I, like many, have grown up with pets in the house – cats, dogs, birds, and fishes.  I currently don’t have pets – but I love them and have a secret wish to one day have a big, fluffy, boisterous dog – but of course, not until I finish all my traveling so he won’t be alone all day.  🙂

So I was thrilled to be able to participate in this year’s BarkWorld: The National Pet Social Media Conference, organized by Denise Quashie. (http://www.barkworldexpo.com)  Law2sm participated in a number of ways:

• We were a Silver Sponsor;
• I presented a session called “Going to Contract: How to Avoid Legal Pitfalls When Working with Brands & Bloggers;” and
• I wrote an article for the program “5 Tips to Blog Disclosures” reviewing the FTC’s recently released updated guidelines for disclosure.

I really didn’t know what to expect so I brought my daughter, Angelica – a human belonging to three dogs – to help me navigate the Conference and all the fun events at the Buckhead Westin in Atlanta. And I must admit we had a blast!

First we were welcomed by the doggy daycare set-up, sponsored by Best Friends Pet Care. (http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com) I was very impressed by the behavior of the dogs in attendance at the conference, but it was a nice break for them to do their own socializing in this off-leash play area.

Next, we picked up our badges at the registration desk and were handed two gigantic tote bags (courtesy of Petco) filled with an amazing array of goodies and giveaways from the various sponsors – of course all pet related.  One thing that stood out was a hardcover 512-page Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Source book for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World. (Yahoo! Was a sponsor).  I have only browsed through its contents but what a great resource for those who write online.  Also included: doggie treats and chew toys, cat scratching tape, lint brushes, pet shampoos, notebooks, pens, sunglasses, pet bandanas, and the list goes on and on.

As we continued into the Exhibit hall, vendors provided even more take home treats from Yoda ears thanks to Petco’s new Star Wars collection, to marketing booklets full of ideas to promote the pet blogger.  One particular vendor stood out for me – Be Pawsitive – the brainchild of Travis Watson, who I met at the Conference.  According to the Be Pawsitive website (www.bepawsitive.com):

Each month we send you and your dog a new flavor of our delicious oven baked dog treats right to your door for as little as $12.95/month. Each treat box provides a box of treats we give to an animal shelter or rescue organization to help those dogs get ready for a new home. Our mission is to provide the highest quality all natural, USDA certified organic dog treats for your dog and at the same time give back to those dogs in need of a little extra love. While your dog is enjoying one of our treats, know that a shelter dog is too!

Also, as an intellectual property attorney I fell in love with his logo, as well as his concept.  (As an aside, I did follow-up with Travis and placed an order for two Be Pawsitive t-shirts).  BTW, Travis isn’t alone in this endeavor, he is assisted by his mother and his dog, Lola, who is listed as the CTO – Chief Treat Officer. Hope you check them out and tell Travis help from me.

During lunch I sat through a presentation by HGTV’s Mallory Colliflower on Pet-Friendly Gardening. Those who know me know I am terrible with plants – I even kill bamboo, but I found this session full of interesting tidbits and my daughter took a lot of notes – besides the three dogs they also have a very, very large backyard.  She told me the session as very helpful, and I’ll take her word for it.

After lunch, I did my presentation on contracts providing attendees an overview of contract concepts and special considerations to keep in mind when creating agreements with bloggers and brands.  Topics included: components of a contract, myths of contracts, contract clauses of interest, breach of contracts, remedies, and tips on negotiating.  You can download the PowerPoint below. The room was filled and the interaction with the guests was great, but as always, not enough time.

At this point I was exhausted from all the sights, sounds, and flavors of the Conference and we headed home – full of swag, new friends, fond memories, and did I say swag?

BarkWorld_August2013  (PowerPoint Presentation on Contracts Handout)

BarkWorldArticle_2013   (On Disclosure Tips for Bloggers)