Atlanta Home/DIY Bloggers

Last summer, I decided to start a little group for Atlanta Home/DIY bloggers so that we could have an online forum to share information and advice, plus an opportunity to schedule meetups and networking opportunities. At that point, I was thinking maybe there would be 10 of us, and we could hang out with other people who have the same interests/hobbies/goals. We started scheduling monthly meetups, which usually consist of lunch and shopping. As time went on, we decided to turn some of those meetups into quarterly "business meetings" where we would discuss important blog-related topics and learn how to grow our blogs from a business perspective. Well, that "little" group has now grown to 60 (!!!) members, and this past weekend we had our very first quarterly meeting, complete with a board room and guest speaker. About 20 people showed up (including a couple of out-of-state visitors!), and I have to give a major shout-out and thank you to Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom, who so kindly donated her tech-savvy husband to talk to us about SEO (search engine optimization, for you non-blogging folks) and other equally nerdy-sounding-to-non-bloggers but vital info which will help us all very much. (P.S. At the end of this post you'll find links to most of our members' blogs. Feel free to check them out!)

Our group (plus a few out-of-towners) at an Atlanta Bloggers/HomeTalk meetup at the Country Living Fair last Fall.

We all met for lunch in downtown Woodstock, GA (we try to switch up the meetup locations because of the fact that our members live in a wide range of areas), and then hopped across the street to the AcruWealth building - a fun, industrial warehouse-style space with a coffee shop and a free-of-charge conference room which I reserved for us. The space was a little small for our large group, but we made do. It is becoming a challenge to accommodate such a large group of us, so if anyone knows of free meeting space around Atlanta - I'm all ears!

Source

Here is Tiffany's husband Nate, aka our guest speaker. Thanks, Nate!

I am so excited about our group, and it's been so much fun getting to know other women in the area who are passionate about the same things I am. I've also learned so much, and it's great having our group as a resource where we can share information and help each other. One thing I love about blogging is the sense of community between bloggers (at least in our niche - I guess I can't speak for others), and everyone's willingness to support each other. There isn't a sense of competition, and it is so refreshing to be in a business (it's still funny to call it that - but that's what it is!) where there is so much support. That is something I really wanted to emphasize within our Atlanta Bloggers' group. I want it to be a support system for each other and a legitimate resource for all of us. We're all in this together!

I even talked my real-life friend Erica from Spoonful of Imagination into joining the group! Here we are at the meet-up. (P.S. Thank you Erica for the photos! I borrowed some of hers since mine turned out blurry.)

Are you an Atlanta Home/DIY blogger who would like to join our group? Please email me at DIYOntheCheapBlog@gmail.com. Also, Home/DIY bloggers visiting from out of town are welcome to attend our meetups.

Here is a listing of most of our group members' blogs. Feel free to check some of them out! They are very talented ladies. (If you are a member of the group and I do not have your URL, please send me a message and I'd be happy to add it!)