It is a truth universally accepted that if you offer refreshments at an event then that's all people will comment on. Presumably if there are no refreshments they will comment on the temperature of the venue or the toilets.
Having got the food bits of Cybher out of my system yesterday, it's time to address the rest of the conference. So what was it like?
The best bits – smiley face
The session on portrait photography run by Mario was absolutely brilliant. His delivery was fantastic; informal, enthusiastic, and practical. I now understand what the grid on photo editing software is all about, know how to tackle large things in the background, and am Lord of the Light. Do have a look at Mario's blog Someone once told me – it's brilliant.
The session on Podcasting run by Sparrow and Rice of the High Tea Cast was totally worth it. I'd only vaguely thought about podcasting prior to going to this session but left filled with thoughts about what I could podcast about. They made it sound easy, did a demo which showed that it was indeed easy and gave convincing arguments as to why it's worth doing (and no, it won't make you rich). Clear instructions to take away were a nice touch.
Meeting other bloggers had to be one of the most brilliant things about Cybher. It's always nice to be able to put a face (and sometimes a real name) to a Twitter handle. It's great to find out what other people blog about and what concerns they have. It's good to be able to encourage those just starting to blog (publish and be damned!). Finally I love discovering new blogs (My Feedly is going to be packed).
Learning to Crochet with Lara and Nina at the Mollie Makes. I've never done crochet but do like to try new things. I had a bit of a shaky start and then I was away (it was kind of like unpicking a jumper in reverse). Tea, craft and a good natter meant the time passed much too quickly.
Tea was available all day (see you just can't get away from the refreshments). And it was it brewed, rather than of the tea-bag-in-a-mug variety.
Show sponsors weren't pushy (although I did get the impression some think bloggers are obsessed with cupcakes). It was nice to be able to go and chat to them if you were interested in what they had to offer. Naturally I found myself drawn to the green of the Collective Bias stand, and encouraged them all to learn to crochet.
The toilets were ample. Just thought I'd mention it as I was concerned that at a conference for women I might spend all day queuing.
Sad face bits
Leather conference bag – I know vegans are a minority but a leather bag making up part of the ticket price makes me uncomfortable about booking again. Maybe Fat Gay Vegan will organise a vegan bloggers conference?
The storytelling session – I thought this lacked the focus of some of the other talks but the previous session had overrun so maybe that impacted?
Session names were sometimes a bit misleading and so the full programme needed careful studying to ensure that you were getting what you thought you were. Time for a more what-it-says-on-the-tin approach?
And now?
It's time to go through my notes and collection of business cards and put them to use.
Wishing you green ink and good food,
Annastasia
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