12 ways to write a conference blog post

8

I realized as I was reading blog posts from the SAS Global Forum conference in Seattle earlier this month, that there was a lesson to share about all the different types of posts I was seeing.

If you're like most conference attendees, you're thinking, "Who has time to blog while attending a conference?" You have to attend presentations, catch up with colleagues, network to make new connections and maybe even present yourself. There's never enough time to see and do everything you want to in the first place. Add writing a blog post to the list? Forget it.

But if you come back from business conferences with too many ideas and concepts swimming around in your head to process, blogging can help. You could use Leo Sadovy's method for summarizing conference ideas in one chart after you've returned. But during the conference? In a recent post, David Murray discourages random social media meanderings during conferences, which are designed to offer "respite from the random."

I find that blogging helps me focus and process my thoughts throughout the conference. If I write about what I'm seeing and experiencing, I can make better use of the information later and share it with colleagues. If you'd like to try blogging from your next business conference, but you're not sure what to write or how to post, consider one or more of the ideas below. Follow the links for examples. There's something here for everyone to try, regardless of how you process information.

12 ideas for writing conference blog posts:

  1. Write a summary of your overall conference impressions.
  2. Live-blog or polish up your notes from a single conference presentation.
  3. Post a video.Or two.
  4. Write a three-tips post based on the answers provided to a single question by a panel of three.
  5. Recap conference coverage from other bloggers.
  6. Report on activities that are drawing crowds.
  7. Write about something new and innovative.
  8. Use internal resources to find quotes and inspiration for a post.
  9. Discuss your personal learnings and reflections from the conference.
  10. Talk about Twitter.
  11. Remember conference history.
  12. Write a to-do list.

I know there were so many more. Please feel free to add your own in the comments.

Share

About Author

Alison Bolen

Editor of Blogs and Social Content

Alison Bolen is an editor at SAS, where she writes and edits content about analytics and emerging topics. Since starting at SAS in 1999, Alison has edited print publications, Web sites, e-newsletters, customer success stories and blogs. She has a bachelor’s degree in magazine journalism from Ohio University and a master’s degree in technical writing from North Carolina State University.

8 Comments

  1. Allison,
    Bravo. I think one of the key elements of learning is incorporating all of the ways in which we learn. Listening, writing and seeing all at once.
    There is something to be said about hearing something and then writing it out. repetition is one of the best teachers.
    Thanks again for the stellar Post.
    Josh Boxer
    -Cumming, Georgia. USA

  2. All 12 of your ideas are great, but rather than having to focus and write a blog post during the conference, why not take a small digital recorder with you, and record your ideas verbally, as you think about them, and write it in a text that afternoon at the hotel or home?

  3. Pingback: The corporate blogger’s golden rule: be useful - Customer Analytics

  4. Incredibly useful. I love 4, 7, 9, and 12. I actually printed this out and took it to a nutrition conference I attended. As a result, I came up with a fantastic post on 5 surprising ways to boost heart health, all from different speakers at the conference. (Using #4). Thanks for the great info!

  5. All of 12 ideas is great, but my favorite is 3,7, and 9.I think you have done a great blog.I just printed it for my future help.The idea of this blog is perfect.you just carry on to writing a quality blog.

Leave A Reply

Back to Top