Is your mastermind group, freelance consortium, small business collective or non-profit organization invested enough in success to sponsor a member to attend SOBCon?

A famous African proverb states it takes a village to raise a child. In this economy, it can take a collective to finance the fantastic opportunities that Successful and Outstanding Bloggers (SOB), Biz School for Bloggers offer.  SOBCon 09 is a great value for the depth of talent gathered at an intimate event of this size. Where else are you going to interact with a number of gifted bloggers and marketers at this level of expertise, for that price? The key word here is interact. SOBCon 09 isn’t about theory, SOBCon is about putting theory into practice, starting right there at the convention. How much money have you spent on books that you never read or pod casts that you never listened to much less integrated into your work? What value do you place on not just on facts and information but interaction and implementation? How can you share that value with your community, collective or organization so it is in their benefit to sponsor you?

If you are a small business owner, a free lancer or a non-profit, the scale of your business might cover conference fees but the added expense of lodging and travel might appear to put this opportunity beyond your grasp. When I looked at my budget, it was beyond my means but I believed in its value. People that I knew, trusted and admired encouraged me to go. I have used the inspiration and wisdom that others gained at SOBCon 08 as a reference in my own posts like Blog naked? blog privacy and vulnerability arose from reading Sonia Simone’s post Feel great naked about putting yourself into your blog. It made sense to me and ever since I read that post, I have wanted to go to SOBCon Biz School for Bloggers.

I also value my own skills as a teacher and consultant. I believed that if I went to SOBCon 09, I would return to my courses with new skills and perspectives that would add merit.  I figured out the total expenses of my trip and asked my students,

“How much is it worth to you, for me to go to SOBCon 09 and incorporate what I learn there into my classes?”

They responded with their wallets, in amounts ranging from $5 to $100. Now, I am less than $100 from my goal. I am registered. My airplane tickets are booked. My hotel and roommate/dogwalker situation is secured. On May 1st, I will be at SOBCon 09!

I recognized the potential of SOBCon 09 and convinced my community of students to its value. What will it take YOU to convince your community, collective or organization to sponsor your SOBCon 09 Biz School for Bloggers?

Do not put anything online that you wouldn’t put on a grocery store bulletin board

That is basically the advice of the Women’s Dish Blog about how much information to disclose online when searching for a new job. When it comes to social networking sites, you might want to consider even less. You might put your phone number on that supermarket bulletin board when you have a litter of kittens that need homes, but I wouldn’t advocate posting your phone number on social networking sites. There are exceptions to that, especially for freelancers that have a business phone that can be screened. A business blog with a brick and mortar presence will want to have their address available as well as their email and phone. If you are blogging about your joys of baby rearing, you will want to keep all that information private. What about if your blogging about your garden? It might make sense to list your geographic region if not state. Gardening issues definitely vary if you live in New Zealand versus New England versus Arizona.

 Remember that if you register on a social networking site to promote your blog, you are now associating your blog with the information that you share there. This is true if you are sharing your Instant Message contact,  the country you live in, the other social networking sites you participate in or the blog posts that you bookmark. So, how do you determine that balance of disclosure that allows your customers to contact you or your readers to match interests with your need for privacy and security?

For this week’s discussion add your comments here or by pinging back from your own blog.

Professional bloggers work around the clock to stay on top of their competition. Often the first person to post the scoop is the one that wins. That is the post that makes the top of the list and garners thousands,  sometimes even hundreds of thousands of hits.  This insistent pressure to be the first is taking its toll, particularly on professional bloggers that are paid by the piece. Two professional bloggers have died of heart attacks in the past year, and their fellow bloggers are taking notice. Working from home doesn’t mean low stress. Advertising dollars is often a cut throat business and that is true for blogging for advertising dollars.  According to an article in today’s New York Times, bloggers that work as contractors or employees for media outlets are feeling the crunch as their pay may be based not only the post but on the number of hits that their post generates. Independent bloggers who have created their own media outlets are not immune.

“I haven’t died yet,” said Michael Arrington, the founder and co-editor of TechCrunch, a popular technology blog. The site has brought in millions in advertising revenue, but there has been a hefty cost. Mr. Arrington says he has gained 30 pounds in the last three years, developed a severe sleeping disorder and turned his home into an office for him and four employees. “At some point, I’ll have a nervous breakdown and be admitted to the hospital, or something else will happen.”

Other professional bloggers complain of sleep deprivation, relationship issues, poor health and weight gain.  Hmm sounds like many a workaholic to me. The key is balance. Like others driven to succeed and to be the best, sacrifices are made. Only the individual can decide when the sacrifices are too great.  For me, with my limited energy and disability, I am delighted when my revenue pays my web hosting bill. If there is enough that month to sample and review another couple of bottles of wine, that is all good too!