As many of you know, I'm a native Washingtonian. As much as I love living in the Queen City (Charlotte, NC), I miss my home and I jump at every opportunity to return –even if only for a day or two. Of course it's even better when I get to meet and network with exciting people while I'm there, and that's what I'll be doing as a speaker at Blogging While Brown in Washington, DC this weekend.
I am one of three panelists who will discuss the topic: “The Business of Blogging: BEYOND Ad Networks”. This topic thrills me because I believe that a blog is not a business plan, in and of itself. It can, however, be strategically leveraged to achieve specific business goals, and this is one of the topics I plan to discuss at the conference. Blogging has enhanced my life in many ways and I'm excited to share my passion for blogging with other African Americans at Blogging While Brown. The best part is that I get to share the stage with these amazing people!
Nichelle Stephens is a founding editor at Cupcakes Take The Cake, a blog about, well, cupcakes. She is the editor of the NAACP Image Award winning Pepsi We Inspire, a branded lifestyle blog and community for African American women. Nichelle is also the founder of Keeping Nickels, a personal finance and business accounting blog for freelancers and entrepreneurs. She has appeared on CNN, The Today Show, Martha Stewart, and The Food Network.
Navarrow Wright is president of Maximum Leverage Solutions, a consulting firm that delivers internet and social media strategy consulting as well as technology development consulting to its clients. Navarrow co-founded with Hip Hop Mogul, Russell Simmons, a social media site catering to the hip-hop perspective, Global Grind.com. He blogs at Navarrow Wright.
I'm still trying to figure out how I got so lucky! Our panel discussion will be moderated by Shawn Williams, publisher of Dallas South, a publication with the mission of promoting positive images of African Americans to combat the negative images portrayed in the popular media.
You can find out more at Blogging While Brown, and by following the #bwb hashtag on Twitter. I know you may not be attending the conference, but if you're in Washington, DC, I'd love to try to find a time for us to connect. Let me know if you're around this weekend and we'll see if we can make some magic together!
Question: If you have questions about how to leverage your blog to increase your opportunities, leave them in the comments here. We would love to share our perspectives with you here as well.
