About a year ago, Ilene Haddad, started the first BlogathonATX because she wanted to meet other bloggers and learn from them.
“I’m not a good or consistent blogger,” Haddad said. “I was looking for accountability.”
Apparently, a whole lot of other Austin area bloggers wanted to network with others too. The first BlogathonATX sold out within a few days, Haddad said.
“It exploded overnight,” she said. “Obviously I wasn’t the only one that needed a little help.”
Haddad, a graphic designer for 20 years, has blogged for the past 2 years.
“I love to write so much,” Haddad said. “ I just started to write about all sorts of things. It’s my take on day to day stuff.”
Her blog has benefitted from the community that gathers at BlogathonATX, she said. The first event, held in August of 2010 sold out and so did the second event, held last January. The third BlogathonATX takes place on Saturday, Oct. 1 starting at 9 a.m. and running until 9 p.m. at Link Coworking and only a handful of $60 tickets remain, she said. This time, Haddad is expecting more than 100 people, up from 60 at the last two events.
“People can come and blog,” Haddad said. “We have a tech support room. For people who are new to blogging, they can come and get that help. We bring in a few experts in various fields and we have roundtable discussions.”
The event is very collaborative with lots of open discussions and unstructured time, she said. And the snacks are plentiful. She’s also looking for sponsors for the event.
“We have tons of food,” Haddad said. “It’s mostly very casual. A lot of really good stuff comes from the unplanned.”