SheCon Lovely: Nicole Morgan

The SheCon Lovely feature is my way of introducing my readers to the new friends that I made while attending SheCon '11 in Miami, Florida in May. Rather than doing one post with only my thoughts on the conference and telling you about those that I met, I thought it would be more fun for you to read opinions from more people while meeting them firsthand through a guest post.

To read what the previous SheCon Lovelies had to say, click here.

Today I'd like to introduce you to one of my personal favorites: Nicole! I met her on the 2nd day (I think) and just fell in love with her fun personality and how incredibly sweet she is! She lives in Florida too so there's a chance we might be able to get together sometime, too. Yay!

*Tell us a little about yourself and your blog (your name, your blog name and any meaning behind it, what you write about, WHO you are, etc.)

Hi, so very pleased to meet you - I am Nicole ...

LOVE that blurry look for aged, don't you?


and I write a little blog called By Word of Mouth Musings

You can read all about me in my About Me and My Family 

pages on my blog, but for now I’ll just share a little bit.

By Word of Mouth Musings was a ‘need to have a name right now, need to start a blog right now, heaven forbid I should take a little time over this’ decision kind of name.  In hindsight, I would change it, but for now it is what it is.  My words, my musings.

I write about my life as a Wife, and a Mom to a tween and a teen, I’m a Liberal Christian Homeschooler, married to a Gourmet Cooking Atheist, traveling the world and getting by the best that I can.  Some days I’ll make you laugh, some days I’ll make you cry, and hopefully, some days I will make you stop and think. Mostly, I’d just like to keep you entertained, and I am WAY better than a magazine because never on my blog will you encounter an airbrushed sixteen year old that will make you feel badly about yourself. Nevah!

*Have you been to any other blogging or social media conferences before? If so, which ones?

This was my year to head off to bloggy stuff and truly get my feet wet and I attended my very first conference this year in Nashville TN - Blissdom. It opened my eyes to a whole new world and thus the post  Dare You Find Your Bliss was born. Next up, was SheCon where I had the pleasure of meeting Melissa.  Being a complete blogging junkie this year, I then headed to TypeA which I would highly recommend for anyone looking to attend a very first conference.  Next up is Blogher and then Relevant - so more news to follow!

@frelle, Nicole and me before heading to karaoke! I feel left out without a boa...

*What were some of your reasons for attending SheCon?

Living in Florida, I had yet to meet any Floridian bloggers and was hoping to make friends and plan a social event to get them together to network, and of course, have fun. Meeting bloggers from these sunny shores was such a pleasure and so for bloggers living anywhere nearby, or anyone reading who is thinking of blogging, be sure to be in touch - because we are planning a get together!

*Who were your favorite speakers and why? 

To pick just one - it would have to be Guy Kawasaki - real, upfront and personal.  He connected with the people in the audience and came across as genuine - the real deal. Being real and sincere is so important when it comes to reaching an audience.

*What do you think is the most important thing you learned from the SheCon presentations?

Do not be afraid to put your self out there.

Be personal, be real, be genuine, be reliable.

Be You!

*What do you think is the most important thing you learned from the conference as a whole?

You will take from a conference what you are willing to put into it.  Sadly, the attendance was not what they had anticipated, but for the attendees - that was great.  It made for more personal connections and one on one time relationship building time.

*What were your favorite events/activities?

The Wine Sisterhood rocked it hands down as an event to attend.  Kudo’s to The Clever Girls and their cupcakes, Calliope Games were loads of fun and then the word ‘karaoke’ crops in here … and that is all I will say about ‘that‘. {Editor's note: Nicole was HYSTERICAL at karaoke. She's just a *few* years older than me and I have said, and will say again, that I want to grow up to be JUST like her!}

*What advice would you give to someone who has never attended a conference and is considering one in the future?

Just do it!  It will open your eyes to a new world, and the more you put yourself out there, the more you will gain in personal growth and that too will translate into growth for your blog and really increase your sense of community.  I solicited a friend to publish a blog so that I didn’t attend Blissdom alone, of course, now we are inseparable and I love it that way! But for anyone reading this and planning on heading to a blog alone - just send me a message and I PROMISE to seek you out!

Meeting bloggers in real life, a face to the words that you read on line, you cannot imagine what that feels like.  You see someone across the room and you recognise them from their Twitter avatar and the next minute you are sharing a hug, happy squeals and cocktails! I never could have imagined the relationships I have made here in the blogosphere - and so far not one Mommy Blogger has turned out to be a 60 year old cross dresser!

I really can't say enough good things about Nicole. She writes lots of posts where bloggers can link up and get to know one another. It's obvious from how many people link and the types of comments she receives that she is well loved by her readers and for good reason! Nicole is a wonderful person and even if you aren't a mother, you'll love her too.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and have an even better weekend!!!