Blogworld Expo is marking its third and final day in Las Vegas today. After a day of mixed experiences yesterday, I headed over to host hotel Mandalay Bay this morning a bit apprehensive, but mostly hopeful.
I started the day with the morning's keynote address "7 Harsh Realities of Blogging for Bucks." I arrived a few minutes late (drat my Starbucks addiction!) so I missed reality no. 1, but did get the remaining six. (If someone knows the first one, please leave it under the comments!)
Here is the session, hosted by Darren Rowse, Brian Clark and Sonia Simone, in a paraphrased nutshell and in many of their own words. The presentation was insightful, amusing and energizing - a perfect start to the day.
Harsh Reality #2- "Push button net cash machine on the fritz." The days of easy money made online are over. The real focus should be on building content that is real and that matters.
Harsh Reality #3- "You are not scalable." Get real about how many connections you can make and still have a life.
Harsh Reality #4- "No one actually wants that much authenticity." Too many bloggers are sharing too many details. Have boundaries. Don't get too personal or be too boring.
Harsh Reality #5- "Social media hates selling. (And yet you have to sell.)" What other people have to say about you is more important than what you say. Be remarkable, but do it through your content.
Harsh Reality #6- "A blog is not a business." If you want it to be a business, you need to treat it as a business. Think about what your audience wants.
Harsh Reality #7- "No one is reading your blog." The biggest reason people aren't reading your blog is that you are not talking about what people want to hear. You don't need a zillion people, you just need a focused group. There are two routes to this end, be entertaining or be useful. If you have to choose, be useful but try to be both.
My recap of the second part of the day at Blogworld Expo 2010 is coming up.
Don't forget you can watch the closing Blogworld keynote address live on the web beginning in just under an hour at 5 p.m. PST. "New Media Live!" will be presented in a talk show format and will feature comedian and host Adam Carolla, Penn Jillette of magic team Penn & Teller, and Cali Lewis, host of GeekBeat.tv, among others.
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