So, I’m obviously in a major influencer death spiral. When everyone else was crying in their beer over massive Klout score drops, mine didn’t budge. I was just as influential as before Klout changed the algorithmic magic wand of truth. So why is dropping now? I’m not doing anything different than I have been for months.

I’ve been less active on Twitter and I haven’t had much time to write on ye olde blog for some time now. I know, it’s awful how much focus I put on my job. You know, the one that actually pays. Too bad I can’t get credit for boosting a client’s Klout.

And the perks? Does anyone actually use those? I’m not sure I trust the perks… and truly, the $25 Amex Gift Card perk was nice but I’ll be impressed when you can pay the mortgage with a Klout perk.

Should I be concerned about my dropping Klout score? Will friends begin snubbing me? Will the barrista at Starbucks stop winking at me when he asks if I want whipped cream on my skinny peppermint hot chocolate? What will happen now?

It certainly hasn’t stopped the daily onslaught of “Dear Influencer/mommy blogger/etc” emails and gosh darn it, I’m the same person I was a week ago. Well, actually, I did lose a few pounds because I started Weight Watchers.

Wait a minute! All of those studies that say thinner people are more influential, have more friends, and make more money must be totally wrong, ’cause my weight loss is exactly equal to my Klout loss.

HOLY SHIT! At this rate my Klout score will be in the 30′s by the New Year.

So, I’m sorry to disappoint you but my Klout is falling dangerously close to it’s lowest point ever. I’d be careful reading this post, it might be catching.

So, I’m obviously in a major influencer death spiral. When everyone else was crying in their beer over massive Klout score drops, mine didn’t budge. I was just as influential as before Klout changed the algorithmic magic wand of truth. So why is dropping now? I’m not doing anything different than I have been for months.

I’ve been less active on Twitter and I haven’t had much time to write on ye olde blog for some time now. I know, it’s awful how much focus I put on my job. You know, the one that actually pays. Too bad I can’t get credit for boosting a client’s Klout.

And the perks? Does anyone actually use those? I’m not sure I trust the perks… and truly, the $25 Amex Gift Card perk was nice but I’ll be impressed when you can pay the mortgage with a Klout perk.

Should I be concerned about my dropping Klout score? Will friends begin snubbing me? Will the barrista at Starbucks stop winking at me when he asks if I want whipped cream on my skinny peppermint hot chocolate? What will happen now?

It certainly hasn’t stopped the daily onslaught of “Dear Influencer/mommy blogger/etc” emails and gosh darn it, I’m the same person I was a week ago. Well, actually, I did lose a few pounds because I started Weight Watchers.

Wait a minute! All of those studies that say thinner people are more influential, have more friends, and make more money must be totally wrong, ’cause my weight loss is exactly equal to my Klout loss.

HOLY SHIT! At this rate my Klout score will be in the 30′s by the New Year.

So, I’m sorry to disappoint you but my Klout is falling dangerously close to it’s lowest point ever. I’d be careful reading this post, it might be catching.

Women ask me all the time, “How did you transition from being a stay at home mom to a woman in business?”

I’ve heard the question many times but each time I’m asked I still have to think about it. It didn’t just happen, I clearly had a drive and desire to do something with my skills. I began by writing copy and doing general free-lance marketing for small businesses. I helped people I knew or who I’d been connected to by friends or family. Once all three of my kiddos were in school I had already built up a bit of momentum but what really helped was making connections via social media and attending workshops and conferences.

One of the most important people in my network has been Maria Bailey, founder of BSM Media, who just released her 4th book and is absolutely “IT” when it comes to marketing to moms. She has been a strong influence and mentor to me from the beginning. Maria will be the keynote speaker at Moms In Business Unite Denver on September 21st. MIBU is a one day educational conference that offers four different tracks for women in every stage of business or product development. Also, Wendy Robbins, who co-starred with Kelly Ripa in the TV series Homemade Millionaire and currently works for HSN will be present and offering advice to women businesses. The price of the conference ticket is less than any comparable event I’ve seen anywhere. $85 for a full day of education including lunch is pretty amazing. I’ll be there as an afternoon panelist and would like to take THREE of  you with me! I’ll be giving away conference tickets to three lucky BB readers!

The Moms in Business Unite Conference has been designed to provide a unique learning opportunity for all women business owners–moms and non-moms alike. We’ve structured the Conferences to ensure that plenty of networking time is available, and because MIBU offers multiple tracks, we provide attendees with the choice to attend the sessions that are most relevant to where they are in their business.

Breakout sessions are focused on four main areas:

Track A – Getting Started: Perfect for the woman/mom who wants to learn how to start her own business. These empowering sessions will provide a solid foundation for any entrepreneur to get started!  

Track B – Running Efficiently: Ideal for the woman/mom who has her own business, but wants to learn how to run it more efficiently. These sessions are packed with useful information, providing immediate value to any business!

Track C – Next Level: Exactly what a woman/mom with an established business needs when she’s considering taking it to the next level. These motivating sessions will provide valuable inspiration to take the next step!

Track D – Inventor Fast Track: Got an idea? These sessions will give women/moms a tangible action plan to bring their inventions to market, covering all major components to take them from “concept to cart.”

 

GIVEAWAY CLOSED congrats to Daria, Tara, and Liz. You will receive an email with info on tickets!

Enter to win a FREE Moms In Business Unite – Denver Conference Ticket!

Just post a comment below letting me know what you hope to learn and why you’d like to attend #MIBUDenver. That’s it!

Winner will be chosen on September 13th by random.org all entries must be received by 12:01am 9/13/11 – winner will receive one free conference ticket *does not include transportation to and from the conference venue.

*This post has been sponsored. I will be attending the conference as a panelist and will attend the event at no charge.

Social media has changed the face of motherhood for many women. Women from different parts of the country and world, different professional and educational backgrounds are able to connect and network via blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and a plethora of new community building platforms that emerge monthly. It’s been called the “Wild Wild West” of times, there have been cat fights and blunders but a significant number of both inexperienced and professionally experienced women, like myself, have been able to emerge from staying at home with their children for several years (10 in my case) and build businesses in marketing, pr, communications and many directly on their blogs and online communities. I would never have been able to re-enter the workforce at the same level with the same recognition even 5 years ago. Like the old west though, companies and women are still working through how we will all operate in this space. Between the daily changes in the technology we use and the changes in the way we best work together, there is always a rumbling of dissent somewhere in the “Mom Sphere”. Most recently the Disney Social Media Moms conference has sparked some very unbecoming chatter in different corners of the Momscape.

First, let me disclose that I have now been a Disney Social Media Mom both years that the conference has existed. Second, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with other Disney sponsored events. From my first Disney encounter as a blogger it was crystal clear that they absolutely understood the social media space and that they believed in me.  Yes, I carry their message, but I’m not just a quick tweet, they want me to hang around for the long haul and there’s nothing sexier than showing a gal like me that you like me for my brains. There is no doubt about it, participating at any level in a Disney sponsored event is always a first class experience. So, yes, it may seem easier for me to say that Disney rocks.

I have extreme gratitude towards Disney for including my family in this event. There are two major points I think every Mommy Blogger/Mom Who Blogs/Woman in Social Media with Children ought to make note of with this particular conference.. One, my kids suddenly understand that Mom is not just the person who takes care of them, loves them, cooks and cleans for them, but she is someone that Disney recognizes as being an important factor in spreading their message. Few of us have ever experience a conference with the same high caliber of speakers Disney engages. Yes, I am important to Disney and that speaks volumes to the munchkins in my life. I’m a hero! The second piece, and this is likely where most of the ire and jealousy of others comes in to play, is that without the affordability of this trip my kids definitely would not be able to experience all of the Disney parks, the resort stay, the characters, planned fun, and the amazing SWAG. Yes the SWAG. It’s nice swag, you can search my tweets and you’ll likely find very little mention of the swag because it’s not why we come. It’s part of the experience and Disney is generous and the families that have been on the receiving end are enchanted and will carry the Disney magic with them, they’ll talk about it and influence others. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. This is business.

Here’s the thing. Free speech allows you to say whatever you want about this conference and those who attended but it is laughable to think that anyone might dictate how Disney should run their business. Their brand, their business, their choice. Like any of us they are navigating this new space and are likely learning great lessons along the way. If you’d like to give advice to Disney or any of the organizers I’m sure they are open to hearing it but calling them out on Twitter or Technorati trying to incite a backlash of sorts is incredibly lame. If you’ve ever experienced the absolute undeniable enthusiasm of a “cast member” at Disney you should know that you can’t rain on their parade-it just isn’t in their DNA. From the man who was sweeping the walk that stopped to talk to my daughter about her princess crown, to the server in the cafe who took my son’s order for pancakes to the kitchen-even after the grille had switched to lunch, to the woman passing me in the hallway as I was entering my room one night who said “Welcome Home”, they are all living their mission statement and there is nothing that happens without great though and orchestration. They are in the Experience Business, after all. Chances are, notes were taken on how to improve this event in the future, but thinking that you can incite controversy with a few tweets and a post does nothing to add value in our community of social media moms. Pointing out the negative aspects of this event does nothing to lift up the greater community of women in social media. You are entitled to you opinion but by dissing the very women who are out here working to prove that moms are worthy of this type of professional investment, the end result simply exposes the inexperienced and unprofessional women there are in our midst. This type of display is the Achilles Heel of social media Momdom and it sets us all back.

I geek out at Disney, it’s a study in marketing, branding, pr, and customer services that almost any person or company could learn from. Imagine if everyone in the world could let the spirit of Disney “cast members” into their lives. This is a world where people love what they do, they smile and say hello to everyone, they have amazing pride in their property and it shows in the maintenance and care for every detail. You cannot fake genuine enthusiasm like this. When people believe and trust the best in others it brings out the best in themselves and we all benefit.

That’s about all I have to say about this.

Oh, wait!!

The blue drinks? Delicious!

****While, I paid for my family’s travel and to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, events, meals, and other items. I was not asked to write about the events and all opinions are my own based on my experiences.

I was brought up to be very cognizant of others and to use proper manners at all costs. My kids are complimented all the time on their manners. It may be the only area of parenting that I have had some success in.

Sometimes being polite can include putting your own feelings and desires aside. This isn’t easy but it builds character… or something like that.

Have you ever just known you were meant to have something? To be part of something? Maybe there was a really cool project that someone was talking about and you felt like you should be a part of it. So you steamroll over every thread of self-restraint you have and become a part of it?

Maybe you would normally feel embarrassed by you own audacity, but you really don’t because you know that your heart and soul love this project and the people involved?

I have. I did. Recently. I’m the 11th wheel and it was meant to be.

Have you ever met someone and known instantly that they were your kind of people? When we were in Las Vegas earlier this year for BlogWorld Expo, Stephanie Schwab invited me and Michele McGraw to a nice dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in The Venetian. It was an amazing meal but most it was the quartet of women gathered around the table that made the meal. The conversation that evening covered the gamut of topics from our upbringings to our careers and we even touched on politics!

Stephanie introduced us to Karen Bantuveris that evening. I was “social media style” acquainted with Karen and had vaguely heard of the organization she is Founder & CEO of, VolunteerSpot, but this was the first time I’d had the opportunity to sit and get to know her. She’s one fabulously fun gal!  Later that night, while visiting VolunteerSpot.com and reading one blog entry after another, I discovered what an amazingly brilliant thing Karen has done.

Volunteerism is essential to the economic and social workings of many communities.  The organization and mobilization of volunteer efforts, whether in the wake of disaster or for a simple school fundraiser, can make or brake the experience for all involved. The “burnout” rate for volunteers is a hot topic in the news and it’s something we’ve been addressing in my own community this fall. The extraneous “noise” and hoops one must often jump through just to give of their time can be overwhelming. I have often found myself weighing the value of my time (and the time taken away from family, work, and household responsibilities) against the good I’m able to accomplish. The reply-all emails, clipboards, online groups, and late night reminder messages can be incredibly time consuming and frustrating; it was just this type of frustration that fueled the launch of VolunteerSpot in 2009.

VolunteerSpot is a free on-line organization tool that simplifies organizing and coordinating volunteers in your community, congregation and social networks. VolunteerSpot’s simple sign up application makes it easy for community members to participate without having to wait for approvals and passwords, there is no software to install, just easy, free scheduling and sign up tools.

Through my work with The Blogrollers, Fair Winds Trading, and Macy’s as an ambassador for the “Heart of Haiti” initiative, I’ve been asked to highlight someone that is doing great things to raise awareness, empower and/or inspire others, and is all out passionate about making positive changes in her life, her community (online and/or offline), or maybe even the world! Karen Bantuveris is someone who personifies many of the themes present in the Heart of Haiti project. I chose to highlight Karen as a person who represents the “Heart of Social Good”; Karen is passionate about increasing parent participation in schools, engaging parents to fund education technology, and using new media tools to inspire social action in the ‘real’ world.

Thank you, Karen, for sharing your talents and for your passion for empowering and inspiring others to make a difference in their communities!

Listen to Karen talk about avoiding volunteer burnout on CNN.