Happy Internet Geek Tuesday – Part 1 Recap of Blogalicious Tech Summit

blogatech-blogaliciousslide

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Last week, I attended the Blogalicious Tech Summit held at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center in Washington, D.C.  Guess what Microsoft had? A Technology Bar for attendees to preview Microsoft products! What an Internet Geek treat!

Ananda at Blogalicious Tech Summit at Microsoft
Ananda at Blogalicious Tech Summit at Microsoft
Technology Bar
Technology Bar

Stacey Ferguson (a/k/a Justice Fergie), Blogalicious Chief Curator and Co-Founder, welcomed us all and introduced Stephanie Peters, Director of Federal Government Affairs for Microsoft. Peters talked about how powerful Blogalicious is as a community and the many ways it supports its members. I totally agreed!

Stacey Ferguson
Stacey Ferguson
Stephanie Peters
Stephanie Peters

Dr. Mark Drapeau, Director of Innovative Engagement for Microsoft, gave a keynote address on “Avoiding Mediocrity.” My key takeaway from Drapeau’s address was create outstanding content that is fun, entertaining, surprising, valuable, and simple to read.

Mark Drapeau
Mark Drapeau

Allissa Richardson, Bowie State University professor, journalist, and founder of MOJO Mediaworks, LLC, was truly my favorite presenter. I am biased too because she is a 2012 Digital Sister of the Year and a personal shero! Richardson discussed the five elements of building your mobile platform. The elements include:

  • Choice: Be the best source of high quality content and information.
  • Conversation: Start and maintain a dialogue that is meaningful and informative.
  • Creation: Make your own media to establish yourself as a thought leader.
  • Curation: Sift through media a lot to highlight the best content your audience will appreciate.
  • Collaboration: Build smart partnerships.

She shared some tools for making audio recordings and podcasts like Audioboo, a mobile app I have downloaded to my phone. She also recommended that we try using SproutSocial to schedule our social media posts and tweets. She uses this tool instead of Hootsuite. I downloaded the SproutSocial app to my phone and will try it out starting in May.

Allissa Richardson
Allissa Richardson

NOTE: Tomorrow, I will post another blog about the Blogalicious Tech Summit. It was so juicy that it deserves two blog posts!

Happy Yoga Monday and Earth Day!

Janice Gates' book Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga
Janice Gates’ book Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga

Happy Yoga Monday and Earth Day!

Yoga is a sacred gift because it helps promote self-acceptance and self-love. Check out my yoga video that shares yoga wisdom on self-acceptance and self-love from Janice Gates’ book Yogini: The Power of Women in Yoga .

earth-day-2012_22412Today is also Earth Day, an annual celebration that is held across the globe that calls individuals, communities, organizations, and governments to acknowledge the amazing planet we call home and take action to protect it.This year’s theme is “The Face of Climate Change.” Click here to learn more about the day.

earthdayTake a few moments and breathe in the beauty of Mother Earth today. Give thanks for all the planet does for you and your loved ones. Make a promise to do three things to support the sustainability of  our global home. If you are in DC, stop by the Earth Month celebration at Union Station this month.

How are you celebrating and honoring Mother Earth?

OM #YogaMonday OM! OM Mother Earth OM!

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

Happy Creativity Thursday – 4/18

Photo Credit: FilmfestDC.com
Photo Credit: FilmfestDC.com

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Last weekend, I attended Filmfest DC’s screening of Ballin’ at the Graveyard, a documentary written and produced by Basil Anastassiou and Paul Kentoffio that tells the story of what happens when men come together to play pickup basketball at Washington Park aka the “Graveyard” in Albany, New York.  Click here to watch the film trailer.

Photo Credit: http://ballinatthegraveyard.com
Photo Credit: http://ballinatthegraveyard.com

In the midst of watching Ballin’ at the Graveyard and listening to the men’s trash talking, I learned their weekend warrior basketball adventures are much more than fun and games.  They are fueled by a passionate energy that expresses itself through hours of exchanges on and off-the-court.  Their emotions and experiences paint a tapestry of brotherhood, commitment, community, family, friendship, history, intergenerational bonds, leadership, legacy, mentoring, nurturing, and sharing I hadn’t expected to see.  The relationships they have formed and continue to build are soulful, life affirming, and rooted in a deep love for one another, their community, and pick-up basketball.  This movie has stolen my heart and become one of my favorite films.  Please go see it when it comes to your city. Also, tell others about it.

PS: Be sure to LIKE Ballin’ at the Graveyard on Facebook and follow it on Twitter!

 

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 4/16

Talkshoe.com
Talkshoe.com

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Talkshoe.com is a podcast tool that makes my life easy. It’s free to use and requires very little technical know-how.  I have been using Talkshoe to host Internet radio shows since 2008. Currently, I host the Digital Sisterhood Radio show which will begin its 2013 season later this year.

Do you listen to or host podcasts?

What are your favorite podcasts?

If you are thinking about launching a podcast, click here to read my 14 tips. Also, I encourage you to read my blog post that discusses the nine benefits of podcasting. Click here to check out my Podcasting 101 Pinterest board. I created it last year for a Podcasting 101 panel I moderated during  the BlogHer conference in New York City.

Happy Yoga Monday! 4/15

Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley
Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley

Happy Yoga Monday!

I started practicing yoga to support my running practice in 1995. Right after I turned 40,  I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a yoga teacher at Flow Yoga Center in 2005. Click here to watch a video about my personal yoga journey. Enjoy!

Why did you start practicing yoga?

OM #YogaMonday OM!

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

Happy Creativity Thursday – 4/11

Photo Credit: SonyaClark.com
Photo Credit: SonyaClark.com

Happy Creativity Thursday!

Today, I am celebrating the work of Sonya Clark, a textile artist extraordinaire who also serves as Chair of the Department of Craft/Material Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. Clark’s work focuses on her individual and collective identity as an African American woman with Caribbean roots from her Jamaican mother and Trinidadian father.

Madame C.J. Walker tapestry by Sonya Clark - Photo Credit: http://sonyaclark.com/gallery/madam-cj-walker/
Madame C.J. Walker tapestry by Sonya Clark – Photo Credit: http://sonyaclark.com/gallery/madam-cj-walker/

I discovered Clark’s work and featured her Madame C.J. Walker, a tapestry made from black plastic combs, on my Black American Princess (BAP) Living social networking site in 2008. Since then, her work has been an inspiration for my own creative expression. Visit www.sonyaclark.com to learn more about her.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 4/9

Photo Credit: January O'Neil
Photo Credit: January O’Neil

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

When I started blogging about my poetry, January Gill O’Neil a/k/a The Poet Mom was one of the first people I met online. Her Poet Mom blog inspired me to take risks with my poems. She made blogging about poetry COOL.

Watch a video of her reading her poem, “What Mommy Wants.”

Check out her debut poetry collection, Underlife.

Follow her on Twitter @januaryoneil.

Do you have a favorite poetry blogger?

 

Happy Yoga Monday! 4/8

Healing Mudras, another great book
Healing Mudras, another great book

Happy Yoga Monday!

Today, I want to share the Uttarabodhia mudra, a yoga hand movement you use to remind yourself of your oneness with everyone and everything in the universe. It’s a perfect way to practice yoga on the go! Click here to watch my short video. Enjoy!

Healing Mudras by Sabrina Mesko is a great book for understanding mudras.

OM #YogaMonday OM!

PS: If you would like to read about my yoga journey, check out my memoir That Which Awakens Me on Amazon.com. It is available on Kindle

My debut novel Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One features a main character who works as a yoga teacher in Washington, D.C. Click here to visit the Love’s Troubadours’ Pinterest board which contains some great information about the novel. You can purchase it on Amazon.com.

Happy Creativity Thursday 4/4

Photo Credit; Derrick Weston Brown
Photo Credit; Derrick Weston Brown

Happy Creativity Thursday and National Poetry Month!

Today, I am celebrating the poetry of Derrick Weston Brown, an educator and a “people’s poet.”  He is also the author of Wisdom Teeth. Derrick is a dear friend and an extraordinarily gifted wordsmith.

Wisdom Teeth by Derrick Weston Brown
Wisdom Teeth by Derrick Weston Brown

His poetry gets underneath my skin and travels to the depths of my soul. When I hear him read his work, I am stopped in my tracks. Click here to watch his Wisdom Teeth trailer. Be sure to check his book out on Amazon.com. Go on and buy a copy! His poetry will expand your mind! Enjoy!

Who are your favorite poets?

Blog Recap: Ananda’s Lifestylista Field Trip to Macy’s DC Spring Essentials Fashion Show

Ananda at Macy's Spring Fashion Show on March 28
Ananda at Macy’s Spring Fashion Show on March 28

Happy Digital Sisterhood Wednesday!

Since it’s Digital Sisterhood Wednesday, I thought I would share my lifestylista field trip  highlights from the Spring Fashion Show I attended last week at Macy’s Metro Center in Washington, D.C. The Fashion Show featured style expert and author Daisy Lewellyn

Ananda, Xina Eiland, Jazzy Jones, and Macy's Staff at Spring Fashion Show on March 28
Ananda, Xina Eiland, Jazzy Jones, and Macy’s Staff at Spring Fashion Show on March 28

Before the show, I met up with my Blogalicious digital sisters, Xina Eiland and Jazzy Jones. We had a chance to reconnect and talk about our plans for the spring season.

Style expert and author Daisy Lewellyn
Style expert and author Daisy Lewellyn

During the show, Daisy, the “Queen of Effortless Chic,” shared that she was a Howard University graduate (love that we are HU Bisons!) and gave five tips for Spring wardrobe essentials. Check out the photos and tips below.

Peplums are big this spring!
Peplums are big this spring!

Tip #1 – Peplum: Daisy recommended that women add a peplum top or dress to their wardrobe. The top could be paired with a skirt or pants. I love peplums. I wore them a lot during the late 1980s!

Lace is huge this spring!
Lace is huge this spring!

Tip #2 – Lace: Daisy encouraged women to wear colorful lace. I fell in love with the yellow lace dress. It reminded me of my Aunt Paulyne’s vintage 1960s peach lace dress I wore to my law school graduation at Howard University in the late 1980s.

Pullover sweaters are key to a woman's spring wardrobe this year!
Pullover sweaters are key to a woman’s spring wardrobe this year!

Tip #3 – Pullover Sweaters: Daisy suggested women incorporate pullover sweaters in their spring wardrobe. She used First Lady Michelle Obama’s sweater style as an example. I ADORE pullover sweaters especially the ones you can wear with a belt.

Printed pants are very in this spring!
Printed pants are very in this spring!

Tip #4 – Printed Pants: Daisy shared how women can add more color to their Spring wardrobe with printed pants.

Dresses are hot this spring!
Dresses are hot this spring!

Tip #5 – Dresses: Daisy talked about how dresses like the ones worn by First Lady Michelle Obama create a total look. I agree!

What are your five Spring wardrobe essentials?

DISCLAIMER: I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere provided me with compensation for this post about the Macy’s event. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.