As a veteran seven-year blogger, Melanie (along with Chantilly Patiño and Angelica Perez-Litwin) answered questions from attendees on everything from which blogging platform is best to how to monetize your blog. The webinar is truly full of information shared by the panelists from their experience in the blogging and social media industry over the years.

You can watch the full video webinar below and scroll down for a list of additional resources mentioned in the webinar and previously published on Chantilly Patiño’s recap of the webinar. (Note: Please excuse the audio issues within the first 3 minutes of the video.)

Advance Your Career as a Blogger Webinar: Blogging Basics and Strategies from Veteran Bloggers

Additional Resources for Bloggers

• SEO Checklist for Publishing Blog Posts
• On Bloggers Working for Free
• On Brands Pitching Bloggers without Payment
• Keeping your Online Personal Brand Consistent
• 15 Tips for Attracting and Connecting With Non-blogging Readers
• SEO Tips for Bloggers & Businesses
• Sample Blog Conference Sponsor Pitch (click to download)
• Blog Directories & Communities
• Best Free WordPress Plugins
• Best Free Web Tools for Bloggers
• Paid Blogger Networks
• Top Blog Conferences

Melanie is available to answer additional questions on blogging and social media and provides consulting for individuals and small businesses that wish to build their presence online. Contact her today and get the conversation started!

We covered everything from social media platforms and tools to use, to what language businesses should use when reaching Latino consumers. Of course, the big answer was “it depends,” since we know that Latino consumers can be reached in Spanish, English, or both, with many preferring a Spanglish (bilingual) approach. We did provide specific examples of using both languages in social media, plus how several of us currently reach our desired audiences or advise our clients to do so. Additionally, we fielded questions from the panel’s audience on how small business owners can learn to use social media, and how to track results.

While you can easily track click-through rates from links, and see how many times social media posts are shared on individual social media platforms, as Christie Volastro from Walt Disney World said, it’s hard to track good buzz, good comments, and connecting with your audience. But, we all agreed that it’s important and valuable and does pay off in the long run.

In addition to speaking on the panel, we listened in on a marketing session about gaining brand recognition in today’s market and breaking old marketing habits. Larry Meador, CEO & Founder of evok advertising and Barb Sherer, Former President of the American Advertising Federation shared their thoughts on how businesses and small business owners can increase brand awareness. They even touched on how brands today are using social media to be noticed. A couple of key quotes from that session that stuck with us were:

• “A brand is a promise kept or a promise broken.”
• “What you feel your brand is, it’s not…it’s what your audience thinks it is.”

Whether you’re an individual, small business, or established company, social media is something you should look into using (if you’re not already) for engaging with your current and potential customers. As we mentioned in our panel, sometimes you just have to get in there and play with the social media tools in order to realize where you should concentrate your efforts.

Feel free to connect with us and begin the conversation! You can find Ella Media on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn - we look forward to seeing you in our social media feed!

As you may know, here at Ella Media, we celebrate when brands and companies get it right in engaging with Latino and multicultural communities. We wrote about ¡Q’Viva! The Chosen, a reality show on Fox because it highlighted Latinos in a positive manner. If Sofia had been highlighted as being Latina by Disney, plenty in the Latino community would have celebrated the milestone. But, it’s odd that all of a sudden we’re being told that Sofia is Latina and there seems to be no trace of her culture in the show.

I want to be clear that personally, my issue is not so much her look, though it is an issue when consistently the look portrayed in the media of Latinos is that of a fair-skinned Latino. My issue is more that my kids will not know she is Latina. In fact, it seems no one did until someone said she was. Will there be cultural or language references on the show for us to identify with? No clips advertising the show have shown any. How are kids to know she is Latina and identify if she’s neither confirmed to be Latina by Disney nor shown to be Latina on the show?

I asked a Disney Junior representative just that. My question and their response below.

“How are we to know she is Latina? How will the kids know? What characteristics, features, etc., about the character and show will portray her as Latina?“

Disney spokesperson:

“The range of characters in ‘Sofia the First’ – and the actors who play them – are a reflection of Disney’s commitment to diverse, multi-cultural and inclusive storytelling, and the wonderful early reaction to ‘Sofia’ affirms that commitment. In the story, Sofia’s mother, Queen Miranda, was born in a fictitious land, Galdiz, a place with Latin influences. Miranda met Sofia’s father, Birk Balthazar, who hailed from the kingdom of Freezenberg, and together they moved to Enchancia, where Sofia was born.”

A ‘place with Latin influences’ doesn’t tell me much. Disney’s response doesn’t truly answer my question of how kids will be able to know and identify with Sofia as being Latina. It doesn’t say how Latino culture will be portrayed on the show, or even referenced. Most importantly, it doesn’t confirm that Sofia is indeed Latina.

There’s been a lot of coverage in the past two days about whether or not Sofia is Latina, from those criticizing her look to those just asking for official confirmation from Disney. Take a moment to read through the various articles and opinion pieces. I will continue to add to the list as I learn of new articles:

• Disney Unveils First Latina Princess, NBC Latino
• Disney Reveals First Latina Princess, Hispanic Business
• Disney’s First Latina Princess Draws Criticism on Twitter, Mashable
• Disney’s Latina Princess, Sofia, Looks Like Me, Opinion piece on NBC Latino
• Why I Don’t Believe Sofia is Supposed to Be Latina, Besos at Babble
• Is Sofia Latina Enough?, Bicultural Mom
• Hispanic Activists Furious Over Sofia, Disney’s First Hispanic Princess, E! Online
• Disney’s First Latina Princess Not Groundbreaking, Clutch Magazine
• Disney Declares Its Newest Princess Is Latina, Just So We Can All Fight About Whether Or Not She ‘Looks Latina’, Gawker
• Was Disney’s Sofia the First Inspired by Queen Sofia of Spain?, Fox News Latino

What do you think? Do you believe Sofia the First is Latina or Hispanic?

I first met the Blogalicious conference organizers during the BlogHer 2009 conference. I was excited to see a new conference in the scene that was promoting and supporting diversity in social media. The Blogalicious ladies were passionate about their mission and it showed.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the first Blogalicious Weekend in 2009 due to the job I had at that time. However, I was able to join the Blogalicious community in 2010 in a big way – as co-host of the ¡Parranda! party and as a speaker. It’s been a pleasure to get to know this community over the last couple of years and I was humbled this year when Stacey Ferguson, chief curator of Be Blogalicious, entrusted me to help craft this year’s conference agenda as Director of Content for Blogalicious 2012.

Working so closely with the Blogalicious team has allowed me to see that the passion that existed back in 2009 still persists. This year’s conference theme is “Make it Personal” and we’ve worked hard so that the speakers and sessions on the agenda reflect that theme.

In addition, I’m happy to be speaking this year and support the conference as a media partner. I’ll be speaking along with many other respected individuals on the Blog Community Jam Session. I definitely would love for you to be there!

Since Ella Media is a media partner of the Blogalicious Weekend Conference, we want to help you get to Vegas and join the fun! The conference organizers have graciously provided us with two free conference passes to give to you!

Blogalicious 2012 Conference Pass Giveaway

We’re so excited to provide two of you the opportunity to attend the 2012 Blogalicious conference from September 28-30 in Las Vegas, NV, thanks to the Blogalicious team!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a full Blogalicious Conference pass ($275 value), you must leave a comment below answering the question: “How do you make it personal on your blog or social media profiles?”

Extra entries (optional):

1. Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post, including @ellamedia and the #blogalicious12 tag in your tweet.
   Sample tweet: I want to make it personal at #blogalicious12 in Vegas! Enter to win a conference pass from @ellamedia: http://bit.ly/blogalicious12gv
   Only one tweet per 24 hour period will count as an extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each tweet in order for it to count as an entry.
   
2. Let others know about this giveaway by posting on your own blog. You must include a link back to this giveaway post – http://bit.ly/blogalicious12gv – and leave a link to your post in the comments below.

All entries must be received by Sunday, September 9, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winners will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) The winners will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Winners will receive a discount code to use for free registration.

Additional Rules:

• You must be signed up for Ella Media to qualify. If you’re not already, you can do so here.
• You must be 18 or older.
• Winners cannot be current conference pass holders.
• Travel, lodging, transportation, incidentals, etc. not included. Only a full conference pass will be received.
• No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

If you want to start engaging with Blogalicious Conference attendees, you can do so on Twitter via the #blogalicious12 hashtag, and make sure to follow the conference at @beblogalicious. If you’d like to join their community on Facebook, you can find them here.

I hope you attend the Blogalicious Conference this year and see for yourself! If you’re not one of the lucky winners, you can still register to attend here. And, don’t forget to tell us all about your Blogalicious experience after attending!

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin and Me

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Stacey Ferguson, known as Justice Fergie, who attended an event on our behalf at The White House.

Last month I had the honor of attending the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Minority Health Blogger Townhall at The White House on behalf of Ella Media to engage in an open conversation on how the Affordable Care Act will impact minority communities.

It’s interesting – when Melanie first asked me if I’d be willing to cover it, my initial reaction was “that’s not my thing.” As it turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong – not to mention, it’s that very attitude that has landed us in the healthcare mess that we find ourselves in today.

The Townhall was attended by an array of influential players in the healthcare field and featured a panel of power players:

The Panel
Mayra Alvarez, Director of Public Health Policy, Office of Health Reform, HHS
Cecilia Munoz, Director of Domestic Policy Council
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, HHS
Dr. Regina Benjamin, Surgeon General, HHS
Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health
& Director of the Office of Minority Health, HHS
B. Smith, Restauranteur, Author, and Lifestyle Expert

The discussion was eye-opening and, in all honesty, reassuring. Watching politicians and the news media hurl stones and scary predictions back and forth about the state of healthcare is extremely disconcerting; however the actual policymakers and administrators at this Townhall showed that the situation is not all “gloom and doom.” Here’s a look at some of the positive themes that were covered:

• Historically, the U.S. healthcare system has been about treating the sick and injured; there is a new philosophy being implemented that is pushing our systems to make preventive care a priority – that is education, proactive programs and resources – which will have long-reaching effects on the way we view healthcare. Preventive care is especially important for minority communities with an aversion to doctors and hospitals and a tendency towards sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets.
• A renewed focus on community centers as the nucleus of minority, immigrant and low-income communities promises to reach those who need services and treatment where they live and work. This proposition resonated with me in particular, because minorities – Latinos and blacks of Caribbean descent (like my own family) especially, from my experience, are extremely hesitant – terrified even – of seeking medical services. Coming to our communities to a trusted and familiar location may help to break down the barriers of mistrust and fear and provide these populations with the services that they need.
• A commitment to teaching youth practical life skills and self-care strategies that will follow them throughout their adult life, i.e., a return to Home Economics. This approach will ultimately impact the healthcare system in a deep and lasting way: for example, encouraging gardening skills will encourage fruit and vegetable consumption; providing opportunities for fitness and exercise will help to curb obesity, heart diseases and stress related ailments; teaching cooking techniques will foster healthy eating and less of a dependence on processed foods. An collateral benefit of teaching life skills like these to our youth might be a decrease in violence – as B. Smith stated during the discussion: a teenager armed with life skills will be less likely to pick up a weapon or engage in destructive behavior.

Truth be told, we are living in an exciting time in terms of access to information and having power to impact the policies and laws that impact us – the Internet and social media allow us, especially communities of color who have had little to no voice in previous times, to participate in the national conversation. Let’s not let the White House’s commitment to involving Latinos and blacks and other minority groups in the policy-making process go unnoticed. For starters, we can educate ourselves on what the Affordable Care Act entails and what that means for our communities. Here are some helpful links to get started:

• Affordable Care Act and Latinos
• Affordable Care Act and African Americans
• Affordable Care Act and Women
• Affordable Care Act and People with Disabilities

As someone who grew up in Canada with immediate, abundant and FREE access to healthcare for the first 18 years of my life, until I came to the U.S. for college, my attitude towards healthcare has been frustration at the fragmented U.S. system that’s full of land mines and red tape. Now, as a mother of three and most recently, as a solopreneur who can no longer rely on health benefits paid for in large part by my government employer, I have a vested interest in understanding what the ACA means for me, my family and my larger community. Health care is most certainly “my thing.”

Watch the full video of the Townhall here.

Justice Fergie’s Life IS the Party inspires readers to celebrate the everyday! A long-time entertaining enthusiast, Stacey (aka Justice Fergie), loves throwing parties, cooking, decorating, getting glam, and all things special occasion-related.  Through covering lifestyle topics related to Family, Success, Food, Style and Life, Stacey – a wife and lawyer mom of 3 children under 8 years old – reminds us to infuse our daily lives with memory-worthy experiences.  Her {re}Treat Yourself Lifestyle Event Series brings this philosophy to life.  She is an avid blogger, event producer, social media personality, public speaker, freelance writer, and Chief Curator of the Be Blogalicious community and conferences.

This past Saturday, we hosted the Digital Latinas Meetup During Viva La Música at SeaWorld Orlando and what a great time we had! Latina bloggers from all over Florida attended with their families and enjoyed the fun of celebrating our cultura Latina on the annual festival’s opening day.

The day of fun began with a private food tasting featuring some of the dishes offered during the Viva La Música festival. Among the food provided, our group was able to sample arroz con pollo, arroz con gandules, pasteles Puertorriqueños, pernil, alcapurrias, maduros, tostones, and quesitos. SeaWorld’s Executive Chef, Héctor Colón, spoke with meetup attendees stating that this is one of his favorite events at SeaWorld, since he’s able to cook food he loves and share his own culture.

After some time to enjoy the food, mingle, and speak with SeaWorld representatives, Latinas who attended were treated to a surprise meet and greet with the day’s featured performer, merengue singer Elvis Crespo! This was an unannounced part of the meetup that was fun for the bloggers, their families, and even Elvis Crespo, who enjoyed talking with the kids, telling my own daughter he liked her shoes.

Bloggers then had time to browse the Viva La Música festival area, full of more food, domino tables, kiosks selling arts and crafts, and other cultural pieces, dancing penguins, and a live band. Walking around this area, seeing Latino culture in full effect at a major theme park and so many park attendees enjoying the food and music, truly was a highlight for me personally. I was able to bring my parents along for this event, and I could see their excitement mirrored in the faces of everyone there. What a great feeling to be able to share such a celebration of Latino pride with my daughter! I imagine many of the Latina bloggers felt much the same way.

The day’s main concert began shortly after with Elvis Crespo taking over SeaWorld’s Bayside Stadium for nearly two hours. His energy was infectious, getting just about everyone in the crowd up on their feet, ¡a bailar merengue! The best thing about these concerts, is that they are included with regular park admission for all SeaWorld park attendees to enjoy. The next three weekends of the Viva La Música festival at SeaWorld Orlando will feature artists Grupo Niche, RKM & Ken-Y, and salsero, Gilberto Santa Rosa.

Following the Elvis Crespo performance, our digital Latina group was able to enjoy the rest of the SeaWorld park, including the rides, animal shows, and exhibits. From their tweets, it seems all had fun and enjoyed the rest of their evening at SeaWorld.

I truly commend SeaWorld Orlando for really speaking to the Central Florida Hispanic community through the Viva La Música festival. There’s no better way to reach Latino consumers than to celebrate Latino culture, and Viva La Música does just that! It was an honor to be able to share this festival with fellow digital Latinas in Florida and have them experience first-hand the fun of SeaWorld Orlando. A huge thanks to the SeaWorld Orlando team for sponsoring the Digital Latinas Meetup and partnering with Ella Media to bring Latina bloggers this opportunity to get together and learn more about Viva La Música and the SeaWorld park.

Visit the Latinas who attended the meetup, read their stories on the event, and follow the conversation on Twitter and our Facebook page. Elvis Crespo even joined the fun and tweeted along with #SWOVivaLatina! You can also find additional pictures on our Flickr page.

Attendees of Digital Latinas Meetup During Viva La Música at SeaWorld Orlando

1. Daisy Sutherland – @drmommy – http://drmommyonline.com/
2. Laura Tellado – @laurita86 – http://www.espressoconleche.com
3. Myrah Duque – @couponmamacita – http://www.couponmamacita.com/
4. Nancy Perez – @nancyperez
5. Denisse Icaza – @DenisseIcaza – http://ahorrosparamama.com/
6. Eliana Tardio – @elianatardio – http://elianatardio.com/
7. Elizabeth Alarcon – @mamaorquesta – http://www.mamaorquesta.com/
8. Maybelline – @NaturalmentMama – http://www.naturalmentemama.com/
9. Adriana Martin – @AsBestRecipes – http://www.adrianasbestrecipes.com/
10. Alicia Civita – @aliciacivita – http://mamaslatinas.com
11. Ana Sanchez – @MiamiMSavings – http://www.miamimommysavings.com/
12. Melanie Edwards – @ellamedia – http://www.ellamedia.com

What is your impression of SeaWorld’s Viva La Música festival? Have you attended in the past? Will you this year?

All photos © Ella Media 2012

We recently chatted with the National Honey Board and Bárbara Trujillo Gómez, who have partnered to encourage consumers to lead an active and healthy life, and are spreading the message of how honey can help you in your efforts. Through this partnership, they’ve launched a three-month challenge with recipes, exercise ideas, and tips from Barbara on a Spanish-language site.

This partnership piqued our interest because it seeks to inform Latino consumers, and the National Honey Board is working with a Latina to engage the demographic. ¿Bien hecho, verdad?

Here are a few questions we asked both the National Honey Board (NHB) and Bárbara Trujillo Gómez, along with their comments.

National Honey Board Marketing to Latino Consumers: Interview with NHB

In your research, have you found that Latinos are typically large consumers of honey?

Definitely. Honey is one of those few all-natural staples that spans across cultures, and we have found that Latinos are especially loyal to honey in many respects. They enjoy the benefits of honey in everything from their at-home beauty regimens to their favorite recipes and teas, many of which are passed down from older generations who believed in using what’s readily available. Honey is an economical and accessible product with many uses and is consistently found in Latino households. It appeals to Latinos because of its natural quality, wholesome image and long history. Latinos reflect their closeness to home and their cultural past in their dishes, and their preference of honey reflects their ties to home and family.

Why is engaging with Latino consumers important to the National Honey Board?

The National Honey Board (NHB) values our relationship with Latino consumers because of their support for quality products and their do-it-yourself approach to daily activities. Their growing presence in the market is beneficial to natural ingredients like honey, as it encourages making your own meals, snacks and beauty treatments at home instead of buying pre-packaged items that are generally more expensive and have been processed.

You’ve partnered with Bárbara Trujillo Gómez in the past; how has this partnership been successful in reaching the Latino market?

Working with Bárbara has been a wonderful experience, and her partnership with the NHB has resulted in effective Latino outreach due to her extensive health and fitness knowledge, as well as her personable nature. She’s professional, enthusiastic and truly captures everything the NHB promotes – feeling good with a little help from nature! Bárbara shares the NHB’s values, as well as believes in being the best you can be by making smart choices and leading an active lifestyle. We find this to be an inspiring and empowering message to Latinos. With Bárbara as a partner, we have also been able to connect more closely with Latinos through a variety of media platforms, including social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook.

How is social media helping you connect with Latinos?

Social media activity has been key in connecting with Latinos. Latinos have a strong presence online, and one that’s still growing. They are the leaders of a multitude of web media outlets and blogs, most of which have their own respective Facebook pages and/or Twitter profiles. This reach is important to the NHB since it means that more Latino consumers are getting the latest information on everything honey, all in a platform where they can give us their feedback. The NHB appreciates their support and we want them to continue seeing the value and benefits of honey, but in such a way that’s relevant to them and their lifestyles.

Do you envision working with digitally-savvy Latinas in the future to help spread your message through various social media platforms?

Without a question. We’re always up-to-date on the latest trends and have already worked to foster strong relationships with digitally-savvy Latinas, and our relationship with Bárbara is an example of these efforts. In our current campaign, the Honey Fitness Challenge/ Reto Fitness y Energía de Miel Pura, we’ve made an effort to connect with digitally in-tuned Latinas more than ever by creating a whole new interactive microsite they can navigate, reto.mielpura.org, as well as by sharing highlights and video clips from our media tours via Facebook. The NHB is always open to their feedback and the possibilities of future partnerships, especially in such an exciting and constantly changing space like the internet.

National Honey Board Partners with Barbara Trujillo Gomez: Interview with Barbara

Why was partnering with the National Honey Board important to you and your mission?

Collaborating with the National Honey Board has been one of the most fulfilling times in my career. As a fitness expert and spokesperson, you hope to work with a product you believe in, and honey is that for me. I aim at living a healthy life while making it accessible for all to achieve. Honey is that kind of product; we all have it available no matter what our financial situation is. It is an all-natural single ingredient product with many uses. It’s extremely versatile, sweet and it just makes you smile and feel good! When I think of honey, I can’t help but think of “Pooh Bear” or any cute bear for that matter. I’ve even gained a huge appreciation for bees! It’s an amazing product and I am very blessed to be joining the National Honey Board in sharing its value to the masses.

What role is social media playing in your work with the National Honey Board?

Social media plays a huge role in everything we do nowadays. It’s because of social media that I am able to connect with the public instantly and spread the knowledge. Much of my work depends on education and motivation, and social media gives me the opportunity to do both. I love how it makes us feel as if we are truly all in it together, working towards a common goal. As long as it’s a positive one, like the benefits of honey, I am all for continuing to use the social media platform.

What advice can you give Latina bloggers that may seek such brand ambassadorship/ spokesperson opportunities?

To Latina bloggers and anyone else who is looking to work/partner with a company, I would advise them to stay true to themselves. I, with all my heart, believe in what I do, which is why I truly believe I have been successful in my work. Never underestimate your value and what you are able to accomplish. If you have a vision, stick to it. Listen to your heart. GO for it, and just press send!

Why should brands partner with digital Latinas in their marketing efforts? What can other brands learn from your partnership with the National Honey Board?

Open and honest communication. Latino purchasing power. Growth of the Latino community. I can go on and on as to why brands should partner with digital Latinas in their marketing efforts. There is a great camaraderie amongst Latinos regardless of the many “faces” of Latinos. At the end of the day, we all stick together. There is a level of trust when we share our thoughts and views, and when it’s a Latino speaking to another Latino we tend to listen and take the advice, which is beneficial to a company when representing their product/brand.

Mutual respect is instrumental in the success of a campaign. I am extremely fortunate to say that thus far I have experienced that while working with the National Honey Board. Again, I believe in the product, I believe in humanity, and I strongly believe that what you give out comes back.

Many thanks to the National Honey Board and Bárbara Trujillo Gómez for taking the time to chat with us and answer our questions!

What has been your experience in partnering with brands to reach Latinos? If you’re a brand/organization, what have you learned form partnering with Latina or Hispanic bloggers?

We’re so excited about an upcoming event we’re hosting – mostly because we get to share a wonderful local event with Latina bloggers in the area, but also because we’re fans of anything celebrating Latino culture! In just over a week, the Viva la Música festival kicks off at SeaWorld Orlando on April 14. Viva la Música is an annual event at SeaWorld that blends live performances from award-winning Latin artists with popular Latin cuisine and authentic arts and crafts, all included with the price of admission to the park.

I last attended the event quite a few years ago, so I personally know how much fun it is.  It was because of this that I approached the SeaWorld team with the idea of hosting a group of Latinas to experience what Viva la Música is all about and learn more about this event directly from the SeaWorld staff. But, this is just an introduction to SeaWorld, as it will also allow the group to learn about other attractions and events SeaWorld offers.

A group of Florida Latinas and their families have been invited to the Digital Latinas Meetup During Viva La Música! Bloggers include parenting, family, travel, food, and lifestyle bloggers. The meetup will be held the first day of the Viva la Música festival (April 14) and will include a private food tasting with SeaWorld’s Executive Chef Héctor Colόn, interview opportunities with key SeaWorld representatives, reserved seats to the Elvis Crespo performance, and front-of-the-line access to SeaWorld rides.

You can join in the fun from home as well and follow along on Twitter via #SWOVivaLatina! Feel free to RSVP on the official event Twtvite page to let us know you’ll be tweeting with us!

We look forward to sharing more from the event, during and after!

Have you ever attended the Viva la Música festival at SeaWorld?

We want to share some of what we learned at SheStreams, and a bit of our presentation too. Let’s start with that, shall we?

Latinas Sharing Culture Online

Our session exposed the SheStreams audience to digital Latinas who are creating content and sharing their culture through blogging and video. We provided information on the Hispanic market and Latino purchasing power, how this is relevant for brands who want to reach the Latino consumer, and how brands can partner with Latinas to spread their message and make it culturally relevant. During our session, we showed various examples of Hispanic bloggers and content creators that use video to enhance their stories. Latinas who were mentioned included:

• Carrie Weir, Tiki Tiki Blog
• Silvia Martinez, Mamá Latina Tips
• Marta Darby, My Big Fat Cuban Family
• Rory, Mamá Contemporánea
• Yoly Mason, Cuponeando
• Liz Cerezo, Thoughts of a Mommy
• Bren Herrera, Flanboyant Eats
• Nicole Presley, Presley’s Pantry
• Karina, Con Sabor a Kafé

These were just examples of how some Latina bloggers are storytelling through video and sharing culture through their sites. We know there are more out there!

You can see the full slideshow below of our SheStreams presentation and click on the linked terms to see the videos we shared during our session. Many other Latina bloggers also presented at SheStreams; you can read more about them in this post by Helena Osorio.

Lessons Learned at SheStreams

We sat in on a variety of sessions, from how to work with journalists to gain press for your business, to sessions focusing on the power of moms who blog.

Tips for Working with Journalists and Gaining Press Mentions

In the Social Journalism session presented by Cindy Krischer Goodman of The Miami Herald, we learned some ways to get the attention of journalists and possibly get mentioned in their stories. A few of her tips:

• Journalists love stories on surveys, trends, webinars, and follow-ups to stories they already wrote. She suggested you even invite local media to webinars you host.
• Consider guest blogging on newspaper sites.
• Comment on social media sites of newspapers.
• Use attention-grabbing subject lines when contacting journalists with story ideas. For example, “Good idea!”  ”Story Follow-up, ” or “New Trend!”

Vlogging 101 Tips from Molly Gold and the AT&T team

• Keep the length of your videos to 1-2 minutes.
• State the obvious, and answer ”why are we here?” Let people know the purpose of the video.
• Be careful with brands, logos, and product placement. Avoid enabling YouTube monetization on branded or sponsored videos.
• Create your signature style for your videos, but do not copy others’ styles.
• A simpler background is usually better.
• Be careful with ambient noise, and pay attention to lighting.
• Don’t be afraid to move away from home and go mobile.
• YouTube likes 1-word tags for videos.

Tips for Creating Quality Digital Content

Charlene Pacenti from MomsMiami.com suggested you go through this checklist before publishing content. Is the content…

1. Accurate?
2. Timely?
3. Useful to your audience?
4. Original? (or at least provides a unique perspective or special voice)
5. Entertaining?

If yes to any, then go ahead and hit publish.

Insight from Maria Bailey

Maria Bailey, founder of SheStreams and many other companies, namely MomSelect and BSM Media, gave a spectacular keynote where she shared her lessons learned after so many years in business. She focused on being a woman in business and the key take-aways she took from having worked with various businessmen. Some of what stood out for us:

• Do you have a business plan for your blog business?
• Do you have a mission statement? Both a personal and a business one?
• Do you have an exit strategy for your business?
• Hand-written notes with business cards included set you apart.
• If you base your business on how many hours you can put into it, then you’ll never grow and you’ll always make the same amount of money. You need something that can make you money while you sleep!
• Do a time audit and compare how much time goes into your business. Are you really making money or just pushing/moving it around?
• When people ask to be partners or collaborate, give them an assignment to see how serious they are about it.

We hope you are able to get a glimpse of the SheStreams conference and the information provided through this recap of sessions we attended.

Did you attend SheStreams? What sessions did you see? Share your notes with us in the comments below!

Three years ago, I was invited to speak at my first blogging conference, the 2009 Type-A Mom Conference. I had spoken at conferences before related to the e-learning position I had at the time, but had never spoken at a social media conference. When Kelby Carr e-mailed me asking if I was interested in speaking, I was actually on a plane en route to a family vacation in Puerto Rico. I remember reading the e-mail on my phone once we landed and immediately getting excited; though it was the first year for the Type-A Conference, I had already seen what a great community Kelby had created.

As I expected, the conference was great. The sessions provided lots of great information and the fact that there were less attendees than at conferences such as BlogHer, meant you could get to know everyone better. I wasn’t able to attend again in 2010, but returned to the conference, now called the Type-A Parent Conference, last year. The intimate factor was still there, and the content still excellent.

On a side note, you don’t have to be a parent to attend. The content is great for everyone and all blogging niches. As described by the organizers, the topics will include  ”...power networking, branding, blogging, finding your voice, and turning your passion for blogging into a real paycheck.”

This year, I’m happy to announce that Ella Media is a conference partner of the Type-A Parent Conference! I encourage you to attend this conference as I know you’ll learn a lot and meet many great people. The Type-A community is really a supportive one and a community worth knowing. To help you get to Charlotte and attend the Type-A Parent Conference, the conference organizers have graciously provided us with a free conference pass to give to one of you! Plus, we also have a discount code you can use in case you don’t win. See giveaway below and/or register using CODE ELLAMEDIA to get 20% off for a limited time! But, early bird registration ends March 31st!

Type-A Parent Conference Pass Giveaway

We’re so excited to provide one of you the opportunity to attend the 2012 Type-A Parent conference from June 22-24 in Charlotte, NC, thanks to the Type-A Parent Conference team!

How to Enter

Required entry: If you’d like to enter this giveaway for a full Type-A Parent Conference pass ($247 value), you must leave a comment below answering the question: “How has attending conferences helped you with your blogging/social media business?”

Extra entries (optional):

1. Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post, including @ellamedia and the #typeacon tag in your tweet.
   Sample tweet: I want to go to #typeacon this year! Hoping I win this conference pass giveaway from @ellamedia: http://bit.ly/typeaellagv
   Only one tweet per 24 hour period will count as an extra entry. You’ll need to leave a separate comment for each tweet in order for it to count as an entry.
   
2. Let others know about this giveaway by posting on your own blog. You must include a link back to this giveaway post - http://bit.ly/typeaellagv – and leave a link to your post in the comments below.

All entries must be received by Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. Remember to leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will be notified via email. (Please be sure to provide a valid email address with your entry.) The winner will have 48 hours to respond and claim prize, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Winner will receive a discount code to use for free registration.

Additional Rules:

• You must be a blogger to qualify.
• You must be 18 or older and a U.S. resident.
• The following disclosure must be included in your blog post entry (extra optional entry): This post was written as an entry for the Ella Media 2012 Type-A Parent Conference pass giveaway.
• Winners cannot be current conference pass holders.
• Travel, lodging, transportation, incidentals, etc. not included. Only a full conference pass will be received.
• No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited.

If you want to start engaging with Type-A Parent Conference attendees, you can do so on Twitter via the #typeacon hashtag, and make sure to follow the conference at @typeaparentcon. You can also get to know Kelby, the founder, at @typeamom. If you’d like to join their community on Facebook, you can find them here.

I hope you attend the Type-A Parent Conference this year and see for yourself! If you do, we want to hear all about it, so let us know!

Disclosure: Affiliate registration links were used throughout. If you register for the conference via our affiliate link, a percentage of your cost goes to Ella Media, so we can then bring you more good things!

Photo: Amanda Padgett/Flickr