My SoFabU On The Road - Seattle Recap

This grant was  provided to me by Collective Bias, Inc. All opinions are mine alone. #SoFabUOTR #CollectiveBias

It has only been a week since the SoFabU On The Road event in Seattle, but my mind has been going a million miles a minutes since them. So much to take in, so many new ideas to incorporate here on the blog and so many new goals were formed on that beautiful day in sunny Seattle.

Yes, I said sunny. I think my little blogging mind was blown on so many levels .... in a really good way!

photo courtesy of Danielle from http://www.simmworksfamily.com/

The blogging world is always changing and one of my favorite parts of Social Fabric has always been the supportive community. It was the first place where I found great discussions, help and mentoring. The conference day up in Seattle was all about feeling the support from my fellow bloggers, fellow CLs and all the amazing resources this community has to offer.

From hearing from the Campaign Managers to brands and speaker Andy Hayes, there was a lot to learn and a great forum where everyone was able to ask questions. Yes, there were some great advantages to a smaller venue like this.

Andy Hayes put together a great presentation that gave each of us a chance to think about our blogging goals, focus and strategies and a place to share new ideas. I want to give a special shout out to the "Photography" table, a great bunch of bloggers from Fashion, DIY to a Margarita Review focus who I had a chance to chat with during discussions.

It was really helpful to sit down and be asked the hard questions about my blog. Who are my readers? What is working for me? What do I want to change. Sometimes I keep moving forward, writing post after post and I don't stop to think about the bigger picture. Chatting with my table mates, we shared what was working for us as well as our own unique ideas to encourage interaction and give incentives to  own community.

There were some fabulous sponsors like Kind Bars, which are delicious! And we were able to keep up our energy with #Kindawesome bars on breaks.

Then for lunch we were treated to Johnny Rockets milkshakes, fries, onion rings and signature entrees. It took a lot of discipline to remember to snap pics instead of diving right in!  You can find all the fun from our lunch by searching for the hashtags #johnnyrocketsseattle and #SoFabUOTR .

I loved meeting the representative from Johnny Rockets and hearing how they like to work with bloggers. Now, we just need to get a Johnny Rockets to open up down here in Oregon.

Then we were off on our adventure! 

This is the portion I had really been looking forward to. You know, it is all about video right now. We had the chance to meet Josh Hicks and his crew to learn more about the ins- and outs of video. Then we were off to shoot some footage as we strolled down to Pike's Market and through downtown Seattle.

Geek Alert - I caught Jared Padalecki with my GoPro walking past us on the streets of Seattle. It was rather comical since our gaggle of bloggers already had cameras out and going. 

Overall, it was amazing! Just one day and there was so much information crammed in there. I have new goals and ideas just swimming around my head and I can't wait to spend some quality time with my video camera and editing software.

There are still upcoming stops on this 11 city SoFabU On The Road experience. Be sure to check to see where the next one's will be. I know I already have plans to branch out and try to attend at least 2 SoFabUOTR conferences next year. Just like the cities they are stopping in, each day is a unique experience! 

And I have to give a shout-out to SoFab, who helped me with a grant so I was able to make it up to Seattle for the weekend. There is so much I was able to take away from the day.

Are any SoFabOTR conferences coming to your area?

Hope to See You at SoFabUOTR Seattle!

I am writing this post as a member of the Social Fabric community. I received a grant and ticket to SoFabUOTR in exchange for sharing my experience. All opinions & experiences are my own. 

I really enjoy working with Social Fabric. I haven't been a part of other networks or communities that encourage, educate and promote their bloggers like this they do. I really do owe a lot to this supportive community.

If you have followed my blog for a while, you have probably noticed that I have better photos in my posts, I've worked with some amazing brands and have had a chance to share our lives with you. All of this has been encouraged by Social Fabric and the bloggers I have met there.

But until now, I haven't had a chance to attend a blogging conference. Babies, busy schedules and life have prevented me from taking that next step.

So I am over the moon to say, SoFabU isn't just putting on one conference this year, but instead SoFabU is hitting the road and traveling across the country to connect bloggers to brands, bloggers to new ideas, and bloggers to ...well, other amazing bloggers.

I will be heading up north to meet all my blogging buddies in Seattle next month! 

SoFabU On the Road Seattle  

April 18th at the Crown Plaza 

Check out all the details for Seattle, or see which other cities SoFabU will be stopping in - http://ontheroad.socialfabric.us/

I will be tweeting out photos and posting on Instagram during the day, but will be back here to share highlights when I return.

Follow the fun with hashtag #SoFabUOTR

Need Advice or Ideas for a Trip? Look to Gogobot.

Yes, with the dreary wet weather here in Oregon, I am ready to start planning our next family vacation. Due to my husband's work schedule we tend to take our big family trip in the Spring before things get busy around the farm.

Our yearly destination takes us up to the state of Washington for a water park, but this year I have decided to extend our usual trip to include a little jump up to Seattle.

Now, the last time I vacationed in Seattle I was 5.

Space Needle, Zoo... and...? Yeah, that is the extent of my memories of staying in Seattle. So I don't have a lot to go off of when planning a fun trip for my family.

Have you heard of Gogobot?

Not your typical "travel" site.

In fact, since I am a social person, this is the perfect site for me to do my trip research and planning. It is a social travel site started in 2010. Connect with your friends and other travelers to find the best spots to eat, stay and visit while in that city. You can even create your own poll to help you choose.

I know, there are tons of sites with rating systems and reviews, but this site is much more organic and interactive. It is like getting advice from all your friends on the perfect outfit, but in this case all things vacation related. I have friends in city and even some family nearby, so this is a great chance to see how their opinions all stack up. I might even have to create a poll for the best sushi spot.

So let's start with food. I know Seattle is just bursting with great places to find and food to try, so I selected 'Restaurants' from the top menu.

First I found the Umi Sake House which was recommended for sushi. I can scroll over the title and a box shows up on the map on the right. Very handy.  So, I could find a few more recommended sushi places and throw a poll together for my Seattle friends. I would love to see if they choose the Umi Sake House as their favorite sushi place also.

Then we need to find a place to stay. Yes, you can find information on Gogobot about hotels or vacation rentals. I will be traveling with 2 young children with special dietary needs, so I was especially interested in staying at the Pan Pacific Seattle. What caught my eye were the reviews on the great city views and a Whole Foods downstairs. Doesn't that sound perfect? A little walk from the Space Needle or downtown shopping, but I could pack our jogging stroller and get in an little workout as well.

Then I went over to 'Things to Do'. So many options! It is nice to find all the most recommended destinations all in one spot. As a Mom with small children the Seattle Aquarium caught my eye, and one Gogobot pro reviewer suggested seeing the aquarium, grabbing a bite to eat early and then checking out the new Ferris Wheel. Yes, I am sure my kids would love that!

The Pacific Science Center was another well reviewed attraction. My son loves science and the interactive exhibits would be the highlight of his trip.

Of course to really get into Gogobot, you should create a profile. It's easy, just sign up through Facebook, twitter or your email address. If you love to travel, like I do, you can put destinations in your site passport for your friends to see and enjoy. Travel, experience and tag with what you would tell your friends about the destination.

Gogobot allows you to tap into the knowledge of your friends when planning a trip anywhere. You can find like-minded travelers and inspiration for your next vacation, creating easy-to-use wishlists you can return to again and again.

And when you are not in vacation mode or planning a trip, you can discover hidden gems in your own neighborhood for entertaining guests or a weekend staycation.

The best part? Every page on Gogobot is personalized. You can see reviews from your friends and people you are following at the top, which allows you to weed out the noise and fraudulent reviews that become a problem on other review sites. Check out Gogobot today!

*Disclaimer - This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gogobot. The opinions and text are all mine.