WIN15 was a Sunday well spent  ; it was also a place where I met up with an old friend, caught with the enthusiastic Blogadda team that is always there for us bloggers, made a new friend and  enjoyed a day of sumptuous feasting and learnt a lot! There was simply a lot of food for thought – so much that it has taken me almost a week for these ideas to be digested and sink in!

I was simply gobsmacked by Sid Kannan’s spectacular entry on a bicycle and I realised that Indian audiences are no longer shy and self conscious, sitting stiffly in their chairs clapping politely but are interactive and bold and willing to stand on a wobbly chair on wobblier heels and give a bold answer, facing an unknown audience.

Imagination to Impact

 

Be the Hero in your Own Story  was Lakshmi Pratury’s advice on how to weave a good yarn. All of us have stories, she said and reminded us of our sub-continental heritage where we were all reared on folk lore and folk tales that began with once there was a ………

• Great ideas come from different things that often have nothing to do with what you are doing.
• Each one of us has a unique perspective and a unique way of thinking and in this
• eWorld, we should approach writing with energy, effervescence, excitement and vision. This last aspect was most important because only when you have a GOAL can you work towards it.

What makes a good yarn? According to Lakshmi it is the ability to be humble while telling a story and the message of hope that it carries.

Citizen Journalism

After the impactful keynote address, REZWAN ISLAM a prominent Bangladeshi blogger was a bit of a downer. But what I learnt from him is that there are millions of bloggers out there who are making an impact in the world with a new kind of citizen journalism  like  the ones you find in GLOBAL VOICES. Blogging is not merely a hobby but can also be meaningful.

Be a Blogger NOT a Plodder

Citing the example of Brandon  whose Humans of New York  has captured the imagination of millions world wide., Shruthijith KK of the Huffington Post reiterated that bloggers can become citizen journalists who are impactful. What is important is to know that more and more people are shifting to MOBILES and social media has facilitated effective sharing and is a good way to grow audiences.

• Video is a great way to grab attention
• You don’t have to travel far for a story
• Pay attention to headlines
• Social media is essential to promote a blog

Travel, travel ,travel

Ajay Jain’s bubbling effervescence demonstrated how kunzum.com that started out as a small travel blog became a huge enterprise, one that allowed this engineer to follow his passion and make a living.

• Travel is everything we do
• Only when you travel do you find out what life is about

And for all of us who don’t find the time to travel , he reminds us that INDIA has the most holidays on the PLANET ( and he should know because he has seen most of it!)

All behaviour is Digital

In today’s world, behaviour has become digital according to Prashanth Challapalli . His advice was

• Build loyalty for content
• focus on online behaviour – care what the audience cares about
• pick one platform and be an expert at that i.e. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Blog

Real Brands have Clout with a “C”

says Ashok Lalla and he advises bloggers to

• think like Brand owners
• be upfront and honest.

The last word

Just before we broke up for lunch, Harini Calamur’s highly entertaining PowerPointPresentation reminded us how blogging has changed from a hobby to value added information . Her advice to bloggers

• Bring a fresh perspective
• Entertain your readers
• Be passionate about your blog
• Be transparent
• Keep learning and write like yourself
• NEVER FORGET YOUR AUDIENCE

 

Now isn’t that a lot to learn on one day?