02 Feb Out of Body Experience

If you have a hankering to learn, the greatest secret these days is MeetUp.com. It’s a website that brings people together by their interests . . . and by zip codes. For instance, tonight I attended a MeetUp on blogging. Over 50 people showed up, all ready to learn and share experiences about their lives as bloggers.

We met across town at Manuel’s Tavern, one of Atlanta’s oldest and most famous neighborhood bars. Being my first time to attend one of this group’s events, I was very pleased to see that over half the crowd were baby boomers. You know, 50-plusers. I fit right in.

It was great. John Saddington, a young 30s-something Asian man who blogs under TentBlogger, gave us tips on how to plan content, how to build audiences and how to make our blogs profitable. His free 30-45 minute presentation was half pep rally, half come-to-Jesus. “Outline while taking your shower, then hop out and write!” he proclaimed. Don’t get hung up in spelling and grammar. “Just produce content. Let it just flow!” For one who struggled as a child of an English teacher, that was music to my ears.

Like so many of us in the crowd, he admitted to having little confidence in his writing. ‘But the more we do it, the better we get at it!’ he preached. YES! come on down. By this time I was so pumped I could hardly sit in my chair. I was so filled with excitement about my newfound knowledge that I was ready to give up everything and be baptized as a full-time blogger.

Then he opened the floor to questions. They came from everywhere. Experienced bloggers and beginners alike asked questions in this very safe environment. No question was dumb. After presenting a dilemma I face in my blogging, a gentleman from the back came up and selflessly presented a clue that could catapult my traffic. Bloggers love helping each other.

I’m indulging myself in this second half of my life, learning all I can possibly fit in this old brain. MeetUps are a great resource. Go there. First type in your zip code then a subject you’re interested in learning. Then go. Like for me, it could be a real fun out of body experience!