Black British Bloggers Social Event

Was well excited as this was the first blogging event I have been to, even more excited about the fact that it was a black British bloggers event. I went with my younger sister. I thought it would be great for me to network and gets some much needed tips on improving my blog.

This event was organised by Moments with M, a fantastic blogger who writes about a range of topics from food to interviews with successful black women and reviews on hair and beauty products.

I have been tagging Black British Bloggers whenever I post a new blog post on twitter and they always give me a retweet 💗 Recently joined their Facebook group which has been really useful. I have been able to read a lot more posts from British bloggers as well as interact with more bloggers.

Great community for sharing and networking platform, definitely join their group if you’re a black British blogger/vlogger. Plus their newsletter is great for getting tips on improving your blog, especially during the runup to this event.

The run up to this event has been amazing. The team behind Black British Bloggers has been working super hard to prepare us bloggers for this event. With their tips and advice in their newsletters. Plus the week before the event they posted up Bloggers Guide To Blogger Networking Events, incredibly useful as this was my first blogging event. I wanted to get the most out of it and be prepared.

Thought it would be a good idea to share my experience here on my blog.

Main Points & Tips

There was six great speakers, all giving us something different.

Photography Masterclass – Tatenda Nyamande

Lovely guy, had some really great tips and advice.I have always been interested in photography, his talk just encouraged me to save for a camera and get snapping.

Tatenda started off his talk with the basics like what cameras to get for bloggers and vloggers. He told us that it is best to just buy the body of the camera without the start up kit, and get all the extras from other places

– Tatenda recommend the CANON 750D.

Use lightroom to edit/touch up pictures as its faster than photoshop when editing a batch of pictures. If using a light box he said to avoid yellow light bulbs and go for clear, blue or daylight balance light bulbs. Apparently blue lights are great for melaninated peeps.

Use other photography based sites for inspiration. We tend to use instagram, but Tatenda suggested; Flickr, 500px, Getty Images for photography inspiration and Vimeo for videography inspiration.

Buy KINK here

Colourism, Texture Discrimination & Empowerment Talk – Jay from Curlture

I have so much love for the Curlture ladies, always channelling positive vibes and inspiring me daily! Jay had me “mmhmmm’in” throughout her whole talk.

Jay reminded us that we should all be using our privileges to shed light on those who don’t benefit from the privileges we have.

She spoke about collaborating with brands and other bloggers, we were in a room full of black British bloggers, we all had something in common. This event was an opportunity to use our platforms to work together and support each other.

Jay said two things that really resignated with me. First “Be strong in your message” and “What is your legacy?” That question really got me thinking about what I want to come from this blog and what I want my name to be on that is outside of the Internet.

www.lovejamii.com

Working With PR’s Talk –  Ronke Lawal

One of my favourite talks. Ronke was so honest and had me taking down pages and pages of notes.

Ronke spoke about the importance of the black British voice and our platforms as influencers. She highlighted how important Press Releases are.

Ronke told us what PR’s are looking for. She said they’re looking for consistency, frequent posts on your blog & social’s, interaction/ engagement with followers.

She asked us to identify what our blogs are for. Are you blogging for fun? Or do you want to make money from it?

Ronke used a few examples to explain how we can use our platforms to turn negative situations into positives. Be strategic! Build relationships with brands and PR’s.

– Recognise your power.

hueboxx.com

Collaborative Platform Talk – Ade Akins founder of Adzvice

Ade had a nice relaxed and informative talk about his collaborative blog and gave us some great advice.

Ade explained to us that our Bio’s should reflect us and our brand, it should all work together.

Support those who are like you or enjoy what you enjoy. He spoke about wanting organic support, instead of support from friends just because they’re your friends. He reminded us that “You are going to be the most passionate” its your brand, your baby. You will be your own hype man.

Ade talked about collaborating with others and brands and the main things to look out for as some brands and other bloggers may not benefit you or your brand. When collaborating ask yourself; Is there mutual benefits? Does it work for you? Does it fit with your blog?

Utilise peoples skills and get specialists, not everything has to be done by you.

– Don’t fear change.

Ade told us that the average persons attention span is 8 seconds. Use those 8 seconds to make sure you get your point across.

Take your time and understand your journey. “Who’s deadline is it anyway?” This really stood out for me, I know I get caught up thinking I need to get this and that done, but It’s my time and I’m the one in charge so it’s perfectly ok to go at my own pace.

I missed Yvette’s talk but I did have a brief chat with her before. Super cool woman, we had a laugh and chat about the episode of the Off The Cuff podcast that she was a guest on.

Afrocenchix.com

Marketing Talk – Nicola Millington

Nicola stressed the importance of our blogs and reassured us that our stories, experiences and views are needed.

• Understand your why. Why are you doing what you’re doing? What’s the purpose of your blog?
• Be the 3 P’s; Patient, Progress & Professional.
• Serve the ones you have, serve your audience consistently and wholeheartedly.
• Work with people who add to your content.
• Increase your visibility by connecting with your local press.
• Value your platform.

Huge shout out to; Whitney such a cool cat! Debbie, Yasmin, Damilola, Bernadette, Tin, Euphorixa. Aisha gutted we didn’t talk more. Shahira and Naturally Rellez you ladies were so sweet. Vanessa, Adebola aka MyBreakingViews, Creator of Bourn Beautiful Naturals glad you liked my little barided buns lol, I was meant to give you my card🙈. Dkuncovered, Khalia founder of Jamii we had such a lovely chat. The super helpful ladies at the Afrocenchix stand, looking forward to trying my soothe oil and Denise the founder of Hueboxx such a nice woman. 

Goodie bag

I get so excited when I get goodie bags, here’s what was in my goodie bag from the event.

Thanks again Black British Bloggers for organising such an empowering and inspirational event, I can’t wait for the next one. I have posted my Instagram and Snapchat stories from the #BBBSOCIAL event up on my facebook page.

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