Whew! I’m back in D.C.! Yesterday at FitBloggin’ was awesome — very informative and fun.
The day started with a New Balance sponsored 5k run.
Those of us that signed up for the run actually got free running shoes, socks, and shorts! This conference had some seriously great swag.
I tested out the socks on the run and I was a huge fan 
Loved that they were “L” and “R”!
It was such a beautiful morning for a run.
Our hotel was in the inner harbor so the run took us all along the water. Gorgeous! Loved all the boats.
I’m happy to say I was in the lead the whole time during the run! We were keeping a great pace (below an 8 minute mile) and it was really fun to chat with the others in front — in particular, it was great to meet Nicole! We had lots to talk about since she’s living in Germany right now and I lived in Prague last year
After the run, it was time for a Quaker-sponsored breakfast — oatmeal, of course!
Delish
And then, I attended the following sessions:
- Blogs, Accessibility, and SEO
- Getting Noticed: How to Pitch to Traditional Media
- Beyond the Blog: Getting Published
- Making Money From Your Blog: Should You? Could You? How?
All the sessions were interesting, but I think the one about SEO was the most helpful.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and is the process of making a site and its content relevant for both search engines and searchers. Here were my take-aways:
- Make sure your post and page titles include keywords
- Download the “All in One SEO Pack” plugin from WordPress
- For images, try to include keywords in the picture titles and alt attributes
- Spend 80% of your time on content development, and 20% on SEO
The session about making money from your blog was really interesting, too. My thoughts on making money through blogging are that while it’s a nice added benefit, it shouldn’t be the main reason you’re blogging.
It was a beautiful day out, which made staying inside really hard! During the lunch break, some of us headed out for a little walk.
And then after the sessions a bunch of us decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather by hanging out at McCormick & Schmick’s on the waterfront! Our mission: FIND CRAB CAKES!!
Eating with other bloggers is always hilarious:
Ali, Katy, and I decided to share a bunch of appetizers between the three of us. Best idea ever.
We had 2 orders of the crab cakes, which were just as amazing as we’d hoped
An order of their sweet potato casserole, which was divine.
And one of their Crab, Avocado, and Mango Towers. SO GOOD!
We also enjoyed some of their awesome, warm, crusty bread. Mmm…
After dinner, a bunch of us headed out and tore up the town There was lots of dancing involved. It was SUCH a blast!
I can’t believe how quickly the weekend went by! I’m so glad I decided to attend the conference. Honestly, while the sessions were really interesting, I think my biggest take away of the weekend is: The blogging community is amazing. Miss you girls already! It was really sad to say goodbye to everyone 
Enjoy the rest of your weekend — I’m heading out for a run! I was supposed to do a 10 miler this weekend, but that’s definitely not going to happen… I’m thinking 6 or so will be just fine This will be the first time I’ve been able to run on my favorite trail without stupid snow or ice since the fall!! I can’t wait
It was great chatting with you too!! Hopefully, we will get together for another run in the future! We had fun, didn’t we?!
What a great weekend! I would be sad-puppy-faced too if I got to meet so many fabulous bloggers. I live outside DC so it would have been close….BUT I’m at school
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I also agree with you–there are far easier ways to make money than blogging! It shows through when someone is blogging for money vs. blogging for love. Thanks for the tidbits from the sessions.
Looks like a fun time! I love the socks, I would love to get the L and R.
Wow looks like you guys had a blast!! And definitely some great swag!
Wow that all looks so fun! I can’t believe you got free shoes! How cool!!!
Sounds like an awesome gathering. And well done on the run! Hope you log some good miles today, too!
i am now going to visit baltimore based on your photos alone. SO GORGEOUS!!! i’m glad you guys had such a great time…definitely makes me want to go next year!
I loved all you guys’ tweets about SEO. I definitely need to get on that!
Looks like you all had so much fun! I totally want to go next year! P.S. There is nothing like a crab cake from Baltimore, is there?
I just love you!!! Thanks for introducing me to my new favorite drink and dancing with me to Blah Blah Blah
I’m thinking a trip to D.C. is in order, don’t you? xoxo
Glad I got to meet you (in the bathroom, lol)
Damn you guys got awesome swag!! Love it! The weather this weekend was phenomenal! I was in DC (wishing I went to Balt instead!). Glad you had fun!
Way to go on leading the race! What an awesome weekend, I am so going next year. As a new blogger, I already love the community since we all have so much in common and similar goals. Thanks for sharing your stories!
Looks likes an absolute blast! I would love to hear what you think of the New Balance shoes. I currently have Asics 2140s but I’m considering changing to Asics or Mizunos. Maybe. Kind of daunting!
The first pic is way cute of you. I’m jealous of your awesome swag. I already saw the crab mango avo food porn on Katy’s post, but YUM!
I miss you ladies already! Let’s go back…
Looks like such a blast! I wish I would’ve gone!
Glad you had fun! Those are pretty pictures of the harbor.
Hey Anne – still love keeping up with your blog. Just read this one and noticed you were interested in amping up your SEO efforts for your blog site. Just so happens to be the I do interactive marketing for a living and know lots of SEO. I have a book (in PDF format) that is SUPER helpful for implementing SEP best practices. If you let me know where to send it to, I’ll be happy to share.
Thanks for posting!