A little over two years ago, I started blogging. At the time, I didn’t know all that much. I didn’t really understand all the different platforms (and there are more now). I needed to learn more about the SEO side of the equation. And, I knew very few people who were successful bloggers (save my friend Ryan May).

How did I take on these challenges? I taught myself. I read. I learned a ton from others like Amy Mengel, David Mullen, Shannon Paul and Mack Collier.

But, I would have loved to have had the opportunity to meet up with a local group of bloggers to bounce ideas off and brainstorm and learn from. I figured I couldn’t be the only one who felt this way. Turns out, I’m not.

A few months ago, my new friend and fellow blogger Melissa Berggren, started an informal meet-up with a small group of local bloggers. The idea? To meet up, network and do work to benefit a local cause. Great idea, I thought. I want in. But, as Melissa and I chatted, we both realized there may be an even greater need here. A need around helping new bloggers learn more about the practice and veteran bloggers hone their craft.

So, we started kicking around ideas. Next thing, we’re laying out plans for the first-ever (to our knowledge) Minnesota Bloggers Conference (name to be determined–see below).

At this point, we don’t have much fleshed out. But, here’s where things are at:

• It will be a one-day event
• The event will be located somewhere in the Twin Cities metro area
• We need a space accommodating 100-200 attendees
• The event will be open to ALL bloggers, from beginner to pro, male and female (not just a PR/social media blogger event)
• The conference will be for all TYPES of bloggers (news/entertainment/PR/lifestyle/moms/foodie/politics, etc.)
• The event will feature a keynote plus breakout sessions, possibly track-based w/focused topics
• We want to build in time/space for networking with attendees, too

Sound interesting? Have ideas for a host location, topics or speakers? Want to help coordinate? Please leave your ideas below in the comments. Or, take our quick survey and share your thoughts privately. Either way, we’d love your input. This is our event–let’s all work to make it the best it can be.

Finally, we’re also looking for a unique name for the event. Something that’s descriptive, powerful and also SEO-friendly. If you have an idea for a name, please leave it below. We’ll take all the submissions and create a poll for voting next week.

Photo credit: Kengo, FlickR Creative Commons