The lineup of speakers for the annual BlogPaws conference has been announced. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Premiere in Tysons Corner, Virginia on May 16-18, 2013.This year’s conference continues to push forward with the BlogPaws goal of creating educational, business and networking opportunities for the online pet community.
BlogPaws was founded in 2009 by Tom Collins, Yvonne DiVita, and Caroline Golon. They wanted to find a way to unite the growing community of pet bloggers and share knowledge within the group. The online community now has more than 2,000 members. They have 17,000 Twitter followers and 8,000 Facebook likes. In 2012 they introduced the Pet Blogger Network which connects bloggers with brands for advertising and marketing purposes through events such as Blogpawties, bloggerspondent coverage of major events and live local gatherings.
Pet bloggers are a rapidly growing community and include everyone from rescue groups and shelters to people who just want to share the joy their pet brings them. In such a crowded group, it can be difficult to get noticed and attract people to your blog. BlogPaws is there to help bloggers make the most of social media to get their message about animals out.
BlogPaws has also used its heft to make a difference in the lives of animals in need. Through BeTheChange they have become involved in assisting rescue efforts, disaster relief, educational events, and other pet-oriented causes.
This year’s conference has two keynote speakers. Steve Dale, a certified Animal Behaviour Consultant, can be heard on Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show and also blogs for the Chicago Tribune, Victoria Stilwell, and Petphoria. The second keynote speaker is Clara Shih, author of The Facebook Era. Shih is an engineer, entrepreneur, and author. She is currently the CEO of Hearsay Social a technology company that offer social marketing platforms.
Attendees can choose from a variety of speakers throughout the conference on topics ranging from animals to technology and how best to use it. Iain Laingridge, of Discovery.com and Petfinder fame, is one of the speakers as is award-winning canine author Darlene Arden. Topics include petphotography, the future of blogging, marketing for shelters and rescues, understanding SEO, WordPress, and effective use of social media including Pinterest and Twitter.
BlogPaws also recently announced the finalists for their 2013 Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media contest. Glogirly is leading the way with nominations for Best Blog Design, Best Meow Blog, Best Humour Blog, and Best Twitter Design. The Intrepid Pup blog is also doing well with nominations in the Best Blog Writing, Best Blog Design and Best Bark Blog categories. If enjoy blogs and pet photography you’ll also want to check out the nominees in the Best Facebook Design, Best New Blog, Best Wiggle Blog, Best Cause Blog, Best Blog Video and Best Blog Photo categories.
BlogPaws is providing a valuable service for a growing community. For those who want to share their life with animals through the written word, it can be difficult to make headway in the already crowded field of animal blogs. For those how just enjoy reading about those adventures, it’s a cornucopia of great reads.
