Ask Me Anything: Starting a local blogging group

Hey everyone! I hope your week is going well! Time is flying with Josh’s parents here. We are doing so many fun things in Omaha and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. In the meantime I’m back with another edition of Ask Me Anything.

You and Josh seem to have a great relationship and to truly be in love. I’m a newlywed as well, and although my husband is the perfect man for me, all relationships and marriages have their ups and downs! What I want to ask you is: what do you find is the most challenging part of being married? What do you feel is the best part?

First off, thank you! I by no means feel like a marriage expert after one year but I do feel like Josh and I have an amazing marriage. It’s the thing I’m most thankful for in life. He’s an incredible guy, and a good personality match for me which I think is very important. He is also just so easy to love. The best part of being married for me is always getting to hang out with my best friend. The inside jokes, the new experiences, the constant companionship. We’re so close he honestly feels like an extension of myself. The hardest part of being married is when we disagree, or I feel disappointed or let down. Fighting sucks and I absolutely hate doing it, but I think it is normal in a relationship. Unlike disagreements with friends or family members, fighting with Josh hurts me on a deeper level because it feels like I’m not being understood by a part of myself. I’m not sure if that makes any sense, but that’s the best and most challenging parts of being married for me.

Love this! I think you already know my question about starting a local blogging community!

I’ve been getting questions for a while now about how to start a local blogging group. When I moved to Omaha I started Omaha Bloggers. What started as 11 women at a restaurant meeting for the first time is a year later over 100 men and women with a Facebook group and a website. I’ve been putting off writing this post because I feel like there’s so much to write, but at the same time there’s really not. Starting a group went really easily in my case. Here’s what I did:

• Google to see if there’s already a bloggers group in your area. If there is, no use re-inventing the wheel. Just join theirs! (In my case there wasn’t an active Omaha blogging group.)
• Google to find out what bloggers are in your area. I was searching “Omaha Bloggers”, “Nebraska Bloggers”, and “Midwest Bloggers.” There was a board on Pinterest with Omaha Bloggers that I stalked the crap out of. Follow them on social media and leave thoughtful comments on all their blogs making sure to link to your blog so they know you’re not a creeper.
• After you have a good amount of contacts email them to introduce yourself. Explain why you’re starting a blogging group and what you would like it to do. Have a date and mind in place for a first meeting in town and invite them to it.
• On the day of the event have nametags and a sheet where everyone puts their contact information. Have everyone introduce themselves and spend time getting to know each other. It’s the relationships that keep a good group going.
• Find out the strengths of the group and work to get everyone involved in some way. A group of people are way more talented than an individual.
• Create an organized place where people can gather online. For us it was a Facebook group. It’s where we plan new meetings, share blog posts, work on collaborations, answer blogging questions, and clue each other in to blogging opportunities in the area.
• Publicize your group so more people can find out about it! Jeff created a website for us where we can display information about ourselves, companies we’ve worked with in the past, and accept applications from new members. In our case to be in Omaha Bloggers you must have an active blog and live in the Omaha area. We also created a hashtag (#blogomaha) for all users to use when attending an Omaha event or group meeting.
• Decide how you want the group to grow and the culture you want to cultivate in the group. I wanted the group to be very laid back and for any member to feel like they have the power to take initiative and do something in the group. I also wanted the group to be very friendly and supportive. I’ve heard horror stories about cutthroat blogging communities that help and serve no one. I wanted our group to be a place for veteran and newbie bloggers to come together and network, learn, and grow. I also wanted to make sure our group did not turn into a spammy one. We have a weekly link love where members are encouraged to share links, but individual blog post sharing outside of that (except really big, important posts) is not allowed. There are no invitations to nail wrap parties or purse parties. There is, however, promotion of books they’ve written and updates on when they’ll be featured on TV and in the newspaper. We love to support one another but we respect each other so we don’t spam each other.
• If you’re in Omaha and are not already a part of Omaha Bloggers, I encourage you to join. The members are amazing and constantly blow me away. I’ve met some great friends through the group and learned a lot.

Questions of the Day: Are you involved in a local blogging group? What is the hardest part and easiest part of being married (or dating!) for you?