What does BlogPaws mean to me?
Tom and Caroline and I started BlogPaws to help people. Pet people. We were being approached by folks who wanted to learn how to do what we were doing – Caroline had Romeo the Cat then and was raising funds for shelters. Tom's and my petblog, Scratching and Snififngs, was being sponsored. And, because a good many pet people were asking us, "Hey how can I raise funds for my shelter?" and, "Hey,how can I get my blog sponsored?" we decided to teach them. By creating a social media marketing conference.
The idea for BlogPaws as a conference where folks could learn solid, call-to-action social media skills, was born at a BlogHer conference in 2009. The BlogPaws you know today, which is the same, but different – has become a media company supporting bloggers from all over the world. It's a community that you are growing – 'you' being the people who join the online groups, who attend the conferences, and who work with us in our ad network (launching soon!), and our blogger outreach programs.
But, today, I want to share what BlogPaws means just to me.
To me, BlogPaws means being able to support shelters and rescuses, everywhere. Because so many people from so many places all over the world join BlogPaws, both online and in person, we are able to Be the Change for Pets – helping bring attention to cruelty or neglect; helping to support members in raising funds; and working with other groups, like Be the Change for Animals, where Kim Clune and many others work with a focused purpose to help animals everywhere.
BlogPaws means learning, to me. It means I get to read blog posts about pit bulls rescuing their Moms or 
It also means bringing brands and bloggers together to have conversations they might not have, otherwise. Here's the thing, IMBO (in my brazen opinion) – I know we all hate pet food recalls. I know we all hate testing on animals. I know we all want people everywhere to respect animals – and that we expect our brands to feel the same way we do. Here's where the 'conversation' comes in – without open, honest discourse, we and they cannot learn how to make our pets lives better, happier, more healthy. As a good friend of mine says, "More conversation, less accusation." I want to find out the 'backstory' of the brands I buy, but they're not going to share it if all I ever do is shout at them.
I believe the brands need to reach out to us and learn from us. They don't want pet food recalls! They want to create good, healthy food and toys and products that make our pets well. To do that, they need to talk to us. But, will they, if we do nothing but accuse them of … whatever. I want brands to feel comfortable coming to BlogPaws to meet our bloggers (and micro-bloggers), knowing we'll ask the hard questions, but also knowing we are going to listen to the answers and not run off half-cocked to spread rumors. I want brands and bloggers to work together – this has never been a better time for that to happen. Now, when we can learn together – and teach each other.
So, that's what BlogPaws means to me: the opportunity to accomplish great things on behalf of pets and animals everywhere by using a collective voice. Animals need us to speak for them because they cannot speak for themselves. They need us to support them and care for them responsibly – using responsible journalism – citing sources and giving the benefit of the doubt where it is due.
In the end, BlogPaws is not about one person's agenda. It's not about one group's agenda. It's not about "them vs us"… it's about bringing our voices together, working together, acting together – because we all love animals.
Come to BlogPaws 2012 in Salt Lake City and see for yourself – it's a unique and wonderful experience. I hope I'll see you there!
WOW, this is a keeper… I personally fell in love with BlogPaws in 2009 and having this presence in my life altered the course of me as a person, my career, focused my passions, and continues to educate. YOU are a pioneer and I am sharing this post!
Wonderful post, Yvonne! You, Tom and Caroline have done more for bloggers who want to work with brands than anyone else in the business. Thank you – for that, and for creating BlogPaws. I’m looking forward to my second BlogPaws conference, and to seeing you soon!
It’s more than just brands, it’s how we live healthy, balanced lives with our animal families. I just lost my eldest dog to a cancer linked to early spay/neuter–what a hot button that is! When we think we’ve done everything right, to find out we may have started wrong is stunning. We need a place, not just my own blog, where we can have calm, insightful conversations with vets, each other, the public, the shelter/rescue community, and breeders. That’s a focus for me now. I’m grateful that you’re out there standing up for real honest conversations that lead to quality lives for all of us.
well said!!! I would never have learned anything about blogging if it hadn’t been for my stumbling into BlogPaws (as a result of a search) on the web…from that moment on, I was “hooked”
Thank you, all, for these comments. There is nothing more valuable to us than our bloggers -well, except our pets. Isn’t that what it’s about, in the end – our pets? We all want to have happy, healthy pets. I am totally about hearing your side of things, no matter who you are – I learn from each of you and I respect you, when you show me that you are about pets, as much as I am.