After a full morning of activities, I headed back to the Affinia for the blogging/social media panel that was moderated by Marie Denee and had the following speakers: Ty of Gorgeous in Grey, Carina — Senior Marketing Coordinator at Evans, Heather — Marketing Manager of Lane Bryant, and Dina Fierro who is a blogger and digital PR maven.

Marie kept the conversation going and helped clarify what some of the marketing speak was all about.

Because 3 of the speakers came from business perspectives, we heard a lot about collaborating with brands, how brands use social media and think about blogging, and the responsibility one carries by having a space on the web (such as brands using social media to field customer service queries, create a positive atmosphere, respond to instant feedback — positive and negative).

Heather, Carina, Dina, and Ty

I’ll be transparent here and say that a lot of the conversation was about practices that I currently do not put into use but would need to think about if I were to see my blog as more than a way to be connected to other women and the plus size community (aka as a future business/career). I think I’ve maybe reached out to a brand first twice in my entire blogging experience. I’ve only worked with brands through them starting the conversation, which probably wouldn’t work for someone who really wants to monetize their blog or work with brands. If you are someone who wants to pursue brand relationships, the advice they gave was to come with an idea, a unique way of working with the brand, and approach the brand with the idea. It’s a lot like a job interview in that you have to market what you bring to the table.

The team from Just My Size sponsored the event — such a lovely group of women who were so excited to be involved.

Packed house with a lot of questions 🙂

After the blogger event, me and Brittany scooted on over to Bloomingdales to take in the show. I didn’t get to stay and watch the runway. I arrived when the event started, but the runway itself didn’t start until an hour and half later. We were able to have some yummy drinks, but my feet and body were dying at that point. The long stand became too much, especially when someone much taller than me swooped in front right when the runway started. All is well though because it was Brittany’s 24th birthday, so it was time to celebrate!

I have no idea what this drink was, but it was so good. Anyone who attended that knows needs to leave a comment with the details! 🙂

Olivia, Jenn, and Ben came out to celebrate with us. We found a cozy Italian restaurant and settled in for good conversation and good food.

Birthday drinks

Olivia and Jenn sneakily told the waitress that there was a birthday in the room. Love Brittany’s face here!

This was one of my favorite nights. It was intimate and fun. It reminded me how much love comes from relationships built through social media and blogging and how freaking cool it was that I’ve been able to meet these wonderful people from all of the world and share a little bit of their joy.

If you were to attend a blogging panel, what questions would you have?