We read blogs.
We follow people on Twitter.
We like pages on Facebook.
We check into venues on Foursquare.
We add people as connections on LinkedIn.

…but what happens when you take an online relationship offline and you shake
hands for the first time? Read the rest of Session Overview: Taking Your Online Community Offline»»

Always a sign the conference is nearing… Notice the look of fear on my face!

135 Days left! Do you have your ticket yet?

FitBloggin’12 stickers provided by Bumper Stickers

We’ve received 26 Ignite Fitness Sparks for the FitBloggin’12 keynote event and now it’s time to choose our winners. Read the rest of Ignite Fitness Voting is Now Open!»»

McCormick spices and herbs power up meals with bold flavors like cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and oregano. Regularly adding these to your go-to fare is an easy, delicious step that can have a powerful impact – from boosting the antioxidant value of a meal to supporting your health. Visit spicesforhealth.com, Facebook.com/McCormickSpice for more information.

We’re also thrilled that in addition to exhibiting, McCormick is inviting select FitBloggin’ attendees to tour their headquarters, learn about the benefits of spices for healthy everyday cooking from the experts and sample tasty dishes developed by members of the McCormick Kitchens. Interested? Read the rest of Welcome McCormick!»»

Sometimes blog posts are so good, so inspired, that they want to grow into other forms. Susan Ito, blogger, editor, writer and writing teacher, will guide a hands-on workshop (bring your favorite blog post!) and show you how to determine if that blog post is destined for greatness as a magazine article or a personal essay, and then how to shape and polish it into a piece that will catch an editor’s attention.

You’ll learn the do’s and don’ts of submitting a piece for publication, and how to make your blog post shine for a newspaper, magazine or anthology.

I ran right passed the Hyatt in this weekend’s 10k! It made me smile. Check out the video here!

-Roni

Are you writing for your mom and distant relatives, or actually trying to grow an audience on your blog? If traffic is important then SEO needs to be a part of your strategy.

Brandi Koskie is the director of publishing at DietsInReview.com, where SEO and organic traffic are the name of the game! The leading health site’s stories, reviews, and news are regularly found on page one of Google and Google News, and she’s got the traffic to prove it. She’ll show you simple and effective tricks of the trade that can help grow traffic and visibility for your blog. Prepare to look at headlines, photos, and links in a different but far more fruitful way. Read the rest of Session Overview: Drive More Traffic Through SEO»»

Whether a writer wants to “just get my stuff out there” or to expand an audience beyond one’s own blog, guest-posting and other freelance opportunities can propel a writer into the spotlight like never before! But most freelance jobs are more work than they are benefit to a writer — dead-end and unsuccessful at earning the notice of new readers. Read the rest of Session Overview: Find Success as a Freelance Writer»»

So many bloggers know exactly what to do when it comes to blogging and social media, but what happens when you decide to expand your horizons and attract “old media,” such as TV, radio, magazines and newspapers, to help get more awareness to your sites, more traffic, subscribers and followers? Read the rest of Session Overview: How Do You Attract Traditional Media?»»

Kara Richardson Whitely was never one to attract attention. In fact, when her weight topped 360 pounds, she hid from the world. Like many people who struggle with their weight, she struggled between intention and action. She had a secret longing to be a hiker girl, the trouble was, she would pine over adventure travel magazines while eating a king-size Kit Kat bar. Read the rest of Session Overview: Reach Out From Your Keyboard and Connect»»

I am beyond excited to announce this year’s keynote presentation or should I say presentations. Read the rest of Introducing the FitBloggin’12 Keynote: YOU!»»

As bloggers we write about our lives, weight loss, families, fitness and everything in between!

Some share EVERYTHING, others not so much. Where do you fall in?

In real life, we keep weigh-ins, diet slip-ups, family drama and your cat’s bowel movements to our close inner circle, but blogging has blurred the lines of what is acceptable to share. Let’s chat about reality blogging and how social media makes you feel. Read the rest of Session Overview: Blogging – How Much is Too Much?»»

We’re excited to announce Weight Watchers Cheese is sponsoring FitBloggin’12!

Weight Watchers Cheese will host a special breakfast on Friday, Sept. 21 with some special cheese-inspired dishes to kick off the conference! Read the rest of Welcome Weight Watchers Cheese!»»

Are you afraid that self-acceptance means you’ll never lose weight? Does self-acceptance mean giving up?

So many of us want to feel good in our skin AND want to lose a few pounds. Are these two things incompatible and mutually exclusive? Or is it possible for them to exist side by side? For both things to be true?
Read the rest of Session Overview: Self-Acceptance & Weight Loss»»

There is no question that having to lose any kind of significant amount of weight is not only physically demanding but also mentally tough to accept. All weight loss is challenging, but when you wake up in the morning and resign yourself to having to lose more than 100 pounds, it can feel insurmountable.

Tara and Meegan don’t want anyone to be afraid to attend FitBloggin 12 because they think no one will understand what it’s like to lose 100, 200 or 300 pounds. Join them (they’ve both tackled 100-pound+ weight loss) and others on their journeys as they invite you to talk about the process of fitness and weight loss when you have a lot to lose. Share a dialogue and experiences with those who understand what it is like to make the decision to change your life through fitness. Come talk with those who understand what it’s like to not recognize yourself in the mirror even after a year of living in a new body. Feel welcomed with those who know what it’s like to feel intimidated to join a room full of strangers no matter where you are on your life-changing journey.

Topics to be covered include: Read the rest of Session Overview: When You Have a Lot to Lose»»