and Saturday!

Who Inspires You?

Andrea Middleton

March 23, 2015 6 comments

When I started blogging at Wine Scamp, I had a number of topics in mind. I wanted to write about wines I was drinking, to encourage people to become their own wine authority, and to post about wineries I found interesting. But once I had written about most of those things (a couple times), I hit a bit of a wall. I was a little bored with my topics, I wasn’t getting many readers, and I couldn’t think of interesting new material. Argh!

I’m very glad that I didn’t just throw up my hands and quit blogging at that point. (Lots of people do.) Instead, I did a quick search for “wine blog” and started reading other people’s stuff. I commented on the articles I found interesting or funny. Sometimes a comment conversation would inspire me to write a post. The bloggers whose work I had commented on visited my blog and commented on my posts, too. I’d even make notes about types of articles that didn’t really engage me, and resolve to write about those subjects differently, or not at all.

The more I read other people’s work (like Vinography and Good Wine Under $20, for example), the more ideas I had percolating in my head. And the more I interacted on other people’s sites, the more visitors I had at my blog. I even started to make friends with other wine bloggers, which definitely made blogging more fun.

I don’t blog about wine as regularly as I used to, but reading other people’s work continues to inspire me. Reading the blogs by our fantastic Press Publish speakers (both Portland and Phoenix) has definitely inspired me to post more often on my personal (mostly photo) blog!

What bloggers do you read regularly? What sites inspire you to blog more?

Going Pro: What Do You Want to Know?

Jen Mylo

March 20, 2015March 20, 2015 5 comments

Erick in Romania — Erick Prince-Heaggans

At Press Publish in Portland next weekend, we’ll be ending the day with two panels — one about book publishing for bloggers, and one about going pro with your site. Our Going Pro panel will be made up of Erick Prince-Heaggans, Ariel Meadow Stallings, Kathy Cano-Murillo, and Kelly Bejelly.

These bloggers have all made the transition from personal bloggers to professionals whose websites are their business. Between them, they’ve done all the things tied to monetizing a blog: selling advertising, doing sponsored posts, getting paid to write for bigger outlets, running a store on the site,

working with brands for promotion, creating product lines, and even running a multi-city expo. This brain trust knows what it takes to be successful and wants to help you get there. In a few years, maybe it will be you speaking on this panel!

Kelly Bejelly

As you think about wanting to make a living with your site and related opportunities, what questions do you have? We’ll try to answer as many questions as possible during the session, so tell us what you want to know! Questions can specific or broad, whatever you think would be helpful in your journey to success.

Ask away!

On Blog Comments

xtinehlee

March 19, 2015March 19, 2015 32 comments

Comments from readers are some of the most gratifying parts of blogging. Someone’s reading! Someone felt compelled to send a note!

Even more gratifying is when a lurker de-lurks and identifies him or herself. Those are times when I’ve re-read my post to see what on earth it was about THAT post that got someone to shed their anonymity, and introduce themselves.

It is very much like inviting guests into your home, and making a connection. And sometimes, making very good friends as they return repeatedly for your hospitality, and you in turn, invite them to return for their good grace.

So how do we make our home and blog inviting? And what it is that keeps people returning?

I’ve found that it’s about making your blog safe–and curating the comments, should people disagree and escalate disagreement into barbs. It’s starting a dialogue in your own post, and then facilitating the comments. It’s acknowledging their comments. Saying thank you. Common courtesies, even if you disagree, even if the commenter has hurt your feelings.

Chances are that if people have come around to write something on your blog post, their intentions are good. I’ve found (and maybe I’m wrong) that people tend to be more courteous on personal blogs than on larger sites, for instance Salon.com.

Do you enjoy your comments? What is the best comment you’ve ever had on your blog? What have you done to welcome comments?

Suggest questions for Portland’s Blog to Book panel

Andrea Middleton

March 18, 2015March 20, 2015 3 comments

Do you ever dream of publishing a book? If so, you’re not alone — getting published is a dream shared by a lot of bloggers (including me!). So I’m especially jazzed to be moderating the From Blog to Book panel discussion planned for Press Publish Portland, considering how many of our featured bloggers either have already published books or have books coming out this year.

Jerry Mahoney, ready to sign his book — Here’s Jerry Mahoney, signing his book *Mommy Man: How I Went From Mild-Mannered Geek to Gay Superdad.*

Mary Laura Philpott, Cecilia Gunther, Jerry Mahoney, Christine Lee, and Ananda Leeke will join me on stage in Portland on Saturday, March 28 to talk about how each of them came to publish a book (or books) and how blogging influenced their journey to publication. From self-publishing to multiple book deals with major publishing labels, these bloggers will share about a lot of the ways books are born in this new age of print media.

I know I’m dying to ask these folks a bunch of things, but I want to know what you’re curious about, too! If you would like to suggest questions for the panel, please leave them in the comments — note that we won’t answer them here, we’ll save it for the panel discussion at the Portland event.

By the way, if you’re in or near Portland, tickets are still available for Press Publish, and they come with a WordPress.com Premium upgrade or VaultPress Backup Bundle — a $99 value!

Get your ticket!

And don’t forget to RSVP for the free Longreads Story Mixer on March 27, so we can make sure to have enough snacks and libations for everyone.

RSVP for the free mixer!

We can’t wait to see you soon at Press Publish!