ifbc 2010 recap and then some
It took longer than I had anticipated to get this recap posted what with all of my activities in and around Seattle for the past 8 days. Best to get on with it before the next conference, right? I’m super sleepy and I’m trying not to be snarky here, but it’s REALLY hard. Bear with me, please.
After that gorgeous-turned-rainy-muddy backpack in the Cascades, I went from eating instant rice and sleeping in the dirt (and rain, did I mention the rain?) to bougie food and a luxurious bed at the (gloriously waterproof) Hotel Monaco where IFBC kicked off with registration, swag baggery, evening reception, and a great speech by Morgan Spurlock. Also, I met tons of food blog pals like my girl Peabody.
some of the fancy pants food: geoduck ceviche
pistachio crusted rack of lamb (lambipops)
full room while morgan spurlock spoke
I skipped the after-reception party in favor of a fantastic sushi dinner with my buds Allison of Sushi Day, Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy, and Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes at Nijo Sushi just down the hill.
finally looking at the menu after spending 30 minutes gabbing and gossiping!
Being the fuddy duddy that I am, I retired to my room and proceeded to process backpacking photos until 2 am. I got your party girl right here, folks. That wasn’t such a good idea because the IFBC organizers had planned something ridiculous like a 13-hour day at Theo Chocolate which is a 20-minute bus ride from the hotel. Note to conference organizers: please don’t do that anymore.
Just my luck, I was so used to waking up at 6 am, that I got up at… 6 am. I caught one of the buses to Theo Chocolate (the main venue) and felt like my head was about to explode. Or maybe that was Amy Sherman chattering away next to me on the bus?
Breakfast – an assortment of pastries and berries – was really lovely, but a platter of bacon would have brought tears of joy to my eyes. You know what is better than a platter of bacon (I know, few things, but this really is)?
seeing shauna and danny‘s beautiful new book
I’ll be up front with you. I attend these conferences with low expectations. My goal is to get face-to-face time with my friends, meet new people, and observe how organizers put on an event. Most sessions and panels strike me as average to useless and that’s mainly because I’m not interested in making my blog my profession. I’m also not interested in following a prescribed path to success because more and more my definition of success deviates from the general (food blogging) definition of success.
morning session
Just that there wasn’t a later bus I could take to the venue to skip the earlier sessions… but I’m glad I didn’t miss the first session because I find tremendous value in what Dianne Jacob has to say. I may not agree with everything, but I have a great deal of respect for the thorough way in which she thinks and makes her arguments.
The next session on traffic and SEO put me in a somewhat foul and snarky mood. Perhaps I’m that idealistic fool who doesn’t believe in blogging for traffic or money, but for love. Tell you what – I don’t particularly like the bloggers who blog for traffic or money or fame. They aren’t my kind of people.
Writing with All Five Senses was the last session before lunch. There’s teaching and then there’s not teaching… What became apparent was the subtext in the audience: a (hilarious) running commentary on Twitter that had attendees throughout the venue giggling at seemingly random moments if you weren’t following the feed. At the end, the speaker spun around from writing with all five senses to delivering a dire warning “You could die tomorrow, so live your life now.” Bad (and weird) segue.
alas, lunch! (salmon carpaccio)
beef tartare
kevin of closet cooking, andrea, allison
From the majority of bloggers I surveyed, lunch wasn’t quite lunch enough and several people set off for more food during the long break. I am a firm believer in the Nap Session that should follow lunch and so instituted my own by catching a cab with others back to the hotel. Unfortunately, I think I missed one of the best sessions of the day, the one on Law and Ethics of Food Blogging. Note to conference organizers: planning a 13-hour day away from the hotel… what were you thinking?! Also, it would be nice if you could post menus online… food bloggers want to know.
a little shut eye at the hotel
We were back in time for the keynote address by James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur. Heartfelt. Wonderful. He didn’t speak to the Food-Blogger-As-Marketing-Machine, but rather the food blogger as an individual with a love and passion for food – and food bloggers as a collective body of potential influence.
everyone listens attentively
then it was time for dinner
While dinner offered more delectable small plates than lunch, there was still a bit of silliness to the whole business. People shuttled their three, four, or even five plates between the food lines and the tables. My favorite dish: tender beef cheeks with lightly fried stuffed squash blossoms. I can’t tell you more than that because I forgot to steal one of the five menus at the serving stations after dinner ended.
Back at the hotel, Andrea, myself, and my pal John of Food Wishes went for a nightcap. I didn’t know what a nightcap was other than it nominally took place at night. John explained that this is a last drink before you go to sleep. I requested a Shirley Temple to which John replied, “Wow, you’re a cheap date!” At the last minute, I jazzed it up to grapefruit juice with grenadine. Don’t say I wasn’t living on the edge, okay?
actually, the sugar made me hyper
The next day was the best day, by far because there were donuts. DONUTS. I noshed on my donuts (it’s plural because I sampled several varieties, but I swear I only took a quarter of each – except for that cake donut that John refused to cut in half for me and thus I had to eat the whole scrumptious morsel in its entirety) and started my morning listening to my dear friend Shauna (that’s Gluten-free Girl to you!) and the lovely Alex Jamieson discuss specialized diets. I know it sounds boring, but it wasn’t at all. The two had an engaging chemistry and rapport that was sincere and heartfelt. I know people like to tag Shauna as gluten-free, but she is so much more than that – she’s about living life to the fullest.
Dr. Nathan Myhrvold delivered what I thought would be a loooong infomercial shilling his upcoming volumes: Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking. It was fascinating. I love the science already, but these guys put the sex appeal into food science with their high-speed filming. Not to mention, they worked with Harold McGee, my favorite fellow Caltech alum (aside from Jeremy) and highly-regarded food science writer (I love him).
And the absolute best talk of the whole conference was Penny De Los Santos’ session on photography. I’m biased because it was photography and I’m biased because I met Penny earlier in the conference and thought she was a pretty cool cat. Biases aside, it was the best session because she spoke with honesty, passion, and conviction for her art. She got a standing ovation. Word. And with that, it was time for the lunch truck brigade!
shiny and sexay
taco trio (the chicken mole was the bomb!!!)
andrea is handed a wagyu beef slider (noms)
While standing in line for a Wagyu beef slider, I met Molly of Orangette. She is such a lovely woman. I didn’t manage to hit up all of the trucks as I still had that whole donut (happily) sitting in my stomach. What I didn’t sample, I was at least able to photograph Seattle Food Geek stuffing into his pie hole.
with gusto
the stoplight (ketchup, mustard, and eventually pickle relish)
The final session: Pitch to Publish was (in my opinion) woefully overrun by people interested in obtaining access to publishers. I suppose that was the point of the panel, but I’m not especially fond of those aggro-self-promoting blogger types. I’ve generally found this to be true: if you’re an asshole, your blog is an asshole too. The end of the session was essentially the official end of the conference. Tea picked me up for a playdate. We were supposed to go kayaking, but she had an injury, so we went to Delancey instead. Tea is tight with the Delancey crew.
this has been on my list since the day it opened
we were a little early
Delancey is known for a long wait and Molly had warned me that Sunday evening can get quite busy. She suggested we arrive either early or late. Tea had been cuing off the clock on my laptop during the conference, but my laptop is on Mountain Time and so we had 30 minutes to kill when we arrived. Brandon and Brandi were outside prepping fresh ingredients and we chatted with them. Brandon was abuzz with energy and enthusiasm, even while peeling fennel. All of the people I have met in Seattle are happy people. I get a terrific vibe from this town.
summer gem tomatoes
padrón (it’s the brooklyn with padrón chiles)
white pie with fennel
As we were heading out, we ran into Molly and chatted briefly. We were on our way to visit with Ashley but not before Brandon and Molly graciously agreed to let me photograph them (thanks, guys).
they make a great team
and there is plenty of laughter
That evening Tea skillfully navigated the streets of Seattle to deliver me to the ferry in the nick of time. We hugged good-bye and I walked on after all of the cars had boarded. The ferry set off into the fading evening sky and Danny met me on the other side. I spent the next two days with my dear friends on beautiful Vashon Island. It isn’t often I get to follow a 2-year old around with a camera all day long, but that’s what I did. Monday evening, Penny joined us for dinner at Danny’s restaurant (boy, that Danny is one hell of a chef!) and wacky hijinx ensued. Danny and Shauna fed me amazing food during my stay and we shared our stories with each other. There are a lot of parallels between island life and mountain life – which might explain why we seem to cherish a lot of the same things.
tranquility
i love that little face
All in all, it was a great trip for me – visiting with many loved ones and meeting more wonderful individuals. Despite all of my snarking, I have to say that IFBC 2010 was excellent. Sure, I bitch and moan about this detail and that detail, but on the whole the conference organizers did a tremendous job and I was truly impressed with many of the speakers and the local chefs. That, and the fancy porta-potties were surprisingly not stinky! Well done. Very well done, IFBC.
photos from IFBC 2010
photos from Delancey
photos from Vashon Island
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:59 am
Cool roundup! Always great to read people’s impressions of these conferences.
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:12 am
So much deliciousness! They certainly treated you very well. I hope I can be a good enough cook to go there someday. :D Unlikely. But I can always dream…
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:31 am
Awesome! I loved reading about your experience and seeing all the photos. I am dying to go to Delancey! And I could not agree more about those who blog for traffic, money, etc. Just one more reason I love you, Jen.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:09 am
It’s great how you jumped from one extreme to the other…and that donuts are your fancy. Photos are great – the hotel and swing photos in particular.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:28 am
Lovely lovely food and people.
(And yeah, blogging for traffic/money/fame – ehh – I do it for me and to provide information and personal experience for my health community.)
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:36 am
Totally love the “if you’re an asshole, your blog is an asshole too” quote. Great recap of the IFBC, and, as always, your photos are gorgeous. It was wonderful to meet you in person finally. I’ve been been a long-time reader of Use Real Butter, so it was great to put a real person to a URL.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:43 am
This is my first visit to your blog and I want to tell you that I love it. I can tell that you are a real person and your sincerity shines through. I blog for the love of it and I’m always excited to find other people who follow that same mantra.
Rock on!
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:54 am
Great recap, stunning pictures and so well written. It was a pleasure meeting you (briefly) on the weekend :-)
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:57 am
I love the snarkiness because it reflects what so many of us really think when going to the larger conferences. Bravo for putting it out there! I attended the first IFBC last year and was impressed overall by how tailored it was to the interests and needs of the attendees. Sur la Table was a magnificent sponsor and the whole event felt like those putting it on really ‘got’ most food bloggers. Beautiful job with the portraits above- they rival your food photos! I’m so glad you enjoyed Seattle. It is the most beautiful place in August!
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:02 am
Lovely recap of the festivities. It was a wonderful weekend in Seattle and I feel nostalgic just looking at your photographs and reading your stories. We were planning on visiting Delancey but it was just too far from Downtown (we didn’t have a car). It’s my first time in your blog. It’s a lovely one and I can really tell how much you love writing it.
Jun
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:11 am
What an awesome event! I would have loved to be there. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Rosa
September 2nd, 2010 at 8:43 am
I personally love that you don’t write for traffic. It’s part of what draws me to read what you write. I hate the polished proper shit.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:11 am
Love what you have to say. Fun to live conference vicariously through your photos and commentary.
Love, love, love the picture of the little 2 year old!
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:18 am
It was such a pleasure to meet you after being such a fan of your blog. I think we are on the same page with regards to the conference and why we blog. My little group skipped out for some pie at my house – wish you could have joined us! I am so glad you got to spend some time with Shauna and that paradise they have set up on Vashon.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:22 am
Am I supposed to apologize for talking on the bus because you didn’t get enough sleep?
Not at all, Amy. Not at all. -jen
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:22 am
Oh Jen, I’m so glad you had a good time! Post-processing at 2 AM – you crazy girl:) But thanks for your dedication so we could all share in your fab adventure! Can’t wait for BlogHer Food (now that you know what a nightcap is, heehee!)
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:35 am
“if you’re an asshole, your blog is an asshole too.”
well said!
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:38 am
Thank you! I felt like there was a severe lack of snark over some of the arrangements at this conference. Everyone seemed so determined to only say nice things…I totally agree about the SEO session.
I had hoped to meet you but you looked as grumpy as I was and I hated to bother you :)
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:43 am
Came so close to going to IFBC, but didn’t because I’m going to BlogHer in October. So thanks for such a great recap – it’s been fun reading these. Always love your perspective.
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:49 am
Jen – I’m so glad I finally got to meet you and get a hug. And thanks for covering my ass! :-*
September 2nd, 2010 at 9:49 am
this looks amazing and wonderful. feeling envious. this is one event I will not miss next year! thanks for the recap
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:07 am
Beautiful pics, and that’s not always easy to do in those indoor, mob-like gatherings where you’re jockeying for space. Penny is so great. Talented and such a sweet person. I adored working with her in our days at the San Jose Mercury News.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:24 am
“If you are an asshole, your blog is an asshole, too” made me laugh out loud! Trademark Jen.
I like your honesty and your determination to follow your passion, not the almighty buck. I think that’s why you have such loyal readers.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:45 am
I’ve never been to one of these blogger conferences so it was nice to get the play-by-play.
I definitely feel you on the “self promoting blogger” types- there are many who seem to have started their blogs solely for the purpose of thinking they could be a revenue generator; we all see their tweets constantly promoting this-or-that giveaway, “vote for my recipe” on xyz site, etc, and it’s super annoying.
That said… I imagine it’s easy not to care about traffic when you have lots of it already! :) I think most newer/ lesser known bloggers just want a little of the positive reinforcement and validation that traffic brings, and that’s understandable, no? I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little bummed out when traffic lags or when a post that I put a lot into doesn’t get any comments. I don’t have ads on my site so it’s not about that. It’s more about knowing that someone appreciated my efforts.
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
Thank you for such a great recap. It was almost like being there! I really enjoyed your perspective, as always.
September 2nd, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Beautiful pictures ! You seem to have enjoyed your trip, but the impression I get from the conference itself is that you were all overbooked for tiring days, with the occasionnal not-so-interresting activity, while being under fed. Maybe they ran out of time to cram some space to eat enough and properly sometime in that 13 hours day ???
I think the same as Noelle. I’m not looking for fame or anything like that myself. But the reason I do my blog, is that I feel a desire to actually share some kind of knowledge. I like to educate others on food, on delicious recipes, and how to do them. I try to make cooking and food as accessible as I can for people around me. Cause y’know, cooking is sometimes considered a hobby, but we all need to eat at some point, right ? So it’s important to make the right choices.
SO. As Noelle, YES, I am dissapointed when the recipe I posted and that I took sometimes one hour or so to photograph, then perharps another hour or so to write a post with, has absolutely no feedback. There is no point in trying to share if no one reads you. There is no feedback, and therefore, no possibility for me to change anything or improve.
My biggest complain on the foodie scene, are the sites like FoodGawker or Tastespotting. God, how many times have I submitted stuff to them ? Yes they create a huge deal of traffic to a website, from what I understand. But it seems that being a professionnal photographer matters more than being a good food blogger to them. Have a lot of expensive studio stuff, and you’re all set for fame. Personnally, they’ve broken me one too many times.
September 2nd, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Recently I heard about those blogger conferences and I’m quite interested in what they say. I’m assuming it’s more of a “follow the plan” to get paid for it type of thing, that’s what I got from the post at least lol. Nonetheless you look like you had a blast and hopefully you’ll get to rest up soon!
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:02 pm
It seems weird to me that so much of these conferences (none of which I’ve attended) are apparently focused on blogging for money and/or traffic, because I don’t know many bloggers who are interested in that. Although maybe that’s because I don’t enjoy reading those blogs.
I think most of us want our blogs to be GOOD, more than we want them to be popular. And we hope the popoularity comes with the quality. While there’s no formula for what makes a blog good, I think we can all agree that it basically comes down to good writing and good photography. Both of those are hard to teach in a conference session, although sometimes I think the inspiration gained at conferences is more important than knowledge gained.
September 2nd, 2010 at 3:14 pm
If I tell you what a fan I am of YOU and your blog one more time it’ll get weird, so I’ll just say how much I liked the post; a lot. Your photos inspire me and I (being kinda overly sunny sometimes) get great balance in your more blunt, yet fair perspective. Really enjoyed meeting you at the conference, too.
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I totally agree about lunch on Saturday, much too light. And I thought dinner would be a sit down thing on Saturday too. Ah well, dinner was delicious. There were actually menus on the table with the wine glasses, I have one if you want a copy.
I was only at the conference Fri/Sat as a volunteer. How I wish I could have been at lunch on Sunday!
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Thanks for all the great pics and writing. I really enjoyed it. Loved the line that if you are an asshole your blog is an asshole too! Way to go!!!!
September 2nd, 2010 at 5:46 pm
“You could die tomorrow, so live your life now.” Another of those cliche sayings I detest. Shouldn’t everyone being living the best life they can without thinking about dying tomorrow.
I cannot believe how young Molly and Brandon are….or maybe I’m just old!
Great wrap up Jen.
September 2nd, 2010 at 10:26 pm
I was containing my raging jealousy over this adventure until you got to the Molly part. I love Molly and I barely missed meeting her. So yeah- Im jealous.
September 3rd, 2010 at 6:40 am
This may sound lame…but I just love your photography. You inspire me…and I hope to shoot half as well as you do some day. I’ll keep working at it! And your writing is a pleasure to read. Real. Genuine. I like that.
September 3rd, 2010 at 9:49 am
So glad I got to see you, albeit briefly. One thing this conference made me think about (and while the concrete advice can be good, I always appreciate these types of things for the train of thought they set off) is what success means to me. My blog is never going to be my career, unless we somehow come into a lot of money, and even then I doubt it — I have a well-compensated professional career that uses my (extensive) education, and while I love food and I love blogging (most of the time), it’s not going to replace my day job unless things change. So I do blog for love, and for other reasons, which I’m still thinking about, but hitting the “big time” isn’t one of them.
I’m sad I didn’t make it to Delancey, though I did get to chat with Molly, who is lovely. Must be another trip!
September 3rd, 2010 at 10:37 am
This post really hit home for me. I have been thinking a lot lately about why I started food blogging in the first place and how I can continue to blog without losing passion for it. You hit the nail on the head when you pointed out that the blogs that speak to you (and me) are the ones in which you feel a real, personal connection to the blog author. These are people that show passion for food, for family, for friends…for life. Thanks for the timely reminder and honest approach to your writing.
September 3rd, 2010 at 11:00 am
Wish I could have gone to IFBC – stupid graduate school, already getting in the way :P
I’ve been thinking a lot about this sort of thing too. I don’t have the time to bake, photograph and blog things much, let alone visit blogs and comment lately. It shows too – reduced traffic, fewer comments, etc. But then I realized – with my blog, I’ve: met random people in Chapel Hill I never would have met, found running buddies here, gotten a wedding photographer (!!!), and so much more. So I bake but don’t blog as much as I used to, don’t comment as much, and stick to cherishing that community aspect that isn’t driven by traffic and blog comments. Not that it’s an easy mental transition, but it definitely leads to less stress :)
September 3rd, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Nice, thorough recap. I was there too. I’m even in one of your pictures. I don’t believe we met but hopefully next time. My little food posse group also ate at Delancey and have pics with Molly and Brandon.
September 3rd, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Oops, sorry — just noticed that I hit submit comment before putting my URL in.
September 3rd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
What a fbulous recap and beautiful pix! It was a great time.
September 3rd, 2010 at 5:53 pm
lovely recap and great photos, just jealous because our padrón only had about half as many chiles, I am sure Charles can concur. It was a delicious weekend for sure!
September 4th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
I’m with you. The one reason I would love to attend such events, would be to have a chance to meet people such as yourself.
September 5th, 2010 at 10:42 am
Your quote “if you’re an asshole, your blog is an asshole too,” made me think of the many sincere authentic people who are talented writers and photographers but do not receive the attention they may deserve. It is most likely because they simply need a few tips on becoming more blog savvy, but then again it’s not relevant because those people aren’t blogging for traffic. My favorite bloggers are the people who share their triumphs and are honest with their failures, if only to help others in similar experiences.
I haven’t attended any of these conferences, but like many of us I have encountered those assholes here and there who are motivated primarily by having a profitable blog. It’s not hard to discern them, it is a MAJOR TURN OFF and it only gets uglier and more annoying from there. So bugger be gone!
September 6th, 2010 at 7:10 am
[…] Use Real Butter: IFBC Recap and Then Some (Check out her fantastic photos.) […]
September 6th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
[…] Use Real Butter: ifbc 2010 recap and then some […]
September 7th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I suppose I’m mostly preaching to the choir on this. Glad most of you feel as I do about this whole blogging shmlogging stuff :)
Wei-Wei – there is no prerequisite to attend IFBC. Just that you 1) pay and 2) want to go :)
Merry Jennifer – great meeting you too! Wish there was more time at these conferences for folks to hang out together!
Mardi – you too! xo
Jun – darn! You’ll have to go next time you’re in Seattle. It’s SUCH GOOD PIZZA along with everything else.
gfpumpkins – well, I’m definitely not polished nor proper ;)
Dana – I’m super glad we could meet too! I never tied your twitter handle to your face until Sunday lunch! We’ll have to catch up next time, wherever that may be :) xo
Anita – looking forward to seeing you in a month!
Jessamyn – aw sweetie, you should have come up to say hi. I always look that way when I have to tweet via iphone ;) hee hee.
The Italian Dish – hopefully I’ll see you in SF!
Kristina – got your back, lady. You’re too much fun :) So happy we finally got to meet (and hug). xoxo
noëlle – please refer to the next post (here comes the rant again). there is something refreshing about slapping a post up and not having to worry if anyone reads it or not :) i understand that folks want feedback and that’s cool too – i’m just not one of them.
kirsa – refer to my response to noëlle above. in the days of static web pages, i would post trip reports and recipes without ever expecting feedback. they were just there for any random rambler to come across if they wanted the information. so maybe it’s because i started out that way that i’m perfectly fine without feedback (sometimes it’s amusing, sometimes it’s great, sometimes it downright sucks). i have far more readers than commenters. i too am guilty of reading (and sometimes i don’t even have time to read) blogs and not commenting. again, i don’t rely on others for validation, which is incredibly “freeing” :)
stylish1 – actually, they talk about several aspects. they don’t force you into a plan, they merely address what the majority is clamoring for.
Bridget – I think you and I may be in the minority. But who cares? :)
ShowFoodChef – lovely to meet you, hon! I hope you’ll be in SF in Oct!!
Carrie – DOH! Ah well, I have to learn to let go of documenting EVERYTHING, but thanks for the offer (and you’re a smarty for picking one up!). Thanks for volunteering – you guys did a bang up job!!
barbara – YES :) You and I are on the same page there. xo
Andra – I’m sorry!! She is a truly lovely young woman. You’ll have to make a trip to Delancey sometime – it’s WONDERFUL.
John – you’re just too sweet. You’re doing the right thing – keep shooting!! Best way to improve :) xo
Kate – I hear ya. If my blog were my career, I’d jump off a pier. Because that would get boring and of course I wouldn’t have any cool photos of the backcountry to share ;) But really, I love the social aspect (in addition to the OCD aspect). I get to meet so many wonderful people like you! Plus, I get to pick the ones I want to be friends with because if I hate their blog I probably won’t like them either. SCORE.
Cookin Canuck – xo
Caitlin – bummed you weren’t there, but you’ve got more important things going on… like a wedding!?!? :)
Charles – nice!
Y – maybe we should hold one in Sydney next time?!? :)
Christine – most of the time, the blogs I like are written by bloggers I like. Sometimes however, I like a blog purely for the recipes and well… not all of the authors are necessarily people I like, but they definitely provide an excellent resource for information. No one says you have to like the people behind the blogs you read, but I tend toward it anyway.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Hey there Jen,
I’m coming to this post late after all the comments.
Oh my gosh it was fun to relive the whole weekend through your eyes. Your photos are fantastic, so full of energy and depth. And I certainly agree that passion is what keeps us all going. SEO is overrated.
Thank you for the link. I was pleased to meet at IFBC you after years of dipping into this blog and enjoying it.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
I absolutely loved this round-up, no one has given a more honest and thought provoking insight on a conference in a long time. Next time if I go can I pal around with you…lol
All the best!
September 10th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Hey Jen,
Thanks for the great, honest coverage of the wknd. A brand new blogger, I blog bc I love food and want to meet like-minded people, so I was naively shocked when so many people seemed to blog in order to “make it.” To each their own, but I’m glad to read your post and realize that there are indeed others who blog for the same reasons I began.
Too bad we didn’t meet at IFBC- hopefully we’ll cross paths another time!
Mindy
September 17th, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Dianne – I really appreciate your view on things and it helps me to realize some people ARE blogging for a living (or writing for a living – good thing I don’t or I’d starve). I just hope no one is coming into this thinking that a handful of SEO words are going to make them a fortune ;) Thanks for you always challenging and thinking point of view. xo
Heather – sure thing! Just bring doughnuts!! ;)
Mindy – definitely tap my shoulder next time!! xo
June 5th, 2011 at 12:52 am
[…] you haven’t read the write-up by my friend Jen at Use Real Butter, do. Merry-Jennifer’s piece on The Merry Gourmet struck all the same notes I would have […]
April 14th, 2013 at 1:25 am
[…] Use Real Butter: ifbc 2010 recap and then some […]