The View From Here: Networking

This week, Shayla and I are discussing networking, and today’s question is: Do You Network with Other Bloggers/Readers? How?

Well, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, then you already know my answer!  Yes, I most definitely network with other bloggers and readers, and that’s one of the main reasons I began this blog last year.  Shayla and I became fast friends after taking a blogging class, and stayed in touch after the class ended.  We finally took the leap and began this collaboration in February, and now it’s a part of our weekly routine.

I’m also involved with Blog Trends, a resource for bloggers that holds a weekly Twitter chat on Monday nights at 8 pm CST.  Anyone is welcome to attend, and we discuss a different blogging-related topic each week.  It’s fast-paced and fun, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some wonderful bloggers who have become great friends in real life, Miss Donna and Lindsay.  If you told me last year that I would soon count two fashion bloggers as my friends and neighbors, I would have laughed like crazy, but now it’s true!  Both of them live close enough that we see each other regularly, and I’m so incredibly thrilled to have them in my life.

Through blogging, I also met Sandra from Raincoast Cottage, who has become a blogging mentor to me.  She really encouraged me to attend Alt Summit in January, where we finally met in person.  I was able to attend her roundtable discussion, and she inspired me to host my own blogger/creative get-together, which opened the door to several more new friendships, all related to blogging.

So I’m a big believer in networking, in whatever capacity you can manage.  Leave comments on the blogs you love, email your fellow bloggers, find ways to make connections, and you will be rewarded for your effort.

One of my big blogging goals, which now reaches into real life, is to meet Shayla in person one day, and I know we’ll find a way!  When I attended Alt, and whenever I attend a local event or host my own, I always think how awesome it would be for her to be there, too.  Thankfully, we have this weekly discussion, which is so fun and inspiring.

I’d love to hear how you network, whether as a blogger or a reader, so feel free to tell me in the comments.  And check out Northern Exposure for Shayla’s response, too.