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This was a split session; one for writers, one for bloggers. I went to the blogger one, It's All About the Blog by Book Nut, Biblio File, Miss Rumphius Effect, and A Year of Reading.
A variety of things were discussed:
Book Nut: Participate in weekly memes (Sunday Salon, Weekly Geeks) and challenges to be a part of the bigger book blogging community.
Biblio File: Talked about how to get into reviewing for places like School Library Journal. She spoke about doing this by having that goal in mind; so in other words, if you have a goal and want to work towards it using your blog, be mindful of that goal.
Miss Rumphius: talked about Poetry Friday, NonFiction Monday, Timeslip Tuesday. Miss R also gave a shout out to doing round-ups the old fashioned way; not relying exclusively on Mr. Linky, but rather putting together a post with a sentence or two for each blog that participated and how they participated. She also mentioned the Carnival of Children's Literature.
A Year of Reading: championed co-blogging, as Year is two bloggers. Also discussed opportunities made available via blogging and blog connections, and mentioned how this in part led to her being on the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Notable Children's Books Committee. She has also written professional books about teaching for Stenhouse Publishers.
Some general discussion followed; seriously, some of my favorite parts about the whole kidlitcon is just the discussions that sprang up, over breakfast, breaks, lunch, after dinner. I got so caught up in the conversation I stopped taking notes. Long posts versus short posts, ratings versus no ratings, how much (or how little) plot summary.
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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
The presented materials are always amazing but I'm with you....I think the spontaneous nuggets that come from the resulting conversation add a great deal of value to an event as well.
I walked away from this session with at least one change I'll be making to what I include in my reviews (parental advisory).
You know it's funny, but I'm not a big fan of all the memes. I've looked at some blogs that just go from one to the next each day of the week and I never get any kind of "feeling" from those blogs. It's like they are just filling assignments or something.
I'm also torn on the community commitment - it would literally be a full time job to be all community all the time and I just don't have that in me.
Plus sometimes the "community" annoys me - but that's a whole other deal! ha!
michelle, i really think that somehow, the next kidlitcon should have a "and now they talk" section of the program.
colleen, before Melissa/book nut spoke about challenges, I mainly saw them as things for people who didn't know what to read next (and believe you me, this is the least of my problems.) now, and why if i'm organized enough I may join one or two, i see it as more a way to either promote a book you've really liked beyond your regular readers or as more of a book club type thing. (as you may have guessed, i'm not a book club type so the book club bit isn't a huge appeal...finding other people who have read the book i have who want to talk is.).
i know what you mean about "community" -- there are days when that starts to sound like club/clique with us/them sides and if you don't play by the rules you're pushed aside (i.e., what I'll call the "if you don't comment at my blog, i won't read yours" idea; or the belief that we "all" do something or "know" the best way to do something and if you odn't do it that way, you're doing it wrong. not.). but i think that there is enough variety in the blogosphere that if we keep talking that type of clubbishness won't happen. for example, I haven't been kicked out of the kidlit world for no longer being a part of or hosting poetry friday.
that said, memes (whether poetry friday or something else) is a good way to engage other blogs. if the blogosphere is a cocktail party, it can seem like one that started two hours ago and everyone knows each other. a meme can give a person a polite way to enter into the conversation and be part of what is going on.