Blogalicious Empowers Bloggers to be Responsible Online Influencers, get Behind Causes
We just wrapped our 7th Annual Blogalicious Weekend last month where attendees were taught how to effectively build and grow their empires by industry experts. Bloggers and social media influencers learned how to find their authentic blogging voice, create a brand message, build a community and create products and services to serve them. By all accounts, the Blogalicious community felt empowered from this education and are at work building healthy empires right now!
As a seasoned entrepreneur, I can relate to how groundbreaking those “aha!” moments are for one’s career. The truth is, you must grow and nurture your empire the same way that you do your family. In the same way that your children require balance, direction, patience, and love, so does your empire. It’s your responsibility to ensure that both your family and business are given these things, and sometimes more.
During the conference, I had the pleasure of partnering with conference sponsor Responsibility.org to speak on a panel about the responsibility of bloggers, as online influencers and as parents, and how they use their influence to promote their passions and social causes.
Along with parenting expert Deborah Gilboa, MD; founder of Hispana Global, Jeannette Kaplun; and tech blogger and parenting expert Leticia Barr, I spoke about making conversations with our online audiences and with our children parallel. Our children see so much of what we do as entrepreneurs and social influencers and it’s important that they see us being honest, transparent and using our brands to add value to the world.
There were so many great takeaways from our conversation - everything from the importance of being careful as to what we deem as “funny” online, to making the point that - even as professional bloggers - we can participate in campaigns that don’t have monetary compensation attached. Each one of the panelists has a cause that they are passionate about, whether it be Bloggers4Haiti or the Dove Love Your Curls initiative or the UN’s Shot@Life campaign; it’s critical to recognize that causes are larger than paychecks - a lesson that we want our children to internalize.
Thank you so much to all who attended the panel and engaged in the discussion and to Responsibility.org for bringing its important message to the Blogalicious community!
Stacey Ferguson is Co-founder and Chief Curator of the Blogalicious community and conferences celebrating diversity in social media. She also blogs about living richly on ‘Life IS the Party’ at JusticeFergie.com and has served as a #TalkEarly parenting blogger.
*The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) or any Responsibility.org member.*
