This weekend at the Arkansas Women Bloggers Unplugged blog conference in Mountain View, Arkansas, 70 women sat in auditorium chairs with orange tweed upholstery and listened attentively to energetic speakers share what they love.

• We heard Lela talk about how much she hates veterinarians (not really, y’all)
• Julie Kohl passionately demonstrated active voice writing vs. passive voice writing (man, I gotta work on that)
• Lyndi Fultz facilitated one heck of a useful tech/food panel (with yours truly as a panelist)
• Kyran Pitman, Beth Stephens and Angie Albright captivated us with their story-telling insight.
• Jenny Marrs taught us about things like ISO, F stop and aperture. She shared her knowledge generously, yet I still don’t know.

To me one of the most powerful pieces of this beautiful weekend was when Lela Davidson boldly shared some very real advice about blogging. She didn’t say what you are supposed to say, and I want to share some of her wisdom with you.

Lela Davidson – Who are you online & Why do you blog

Use your filter – you do not have to be raw. Do not feel like a fraud just because you aren’t exactly like your online persona in real life

Figure out who you are and OWN. iT.

BONUS: How Lela spends her time.

• Schedules 1/2 hour every week to set goals
• Prioritizes her time based on her goals (Freelance work, Intellectual properties such as her books and e-book)

I know I can’t do Lela’s talk justice without the context of her anecdotes, but trust me… she inspired!

The other cool thing about a blog conference is discovering new blogs.

My New Arkansas Blog Crushes

{Click each image to go to each blog}

The Park Wife

Stephanie Buckley is one of those people that is just easy to be around. I can’t wait to see her again. If only she didn’t live on a state park three hours away.

 

Desperately Seeking Gina

Gina Knuppenberg is the one who got engaged at the Arkansas blog conference. She’s a sweet, caring woman, and I’m honored that I got to witness her very special moment.

Ramblings of a Little Housewife

Brittany Little is one of those people I felt instantly comfortable talking to.

Approaching Joy

Paige learned code so she could design her own blog! She makes me proud to be a blogger. She also makes me a little embarrassed at how long it has taken me to learn some of the things she’s figured out seemingly overnight.

This Beautiful Inheritance

Kelcie is sweet, honest, true spirit. I found myself seeking her out.

 

Oh By Golly

Jacklyn is silly, beautiful fun. She’s the gorgeous girl next door… someone you are magnetized to, but have no real understanding why. She posts adorable “how tos” that are gorgeous to look at even if you have no intention of doing them yourself. Her “Jot it down” t-shirt tutorial is my current favorite.

 

The Little MagPie

Beth Stephens knows how to keep everybody engaging with one another in a natural way. She has a gift for connecting and encouraging people. I love that about her.

http://littlemagpie.org/2012/08/27/you-came-you-saw-you-conquered-awbu/

Whitney Loibner

Whitney and I have the same taste in clothes, but she’s bold enough to wear hats. I want all of her clothes and then I want her to take pictures of me wearing them. What? That’s not weird. She’s a brilliant photographer with great taste. Please don’t call the cops.

The Dramatic

Sarabeth Jones and I are soul mates. She doesn’t know it yet, but we are destined to be besties for life.

Planting Dandelions

Kyran Pittman is the author of the magical book “Planting Dandelions” and the blog of the same name. Read one post and you will be hooked on her witty, yet not snarky, honest look at life as life happens. She makes me feel confident from my soul out.

That’s enough for today. There are more. But check these bloggers out for now.

I love Arkansas, I love her bloggers and I love technology. These women tend to speak my language and I hope they speak to you.