12 ways to follow blog conferences online

Attending blog conferences is great, not just for the valuable information but for the real-life networking and chance to connect with people who have a similar interest. However it’s not always possible to attend due to the costs and time involved. But that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the info shared! Here are 12 ways you can learn almost as much as the bloggers who’ve attended in person – all from the comfort of your desk or couch! Check the official site’s blog prior to the conference. Look for schedules, speaker lists and related information Follow the conference’s official Twitter account and related hashtag Suss out who the speakers are and follow then on Twitter too “Like” the conference on Facebook Use Lanyrd, Plancast, LinkedIn Events or the ticketing website used (such as Eventbrite) to find lists (and usally blog or Twitter details) of those who are attending so you can follow their Twitter accounts, or conference-related posts Use Every Time Zone to find out the local time events and sessions are being held so you can follow on Twitter or watch if they’re being broadcasted on sites such as Ustream Use a Twitter client such as Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to follow multiple twitter streams from one window. You can even set up alerts so you’re notified if certain words or hashtags are tweeted Keep an eye on Instagram photos taken at the event using Search Instagram, Ink361 or GramFeed and entering the Twitter hashtag Find out if virtual tickets are available. Many conferences and events film or record their sessions for a fraction of the cost of attending on the day Check the official site’s blog after the conference for follow up posts such as links to bloggers who’ve blogged about it, videos and more Search sites such as SlideShare or YouTube for presentations uploaded from the event Keep an eye out on Twitter for nutters blogging enthusiasts like me who attend in person and live blog the entire thing! Have you followed a conference online before? How did you keep track of the information? Related posts: 8 ways to spice up your blog