Digital Sisterhood Network

#InternetGeek Tuesday: #InternetGeekat50 Lesson 4 B.L.O.G.

Posted by Ananda Leekeon March 31, 2015April 4, 2015in #BlogforObama, Ananda's Events, Ananda's Speaking Events, Press Publish Conference2 Comments

Happy #InternetGeek Tuesday!

Speaking at Press Publish - Photo Credit: Christine Holsey — Speaking at Press Publish – Photo Credit: Christine Holsey

#InternetGeekat50 Lesson 4 is B.L.O.G. Last weekend, I attended the WordPress Press Publish Portland Conference. I shared my B.L.O.G. mantra and how I began blogging for personal reasons and evolved into a social media leader for the White House during my “Blogging for Obama” session. Here’s what B.L.O.G. stands for:

B – Be yourself in your blogging process

L – Love the stories you tell on your blog.

O – Open yourself to new ideas and opportunities.

G – Give back.

I have included a more detailed description that I used in my session presentation below.

B – Be yourself in your blogging process. Give yourself space to manage the fluctuation of your energy, focus, and passion with digital wellness. I define digital wellness as a gift you give yourself to help manage your time online with mindful self-care practices. Mindful self-care practices encourage you to slow down, become aware of how you spend your time online, and identify and take small steps towards having a healthier digital life. Examples include breathing exercises, journaling, massage, meditation, physical movement (walking, running, yoga, and aerobic classes), rest (naps and a good night’s sleep), setting time boundaries, and using time management tools (HootSuite, TweetDeck, and an editorial calendar) to schedule your blog and social media posts (excerpt from my book Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online.

I started blogging as a result of a writing block in my novel-writing process for Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One in 2005. My book editor urged me to blog to create a daily writing practice. Guess what? He was right. It worked because I wrote for myself. I didn’t think about attracting or pleasing an audience. I just wrote to express my thoughts about my book and its characters.

My blogging helped me connect with a diverse group of bloggers and social media influencers who discussed topics relevant to my novel and its characters. It also created an audience for my book before it was published. When my book was published, I started telling stories about my writing journey, the lessons I learned during the publishing process, background information about the novel’s characters, book readings, and radio and television interviews. These efforts led me to share stories about my life as an artist and yoga teacher. I ended up creating two different blogs and blog space on numerous online communities and social networking sites. That’s when trouble began. Blogger burnout. In 2008, I was overwhelmed by my self-made digital footprint. Following the advice of my life coach, I took a leave of absence from my blog. Stepping away from the blogging process helped me recharge. I also realized that I was in control of how much I blogged and it was okay to take breaks. So when blogger burnout happened again in 2011, I didn’t hesitate in taking a break. That same year, I decided to institute a monthly unplugging practice that turned into the Digital Sisterhood Unplugged Weekend.

L – Love the stories you are telling on your blog. Tap into what you are most passionate about. I tapped into my passion for yoga, creativity, and being an Internet geek as a guide in what I share on my blog. I also maintain three other blogs that reflect my passion for women in social media (Digital Sisterhood Network), digital citizenship, and my DC life and love for all things POTUS, FLOTUS, and the White House. I don’t maintain a regular editorial calendar for these blogs. I post when I feel called to or have a project I am working on that calls for blogging.

O – Open yourself to new ideas and opportunities. I opened myself up to new ideas and opportunities when I started going to blogging conferences and local social media and tech events including Blogging While Brown, BlogHer, Blogalicious, BlissDom, Feminism 2.0, Latinos in Social Media, She’s Geeky DC, Social Justice Camp DC, Social Media Club DC, Social Media Week DC, and DC Digital Capital Week. These experiences helped me establish relationships and build community with a diverse group of people. My connections and interactions exposed me to new ideas and opportunities to express and share my passion for:

Creativity through a book blogging effort that produced my creative memoir, That Which Awakens Me.
Women in social media which inspired a book blogging effort for my technology memoir that gave birth to the Digital Sisterhood Network, Digital Sisterhood Radio, and Digital Sisterhood Month.
Social good initiatives like Macy’s Heart of Haiti Campaign. I became a Macy’s Heart of Haiti Campaign blogger ambassador in 2010 after learning about it during the Blogalicious Conference. A year later, the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Fairwinds Trading, and Macy’s selected me to travel to Haiti. In 2012, I started working as an AARP blogger ambassador on caregiving issues and long-term care planning for women.

My greatest opportunities have occurred as a result of my passion for President Barack Obama. In 2008, I used my digital presence and yoga teaching skills to support his first Presidential campaign. During President Obama’s second campaign in 2012, my father and I volunteered in the Prince George’s County, Maryland campaign office. We also used our blogs and social media platforms to discuss the Obama campaign. After the election, I searched for ways to increase my support and began applying to participate in the White House Social events. Last year, I was selected by the White House to serve as a social media leader for the State of the Union, French Arrival Ceremony for French President Francois Hollande, and the Tumblr Q&A session on education. The U.S. Department of State invited me to serve in a similar capacity during the International Women of Courage Award Ceremony.

French Arrival Ceremony, February 2014 - Photo Credit: Dave McCulloch — French Arrival Ceremony, February 2014 – Photo Credit: Dave McCulloch

International Women of Courage Award Ceremony, February 2014 - Photo Credit: U.S. Department of State — International Women of Courage Award Ceremony, February 2014 – Photo Credit: U.S. Department of State

G – Give back. Use your blogging and social media skills to give back to causes, communities, and organizations you care about. I have used my blogging and social media skills to serve as a technology volunteer for Blogalicious Meetups in 2009-2012, CrisisCampDC and Chilean Earthquake in 2010, Andy Shallal’s DC Mayoral Campaign in 2013-14, and BlogHer’s Veteran Blogger Mentor Program in 2014. I have also given back through the Digital Citizenship Project and Digital Citizenship Month.

Photo Credit: Badge designed by Dariela Cruz

Many thanks to Automattic WordPress developer and designer Michelle Langston for working with me to redesign AnandaLeeke.com. Like many people, I had an older website in addition to my blog. During her session “A Tale of Two Sites: A Case Study,” Michelle discussed how we worked together to combine my two sites into one that would truly express my personality and meet my online goals. I participated by sharing the web content challenges I faced and how I overcame my fears with her support.

TRANSFORMATIVE is the best word to describe my Press Publish experience. I invite you to read my #Storify blogs which feature social media highlights including tweets and photos that I hope will give you an idea as to why the conference was so transformative for me.

Click here to learn more about Press Publish and the upcoming April 18th conference in Phoenix, Arizona. REGISTER NOW so you can have a TRANSFORMATIVE experience too.

Happy Creativity Thursday: Creativity Conversations, 4/30 DC Event & 5/15 Online Workshop

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 24, 2014April 24, 2014in Ananda's Events, Creativity, Creativity Coaching, Creativity ThursdayLeave a comment

Happy Creativity Thursday!

April has been a month filled with creativity conversations. Yesterday, I hosted the DC Digital Sisterhood Network’s Breakfast Meet Up at Teaism, a woman-owned tea house (see photo above). Learn what happened at the meet up by clicking here to listen to the podcast I recorded with Valerie Trammel, founder of Trammel Communications. Valerie was the first person who arrived at the meet up. She won a Digital Sisterhood mug filled with Tazo Passion tea bags and chocolates. She also received a complimentary 20 minute creativity coaching session (which we had today). We had a great time chatting about creativity and overcoming challenges with Nia, founder of Karat Cakery, a DC Dessert Food Truck (makes the best carrot cake in the universe!!!!).

Two weeks ago, I hosted a creativity conversation during the Atlanta Digital Sisterhood Meet Up held at Proof and Provision, a bar and restaurant located in the Georgian Terrace Hotel. Click here to listen to the podcast I recorded with the amazing women who attended the event.

APRIL 30 DC EVENT

If you are in DC on April 30, join me for the DC Digital Sisterhood Meet Up: Sip Tea & Coffee, Eat Dessert & Chat About Creativity from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Mediterranean Spot, 1501 U Street, NW, Washington, DC (located on the corner of 15th and U Streets, two blocks from the U Street/Cardozo Green/Yellow Line Metro). Click here to register for the event on Eventbrite.

Photo Credit: http://blog.ali-comunicazione.com/?cat=3

MAY 15 ONLINE EVENT

Do you know what creativity looks like in your life? Do you need to open your creative heart? Do you know what your creative voice sounds like? Are you able to access it? What is it telling you? Are you ready to give birth to your creativity? Do you need support and tips on how to give birth to your creativity or navigate your creative process?

If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, join me on Thursday, May 15 for the “Giving Birth to Your Creativity” online workshop from 8:30 p.m. EST to 10:00 p.m. EST. The online 90 minute workshop will offer a small group of five participants the following:

Creative Self-Care Practices (breathing exercises, guided meditation, affirmation, and kind and gentle office yoga for your eyes, hands, mouth, and shoulders).
Ice Breaker Exercise and Sharing Circle.
Talk on “Giving Birth to Your Creativity with a Creativity Recipe.”
Journaling Exercises with Sharing Circle and Creativity Coaching Feedback.
Action Planning Steps and Tips for Giving Birth to Your Creativity.
Two creativity coaching email check-ins (one in June and one in July).
A special discount on creativity coaching sessions and packages.

The workshop is based on exercises and information contained in my book, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetic Memoir of Self-Discovery (available on Amazon). It will be delivered via conference call. So all you need to participate is your telephone. Once you register and pay $26.26 ($23.95 workshop fee and $2.31 Eventbrite fee) for the workshop, I will email you an agenda with handouts, the special discount on creativity coaching sessions, and the telephone number for the conference call. Click here to register for the workshop.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday: #SOTUSocial Recap#2 – Building Community & Social Engagement

Posted by Ananda Leekeon February 4, 2014February 5, 2014in Uncategorized2 Comments

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

It’s been a week since my State of the Union Social (#SOTUSocial) experience at the White House. I’ve been focused on:

Publishing my #SOTUSocial blog recaps.
Building community with my fellow #SOTUSocial leaders by reading their blogs and social media posts, and sharing them with my network.
Identifying ways to deepen my social engagement with the White House.
Promoting the importance of digital citizenship.

January 29: The day after the event, I reached out to my fellow social media leaders on LinkedIn. As a result, I received an invitation to meet up with Jason Nellis, OverAchiever Media founder and a DC social media leader I missed meeting at the White House. We agreed to meet in person the following week to discuss our #SOTUSocial experiences.

#DigitalSisterhood Wednesday Shout Out to #SOTUSocial Women Leaders

I also gave my #SOTUSocial digital sisters a special #DigitalSisterhood Wednesday shout out on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter that featured a collage of several women I met during the event.

Ananda at the #SOTUSocial White House Tour

January 30: The next day I wrote my first blog recap post about being a digital citizen and my journey to the White House, and recorded a podcast that discussed my definition of a digital citizen. I shared the blog post with my social media network and retweeted, shared, and commented on blogs, photos, and tweets by my fellow social media leaders.

Ananda's #SOTUSocial Pinterest Board — Ananda’s #SOTUSocial Pinterest Board

I updated my #SOTUSocial Pinterest board with links to the social media leaders’ articles, blogs, and photos. I also visited WhiteHouse.gov and found blog posts and videos to add to the Pinterest board.

President Obama's Virtual Road Trip — President Obama’s Virtual Road Trip

January 31: After visiting WhiteHouse.gov, I decided to deepen my social engagement with the White House by participating in President Obama’s Virtual Road Trip via Google Hangout. Click here to listen to my podcast about the event.

Jason Nellis and Ananda having fun hanging out at Tynan Coffee and Tea

February 3: I met Jason at Tynan Coffee & Tea and we recorded a podcast about our #SOTUSocial experience. Click here to listen (3 minutes).

I explored the WhiteHouse.gov blog to see if there were any ways I could deepen my social engagement this week. Guess what I found? A notice inviting social media leaders to apply to attend the White House French Arrival Ceremony Social (#WHSocial) on February 11. Since I am a Francophile (have been since my first French class in high school) and a digital diplomacy fan, I applied. You can too. The deadline is February 5 at 6:00 p.m. EST. Click here for details.

Photo Credit: WhiteHouse.gov - French President Hollande and President Obama — Photo Credit: WhiteHouse.gov – French President Hollande and President Obama

I also wrote a Tumblr blog post about my passion for France and desire to participate in the February 11th #WHSocial where President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will welcome French President François Hollande to the White House.

What’s Next: This week, I’ll be writing blog posts celebrating the dynamic women I met (for Digital Sisterhood Network’s blog), featuring the #SOTUChat highlights, and lessons I learned from the #SOTUSocial.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be using my Internet Geek Tuesday blog series to share more about the White House’s social engagement activities.

How are you building community with your digital network?

How are you deepening your social engagement?

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday: Great News About My Digital Sisterhood Book

Posted by Ananda Leekeon September 3, 2013September 3, 2013in Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online, Internet Geek Tuesday2 Comments

Photo Credit: http://www.rwa-wf.com/2012/03/05/member-news-03-04-12/greatnews/

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

I’ve got some great news to kick off this new month. Last week, I submitted the final manuscript for my book, Digital Sisterhood: A Memoir of Fierce Living Online to my publisher. See a description of the book below. The next steps include me reviewing the proofs (manuscript in book form) and approving the book cover design. My book should be available on Amazon.com in early October (paperback and Kindle). So get ready for a great autumn read!

One of the photos featured in the book - Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley - www.leighmosley.com — One of the photos featured in the book – Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley – http://www.leighmosley.com

Book Description: Digital Sisterhood provides insight and inspiration for any woman seeking to celebrate, express, or reinvent how the Internet, social media, and technology impact her life. Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke became a pioneer in the digital space when she first logged into the LexisNexis research service as a first-year law student at Howard University School of Law 27 years ago. She was immediately smitten with what the World Wide Web could do and in this compelling memoir, we follow her on her journey as she finds herself in an Internet café in Beijing, China and has an interaction that changes her life.

Leeke begins to embrace and define the concept of “digital sisterhood” and through interactions and conversations both on-line and in-person, she embraces a complete career reinvention (spoiler alert, she leaves the legal field) and finally embraces her enormous creative spirit. We get to know the digital sisters in her life as true sheroes and virtual mentors. Their experiences and insights helped her use the Internet as a self-discovery tool and identify leadership archetypes that shaped her role as a social media leader.

Her blogging and social media adventures will highlight the lessons she learned while tapping into the power of her leadership archetypes, the reasons she launched the Digital Sisterhood Network, and the experiences that caused her to adopt what she terms the “fierce living” commitments. At the end of each chapter, you’ll have an opportunity to explore aspects of your own Digital Sisterhood journey through a series of interactive exercises.

Photo Credit: Design by Dariela Cruz of www.daridesignstudio.com; Copyright 2013 by Madelyn C. Leeke — Photo Credit: Design by Dariela Cruz of http://www.daridesignstudio.com; Copyright 2013 by Madelyn C. Leeke

In honor of this major accomplishment, I thought I would share a photo of artwork that appears on the book cover. Dariela Cruz, an amazing graphic designer and co-founder of Dari Design Studio, and I worked together on the design concept. Dariela created the final product. I think she did a fabulous job. What do you think?

Thank you to everyone who has supported me in my writing journey. I am deeply grateful for your positive energy and prayers.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday – Supporting Civilination Fundraiser & Digital Civility

Posted by Ananda Leekeon July 30, 2013July 19, 2013in Internet Geek Tuesday2 Comments

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Technology, the Internet, and social media are amazing. They have empowered people with information, a global space, and a portfolio of tools to communicate, to promote, and to debate their ideas and experiences. They have also presented challenges in how people communicate and engage with each other as they exercise their freedom of speech on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites in cyberspace. Some of these challenges include speech that causes fear or creates a threat of being the target of unwarranted abuse, harassment, or lies. Thanks to organizations like CiviliNation, an education and research nonprofit that focuses on advancing the full capability of individuals to communicate and to engage in cyberspace in a responsible and accountable way, work is being done to educate people about these challenges.

I first discovered CiviliNation and interviewed its founder Andrea Weckerle, an attorney and author of Civility in the Digital Age: How Companies and People Can Triumph over Haters, Trolls, Bullies and Other Jerks, on Digital Sisterhood Radio during Digital Sisterhood Month in 2010. The following year I made a commitment to support CiviliNation through my work with the Digital Sisterhood Network’s Digital Civility & Security Initiative.

Shashi Bellamkonda, Andrea Weckerle, and Ananda Leeke at Weckerle's March 2013 book signing - Photo Credit: Shashi Bellamkonda — Shashi Bellamkonda, Andrea Weckerle, and Ananda Leeke at Weckerle’s March 2013 book signing – Photo Credit: Shashi Bellamkonda

I had a chance to reconnect with Weckerle during her March book reading for Civility in the Digital Age at Georgetown University in March. Her book educates readers in great detail about the depth of online hostility and reputational attacks against people and organizations. It also offers solutions on how to transform the current digital space into a place that honors and respects each person’s voice. It’s definitiely one of my favorite books of 2013!

Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley - www.leighmosley.com — Photo Credit: Leigh Mosley – http://www.leighmosley.com

CiviliNation recently launched an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to create the CiviliNation Academy for Online Conflict Management. The CiviliNation Academy plans to build a worldwide community and resource library that will become the go-to source for real-world information and expert advice people and organizations can use to cope with misunderstandings, clashes, and reputational hits in the digital space. Please support this campaign (ends on August 7). Any amount you can give will help! I gave $10.

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 Digital Sisterhood Wednesday – Part 2 Recap of Blogalicious Tech Summit

Posted by Ananda Leekeon April 24, 2013April 24, 2013in Blogalicious, digital sisterhood5 Comments

Happy Digital Sisterhood Wednesday!

Today is a perfect day to celebrate the “Digital Sisterhood” experiences I had and witnessed during the Blogalicious Tech Summit held on April 18, 2013, at the Microsoft Innovation and Policy Center in Washington, D.C. First of all, it was great to see the dynamic “Blogalicious team trio” – Chief Curator/Co-Founder Stacey Ferguson, Operations Manager Jazzy Jones, and Publicity Director Xina Eiland in action. These ladies devoted a considerable amount of time, energy, creativity, and effort to making the Tech summit a success. Many thanks to them, Microsoft, and the amazing presenters and attendees!

Stacey Ferguson with New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham

Jazzy Jones (with camera) and Xina Eiland (seated)

Prior to the Summit, I had the honor of serving as an content advisor for the agenda and presenters. Working with Stacey was pure joy! Why? Because she is extremely passionate about and committed to making sure the Blogalicious community is informed and has access to information, opportunities, thought leaders, and tools. The final agenda topics and presenters that Stacey and her team developed represented a gold mine of expertise.

Many of presenters like Social Lens Research founding partner Julie Diaz-Asper, TechSavvymama.com founder Leticia Barr, and ScapsofMyGeekLife.com founder Michele McGraw were women I met during previous Blogalicious conferences.

Stacey Ferguson, Kat Calvin, and Amanda Spamm

Several like Blerdology CEO Kat Calvin, DiversiTech founder Christine Johnson, and Blerdology CMO Amanda Spamm were women I met at social media and tech events in D.C.

A few like MOJO Mediaworks, LLC founder Allissa Richardson and 1776 co-founder Donna Harris were women I connected with on Twitter and other social media sites.

Two women were new discoveries for me: The Social Studies Group managing partner Wendy Goldman Scherer and Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham. These women were all dynamic, friendly, and positive. Each of them displayed an incredible amount of generosity while sharing their expertise during their presentations and throughout the Summit.

The women who attended the event were also dynamic, friendly, positive, and open to sharing their experiences. At the end of the Summit, I told Stacey and Xina that it was one of the best days of learning and networking I’ve had all year. I left the event feeling energized and on fire about my upcoming book, business, and the Digital Sisterhood Network.

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday! 2/26

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

Happy Internet Geek Tuesday!

Today, I am reflecting on digitalundivided’s FOCUS100 Symposium that was held on October 6, 2012, at Oglivy & Mather’s World headquarters in New York City.

digitalundivided is a social enterprise that builds forward thinking initiatives that fundamentally change the digital space by increasing the number of Black and Latino women digital entrepreneurs. It was established by Kathryn Finney, Editor-At-Large at BlogHer, Inc and CEO of TBF Group, LLC, parent company of The Budget Fashionista brand, in 2012.

I served as a FOCUS100 advisory board member. My Digital Sisterhood Network was a media partner for the event.

My digital sister and PR coach Xina Eiland attended the event with me. Some of my key moments included:

1) Reconnecting with my digital sisters, Luvvie Ajayi, Cheryl Contee, Dr. Goddess, Elisa Camahort Page, Susan Getgood, Shireen Mitchell, and Felicia Pride.

2) Meeting some of my favorite digital sisters such as Dupe Ajayi, Marcia Wade Talbert, Majora Carter, Elayne Fluker, and Sian Morson for the first time in real life (gotta love IRL).

Elayne Fluker, Xina Eiland, and Ananda at FOCUS100

3) Connecting with some of my favorite digital brothers such as Mike Street and “ILUVBlackWomen” Martin Johnson Pratt for the first time in real life.

4) Feeling Majora Carter’s gratitude as she shared how powerful it was to be in the room with so many amazing Black women during her morning keynote.

5) Gathering wisdom from Mayor Cory A. Booker’s afternoon keynote.

Kathryn Finney and Mayor Cory Booker at FOCUS100

6) Hugging #FOCUS100 team members Nichelle Stephens and Alisha Miranda.

7) Chatting with Kailei Richardson, a Chicago-based entrepreneur, about her lifestyle site, Vyneworld.com.

8) Gaining pearls of wisdom during panel discussions featuring Monif Clarke, founder of Monif C Plus Sizes; Ella Gorgla, founder of I-ELLA; Heather Hines, founder of Pathbrite; Kelly Hoey, co-founder of Women Innovate Mobile; Deborah Jackson, co-founder of Women Innovate Mobile; Jess Moore, co-founder of StyleBook; and Zuhairah Scott-Washington, founder of Kahnoodle (Focus100 Ptichcamp winner).

9) Sitting next to Rachel Brooks and learning about her Chicago-based tech company, CitizenMade.

10) Talking with Marcia Cole, founder of Ivy Digital, about meeting each other at Heart and Soul magazine in 2001 (Heart and Soul published an article about my life as an artist).

11) Having a deep sista-to-sista chat with Lena West, CEO of Influence Expansion, in the break room (powerful and deep).

12) Listening to digitalundivided founder Kathryn Finney’s presentation of key trends, statistics, and emerging patterns regarding Black women’s engagement across a variety of technology sectors (amazing slides!).

Kathryn Finney's presentation slides at FOCUS100 — Kathryn Finney’s presentation slides at FOCUS100

13) Networking with several DC-based women entrepreneurs such as Ama Marfo, founder of Airfordable, a travel app (still in development). They reminded me that DC women entrepreneurs rock!

14) Chatting about popsicles and the Miami tech scene with Felecia Hatcher, founder of Black Tech Miami.

To learn more about the 2012 FOCUS100 events, check out digitialundividvided’s recap and read Marcia Wade Talbert’s article on BlackEnterprise.com. Click here to read the FOCUS100 speaker and mentor bios.

Time for a Digital Diet After Everywhere’s Digitini Event & Digital Sisterhood Network Activities

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 24, 2012May 24, 2012in Ananda's EventsLeave a comment

Happy Thursday!

This morning I had a wake up call while I was biking my four miles in the gym. I realized that the past two weeks have been filled with lots of social media moments. Some of my favorite moments happened during the Digitini Cocktails and Cupcakes event hosted by Everywhere (my favorite social media marketing firm!) on May 18 in Atlanta (huge moment was receiving the Atlanta #Digitalsisterhood Key to the City that Danica Kombol made!). See the photos below.

digitiniinvitation — Photo Credit: Terrance Gains and Everywhere Team (they created the invitation)

digitinikey-bigone — Photo Credit: Everywhere

digitinieverywhere — Everywhere team with Ananda

digitinicupcakes — Photo Credit: Everywhere’s photo of OMG Cup and Cakes & Ciroc’s Digitini Cocktail

digitinieventnotice — Digitini Thank You Note

digitinipeeps2 — Photo Credit: Everywhere

digitinkey-everywhere — Photo Credit: Everywhere

digitini-peeps4 — Photo Credit: Everywhere

digitini-atldigitalcommunity — Atlanta Digital Community – Photo Credit – Everywhere

To read more about my social media adventures at Spelman College’s Women of Color Leadership Conference and Everywhere’s Digitini event, click here:

1) Spelman College’s Women of Color Leadership Conference, May 16-17 and

2) Everywhere’s Digitini Event, May 18. My Digitini adventures and Digital Sisterhood Network activities have been juicy sweet! Now it’s time to return to my digital diet where I take time off from the social media world. Guess what? My summer and fall months are gonna be filled with lots of digital diet moments as I wrap up the final parts of my Digital Sisterhood book. I will be online on Digital Sisterhood Wednesdays and during BlogHer in early August and Blogalicious in late September. Are you going on a digital diet or changing your online routine this month or summer? If yes, share how. See you next week with my end of the month blogs! Enjoy your day and long weekend!

Ananda speaks at Spelman College’s Leadership & Women of Color Conference

Posted by Ananda Leekeon May 22, 2012March 8, 2013in Speaking Engagements, Spelman CollegeLeave a comment

spelwocpanel-laurenbrownjarvis — Social Media Panel featuring Roland Martin, Patricia Cesaire, James Andrews, and Ananda Leeke — Photo Credit: Lauren Brown Jarvis

Greetings All!

Last week was filled with Georgia peach sweet adventures during my trip to Spelman College’s Leadership and Women of Color Conference, a professional development opportunity for women aspiring to be leaders as well as those who are in leadership positions. The conference theme was “Leading with Purpose.” It was organized under the leadership of Dr. Jane E. Smith, Executive Director, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement at Spelman. Click here to learn more about the conference.

My favorite moments from the conference included:

Hearing Dr. Beverly Tatum speak about composite mentoring during the conference opening.
Interviewing Tiffani Gatlin, founder of Tastemaker Magazine on day one of the conference. Click here to listen to the interview.
Attending the Book Fair and speaking with my digital sister Deborah Owens, “The Wealth Coach,” about her book, A Purse of Your Own (and having her sign my copy of the book!)
Hearing Dr. Tatum talk about H.O.P.E. = Having Optimism Produces Effort. Timeless wisdom!
Chatting with Dr. Nicole LaBeach and purchasing her book, A Woman’s True Purpose at the Book Fair (getting the Choose Yourself t-shirt too!).
Meeting people like Nicole Roberts Jones, CEO of iDEFINE, during the Legacy of Leadership Awards Dinner.
Listening to the empowering words of the Legacy of Leadership awardees Shinae Chun, Former Director, Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor; Evelyn Lowery, Founder, SCLC W.O.M.E.N.; Monica Pearson, News Anchor, WSB-TV, Channel 2; and Vivian Stringer, Women’s Basketball Coach, Rutgers University.
Chatting one-on-one with Vivian Stringer about social media after the Legacy of Leadership Awards Dinner.
Having breakfast with my new digital sister Lynn Shareef, a proud Spelman alumna.
Learning from Dr. Kym Harris, President & CEO, Your SweetSpot Coaching & Consulting, during the Coaching Breakfast.
Being inspired by the Testimonies from the Field session featuring Kathleen McGhee-Anderson (Spelman Alumna), Writer/Producer, TV/Film/Theater; Alisha Thomas Morgan, Georgia State Representative (Spelman Alumna); Tisha Tallman, President & CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Jue Wong, CEO, Astral Health & Beauty, Inc.
Attending a leadership development workshop facilitated by Tai Beauchamp, CEO/On-Air Host, BluePrint Group, LLC.
Meeting Dr. Tatum, Dr. Jane E. Smith, and Patricia Cesaire, Director of Social Media at Black Enterprise.
Seeing the Faith Ringgold exhibit at the Spelman Museum of Fine Art during one of the breaks. AWESOME! Ms. Ringgold is one of my favorite artists. Love her memoir too!
Hanging out with some of my favorite social media peeps: Lauren Brown Jarvis (Spelman student), Lauren Thomas, and James and Sherrelle Andrews.
Sharing my experiences and lessons learned as a blogger and the Digital Sisterhood Network founder during the Social Media Panel.
Spending time with the awesome Spelman Media team: Tomika DePriest, Terrilyn Simmons, Joyce Davis, and Kia Smith
Meeting my new NYC sistalove Theresa at the end of the conference and chatting about our favorite moments.

spelmanwocsocmediapanel1 — Social Media Panel – James Andrews, Ananda Leeke, Patricia Cesaire, and Roland Martin

On day two of the conference, I served as a panelist for the Social Media Panel – Purposeful Posts: How Social Media Can Shape Your Leadership Brand. Click here to learn more about the panel discussion. Journalist Roland Martin moderated the panel. Patricia Cesaire, Director of Social Media at Black Enterprise, and James Andrews, Founder of SocialPeople.TV, served as panelists. During the panel discussion, I shared my experiences as a blogger and the Digital Sisterhood Network founder, insights on taking care of yourself online with a digital diet, tips on how to use social media tools, and the power of women online.

Check out several tweets about my comments below.

Lynn Shareef‏@lynnshareef

#anandaleeke it’s about the quality of the social media conversation

SC Women of Color ‏@SpelmanWOCConf

.@anandaleeke advises us to take good care of ourselves. You can overdose on social media. Go on a social diet. #SpelmanWOCC #fb

Beverly Daniel Tatum‏@BDTSpelman

“@heyheylbj: My #instagram of @rolandsmartin @anandaleeke and @keyinfluencer #spelmanwocc http://instagr.am/p/Ku8ud5K80t/”

Sojourner Marable‏@sojournerruth

@TastemakerMag RT! @anandaleeke says sometimes you have to be on digital diet #SpelmanWOCC

Joyce E. Davis‏@enjoyceinglife

@anandaleeke scheds tweets & says shes #radioshack girl likes real cameras > #instagram, sold 4 $1B-@jamesandrews #SpelmanWOCC #SocialMedia

Spelman College‏@SpelmanCollege

@awarriorssoul: @anandaleeke determines her tools based on where she is, how much time available, quality of convo #SpelmanWOCC #socialmedia

Spelman College‏@SpelmanCollege

RT @JSmithSpelman: @anandaleeke says she has suffered from #tech schizophrenia but also goes on digital diets #socialmedia #SpelmanWOCC

mikkdepriest‏@mikkdepriest

@anandaleeke says writing her first book led her to blog. #SpelmanWOCC

Dr. Jane Smith‏@JSmithSpelman

#digitalsisterhood is the brand @anandaleeke has developed via her #digitalsisterhood network. #SpelmanWOCChttp://via.me/-17jmtak

Lynn Shareef‏@lynnshareef

#spelmanwocc woman are a powerful presence in the digital world #anandaleeke digital sisterhood! 69million strong

Jacquie Hood Martin‏@Jhoodmartin

#AnandaLeeke says take time away from social media as not to become ‘a social media schizophrenic’ it’s ok to back away #SpelmanWOCC

Jacquie Hood Martin‏@Jhoodmartin

Women view the Internet like its ‘social tv’ we use it as a mean of community and connectivity says #AnandaLeeke #SpelmanWOCC

Here are more photos from the conference. Enjoy!