A Call for Blogalicious Ambassadors!

Ladies, it’s time to announce our next big news! We’ve had such astounding response from a number of great companies interested in marketing and launching their brand or product during the conference. Our swag bags are quickly filling up with some fabulous stuff. (‘Course, a swag bag can never fill up, right?) It’s clear, the word about the conference is out. We’re on Twitter, Facebook, and of course here, and there. Many of you are already great advocates and we appreciate all that you have done to help us spread the word about Blogalicious. You’ve either placed our badge on your blog or you’re helping us plan a fabulous event. Awesome, we LOVE YOU! But there’s still much to be done before October. It’s time to round up conference attendees and make the first annual WOC blogging conference a huge success.

This is where our Ambassadors come in. We are searching for five fabulous women to join our team as Blogalicious Ambassadors. As an ambassador, you will receive a waiver on your registration fee and VIP tickets to all ticket only events at the conference. PLUS, you can get your hotel accommodations paid for! For the first six attendees that you register, you will receive one free night at the W Hotel. If you get ten attendees to register, you will receive two nights free!

Interested? Here's what you need to know:

• Ambassadors will help publicize the conference and all official Blogalicious events, such as the Chicago Meet Up.*
  
• Ambassadors will be required to blog about the conference by posting three posts per month, preferably on an almost weekly basis. Posts can range from discussing Blogalicious related events you attended to conference related topics such as women of color in social media and marketers- it’s up to you.
  
• Ambassadors will participate in monthly conference calls with the directors of Blogalicious.
  
• Ambassadors may be asked to attend other events as official representatives of Blogalicious. If travel is required, Ambassadors will receive reimbursement for approved travel related expenses.
  
• Ambassadors will be required to organize a Blogalicious meet-up in their home town? The meet-up can be at any coffee lounge, bar, or restaurant. Be creative!
  
• In addition to getting free registration and possibly your room paid for, ambassadors will be given opportunities to network and market their own blogs. You’re blog and profile will be featured on our Blogalicious Blog and in included in our conference program.
  

To Apply: Send us a description of a what you envision you can do to help promote and make the conference a blow out event. Ambassadors should a fun, sociable, and outgoing spirit. What unique skills, contacts, or personalities traits do you have that help make you an outstanding Blogalicious Ambassador? While we are willing to consider several creative ideas, preference will be given to those women that have outlined an action plan for their role as an Ambassador. You can submit your “application” by email. All summaries must be between 300-1,000 words. Or, you can include a video describing to us why we should consider you as an ambassador. Entries or questions should be submitted to info@blogaliciousweekend.com no later than June 19, 2009.

Blogalicious Ambassadors will be selected by the Directors of the conference by June 21, 2009 and announced on our conference blog site.

*Official rules and guidelines to be sent to selected ambassadors. This post in no way creates a contract between interested or selected ambassadors.

What the Proposed Blogging Guidelines Mean for You

There has been a lot of buzz lately on how the federal government, i.e. the Federal Trade Commission, is planning to regulate bloggers writing product reviews. Although this topic isn't new, the reason for the recent discussion about it in the press is because the FTC is currently reviewing its existing guidelines for marketers and product endorsers - which were originally written in the 1980's - and the agency plans to include new media in its revised version. While blogging wasn't even a thought on anyone's minds in the 80's (who had time what with things like Cabbage Patch Dolls and Miami Vice?) now blogging has, of course, redefined how marketers promote their brands to consumers.

I'm sure all of us have been approached to try a product and write a review about it on our blog. Perhaps some of us have even been invited on a trip courtesy of a marketer. Others might even participate in one of the many "pay-to-post" programs out there available to bloggers. All of these avenues can be great ways for companies to spread the word about their brands, and a great way for bloggers to get paid (or at least enjoy free stuff!) The question is: are the marketers - and you as a potential product endorser - within the confines of advertising law when it comes to offering and doing these reviews?

The name of the game is transparency. As long as you as the product endorser is being transparent to your readers about your relationship with the marketer of the product, you should be a-ok. A simple disclosure stating that you were given the product/service/trip, etc. for free, that is clear and prominent to those reading the review, should do the trick. The key is for the consumers reading the post to know that you didn't just pick up the box of Banana Cheerios at the grocery, try it, decided you loved it and wrote a post about it. The perception of your review of that cereal might change if the reader knew up front that you were sent that box of Cheerios by General Mills and asked to review it. Getting that cereal for free might arguably be a form of payment, and merits being disclosed. Bottom line: If you are acting as a proxy for an advertiser, then that needs to be disclosed.

Some folks have been saying that mommy bloggers are the focus of the FTC's review, and that just isn't true. The agency is looking at all forms of new media, and it just so happens that mommy bloggers are "hot" right now and are being targeted by PR companies in a major way to review all sorts of things. But whether you're a mom blogger, a travel blogger, a gadget blogger or a food blogger, you most likely won't have anything to worry about as long as you use honesty as your policy.

In fact, Susan Getgood says it best in her recent post on this very issue: The FTC is focused on deceptive practices, not honest reviews.

For specific tips on how you can make sure you're on the right track, read my 2007 post on DCMetroMoms blog called "Blogging for Bucks" and we'll be discussing this topic some more in October. Which reminds me - are you registered yet?

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!!

It's been a busy few weeks around these parts! We've got so much going on with the conference. The past two weeks we've been working on making sure that we not only educate you all on how to be the best "you" possible, but we also want to ensure that we incorporate some fun girl time as well. Remember, we promised that you could "let your hair down" in Hotlanta!

With that in mind, we have joined forces with two shorties from the "A," the BlogRollers. The BlogRollers are Christie and Wifey, the power duo behind their venture. The duo "[take] the business (and pleasure) of blogging and social networking to the streets in unique and entertaining ways." Hello! Unique and entertaining is right up our alley. But it's not just about entertainment for the BlogRollers, they also strive to "raise awareness of the power of female bloggers and their impact on the economy as well as promote the brands that support us." In addition to being the BlogRollers, they are writers, mothers, radio-talk show hosts, wives, and just FABULOUS. We'll have more details on what what The BlogRollers have in store soon...but you can bet it's gonna be fabulous.

Be sure to check out Christie's blog, "My Life, A Work in Progress" and Wifey's blog, Ask Wifey, these ladies are forces to be reckoned with!

Also in the works is the Blogalicious 2009 Meet Up during BlogHer. We just couldn't wait until October to meet you all. We've got another "connect" in Chicago that's scouting locations for us and we'll be announcing details soon. It's going to be great Ladies!!

For information on PR opportunities at the Blogalicious Meet Up in Chicago in July, please contact Justice Jonesie at JusticeJonesie(at)blogaliciousweekend(dot)com.

Should Marketers Reach Out to Women or Minorities Using Social Media?

The simple answer is yes. If you are reading this, you probably already know that social media is the new way to market or advertise a product or brand. It’s also a great way to reach a target consumer, like women or minorities. Since planning Blogalicious, I’ve come across many statistics that continuously prove this point- that women and the minority consumer are powerful forces when it comes to consumer purchasing. We recently came across two interesting articles that examined this very issue.

NBC Universal launched Women@NBCU last year. Women@NBCU was developed to reach women using multiple social media platforms. Women@NBCU “ will create a unique approach for advertisers to connect with this desirable demographic through NBC Universal brands, including Bravo, Oxygen, Green, and iVillage. [It] reaches all women across all demographics, including the most affluent and desirable on television.” The article further adds that women are the “demographic category much sought-after by advertisers,[controlling] 80% of all consumer purchasing across every brand category. In addition, studies indicate that the majority of women (75%) influence the purchasing decisions of others by recommending products to their friends and family.”

When it comes to minorities, another article pointed out that English speaking Hispanics use social networking sites more than their white, non-Hispanic counterparts. Felipe Korzenny, director of the Center for Hispanic Marketing Communication at Florida State University and Lee Vann, founder and CEO of Captura Group, recently wrote the article, Social Media Marketing Is A Multicultural World. They write that, “Usage of blogs, social networks, and video sharing sites is increasing rapidly, and millions of people now look to social media sites as their primary source of news, opinion, and entertainment.” They further write that, “it's important to examine its cultural dimensions - that is, who is driving this shift, what are the cultural factors behind it, and what are the implications for marketers seeking to reach specific ethnic/cultural groups via social media?” As a result, Korzenny and Vann analyzed the social media behaviors of a group of 2,500 people from various ethnic/cultural groups in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. According to their study, “emerging minorities visit social networking sites more frequently than non-Hispanic whites.”
In speaking with various marketing firms ourselves, we’ve been told that marketers don’t know where to find us or how to reach us.

Huh?

We are here. Some of us have been wondering where you are and have been working hard to get your attention. Some of us even believe that unless the marketers are specifically looking or doing research on the minorityy consumer, we are not sought after. Meaning, not invited to the weekend getaways for brand and product promotions unless there is a specific focus on the minority consumer.

The minority women is a powerful force in the market and that market is changing.

Join us at Blogalicious to discuss this very topic more thoroughly. Let’s open that dialogue.

Share your thoughts and views below.

Blogalicious 2009: Weekly Wrap-Up

And so concludes another fabulous week...

First, we had the pleasure of adding Burger King and Care4Hire.com to our fast-growing list of event sponsors!

Then, we announced a special conference registration discount code for MamaLaw readers. [FYI - there is just under 2 months left to go before the Early Bird registration closes, so don't delay and register today!]

Also, the love you all have been showing us on the web has been amazing!

• The support for Blogalicious 2009 on Twitter has taken off! We're so excited that so many people want to stay up to date on what we're doing.
  
• We would also like to give a shout out to Angry Asian Man, Blaq Vixen Beauty, and Bilingual in the Boonies for getting the word out to their readers about our event. If you would like to write about Blogalicious 2009 (or if you already have!) please, please let us know so that we can share the love with you too.

Finally, thank you for all of your ideas, suggestions and offers to help make this conference sensational! This week we'd like to give special thanks to Christie & Wifey at The Blogrollers, StyleMom, and Sandie at Urban Mama for bringing their rockin' ideas to us. Have an idea? A suggestion? A request? Let us know. When we say that Blogalicious 2009 is being designed especially for you, we really mean it!

Be Blogalicious!