In a session called “The Cult of Blogging,” the sect turned out to be a little smaller than expected; out of three scheduled speakers, only one managed to show up. 

Om Malik gets a pass - the poor fellow apparently threw his back out - but Michael Arrington simply forgot to come, leaving us with Leo Laporte and surprise guest Justine Ezarik.

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Laporte and Ezarik deserve credit for sticking around - improvising in front of that many people couldn’t have been fun.  They also deserve credit for giving out some informative tips on blogging.

Laporte and Ezarik both seemed to start out by focusing on their passions - in Ezarik’s case, that involved photography. 

Her fan base grew into existence long before she worried about monetization, and this sequence of events probably occurred for a reason.  “The key in this new media is to be as genuine as you can,” stated Laporte.

He later continued, “If you just write a blog, you’re putting yourself out there,” and Ezarik agreed.  Both of them have encountered critical people, but they try not to censor comments; this effectively ends at least a small part of the blogging relationship.  Instead, killing critics with kindness is a preferred way of dealing with them.

“All this media is about engaging your audience,” Laporte and Ezarik stressed.  Or not abandoning them - once again, the pair deserve a pat on the back for speaking at BlogWorld.

WebProNews Video anchor Abby Prince contributed to this report.

Tags: BlogWorld, Justine Ezarik, Leo Laporte, Om Malik, Michael Arrington