Bringing bloggers in Leeds together
For the last two years I have organised a social event during the World Travel Market in London called the Travel BlogCamp. Basically, it brings together people from the travel industry, with bloggers, journalists and writers. We have four speakers who share their experiences in blogging and using social media.
Most talked about social event
Last year we had travel brands like Lastminute.com speaking about their experiences using social media, along with independent bloggers. There is always plenty of time for networking too. It is the most talked about social event during the World Travel Market and all of the seats were “sold out” within hours of registration opening last year.
Learning and sharing experiences
It would be great to organise an event like this in Leeds, where local bloggers can get together with tourism boards (like Yorkshire.com and Visit Leeds) and local companies. Initially I thought we could organise a meet-up every other month – bloggers through-out the city can get together, network, and learn.
The aim would then be organising an annual Leeds BlogCamp.
Your thoughts and opinions
So, I would like to hear your thoughts. We do have a growing number of bloggers in Leeds, and I know from experience that companies and tourism boards struggle to understand and communicate with bloggers, so this would be the perfect opportunity to try and bring us all together and create a great blogging community that truly loves Leeds.
So to clarify:
- The aim would be to get Leeds bloggers together every other month.
- Share experiences, learn from each other.
- Then organise a Leeds BlogCamp, where we can bring bloggers together.
What do you think?
Please add your thoughts and opinions in the comments.
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43 Responses to “Bringing bloggers in Leeds together”
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Love this idea! As a Leeds blogger, I would love to be involved – definitely let me know of any developments. This’ll be great for the blogging community in Leeds.
I’d be interested to know details. Sounds like a good opportunity.
Thanks for the comments! Keep them coming!
Please spread the word amongst other Leeds bloggers.
Keen to get as many opinions (good and bad!) as possible to gauge interest.
I’d love to get something off the ground like the Travel BlogCamp, but a Leeds one.
I think this is a great idea – a content focused unconference would definitely have my vote. With Wordcamp this weekend in Manchester and Talk About Local being in Leeds but a few months ago I think it’s time may have arrived.
I’m sure Sarah Hartley (running the Guardian Local project) would also be interested in any concept of this type if it promotes good journalism and best practice.
@ Jon
Thanks for the comment.
What people like (from the feedback I receive) is that the Travel BlogCamp is it’s informal, and allows them to network with people that they wouldn’t be able to in conferences etc.
Travel bloggers can network with travel brands and that has helped them attain advertising, and collaborate, which was never possible before.
So, it would be good to see the same happen in Leeds. I am really surprised that the tourism boards didn’t get bloggers involved in the recent Leeds Loves Food (if they did, I’ve not heard anything about it!) which I think is a massive opportunity lost.
I’ve now linked to the Travel BlogCamp website in the post – the community is only a few weeks or so old, before it was a blog with updates on the event.
Sounds like a great idea, anything that connects Leeds bloggers and helps improve our practice can only be a good thing.
I’m definitely more interested in the connecting & learning side of things rather than linking with local bodies – I wonder if Leeds blogs would be too diverse in content for any specific organisation to be relevant?
Also, inviting an org along – be it tourist board, arts body etc. – would inevitably skew discussions towards that area. Perhaps the best of both worlds would be to have the annual event as an ‘unconference’ as Jon suggests, org-free, and perhaps make some of the bi-monthly meetings themed around certain topics with orgs?
Anyway, cheers for taking the initiative, can’t wait to see how it pans out.
This sounds like a fantastic idea, and I’d love to be a part of it. I’m currently blogging every single day as part of the #oneaday challenge, and being a relative newcomer to Leeds (only been living here since January 2007) I’d love to share my experiences, publicise local blogging talent, and meet fellow bloggers.
Hi All – I’m the Digital Marketing Manager at Welcome to Yorkshire, would love to meet up with you all and work together on this! Darren you have my email now, and you can DM me on Twitter @kristalsmile Looking forward to hearing from you all and meeting up soon!
Kristal
I would love to get involved with this!
L x
Thanks for the comments everyone!
@ Chris
The point of any blogger meet-ups and a future blogcamp would be about networking and learning, that’s the main focus. What worked well with the Travel BlogCamp was that bloggers were able to network with travel brands, and, this helped them get advertising and colloborate.
I realise that’s travel/tourism is specific niche, so I would have to see who shows an interest, and the types of niche that people blog about in Leeds – its not just aimed at people who write about Leeds – it’s about bringing bloggers together who live in Leeds. I think that’s an important point to add.
The first step is to get a meet-up off the ground so we can all network, and then plan future meet-ups and an event for Bloggers in Leeds. At this point it’s very much in the blueprinting stage, so thanks for the useful comments!
Darren
BarCamp Leeds has been running for four years and has been a “big tent” for technologists, creatives and other digital communities since 2007.
As we’ve seen with the demise of Tuttle and snZero – its easy to start a meetup, but hard to sustain (just like the old Leeds bloggers meetup)
I’d like to see BarCamp evolve to incorporate a broader cultural mix – Jon and I have been tinkering with mechanisms to bring together various meetups as a means of creating interesting creative frictions between sectors and industries.
How about bringing your idea into the mix of BarCamp and the LSx web festival? We’ll reach broadre audiences, engineer some interesting serendipities and also ensure that new initiatives don’t disappear too quickly.
@ Imran
It’s all things to add into the mix, but the problem with the events you mention its that they are too ‘geeky’ ‘techy’ and not for bloggers like me. I’ve been to barcamps and other such events but it’s all above my head.
I used to attend the Northern Bloggers meetup and I think the problem is it came down to one person to organise, and, it didn’t have any structure or consistancy. There’s a need I believe for a regular meet-up for bloggers in Leeds (and maybe annual larger blogging event) aimed more at people like me, who aren’t web designers, coders, techy people. (Although, EVERYONE would be welcome)
The post is about discussing all those options, so thanks for the comment.
Thanks for the shout @Jon
Yes both myself and John (Leeds beatblogger) are very interested in, and supportive of, any blog initiatives which add to the buzz of the city. @imran makes a very good point about sustainability too. How about as a first step we have some sort of informal meetup/chat/coffee morning where people from the different interest groups could pitch in to find the best way to shape an event?
I think that’s why it’s important to have people like yourself represented in those communities – the formats are open, so there for you to influence and shape.
I’d like to see more cross-pollination between these areas, rather than further barriers and fragmentation – it’s to everyone’s benefit.
It’s easy to say everyone is welcome to any events – as BarCamps do – but we all actually have to reach out to each other’s respective audiences and engineer formats and construct communities that really are inclusive…so mit makes eminent sense to have us all working together on these things.
@ Sarah
It is good to see the Guardian are interested and supportive. I have to stress that the type of event(s) I would like to see (and help organise) in Leeds are informal blogger events, not stuffy conferences. It has to be aimed at any niche blogger, with any level of knowledge, who lives in Leeds. Also aimed at bloggers, who like me, have had to learn new skills, and learn from mistakes (i.e. how not to get sued like I was in 2009!)
As I mentioned in the post – the first step is to organise an informal meet-up that everyone can attend (remember many bloggers do it in their spare time so a coffee morning wouldn’t work) and then we can plan future meet-ups and hopefully, an annual event that Leeds bloggers can get involved in.
What I wanted to do with this blogpost is find out who is interested in starting the ball rolling. I agree that we have to have sustainability, but this is the first step! Give me a week to sum up the interest, and then I will get a venue, and date, and let’s see who turns up!
Oooh, hello lovely Leeds bloggers!
I’m a Leeds (fashion) blogger and social media/digital copywriter – would love to be involved.
Count me in!
I suppose I’ll have to include myself in a list of Leeds Bloggers (even though I rather dislike the term Blogger). I’d be up for an informal get together for sure.
Count me in
We’d be interested to give it a go Darren, me and the @realalereviews team”
Our focus isn’t solely Leeds but we live here and we do cover the local area when we can.
@ Dave
Someone called me a blugger the other day! We had the debate on term bloggers and bloggers Vs Journalists at the first Travel BlogCamp. Fun (heated!) debate it was, as you can expect when you’ve got a full room of bloggers, writers and journalists!
@ Mark
Any meetup (event) wouldn’t be aimed at people who write about Leeds – it’s about people who write blogs and live in Leeds. Coming together (and having a few beers!)
Well if beers are involved you know we’ll be there (pen and notepad or not!)
As a Leeds blogger I’d love to be involved with this!
I would definitely be interested in this initiative – do keep me posted.
Thanks Jo
Love the idea, any opportunity for an informal get together with networking opportunities with other people with similar interests to me (ie communicating and having fun) gets my vote.
This sounds like a fab idea! I’m a Leeds resident, worker, blogger and a bit of a techie! I’d love to be involved & having met up recently with some other local folk through Twitter, it’s a great way to meet new people with similar interests & share ideas.
Hi Darren. Hosting something like this in Leeds is a great idea, I would definitely be interested.
I’d come!
I’d love to meet up with other Leeds bloggers! Great idea!
Hi Darren, This sounds great, I’d love to come along for Visit Leeds and meet Leeds bloggers & tweeters. Thanks, Wendy
More of these sort of things we have in Leeds the merrier. I know most about the culture side of things and there’s a fairly thriving network already in Leeds. I don’t know much about the travel side of things though, and next to nothing of the geeky stuff that goes on. Would be nice to build more links though, it can get a bit claustrophobic and proprietorial.
@Phil
Hi, I certainly don’t want to duplicate what is already out there for people, and yes, I think it’s important to build links between the different events that go on in the city.
I just don’t think that there’s an event (or meetups) for bloggers in general – what I would help organise wouldn’t be specific to travel, it would be for any type of niche blogger/writer, and aimed at all levels of knowledge and experience.
I personally would like to see, monthly meet-ups and then all of the different blogger/writing groups that are in Leeds join together to create an annual event.
That’s my vision, but if it happens we’ll see.
I am interested as I live in Leeds and have a blog at http://gigglingatitall.blogspot.com
I like to learn from and with others.
Hi Darren,
As you know I was at the last London Travel BlogCamp and I’ve said before that a ‘northern’ one would be a good idea, so i’d be supportive of this.
Adrian
I think this would be a good idea – I have been looking for blogger events/meets locally and have not found any!
Hi Darren
I saw your article on the Guardian Leeds website and now I am just popping over here to register my interest in a regular bloggers meet up.
I really hope we can make this happen! Please keep me posted of any news or developments
-Luke
Hi Darren,
As someone who attended the previous Northern Blogger meet-ups, I’m interested in coming along to this Leeds Blogger meet, so look forward to hearing more about it!
Give me a shout if there’s anything I can help with!
Simon
Great idea. Would love to meet up with fellow bloggers in my home city!
Thanks everyone for your comments! I’m excited that so many of you have come on here and shown an interest – I didn’t realise we had so many bloggers in Leeds!
Watch this space….
Great idea. I’d definitely get involved. Any opportunity to do this whole blogging thing better should be enthusiastically embraced…
I am not at all techie-orientated, and my blog is more arty crafty based, but I am interested in meeting Leeds folk – count me in (tentatively).
@ Julia
Anything I help organise will not be aimed at the techies – I know how much I struggled when I started a blog, over five years ago.
@ Everyone
I have added all of your blogs on to my Leeds blogs page.
http://www.mylifeinleeds.co.uk/blog/leeds-blogs/
If I have missed you off, let me know!
Yes, Darren – go for it… and count me / us in!
Steve / Inntravel
Hi Darren,
As usual a superb idea, count me in. It’s always difficult to make the right contacts within tourism boards and other suppliers and this could be the ideal way to do it.
Let me know when this starts!
Craig