Today we dive head first into blogging conference GOLD! Petina brings us some of her favourite session from the first day of Alt Summit and the key points from those presentations. With big blogging names like Erin Loechner (Design for Mankind), Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan (Apartment Therapy) and Victoria Smith (SFgirlbyBay), you know their advice is solid gold. -Jenny x

Macs ready and learning faces on! - Image by Justin Hackworth from alt summit flickr

Hey all, today was a big day - day one of the conference! Every hour you could select a different panel to attend, and there were so many good ones to pick from. I'll be sharing a few dot points from my favourite sessions of the day.

Successful Collaborations Panel - Image by Justine Hackworth from alt summit flickr

Successful Collaborations Panel

Panelists - Bri Emory of Design Love Fest, Danielle Krysa of The Jealous Curator, Joslyn Taylor of Simply Lovely, Victoria Smith of SFGirlbyBay

Think about your skills set. What do you lack and what can you bring to the table in a collaboration?

Navigating conflict. Set boundaries with collaborations from the very beginning. Work through differences gracefully.

Make sure you pull your own weight.

Build your own community at home. Some of the best collaborations are unexpected and offline. Consider hosting pop-up shops and gallery openings.

The Relationship Between Traditional & New Media Panel, Free gift from Cargoh and lunch!  Images by Brooke Ashley Dennis, Justin Hackworth and Moss + Isaac from alt summit flicker here, here and here

Our lunch was sponsored by Cargoh and included a keynote session about ‘The Relationship Between Traditional & New Media’. The speakers were Pilar Guzman, Editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living, Deborah Needleman Editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal Magazine and Apartment Therapy’s Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan.

Building Relationships with ad networks and sponsors panel -  Image by Justin Hackworth from alt summit flickr

Building Relationships with ad networks and sponsors panel

Panelists - Erin Loechner of Design for Mankind, Danielle Wiley of Sway Group, Meg Keene of A Practical Wedding, Sarah Stringfellow of Say Media

Know your brand and your value. Know your CPM - cost per impression.

Pitch it. Pitch it good. The more outlandish the better. Talk about why you love their brand. Define mutual objectives. Be upfront about what makes your blog special and why you’re the perfect fit.

Don’t be a travel brochure for someone else’s city. Don’t take on sponsors that you aren’t enthusiastic about. Your readers will be able to tell. Instead find brands that complement your blog content.

Your stomach should hurt when you ask for money.

Winter Wonderland Party - Image by Justin Hackworth from alt summit flickr

“Diner en Blanc" Winter Wonderland Party

Tonight, Alt Summit took inspiration from the French and put on a “Diner en Blanc”. Everyone put on some white attire and got ready for a cold, winter’s night. A perfect end to the day.

What I wore and some other snaps from the party.  Images from Made by Sodapop and Moss + Isaac from alt summit flickr here, here and here

Image by Brooke Ashley Dennis from alt summit flickr

Stay tuned for tomorrow where I will give highlights from the roundtable discussions, more panels and the inspirational speech given by Ben Silberman, founder of Pinterest.

- Petina x

Night-time outside - Image by Brooke Ashley Dennis from alt summit flickr