Happy Halloween...Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year- See you in 2012

Happy Halloween! This is my last post here at the blog in 2011. The next time I here post, it will be 2012. We'll keep the party rolling over at the WAOD Facebook Fan Page for the rest of the year. 

As is tradition, tomorrow, November 1st, marks the begginning of National Novel Writing Month Nanowrimo.  Its important for the Black women who read this blog to be creative and tell their own stories. I think its safe to say that if we don't tell our own stories, no one will. 

I've complete Nanowrimo two years ago. Since then I've done the screenwriting version of Nanowrimo,  Script Frenzy, in April twice. Now I'm in the final weeks of completing my first formal screenwriting course.

If you've always wanted to write a novel, Nanowrimo helps you get past one of the biggest hurdles, writing when you don't want to.  Goog luck on Nanowrimo! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

While the blog is "on holiday" you can still:

• Join us over at the WAOD Facebook Fan page.
• Enjoy the Archives.
• Hit the donate button in the righhand sidebar.
• Sign up for a Telecourse over at Blogging While Brown.
• OR for coaching/consulting sessions.
• Check 2012 availability for speaking engagements. 

Make 2012 an EPIC year for you and yours. Live life on purpose.  Fail as much as possible. Lean into your destiny!

Still On Blogcation- Vote For My #SXSW Panel Deadline August 27th

Hey folks! Apparently I have recently acquired new readers who are not aware that August is my annual Blogcation.  What that means is that I do not post on this blog during this entire month.  That does not mean I am on vacation however, just blogcation.  During this time I do a lot of housekeeping work and work on long term infrastructure building and yes, the book proposal which is on track to be done by Labor Day-- finally!  I spoke at the 2010 BlogHer conference. I visited a site  in Harlem that is central to the history and the development of this blog - I have the pictures to prove it :)  If you are having withdrawal symptoms, I highly encourage to you breeze through my archives from 2007 and 2008.

VOTE FOR MY PANEL!

I submitted a panel to the South By Southwest Interactive Festival called Cybercrusading for Women: The Rings We Will Not Kiss. Part of the selection process is a popular vote.   I usually get invited to speak on panels, but I think this might be the first conference panel I have ever submitted.   I wanted to share the stories of Black women and how they are using the internet t engage in activism and entrepreneurship without the "blessing" of the Black Elite Establishment.  This is ironic in light of the continuing conniption certain establishment figures are having regarding blog posts we wrote almost a month ago.  to Vote you can go to the SXSW Panel picker.

Here is a description of the panel:

1. What happens if my amazing plans for world domination fail?
2. What is the cost of being the name and the face of an online movement?
3. Can I really go toe to toe with large institutions and corporations and win a battle using social media tools?
4. How to I get my reading audience to respond to my calls for action?
5. What do I do if I really get what I've been asking for?

The power of social media to transform ordinary women into cybercrusading warrior princesses and emerging media titans. Like their White counterparts, African American women are dominating their corner of the social media landscape. Some of the largest independently-owned Black blogs are run by young African American women. This session explores the often overlooked phenomenon of relatively young activists and entrepreneurs using the power of technology to bypass the invisible ( to the outside world) power structure within their own traditionally marginalized group. This panel will present case studies of how African American women have successfully used the internet to win battles with the Black Elite Establishment including, the NAACP, Al Sharpton, and Black Entertainment Television. These battles provide real world examples of successful reader engagement along with using the power of technology to start, stop, and alter conversations online and the power of social media to transform ordinary women into cybercrusading warrior princesses and emerging media titans. The panel will also highlight the growing pains associated with transforming initial activism and passionate blog audiences into emerging media powerhouses and successful small businesses. In addition to sharing practical experiences about best practices in microactivism and micropreneurship, panelists will also revel in the behind the scenes social media-related treachery, drama and intrigue.