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There comes a time in most bloggers’ lives when the initial excitement has worn off, the friends and family (haha.. yea, I know, but it’s a turn of phrase) have stopped being interested in whatever it is Dennis does all day at his computer, and the blogger realises that blogging is actually quite a lonely activity. With this lonliness comes a certain self-doubt. ‘Maybe this blogging lark isn’t all it’s made up to be after all?’ 

Unfortunately, the doubt doesn’t usually last long. Or at least, not long enough to actually force some considered thinking (as this would inevitably result in a change of plan for all but the most moronic of humans). Bloggers who experience this blog-anxiety have come up with a ruse to ensure, much like the lesser well-thought out aspects to Scientology, the anxiety gets quickly and quietly swept under the nearest carpet.

BLOGCONS, or Blogger conferences, or blogging conferences, were created to bring bloggers together so they can, er, well.. to bring them together. You’re familiar with the idea of the industry conference- car conferences, marketing conferences, sales conferences. These are typically created by sponsors with an active interest in the field or industry in question- and nice luncheons are put on, qualified speakers may entertain or education the gathering and quite often all and sundry are put up in a nice hotel for a weekend.

Blogging conferences differ just slightly from this. Blogger conferences tend not to be created by sponsors but rather by the bloggers themselves. Rather than hotels, they tend to meet at bus stops. Rather than nice luncheons, they tend to eat in MacDonalds (free wireless- awesome man!). Rather than qualified speakers educating and entertaining the group, a blogger will show you slide shows of his blog and tell you what you could have gathered in the nanosecond of glimpsing at said pictures, except he will make it last about 45 minutes and will be so shy, or so loud and over the top, that either way you will tune out his voice within 3.456 seconds and instead concentrate on the quiet ringing sound your ears make whenever you breathe in or out sharply.

The main reason for BLOGCONS is to reinforce the delusions that bloggers suffer from: that what they spend their time doing is (a) important, (b) worthwhile, (c) admirable and (d) profitable. It helps stave off the uncomfortable reality of things just a few months longer.