Blogger Conference in Dallas

ratmouse · 27-04-2015 12:00AM #1

Was anyone following the past few days of the fashion and beauty blogger conference in Dallas? A lot of leading bloggers of the US and Uk and some Irish ones also. What did you make of it? Some great style on some of the bloggers. It was great to see such variation.

ams · 27-04-2015 09:42AM

I really dislike the whole rstyle scene - its changed the face of blogging for the worse - I've seen bloggers putting links to the underwear they are wearing in the posts ffs!

Most of the bloggers that attend the conference are so generic and they are only there because they sell loads - its not for me I'm afraid.

GOMI has a good thread on the conference and this explains who rsytle works:

http://ecocult.com/2014/you-need-to-know-this-about-your-favorite-fashion-blogger/

ciaradx · 27-04-2015 11:01AM

ams wrote: »

I really dislike the whole rstyle scene - its changed the face of blogging for the worse - I've seen bloggers putting links to the underwear they are wearing in the posts ffs!

Most of the bloggers that attend the conference are so generic and they are only there because they sell loads - its not for me I'm afraid.

GOMI has a good thread on the conference and this explains who rsytle works:

http://ecocult.com/2014/you-need-to-know-this-about-your-favorite-fashion-blogger/

That was a great read, thank you! Makes me look at my favourite bloggers differently

ratmouse · 27-04-2015 12:57PM

ams wrote: »

I really dislike the whole rstyle scene - its changed the face of blogging for the worse - I've seen bloggers putting links to the underwear they are wearing in the posts ffs!

Most of the bloggers that attend the conference are so generic and they are only there because they sell loads - its not for me I'm afraid.

GOMI has a good thread on the conference and this explains who rsytle works:

http://ecocult.com/2014/you-need-to-know-this-about-your-favorite-fashion-blogger/

Yes, I've read that before. Great article and a real eye opener. After reading the article, I know now exactly what Irish bloggers have bought into it as,how the tell tale signs are described in the article, is exactly what I see on the bloggers page. If I see an outfit photo and no mention of the name of the store, just several links, I know the score exactly. I have no time for that at all. It's just 100% money making and the love for the clothing is "staged".

I do think photos at the conference showed how some bloggers' fashion sense is so edgy compared to the same old same old of what we see day in, day out on some other bloggers (I literally cannot look at monochrome anymore due to it being over worn by some bloggers!). It was nice to see edgier styles.

ams · 27-04-2015 03:52PM

Check out fashionbloggerfail on instagram which illustrates the genericness of the whole thing - ie bloggers posting v similar instagram messages etc.

I noticed Anouska Proetta Brandon was there and I absolutely love her so agree that there are worthwhile bloggers in attendance and I guess you can't fault her for trying to make a living off her blog.

ratmouse · 27-04-2015 04:02PM

ams wrote: »

Check out fashionbloggerfail on instagram which illustrates the genericness of the whole thing - ie bloggers posting v similar instagram messages etc.

I noticed Anouska Proetta Brandon was there and I absolutely love her so agree that there are worthwhile bloggers in attendance and I guess you can't fault her for trying to make a living off her blog.

I must check out that bloggerfail.

Yes, love Anouska. Julie Sarinana of Sincerely Jules was there too and I adore her effortless and edgey style. I see an upsurge in bloggers who have come back from Dallas signing up to liketoknowit site. Why have they only caught onto this now? Talk about being behind the times!

Dallas looked like a bit of a drink fest to me also from some photos that have gone around.

ratmouse · 27-04-2015 06:06PM

ams wrote: »

Check out fashionbloggerfail on instagram which illustrates the genericness of the whole thing - ie bloggers posting v similar instagram messages etc.

I noticed Anouska Proetta Brandon was there and I absolutely love her so agree that there are worthwhile bloggers in attendance and I guess you can't fault her for trying to make a living off her blog.

Had a look at fashionbloggerfail on Instagram. It's brilliant and highlights the poor quality writing of bloggers, how they deceive followers into believing posts are not sponsored and also shows how so many photos are very much same picture, same location and same pose with bloggers. I love how this account featured all those 'samey' photos from the Dallas conference. An Irish blogger was one of those featured for being in the same generic photo and pose as evvvvvery other blogger. So funny!

Luno · 27-04-2015 06:33PM

That instagram account seems a bit nasty at times to be honest. There is no need to make fun of people's personal appearance and fair enough, dishonesty in the blogging sphere is an issue but that account is calling some bloggers street walkers etc.

ratmouse · 27-04-2015 06:43PM

Luno wrote: »

That instagram account seems a bit nasty at times to be honest. There is no need to make fun of people's personal appearance and fair enough, dishonesty in the blogging sphere is an issue but that account is calling some bloggers street walkers etc.

I think you'll agree that the majority of posts on it are pointing out some serious spelling and grammar errors, something that is completely unacceptable when you write for a living.

Luno · 27-04-2015 07:05PM

ratmouse wrote: »

I think you'll agree that the majority of posts on it are pointing out some serious spelling and grammar errors, something that is completely unacceptable when you write for a living.

In fairness I wouldn't say it's the majority of posts. I think its the tone of the instagram posts more than what's being said that bothers me. I understand that when it's your living that you should of course be able to coherently deliver your message and it is fair to expect a certain standard. I know in college I am expected to have a fairly high competency of the English language and I wouldn't expect it any other way in these environments. However, as I said, remarks about certain bloggers tans and aspirations. I completely agree with the lack of transparency in relation to affiliate links though, and I think this in itself should be the main priority for the instagram if it wants to have any form of justification.

ratmouse · 27-04-2015 07:17PM

Luno wrote: »

In fairness I wouldn't say it's the majority of posts. I think its the tone of the instagram posts more than what's being said that bothers me. I understand that when it's your living that you should of course be able to coherently deliver your message and it is fair to expect a certain standard. I know in college I am expected to have a fairly high competency of the English language and I wouldn't expect it any other way in these environments. However, as I said, remarks about certain bloggers tans and aspirations. I completely agree with the lack of transparency in relation to affiliate links though, and I think this in itself should be the main priority for the instagram if it wants to have any form of justification.

I hear what you're saying actually. Maybe it's wrong of me to find it funny. But genuinely, some of the deplorable spelling errors are funny. 'skin pours' instead of 'skin pores'!!

traineeacc · 27-04-2015 09:03PM

Is it an invite only conference? The whole affiliate marketing and it's over use by some bloggers has turned me of said bloggers! Some good bloggers at that conference and they are quite open about their use of rstyle

dudara · 27-04-2015 11:38PM

Posters - keep it civil. Don't want this descending into the usual bitchiness and cattiness that blog-related posts seem to cause.

dudara

Luno · 28-04-2015 12:00AM

What actually happens at a blogger conference, I cant say I've really heard of them before!

ratmouse · 28-04-2015 12:53AM

Luno wrote: »

What actually happens at a blogger conference, I cant say I've really heard of them before!

I'm not sure either. I assume a lot of networking and marketing of related products. Some mentioned blogger master classes in their blogs. In ways, some of the photos made it look like a sorority party!

ratmouse · 28-04-2015 01:02AM

traineeacc wrote: »

Is it an invite only conference? The whole affiliate marketing and it's over use by some bloggers has turned me of said bloggers! Some good bloggers at that conference and they are quite open about their use of rstyle

I'm not sure if it's invite only or do you pay to go? Not many of the big Irish bloggers like Pippa or Make Up Fairy were at it or mentioned anything about it. Even Sincerely Jules, who was at it, didn't post much about it and never mentioned beforehand about going. Suppose to the likes of her, that kind of thing is no big deal, she's used to far bigger fashion events. With other small time bloggers, they make a huge deal out of it and bring us through the whole process of packing for Dallas, being at the airport to fly to Dallas, video of arriving at the accommodation in Dallas, etc. Naturally, it could be a big break for the smaller bloggers I'd say if they network properly. Suppose this conference has shown how up the ranks, professionally some bloggers are and how comfortable and natural they are compared to those that are, borderline, desperately trying to make it outside of their typical small pond audience. Interesting to see the different mix.

gossipgirl10 · 28-04-2015 02:27AM

I came across that fashionbloggerfail instagram the other day actually when looking at the hash tag for the Dallas conference on instagram to see who else was there. I do agree it seems a little bitchy but it does show how generic alot of bloggers are - picture in front of the big eye ball, pictures of their drinks with the edge of the pool in the shot etc it was just interesting to see how same-y alot of bloggers are. I think a lot of them see another blogger doing something and they just copy.

The whole thing of like to know it, rstyle etc annoys me too. I would like to know where your top is from without having to go through the process of signing up to something. I was looking at a picture on instagram yesterday of a pair of shoes and you could even see the RI logo on the shoe and the blogger had the link you had to click on to see where they were bought. Someone commented on the picture saying where are the shoes from and the blogger just replied and said Here: and gave the link again. I refuse to ever click on those links and I feel like commenting any time I know to tell people where the item is from but I'm sure my comments would be deleted

It's just so obvious it's all about money making if they won't even say where something is from they are forcing people to click the link if they want to know that badly

ams · 28-04-2015 10:18AM

The top earners on rstyle get invited to the conference as far as I know.

dudara · 28-04-2015 11:05AM

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ratmouse · 28-04-2015 12:03PM

ams wrote: »

The top earners on rstyle get invited to the conference as far as I know.

I wonder is any of the trip/conference paid for or do bloggers end up out of pocket?

ratmouse · 28-04-2015 12:07PM

gossipgirl10 wrote: »

I came across that fashionbloggerfail instagram the other day actually when looking at the hash tag for the Dallas conference on instagram to see who else was there. I do agree it seems a little bitchy but it does show how generic alot of bloggers are - picture in front of the big eye ball, pictures of their drinks with the edge of the pool in the shot etc it was just interesting to see how same-y alot of bloggers are. I think a lot of them see another blogger doing something and they just copy.

The whole thing of like to know it, rstyle etc annoys me too. I would like to know where your top is from without having to go through the process of signing up to something. I was looking at a picture on instagram yesterday of a pair of shoes and you could even see the RI logo on the shoe and the blogger had the link you had to click on to see where they were bought. Someone commented on the picture saying where are the shoes from and the blogger just replied and said Here: and gave the link again. I refuse to ever click on those links and I feel like commenting any time I know to tell people where the item is from but I'm sure my comments would be deleted It's just so obvious it's all about money making if they won't even say where something is from they are forcing people to click the link if they want to know that badly

I think we all know about the rstyle links on some blogs. I just avoid clicking on them. Other bloggers will just have a little tag/label on their photos saying where each item is from. I like this as you know straight away, just from the photo and without having to do any further reading, where exactly the items are from. Just Jordan does this and it works well.

gossipgirl10 · 29-04-2015 07:49AM

I see one attendee from the conference has posted on facebook about this deadly site called like to know it that makes it super easy for you to find out where everything is from without even having to ask.... forgot to mention the whole whilst lining the bloggers pockets with cash part :rolleyes:

traineeacc · 29-04-2015 08:40AM

The whole affiliate marketing, click links etc had ruined so many blogs I used to like. It's a shame, don't begrudge anybody earning an income but the way it's done is quite underhand. That entire conference was about making more money from blogs so I suspect it's more of it we are going to see unfortunately

ratmouse · 29-04-2015 01:03PM

gossipgirl10 wrote: »

I see one attendee from the conference has posted on facebook about this deadly site called like to know it that makes it super easy for you to find out where everything is from without even having to ask.... forgot to mention the whole whilst lining the bloggers pockets with cash part :rolleyes:

I didn't realise that like to know it made the money for the bloggers. God, how naive I am!

ratmouse · 29-04-2015 01:06PM

traineeacc wrote: »

The whole affiliate marketing, click links etc had ruined so many blogs I used to like. It's a shame, don't begrudge anybody earning an income but the way it's done is quite underhand. That entire conference was about making more money from blogs so I suspect it's more of it we are going to see unfortunately

I think you are right. The more I hear and see and read, it would seem that that is a lot of what Dallas was about. Must mean that our Irish bloggers who were there are serious high earners of it actually was invite only to the highest earners on rstyle. Am I right in saying that I never see Pippa using these links? Maybe I'm wrong b

retro:electro · 29-04-2015 01:12PM

To be honest I'm gone off most if not all of the popular bloggers. I used to love Pippa.ie and I still think she's a nice girl but she too uses rstyle and I just cannot get behind any blog who uses that. They try and make themselves out to be these helpful bloggers who've traipsed the shops so you don't have to and found all of these amazing items for you, when in all actuality it's just a convenient money making scheme for them dressed up as such.

I notice Pippa has changed the layout of the items of clothing on her site to where you click the arrow on the right of the image to see the next item. I noticed it on her "easily suede" feature. This convienently however sometimes mistakes your "next" click as if you've clicked on the item itself and relocates you through rstyle to the site, and I suspect that was her intention. She's a nice girl and I like her in interviews but I think it's unfair that she recieves such praise and admiration for doing the exact same thing as other bloggers are heavily criticised for doing.

I actually commented on her blog that I didn't like the new feature and that my arrow clicks were sometimes clicking on the item instead but surprise surprise my comment didn't get through.

gossipgirl10 · 29-04-2015 02:08PM

Ya I was pretty naive about the whole thing too I only realised that like to know it is owned by reward style today. They must have been pushing it big time at the conference.

And it looks like all bloggers use these things sincerely jules, buy now blog later etc all the ones we said we all like because they were a bit different are all using it too. The article someone linked on the first page is a really good read it really does open your eyes to how the whole thing works.

Bloggers saying 'i'm not sponsored by river island' but they are an affiliate its just trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes.

Clever move though by top blogger making out that like to know it is this cool new thing to make shopping easier so people think she's being helpful instead of wondering all of a sudden what the links were on instagram

Stench Blossoms · 29-04-2015 02:18PM

Sad to hear that Pippa has started using rstyle now as well.

ratmouse · 29-04-2015 02:34PM

gossipgirl10 wrote: »

Ya I was pretty naive about the whole thing too I only realised that like to know it is owned by reward style today. They must have been pushing it big time at the conference.

And it looks like all bloggers use these things sincerely jules, buy now blog later etc all the ones we said we all like because they were a bit different are all using it too. The article someone linked on the first page is a really good read it really does open your eyes to how the whole thing works.

Bloggers saying 'i'm not sponsored by river island' but they are an affiliate its just trying to pull the wool over peoples eyes.

Clever move though by top blogger making out that like to know it is this cool new thing to make shopping easier so people think she's being helpful instead of wondering all of a sudden what the links were on instagram

I am very put off my to hear Pippa, Sincerely Jules are all at the same lark. I suppose they are just more likable <SNIP> as they actually have nice style, come across as nice girls, have a distinct air of class and don't cone across as try hards. It is disappointing though if they use those links.

Stench Blossoms · 29-04-2015 02:47PM

I guess they have to make money somehow, though.

Sunny Dayz · 29-04-2015 02:49PM

I think the difference is how they post the links.

I follow Pippa and Buy Now Blog Later and their posts are like they are almost chatting to you. You get the sense of passion and love for clothes, beauty and shopping from them. There doesn't appear to me to be blatant flogging of a particular brand.

However I have noticed other bloggers who come across as a bit too obvious with their links. A small bit of writing about some trend or another and there's some links, all from a small selection of particular stores/brands.

At the end of the day, I appreciate the effort some bloggers put into their posts, even if they have these sales links in them.

Blogger Conference in Dallas

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