The Las Vegas Bloggers meetup group is where people can go to meet other Las Vegas bloggers and discuss blogging, internet marketing, social media, tips and techniques, ethical practices, SEO, writing and more.
The group welcomes bloggers of all levels and blogs of all topics. The group’s meetings are informal and cover different topics. In addition, the group occasionally hosts guest speakers, workshops, and open Q&A format meetings.
This meetup group was started by a local blogger and radio personality, Desiree Peeples in June 2012.
“She did an amazing job of building the group, and I’ve been attending since the group’s inception, sometimes as a speaker,” said current co-organizer Scott Roeben of Fremont Street Experience and VitalVegas.com. “From the beginning, the meetup has served to help educate and inspire bloggers in Las Vegas of varying skill levels. Blogging is booming, and we have a great mix of bloggers who are pursuing blogging personally or professionally and sometimes both. It’s a great place to get started, and also a wonderful place to network with others who have a common interest.”
Alongside Roeben, Andrew DiMino organizes the Las Vegas Bloggers group.
“Andrew DiMino is an accomplished blogger and expert in e-commerce, perhaps best known for his worldwide brand, Carb Smart,” explained Roeben.
Roeben says the format of the meetup’s get-togethers tend to be presentation-based, but informal so attendees can ask questions and others in the group can provide their insights.
“That collaborative format means we can present what value we can, but the information isn’t limited to just what we know,” he said. “It’s a true community of people working together to help each other reach their goals in writing, photography, storytelling and growing their businesses with content marketing.”
“Our basic strategy lately is to have a balanced mix of creative and commerce in our topics. We expect to alternate each month between creative inspiration and ideas for generating revenue,” he added. “That mix seems to work for us, and gives us a format where Andrew’s business yin can balance my creative yang.”
Check out the Las Vegas Blogger’s upcoming meetup topics to get an idea of the kinds of things they discuss in this group:
- The meetup July 2015 get-together was focused on success stories with a theme of “Share Your Blogging Success Stories.“
- On Tuesday, August 11, 2015, attendees will learn about how a blog can help with book sales with a theme of “Using Your Blog to Sell Your Books and eBooks.“
- On Tuesday, September 8, 2015 the discussion will be centered around photography at “How to Take the Best Photos for Your Blog – Even with a SmartPhone!“
- The Tuesday, October 13, 2015 meetup will help bloggers go to the next level and start to monetize their work. The discussion will be around the theme “Basic Monetization Techniques for Your Blog.“
The organizing duo says they see a wide range of people who come to the meetup. They will meet people who know little about blogs and don’t have one yet, to people who are professional bloggers and marketers with extensive experience.
“Everyone seems to find something of value,” explained Roeben. “I particularly like that people with different specialties tend to come, such as people who know WordPress or photography or design, and they impart their knowledge generously so we can all elevate what we’re doing. Quite a few people are just getting started in the blogging realm, so we make sure to keep things accessible for beginners. Several people have launched new blogs after attending our meetings, so that’s obviously gratifying.”
The Las Vegas Bloggers meetup takes place the second Tuesday of each month at The Innevation Center. All meetup information can be found online here.
“The Innevation Center is a wonderful space,” said Roeben. “Andrew does all the hard work in our group, and has found them easy to work with. The space is also free, which is a definite benefit.”
The #VegasTech community can help Las Vegas Bloggers grow by getting the word out about the group to those in the community who might be interested in learning more about blogging, as well as those who want to share their experience and expertise.
“We’re always exploring opportunities for guest speakers, so we’d love to hear from anyone in the community who is willing to speak or do a presentation,” said Roeben. “It takes the pressure off us to be interesting, which we love! We have plenty of room to grow the group, and the more the merrier. Every time someone new attends, the group is enriched.”