Last weekend I had an amazing time in San Francisco for the third annual Foodbuzz Festival (my first time going).  Not only was it a long weekend full of delicious food and blogging tips, but it also was a weekend full of new friends and new blogs to read.  I have so much to share with you but I’ll limit this post to some of the food conference, blogging and social networking-related tips (in no particular order).

1)  There were a lot of tips for blogging, but by far the number one theme is to be yourself.  Find your voice, find what you love, and blog that way.

2)  Engage with readers.  Respond to comments and emails. Comment on their blogs, too.  When you do that, they will come back.

3)  Take good photos*.  Backdrops can be as simple as construction paper or crumpled parchment paper and as elaborate as fancy china and linen.  Use a DSLR or an iPhone.  Just make it appealing to the eyes.  *more on that in an upcoming post

4)  Instead of being jealous or comparing yourself to other bloggers, focus on doing everything you can to get where you want to be.

5)  Use Twitter and Facebook to interact with others.  Twitter is an especially good way to connect with other bloggers and readers.  Don’t only use social media to promote your blog.

6)  Jessica is just as awesome in person as she is on her blog.  Unfortunately, we never got a chance to talk, but she was on a “taking your blog to the next level” discussion panel and her blog personality definitely came through in real life.  Oh, and same thing for Joy.

7)  Always charge your camera battery; no pictures for the first night of Foodbuzz #fail

8)  Take a camera break; no camera for the first night of Foodbuzz also meant I could focus on meeting new people and enjoying the food.

9) It is perfectly acceptable to drink your chocolate.

10)  String cheese can be eaten the next day without refrigeration.  You never know when you may need a snack.

11) Fresh fruit tastes so good in between indulgent samples.

12)  Keep packaged samples as a treat for later when you are going through foodie withdrawal.

13)  In a sea of amazing foods to try, a vat of guacamole is still exciting.

14) Godiva chocolate is always a win.  I was addicted to their pumpkin spice coffee but now I’m addicted by the truffles that inspired it.

15) Mini cupcakes are more fun because you can sample lots of flavors.

16) Burberry is even better in brownie form

17) Cinnamon caramel is heavenly

18) Don’t fill up on foods you don’t love, there are too many other foods to try.

19)  Take advantage of the opportunity to meet awesome people.  Some of the friends I made at Foodbuzz include Nicole, Audra, Krissy, Julie, Dennis, and Tina.

20) Find an awesome roommate who will spend as much time as possible eating their way through San Francisco with you.

Have you ever been to a food blogger conference?  Do you have any tips to add?