Back To School Alt Style

By Melanie Blodgett. Photography by Whisper of an Angel.

It's back to school time not just for the kids, but for the adults too. September online classes are posted and ready for you to join in. And thanks to Bing, four of them will be offered at no cost:

Resource Party hosted by Sara Urquhart

September 24, 11:00 am PST

This party of a class is for all you up and comers who want your dreams to come true. No really. Come ready to share a specific talent and a dream in mind and we'll get the conversation going and collaborations flowing.

Tough Love: What Brands Really Think About Your Blog taught by Natalie Bowman

September 25, 1:00 pm PST

The ABCs of SEO: How Bing Can Help Make Your Blog a Success taught by Duane Forrester

September 26, 6:00 pm PST

Ask A Lawyer taught by Steve Urquhart

September 25, 6:00 pm PST

Your blog, business, or brand forces you to work with lawyers. Awesome, right?! In this class, we’ll talk about affordably getting the legal answers you need. The conversation will be based on attendees’ specific legal questions. When you sign up for the class, send your legal question to Melanie@AltitudeSummit.com.

Sign up for these classes and check out the rest of the line-up here. Then get your pencil sharpened for a month of learning.

Friday Links

By Victoria Hudgins. Photography by Stacey Winters.

Happy Labor Day weekend! We wish you a healthy dose of rest and natural inspiration this holiday. Here are some favorite links to tide you over for the weekend:

• Tips for growing a niche blog
• Quotes from NYC
• The top 10 most followed brands in social media
• How to survive a blogging conference
• A photo size cheat sheet for social media

Alt NYC attendees, we want you to pin your NYC recaps! Tweet your @pinterest name to @hankandhunt to learn more info about pinning for Alt! #altpins

The Process (International!) with Will Taylor

By Victoria Hudgins.

When/why did you start blogging?

I started blogging three-and-a-half years ago because I needed somewhere to channel my creativity. It started as a hobby, and I had no clue what I was doing! I never even considered that years later it would have become my career.

What do you love about it?

The ability to connect with creative and inspiring people from across the world is second to none. In one session of clicking through my RSS feeds, I can find out the latest designs and peek into the homes of like-minded people in Australia, America, Europe, and beyond!

Tell us a little about what you do and what your site is about.

I'm based in London where I work freelance as an interiors blogger and writer. My blog, Bright.Bazaar, is a daily interiors blog that focuses on inspiring readers to use more colour in their decorating schemes. I also feature a mix of my personal photography and travel stories.

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Yay for Alt NYC!

By Melanie Blodgett.

Wow! Not only did Alt NYC go on without a hitch, it exceeded all our expectations. The feeling of excitement was in the air and the chatter of ideas and collaborations were overheard all day. Thank you for attending and making the whole event shine. 

Luckily our photographers were out and about every day of Alt NYC and captured some favorite moments. See if you can spot yourself (or Martha!) in the photos now posted on our Flickr page. Not only are those photos fun to browse, they will make your Alt NYC blog posts shine. Once you've put yours together, we'd love to read and share it. Please send the link to your completed post to Melanie at melanie@altitudesummit.com.

We're already planning next year. You in?

How to Celebrate Others’ Successes

By Sara Urquhart. Photography by Our Labor of Love for Design Sponge. 

You may be familiar with a sinking feeling that grips your gut when you hear about the great new book deal or amazing content campaign another blogger just landed. Feelings of jealousy are common, even when it’s someone you truly love or admire.

Take a deep breath. You’re going to be all right.

Own your successes. When we’re discouraged, we tend to overgeneralize. But be realistic—just because she got a book deal doesn’t mean everyone got a book deal. Remind yourself of your personal ways of measuring success and evaluate those honestly. If you’re truly doing your best, hold your head high. If you have room for improvement, turn your feelings of jealousy into motivation.

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