image credit: flickr, jereitman

“There is a difference between being arrogant about yourself as a person and being confident that your work has some value. The first is unattractive, the second is healthy and natural. Some people respond to the one as if it were the other. Don’t confuse them. Marketing is not bragging, and touting one’s wares is not evil. The baker in the medieval town square must holler ‘fresh rolls’ if he hopes to feed the townfolk.”

–Jeffrey Zeldman, Zeldman.com

Alternatively titled, “Why Alt Summit Totally Rocked.”

That's me, Joy of Oh Joy!, and Jaime (who is offering an inappropriate gesture because I made her dress up and pose for the camera and she hates that)

So. Jaime and I took a bit of a mini-trip to Salt Lake City last week, to meet and interact with a few of our favorite bloggers and inspirations behind BAKERY, Design Milk and Design for Mankind. While we ventured to the Altitude Design Summit to speak to our fellow peers re: the business of blogging, we ended up learning a thing or two ourselves (imagine that!)

See the list of speakers, and see more roundups and linkage at Apartment Therapy, Mint, Design Crush, Petit Elefant, and Mackin Ink.

Of course, we couldn’t wait to head home and share these tips with you, my dear bakers. The round-up?:

• “Nothing is handed to you. No one receives anything unless asked. Those people speaking at conferences? They’ve asked to be there. The bloggers receiving hot shot sponsors? Yep, they asked. They pitched, they asked, and they asked again.” — Maggie Mason, Mighty Girl (who also has the most luscious red hair in the entire world)
• And another gem from Maggie: “Use your blog as a marketing tool for what you really want to do.”
• Sponsored posts should be written by the sponsors like it’s ad space. And you should charge at least 3 times what you charge for ad space because of the value.
• “You must embrace the Twitter!!!” — OK, that was me who said that.
• Propose a trade with a couple of sponsors if you’re just starting to put ads on your site. It will make your site look like you already have established advertisers.
• “Great ads are like jewelry on your website” and “there is no good excuse for ugly” — Jean, NOTCOT
• People don’t hate ads, they hate irrelevant ones.
• Don’t pursue an idea just because you think it will be lucrative. Don’t blog with the intention of making money.
• “At our ad agency, websites are already considered ‘Old Media.’” — Jeroen Bours (he created the “Priceless” campaign for MasterCard
• Jaime learned that blogs are about being personal. She is starting to contemplate how she can be more personal in her business. Or, maybe it’s not about business at all, and more about pleasure.

We are already excited for next year. Will YOU be there?

This week is your last chance to sign up for the second BAKERY’s Half-Dozen: 6 Weeks to A Tastier Business, which will begin on Monday, February 1, 2010 (that’s next week!).

There are only a few spots left, so register now.

Then, stay tuned later this week for a recap of our exciting time in Salt Lake City at Altitude Design Summit. We’ll recap what we talked about, what we learned from our peers, and some great info from a few really influential and successful bloggers.

image credit: wormwould

What do you do when you are the only face and name behind your business? How do you represent yourself online? This is a question that we get very often, and let’s explore a few of the options.

Option A: Erin
Erin represents herself as both Erin Loechner and Design for Mankind, but as one entity. She has one Twitter, Flickr, Gmail/Google, and Facebook account, simply because that’s the only thing she can handle (her own words!). She also loves connecting with old friends and family who have no idea what she does, so it’s a great way for them to see what she’s been up to.

Also, since she is a bit of a workaholic, sometimes she believes that if someone doesn’t really “get” what she does, they don’t really “get” her, because work is practically all she does (again, her own words!) So, work and personal life are somewhat intertwined for her, and this might be something that works for you if you don’t mind your blog readers or customers hearing about your outfit, dog’s recent tricks, or what you ate for dinner. She says, if your brand is who you are, then why separate it? I totally agree. This option works really well for some bloggers, artists/designers, and smaller shoppes.

Option B: Jaime
I am quite different. My brand and I are separate entities. In the beginning, I did what Erin did, but I started growing and realized that soon I would be unable to handle everything on my own anymore. That meant I needed to start separating myself from my brand, as difficult as it was. It also means I now have a handful of Twitter accounts. I manage my personal Facebook profile as well as the Design Milk Facebook page. Everything I do related to Design Milk is no longer under my own name, but under a brand name. I actually like it better keeping my personal life separate because I don’t feel a need to watch my every word, or turn people off because I’m talking too much about Beans or my gall bladder. If you’re more of a private person, or your business is growing at an exponential rate, you might want to consider this option.

Long story short, I think this leads to a greater question: How personally involved do you want to be in your brand? If the answer is very personal, stick with one account. If you’d prefer some privacy, opt for two.

For further reading, check out this article from Social Media Today — they seem to think that regardless of which option you choose above, something human and real needs to show through in your interactions. We agree.