ON BOOKS ~ Armchair BEA...

Last week, on my Twitter journey post, I shared my first experience with the way that Twitter can foster creative ideas and spread them very quickly. That creative idea that I witnessed being born was called Armchair BEA and it is on online way to replicate the experience for people not able to attend the Book Expo of America and Book Bloggers Conference next week in NYC.

I signed up right away because I am not sure that I would fit in at the actual BEA conference, not being an actual book blogger per se, but wanting to know what the hub-ub is all about. In my professional life, I have had to attend several conferences and for me, the greatest plus from them was a way to network with like-minded people that I otherwise never would have met.

I have checked out the list of attendees on the Armchair BEA website and I do see a handful of familiar names. But the majority are bloggers new to me, and I see this as a terrific way to network with them, learn from them and work with them to build a better online community.

Part of that process will be a round table styled interview day on Wednesday, 05/26 where attendees who signed up were assigned one blogger to interview, and given a different blogger to interview them. I look forward to introducing you to a new-to-you book blogger and somewhere out there, unsuspecting readers will be introduced to the Bumble world ;0)

I really do find these types of online gatherings a great way to meet and make connections. Last year's Book Blogger Holiday Swap introduced me to Cindy up in Montreal of Cindy's Love of Books who is lucky enough to be going to the actual BEA conference and therefore won't be hanging out in the Armchair. I'm sure she'll tell me all about it, but now I have a way to enjoy a virtual BEA so we can compare notes.

If you would like to join the Armchair experience, sign up at the site to take part in next week's events. There are topic suggestions for blog posts, blogger interviews to be shared, a Twitter party, online book blog related topics and of course, books to be given away.

I see Armchair BEA as a great way to test the waters while connecting with other bloggers. And it sure beats travel costs to NYC! Maybe I'll see you there next week.