I didn’t stay out late Friday night, and STILL was late for the first session Saturday. I almost missed one of the BEST panels at Blogging While Brown, but alas – I didn’t. I got to hear Adria Richards, Luvvie Ajayi, andScott Hanselman talk about building your online brand, stats, and more – and by more, I mean a LOT of laughing! People were educated and entertained in the panel – “Your Personal Brand: t actually IS all about you!” I wish I had video or at least pics of @shanselman’s “Bump N’ Curl” – but I was late, had to do the “church finger”, and find a seat in the back.
Next, I decided to go to the breakout session – “Blogging without Bounds:Taking Your Blog Offline into Local Communities” sponsored by Blogher. Toni Carey and Ashley Hicks, founders of Black Girls Run, talked about how to translate your online vision into offline communities. The group was small, but you could tell that this was one session where the people there REALLY wanted to know how to reach people offline. Socamom.com has a meetup group, but I would love for Caribbean moms all over the world to be able to benefit from the support and advice that we can give one another. This was definitely the session for me!
I talked with attendees between sessions, and met some wonderful bloggers. When it was time for lunch, I saw @PGCBlogging and we just had to take a picture. I connect with people over shoe love all the time – but this… this was just great. You know I love my Chucks!
@pgcblogging and @socamomdc in Chucks! – Photo by Cheryl McCullers-Ingraham @pgcblogging – http://www.pgcblog.com
After that – the unreal happened. I plopped myself down at a table with my veggie and feta pocket, and started to introduce myself. Next thing I know, I am staring into the face of a total blast from the past – a classmate from A&T – @girlmeetsglass. Crazy right? I hadn’t seen her in what… over 15 years – and there she was sitting right next to me at Blogging While Brown.
The lunch session was about what’s next for blogging and social media. The panel was Join the CEO of Knowledge Brokers and Microsoft Diversity Recruiter, Marlin Page, Anslem Samuel Rocque, Senior Producer of Interactive Media at BlackEnterprise.com and Tony Williams, Director of Government Affairs at Comcast. I got to chat with @MarlinPage after the panel, and I am telling you – if you have a child who spends any amount of time online, go check out Chief Technology Mommy.
So after lunch, I had a ton of questions for everyone who was on the various panels, so the place to be to catch them was right outside of the main conference room. Since I am looking to beef up the technology section of Socamom.com, I talked to @shanselman, @kellepc, @brothatech, and @adriarichards about the next steps for me. There was so much information – but you can believe that I left all of the conversations empowered and ready to get started! And on top of all that – more shoe love!
@socamomdc and @adriarichards in Chucks! – Photo by Terrance Gaines – @brothatech – http://www.brothatech.com
After lunch, dessert was hearing from Trini beauty blogger Patrice Grell Yursik of Afrobella.com and Kathryn Finney of The Budget Fashionista Maria Niles, Client Services Director of BlogHer in a panel moderated by Elisa Camahort Page, cofounder of BlogHer! So I was thinking, “Okay BWB… at this point – you are just showing off.” This was a phenomenal panel.
Some of my best tweets came from this panel!
There’s tremendous power in “No.” There will be other opportunities. @afrobella @kathrynfinney @marianiles @elisac #blogher #bwb2012 #brands
— SocaMom (@SocaMomDC) June 2, 2012
Know your reach and know your niche. Okay, It doesn’t really rhyme. – @elisac #bwb2012 #BlogHer
— SocaMom (@SocaMomDC) June 2, 2012
(All the other good ones I think I used in my Friday post: http://www.socamom.com/soca/en/daily-blog-roll/405-blogging-while-brown-2012-so-blogging-is-carnival-too)
During the Next Level Sister session, the brothers of blogging, Wayne Bennett of The Field Negro, Darryl Frierson of From Ashy to Classy and Slim Jackson of Single Black Male come together in a panel moderated by author and social media pioneer Shawn P. Williams of Dallas South News were in another conference room talking about how to make it in a woman’s world (the blogging world). I tried to follow some of the tweets, sounded like a good discussion.
I spent the break – and another whole session chatting with bloggers and panelists, getting some fantastic information – so I missed the one on video, which I am really looking forward to doing more of… DOH!
Closing session was moderated by one of my favorite people Kimberly C. Ellis, Ph.D. also known as Dr. Goddess. Tamika D. Mallory, National Executive Director of National Action Network, Naomi Christine Leapheart, Professor Terry Smith, from DePaul College of Law in Chicago (author of Barack Obama, Post-Racialism, and the New Politics of Triangulation) discussed social media and social change 5 years after the start of Blogging While Brown.
You have to come from behind the computer and become an activist, its the only way we can heal our communities”- @TamikaDMallory #BWB2012
— Sharontina Brightman (@TyrasLilSis) June 2, 2012
After the session, I talked with @iamcharlesmajor, @daniellejme, @brothatech, and @blackandmarriedwithkids about the “DMV”, photography, family, technology, blogging… all in about what – 15 minutes. Then I headed back to the hotel to get ready for a fabulous end to a fantastic conference weekend. It was so good – it needs a blog post of its own.
