So Fresh, So Clean Clean

C’mon…the song‘s in your head now, right?

Well, put your Big Boi aside (THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID — I had to do it, and you’ll see why in a few moments), because in this case, the post title refers to the Social Fresh social media conference that I was lucky enough to dish out a lot of money for attend.

Yeah, I iPhoned it up. Sorry for the less-than-stellar pictures that follow. And this backwards Photobooth shot, which proves that I must have been excited, since I snapped this at 7:30am. In Tampa. I live in Orlando. 2 hours away. And I drove in.

Social Fresh, or #sofresh, as I live Tweeted, was a day-long event in which big brains got together to talk about social networking, blogging, new media and more. It really was a blast, and I’m hoping maybe I’ll get to speak at one of these some day (hear me, @jakrose?)

I hung out with some very cool people, did a lot of talking, a lot of listening, and a lot of networking, courtesy of THESE:

You may remember them from previous conferences, including the Healthy Living Summit. They’re sort of my good luck charm, and they paid off because after I tweeted this picture, people recognized me — or my feet — all day!

And since I kept them on for hours, I should have taken advantage of this offer in the lobby:

But sadly, I did not. I did enjoy a boxed lunch (sorry, social media types — I am a food blogger, so this is pretty much a requisite):

AND had a celebrity run-in! I was sitting in a panel discussion when Jaden from Steamy Kitchen sat next to me! Like a fangirl, I grabbed my phone and pretty much terrified her into this picture:

Before a more professional shot, taken by a guy (obvi, because no girl would let me have a big piece of hair hanging in my face!):

The conference was a lot of fun, in part because of a running dare I had going with some of the speakers and other attendees. I thought I had won the dare when I was the first person to use “That’s What She Said” during a question. But Chris, the social media guru for General Motors, was a panelist, and used this cheat sheet to ensure he would win:

OK. time to get serious for a brief moment. I learned a lot at #sofresh that is valuable in my work at Growing Bolder, and as a healthy living blogger:

• You get what you give. (Wow, Outkast and New Radicals in one post? What is it, 1999?) Work hard every day, be honest, be accountable and be a cool person? People will respond. Look at social media like a “job” and you’ll fail.
• Content is king — or, in my case, princess. Create, create, create. Get others to create for you. Defend your brand (and YOU are your brand) aggressively, and build rabid fans who will do the same.
• Know what people are saying about you. Analytics, alerts, comments and more — get them, do what you can to respond, and fix what you can.
• If you think you have a good idea, go with it. The worst thing that happens is it sucks and you stop doing it. Then you can tell others why it sucked and they will look at you as a genius.

And something I didn’t learn, per se, but I saw in action — step out of your comfort zone. I met so many great people — the type I wanted to share turkey sandwiches and oranges with. The kind I want to be like. The kind I want to emulate. The kind I want to tell others that I am cool. I wouldn’t have met them if I hadn’t approached, shaken hands, tweeted and more.

Did we meet at Social Fresh? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to follow me and friend me on Facebook.

Tagged as: conference, networking, Silly Tater Tot, social media, Travel