A Fusion Blogger Panel

Saturday I had the opportunity to do something a little different. I was invited to attend the American Farm Bureau Fusion Conference and participate on a blogger panel. Wow! Honestly it has been a while since my last prepared presentation, but when you get the chance to talk about something you enjoy to an audience that's eager to hear about it, why not?

The other two bloggers on the panel with me were Val Wagner and Katie Pinke. They blog at Wag'n Tales and The Pinke Post.

Katie, Me, and Val

Be honest, be personal, tell your story as it leads you. I think that would sum up much of the advice they had to give. When you gain the trust of your readers then you have made a real connection. Val said that you should always remember the potential of a post to gain steam long after you've written it. Katie shared how she used photos in her posts to bring readers in.

My advice was to never be boring, vary your posts, and to be social. And a good photo never hurts!

@Farmerbright did a blog titled "Fifty Shades of Hay" to hook in an audience, so have fun with your blog #FBFusion pic.twitter.com/xydsZDYOlx
— Kevin Hensley (@KevinHensley) February 14, 2015

 I also got to meet some other great folks there as well. AFBF President Bob Stallman was in the hallway before our panel and spent a few moments talking with my wife and I. Meeting some of my "imaginary friends," as my wife likes to put it, in real life was nice, too.

Of course my highlight was getting to meet Janice in real life.

So excited to finally meet @farmerbright! This is definitely the highlight of #FBFusion! Eat your heart out! pic.twitter.com/Pc5qw3JBQO
— Janice Person (@JPlovesCOTTON) February 14, 2015

She's one of the first people I met on social media and a blogger that I've learned so much from.

A big thanks from me to everyone that came to our breakout panel and to the wonderful AFBF staff that made everything perfect.