IFB recap pt.3: the panels

 from Bobbin Talk on Vimeo

Panel 1: I didn't get to see this panel first hand but did see the videos that Bobbin Talk posted on YouTube. They discussed marketing plans of action and possibly how they can be applied to bloggers. This was a great panel that I wish I was present for because it was one of the most cut and dry panels of the whole conference that shed light on the "business" side of blogging. Will I partake in this whirlwind of fame? Probably not but I do love learning about business strategies and marketing tools so it was all quite informative.

 Photos by Dustin Fenstermacher

Panel 2:To light a bigger entreprenuerial fire the second panel: The Business of Blogging was a little less productive in some areas. I would have liked for them to talk more about their strategies than themselves and their blogs. I know that sounds a little catty but the point of the panel was to discuss way in which to make money by being a blogger. I wrote down a list from the discussion and it is as follows: Blog Ads, sponsors, receive free merch,  and produce profitable premium content. All of these options are fantastic but as a starting blogger it would be hard to manage even half of this list. They did drive home the importance of creating a relationship with everyone you deal with which includes publishers, designers, and PR persons. Overall the panel was helpful especially when they discussed getting taken advantage of and how to avoid such measures.

Photos by Dustin Fenstermacher

Panel 3: Oh, the infamous Blog Ethics Panel. I wanted to gush about this panel because of what was discussed and a slightly out of line blogger who asked a question. But I will hold off and let you watch the footage for yourself to see the latter. I was most excited to see Diane Pernet and Imram Ahmed speak. It was well worth it to hear Ahmed because he has had a blog for a while and tracks the goings on in the fashion industry like a hawk. I, as a history student, admire his veracity and he made very good points. This was the big questions: 1)Is it ethical for a blogger to accept free items from a company? 2)Does that hinder how your voice is heard? 3) How does this discussion differ from fashion editors and magazine staffers?

Firstly I think it does hinder the voice of the blogger if he or she is only posting what was given to him or her. I have dropped bloggers from my reader for that reason alone. It cheapens their writing and it becomes difficult to trust their opinion. The third question ties in, most people read blogs because they do not trust the concrete opinion of fashion editors. I believe you can receive a product and not be swayed by "free stuff". Hell, since starting this blog, I have received little free items and that is okay. I love blogging about the things that I love and I will not budge from my beliefs. Wendy Brandes, a blogger and the moderator, made a good point by later lamenting that there wasn't a fashion editor on the panel to defend fashion magazines. The fashion magazines did get bashed a bit on the panel but I think it was a type of conversation that never happened and everyone was getting their opinions on the floor. Overall I this was my favorite panel in the conference because there was a constructive conversation that involved the majority of the panelists.

EDIT: Jessica from What I Wore, a panelist at the conference, recently posted a conversation she had with the FTC. Read it here.

Photos by Dustin Fenstermacher

Panel 4: Was what I like to call "the fun panel". Some of the most respected bloggers on the internet were on stage in front of me and all I could do was smile. I smiled through the whole panel because usually these people don't get out. Tavi lives in the suburbs and has a regular life outside of blogging. I have been reading Susie Bubble Since her second month of posting. Bryan Boy I have been reading for even longer. The girls from Fashionista fit in there somewhere but I am not sure how. They are good at what they do but there are several other blogs that do the same thing so I thought that their presence on the panel was ill fitted. Not to say they are "bad" bloggers but perhaps they could run a panel about fashion blogging as journalism. Now for the basics. Tavi and Susie discussed the media's love of drama and that there really isn't this overarching tension between fashion bloggers and fashion editors. While Bryan Boy talked about how being a blogger is literally sitting on the computer all day. And lest we not forget Phil Oh, who represented the street-style bloggers who talked about the very different dynamic that is present between a street-style photographer/blogger and a fashion blogger. All in all it was a fun panel with a star studded audience that left some sitting in the aisles.

IN CONCLUSION, I was proud of Jennine and the staff for putting it all together and allowing everyone to be together in a nurturing environment. I think most thanks needs to go to Jenine who managed to make the conference donation only. I was very privileged to see and hear some of my inspirations speak. I was equally privileged to talk to many established bloggers and those that were making the fashion blogging world tick. It was a wonderful experience and with word it might happen in New York next season I am stoked! (to say the least)

Previously....

Pt. 1: nerves video

Pt. 2: the round-up

Coming next...the last recap post featuring the videos from the conference.

Life is beautiful, let's share a little.

Joy D.