SoFabU On the Road in Seattle

This grant was  provided to me by Collective Bias, Inc. All opinions are mine alone. #SoFabUOTR #CollectiveBias

If you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram (you are following me, right?) Then over the weekend you saw some of the fun pictures I was posting from the SoFabU conference in Seattle. I drove up Friday evening and stayed in the Crown Plaza where the conference was held the next day. Kaysi from Keeping It Simple stayed with me and it was fabulous to finally meet one of my blogging friends that I’ve known for a long time! 

Photo — Danielle Simmons from Simmworks Family Blog

I saw Kimberly from Stuffed Suitcase who I met at SNAP last year, as well as Brenda from From Me With Love. I also got to meet Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday who’s super crafty, so I’ve followed her for a long time. Some new friends include Kristie from Blog Ambitions, Christine from Saved by Grace,  Jodi from Meaningful Mama, Angie from Chasing My Halo and Cara from Stylish+Geek.

If you’re not familiar with Collective Bias/ Social Fabric, they are the network that brings the majority of sponsored posts here on my blog. The money I earn from those posts helps keep my hobby going (both the crafty and the blog side of things) helps with some of our house projects, and is even paying for my school tuition right now! But in addition to that, they provide tons of blogging education that helps me improve my photos, my writing and helps you have an overall better experience when you visit my blog. If you’re a blogger who is not currently working with Collective Bias, I highly encourage you to look into it, and be sure to ask me questions if you have them.

But back to the conference: all morning we got to listen to campaign managers, leaders, and brand reps give tons of suggestions for working with brands. Things like authentic stories and great personalities are more important to brands than out-of-this-world stats and social media numbers. I loved being able to finally meet some of the SoFab leaders that I’ve done campaigns with. We also heard Andy Hayes give encouragement on how and why to really connect with readers. I know there are a million blogs you could be reading, and I know you’re all busy people, so I want you to know I very much appreciate when you stop by for a visit. I want to make sure it’s worth your while when you’re here!

Lunch from Johnny Rockets was super fun (and tasty) 

and the weather was perfect for walking down to the mall. Then our afternoon was spent learning all about making video, including a walk around some quirky spots in Seattle, like the gum wall 

and Pike Place Market. I loved chatting with new friends as we walked around in the sunshine (yes, sun!)

Check the SoFabU on the road list to see if they will be coming soon to a city near you. I also have to give them an extra shout out for awarding me a grant to help get me to the conference in Seattle. Thanks SoFab!