Internet Geek Tuesday – Page 6

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 28, 2013May 28, 2013in Blogher Conference, BlogHer13, Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Have you heard of BlogHer?

BlogHer is the largest community of women who blog and a media company that was created by Elisa Camahort Page, Jory des Jardins, and Lisa Stone in 2005.

Photo Credit: BlogHer.com - BlogHer co-founders Lisa Stone, Jory Des Jardins, and Elisa Camahort Page — Photo Credit: BlogHer.com – BlogHer co-founders Lisa Stone, Jory Des Jardins, and Elisa Camahort Page

To date, BlogHer has created opportunities for the 55 million women in its community to gain exposure, education, community, and economic empowerment through its conferences for women in social media, publishing network of 3,000 blogs authored by women, and BlogHer.com, the leading guide to the hottest news and trends among women in social media.

BlogHer 2010 - Ananda, Julie Diaz-Asper, Ana Roca Castro, and Sylvia Aguilera — BlogHer 2010 – Ananda, Julie Diaz-Asper, Ana Roca Castro, and Sylvia Aguilera

Vikki Reich, Heather Mann, and Ananda at BlogHer11 session on Peer Mentoring

I joined BlogHer in 2008. I’ve been fortunate to attend the annual conference in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The BlogHer community and conferences have helped me to dream bigger and grow as a person, entrepreneur, speaker, and writer in numerous ways. I believe BlogHer invests deeply in its members which creates a similar investment commitment by its members. Last year, I wrote a conference blog recap that expressed my definition of BlogHer (it is written as an acronym). See below.

BlogHer 2012 Podcasting Panel - Deborah Shane, Ananda, and Jasmin Singer — BlogHer 2012 Podcasting Panel – Deborah Shane, Ananda, and Jasmin Singer

BlogHer 2012 Breakfast with Ananda and Veronica Arrerola

B – Building community through meaningful and mindful connections, conversations, collaborative partnerships and projects, and commerce that generates revenue and valued added exchanges for myself and others.

L – Learning and sharing information that helps me and others grow to our fullest potential.

O – Opening my heart to be inspired and energized by the stories I hear from fellow bloggers, keynote speakers, and representatives from brands, companies, organizations, and marketing/PR firms.

G – Giving back to others by sharing what I know and affirming and supporting others’ efforts.

H – Having fun and celebrating digital sisterhood and digital brotherhood bonds with new and old blogging friends.

E – Embracing and valuing the power, presence, and passion of my own voice, creativity, expertise, thought leadership, entrepreneurial efforts, social good causes and campaigns, and definition of success.

R – Remembering that my return on investment (ROI) from my BlogHer community and conference participation is rooted in my attitude, intentions, choices, personal responsibility, and actions.

This year, I am excited to share I will be speaking about social media leadership and co-hosting the Multi-Culti party with two amazing digital sisters, Pauline Campos and Dwana De La Cerna at the July conference in Chicago. I hope you will be able to join us at the conference and the Multi-Culti party. Click here to register.

Photo Credit: www.sheratonchicago.com — Photo Credit: http://www.sheratonchicago.com

Are you headed to the BlogHer conference in Chicago?

What are you looking forward to learning about and receiving from the BlogHer conference?

I am looking forward to connecting with my current network of digital sisters and brothers, meeting new digital sisters and brothers, co-hosting the Multi-Culti party, speaking about social media leadership, attending some of the Style Mini-Con sessions, hearing the Voices of the Year speakers (one of my favorite events), and listening to the keynote addresses by Majora Carter and Sheryl Sandberg.

Hope to see you in Chicago!

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 21, 2013May 21, 2013in Internet Geek Tuesday4 Comments

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Today, I am remembering the musical discoveries I made while connecting with other music lovers on Myspace in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. Yes I said Myspace. I know saying that word is very retro in the social networking world, but I had to say it.

I miss being on Myspace and learning about amazing indie artists like Ayanna Gregory, a soulful vocalist, songwriter, educator, and activist, She is also the daughter of Dick Gregory, a comedian, vegetarian, Civil Rights activist, and nutritional consultant. I used to visit Gregory’s Myspace page to stay updated on her musical career and Beautiful Flower CD concerts. Nowadays, I use Facebook to stay updated.

I would also check out her growing list of friends to see if I could find other indie artists. Most times, I would find several I liked and end up buying their CDs on CDBaby.com (the web site where many indie artists sell their music).

If you had a Myspace account, check out the questions below. Feel free to respond to them in the comment section. If you still use Myspace, please post your page’s link. I’ll visit it in the coming days.

When did you join Myspace?

I joined in 2006.

What made you join?

My cousin and stylist Sharon Malachi told me Myspace was a great way to stay updated about the indie music artists we loved listening to and seeing perform. I also used Myspace to promote and market my debut novel, Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One.

What were your favorite Myspace sites to visit?

I loved visiting the sites of Ayanna Gregory, Eric Roberson, Kenny Dust, and HKB FiNN, Tim’m West, and Fertile Ground.

Did you leave Myspace? When and why?

I stopped using it in 2009 because my community and most of the indie artists I liked moved to Facebook and Twitter. So I followed them.

What social networking sites do you currently participate in?

I am on most of the social networking sites: Instagram, Flickr, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube.

What are your favorite social networking sites?

I love Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 14, 2013May 15, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

I am passionate about all things tech including learning how to code. Learning how to code has been on my life’s bucket list since 2011 when I learned about Kimberly Bryant’s Black Girl Code organization and Women Innovate Mobile, read an article about Girl Develop It’s first ladies-only hackathon in Fast Company, and attended web pioneer Aliza Sherman’s session on mobile marketing at the Blogalicious Weekend Conference. As a result, I signed up for Code Academy’s free online coding classes in 2012. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of the classes. I did, however, stay updated on women’s coding and tech projects, and attended the Women Interactive, a creative technology festival at Spelman College where I learned more about creating mobile applications, games, and webisodes.

This year, I started subscribing to the RailsGirls DC Twitter account and blog and reading them on a regular basis. That’s how I learned about the June workshop on how to build apps and other programs with Ruby on Rails. I applied to participate and explained how I wanted to create apps to support the Digital Sisterhood Network. Guess what? My application was approved and I’ll be attending the June. Coding here I come!

What tech tools have you acquired or planning to learn this year?

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 7, 2013May 7, 2013in Internet Geek Tuesday2 Comments

Photo Credit: http://asianpacificheritage.gov/

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

In honor of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, I invite you to click here to watch “From Shanghai to Harlem,” a documentary trailer my digital sister Sylvia Wong Lewis and LS3 Studios created to celebrate her family’s Chinese Caribbean and African American heritage. The film traces the migration of Lewis’ paternal Mississippi line and immigration of her maternal Chinese and Caribbean ancestors as they settled in Harlem, New York.

Photo Credit: Sylvia Wong Lewis (her trip to Shanghai, China)

Lewis’ firm, Narrative Network recently won a Telly Bronze Award in the category of Film/Video – Non-Broadcast Productions – Low Budget (under $700 per minute). The film also won the AVA Digital Gold Award earlier this year.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday – Demand Success – 2013 Vocus Conference on June 20 & 21

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 30, 2013April 30, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

As an Internet Geek and new media professional, I enjoy learning about communications, marketing, public relations, and social media best practices and strategies. That’s why I am headed to the Demand Success 2013 Vocus Conference on June 20 and 21 at the National Harbor’s Gaylord Hotel. Demand Success is an industry marketing conference that brings together marketers, businesses, thought leaders, and Vocus experts to learn about and discus efficient marketing that yields real results. Vocus is provider of cloud marketing software that helps businesses reach and influence buyers across social networks, online and through media. Click here to register for the conference.

I am really excited the Demand Success agenda includes a keynote address by one of my “digital diva sheroes,” Arianna Huffington, author of Becoming Fearless (one of the best books I read this year) and President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group.

I am also excited about attending Wendy Harman‘s session on Lessons from the Social Media Command Center. Harman is one of my digital diva sheroes. Her leadership and work at the American Red Cross during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti was AWESOME!!!

The sessions on the Content Marketing Revolution, Social Media Strategy, Digital Journalism in Flux, Brand Journalism, and Facebook Futures caught my eye too! The Facebook Futures panel features some of my favorite thought leaders including Katya Andresen, Shashi Bellamkonda, and Geoff Livingston.

Be sure to check out the Vocus blog, follow @Vocus on Twitter (use #Demand13 to follow the conference tweets), and LIKE the Vocus Facebook page.

PS: I will live tweet from the conference. So be sure to follow me @anandaleeke on Twitter and Instagram on June 20 and June 21.

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

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 23, 2013April 24, 2013in Blogalicious, Internet Geek Tuesday4 Comments

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

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!

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.

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.

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

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 4/16

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 16, 2013April 16, 2013in Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

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 Internet Geek Tuesday! 4/9

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 9, 2013February 5, 2013in Internet, Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

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 Internet Geek Tuesday! 4/2

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 2, 2013April 2, 2013in Internet Geek Tuesday, PoetryLeave a comment

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

It’s National Poetry Month! One of the places I like to visit during the month is Poets.org. It offers a new poem each day. You can even have it emailed to you. Click here to sign up.

Are you a poetry lover? Who are your favorite poets? Where do you go online to read poetry?

Photo Credit: Tim'm T. West, www.reddirt.biz — Photo Credit: Tim’m T. West, http://www.reddirt.biz

I love reading the poetry of Tim’m T. West, an amazing activist,author, educator, feminist, hip hop artist, poet, scholar, and singer. I met Tim’m while he was hosting The Front Porch, a monthly poetry reading series at Mocha Hut, a cafe located on U Street in Washington, D.C (closed in 2009). He encouraged me to participate in The Front Porch monthly readings.

His creative energy, friendship, music, poetry, and poetical memoir, Red Dirt Revival: A Poetic Memoir In Six Breaths, inspired me to write and publish my own poetical memoir, That Which Awakens Me. Take a moment and click here to watch a video of Tim’m performing his creative work at the Front Porch in 2007. Also, click here to watch a 2009 video of my poem dedicated to him. Enjoy!

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 3/26

Posted by Ananda Leekeon March 26, 2013March 26, 2013in Internet, Internet Geek TuesdayLeave a comment

Young and the Restless logo

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Do you watch television programs online?

Young & the Restless is one of the shows I watch regularly on CBS.com. I’ve been a fan since the early 1970s. My Aunt Paulyne used to watch the show. That’s how I got hooked!

The Internet Geek inside of me really likes that I can tune into the show at anytime during the week. I also like to follow the show on Twitter for updates.

I recently discovered the Y&R Critic Fan blog which offers some interesting perspectives on the characters and storylines. Click here to read the blog.

PS: I started decluttering my home in 2004 and ended up donating my color television. Since then, my Internet connection via my laptop and Netflix keep me in touch with television land. Visits to television-friendly homes owned by family and friends also keep me updated!