by guest blogger Michelle Maskaly
When Toby and I went to the first BlogPaws in Ohio I was skeptical. I had been to tons of conferences and they were typically the same thing - sessions, networking and then you go home. If you were lucky, you made a few new contacts that you would request as LinkedIn friends and that was it.
But, the big thing that makes BlogPaws different is it doesn't fit the "conference mold." While there are learning sessions and networking going on, BlogPaws doesn't end when the last speech is given.
This weekend was proof of that.
Sometime after the first BlogPaws in Ohio and before the last one in Denver, Jane Harrell from Petfinder organized a Facebook group called, Tri-State BlogPaws Pack to keep pet bloggers in the New York area connected and working together on a local level. It proved to be an absolutely amazing idea!
Last weekend about 15 of us, along with our dogs, went to the pet-friendly Alstede Farms in New Jersey, where we spent the day trekking through a corn maze, picking pumpkins, photographing piglets, eating homemade donuts, drinking fresh apple cider and talking about pets, the animal community and networking.
But, it wasn't all about just having fun and reconnecting. In true Be the Change form, we collected items for the NYC Animal Care and Control, including dog food, blankets, empty paper towel rolls for small animals and other things they needed.
Some people had been to BlogPaws and knew each other, while for others it was their first encounter with the crew. Either way, it was like we all had known each other forever because BlogPaws is such a welcoming community of people with the same goal - help homeless animals.
What a great post, Michele. We had a blast there and it was so nice of Jane from Petfinder to organize this.... and we got to help animals in need with a great food donation. Wahoo! Met nice new peeps and connected with familiar faces of both the canine and human variety. Love BlogPaws!
Posted by: Carol Bryant | 10/27/2010 at 10:20 AM