The Buffalo Blogging Network
Photo by Ayres Photography
I started my blog in February of 2013. I was working a job that wasn't really my thing, didn't have a lot of hobbies, and was in a bit of a funk and didn't know how to get out. At that time I was reading a lot of blogs, mainly fashion & lifestyle blog, and was hit with an idea- what's stopping me from creating my own blog? I had a lot that I felt I could share with the public: recipes, fashion and styling tips, and beautiful photos and stories about this amazing city that I call home.
I did a bit of searching and found that Buffalo did not have a lot of bloggers, which made me want to start my own even more. So I decided on a name, decided on a platform, but then had to decide what the heck I wanted to write about. I had initially thought that it would be fun to do a straight fashion blog, but I had so much more that I wanted to talk about, like a bomb ass recipe for blueberry pie or specific events happening in the city. Finally, after a lot of thinking, the life & style blog Nickel City Pretty was born.
I thought that this blog was just going to be a little bit of a hobby, and that pretty much only my friends & family would be reading it. Little did I know that blogging would change my life. I've made some incredible friends and worked with some amazing businesses and even was hired to work at my dream job....all from my teeny little blog!
Over the years, I've noticed that so many more blogs are popping up in Buffalo. Whether it be fashion, food, or travel, people have something to say and it's exciting. Most recently I had an idea to create a hub for Western New York bloggers and social media influencers where we could all come together and share ideas, projects that we are working on, and form friendships with one another. See, the thing that I love most about Buffalo isn't the wings or Shark Girl or Canalside, it's the sense of community and love that everyone has for each other. It's not a competition to see who can have the biggest blog, it's the mutual love for what we do and for our city which brings us together.
This past August I decided to start the Buffalo Blogging Network. If you visit the site, you will find a "Bloggers" tab at the top of the page which lists all of the bloggers which I either have known about or who have shown interest in joining the network. Right now we are over 30 bloggers strong and counting. I never could have ever imagined that our community would be this large, and new bloggers are reaching out to me all the time to join the BBN. We had our first meeting last week and it was amazing to see all of these creative minds joining forces and starting friendships. I have to give major props to Ashley from Morning Glory and Jessica from Tracing Paper for running the Buffalo Bloggers Facebook page...the three of us make a great team!
If you are interested in learning more about Buffalo or the BBN, please check out our website and all of the great bloggers listed. We are all different and that's so important. I can't wait until our next meetup and all of the exciting things that we will be doing in the future!