Tag Archive for ‘Bloggers’

Blissdom 2012 Photowalk

What happens when a group of shutterbugs participates in a photowalk lead by Lotus Carol? Photo madness with tons of pretty photos taken by very talented photographers.

I have to admit, I wanted to make an impression with this group and totally brought my A game to this photowalk. Usually, photography is the least competitive area of my world yet this day I found myself with a curiously competitive edge. Usually, I’m relaxed and happy to share my knowledge with anyone who asks. This day, I was having none of that. Funny thing though, I liked having that fire motivating me during the photowalk. It certainly must have been something, as my Canon 40D did not act up at all during the walk. I can’t say the same for the rest of the trip, but for a pleasant two hours the camera performed perfectly.

This was a photowalk, so let’s have a look at some photos. Below the cut are a few favorite photos I took during the walk.

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Posted on April 23, 2012 :: Categories: Photography :: Tags: Blissdom 2012, Bloggers, Photography
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Lessons Learned at Blissdom 2012

In February I had the opportunity to attend the fabulous Blissdom conference in Nashville, TN.

The conference was packed full of knowledge, inspiration and networking. So much so, it took till now to sort through the experience and write about it. Actually, up until last week, I was still mulling over the best way to describe the essence of this conference. Then last week, several narrow minded women decided to broadcast vicious misconceptions about Stay At Home Moms (SAHM’s) for blatant political reasons.

I was stunned at the cynical and ignorant tone of these statements, yet their words helped focus my impression of the Blissdom conference and attendees.

It was my pleasure to spend time with 700+ women (and a few gentlemen), a majority of whom claim the title of Mom. In fact, several attendees brought their children with them to this conference. Of the mom’s in attendance, I suspect a large portion of them are SAHM’s.

My impressions after interacting with the attendees was 1,000% positive. I truly suspect there are several ‘Bill Gates’ in the making within the Blissdom community. This in not hyperbole on my part, the women I encountered have brilliant branding and marketing skills. They have drive, a positive attitude and the entrepreneurial skills to be successful in their ventures. The organizers of the Blissdom Conference – the Bliss Chicks – completely get this and have created a powerful platform to celebrate, promote and support women entrepreneurs within the online community.

While our nation struggles with a faltering economy, women who run craft business from home are revolutionizing the corporate landscape and blazing new trails of economic opportunity for others. Blissdom organizers sponsored a Handmade Marketplace to highlight and support these at home entrepreneurs.

These women wear many hats – mom, entrepreneur, blogger, photographer, writer, artist, future Bill Gates – they cannot be so easily dismissed or placed into a one size fits no-one political category. These women (and men) represent hope. Hope for a better tomorrow for their family, for their community, for our nation. It is a beautiful thing to should be celebrated and supported and thanks to the Blissdom Conference and its online community – it is

Posted on April 19, 2012 :: Categories: Bloggers, Conference :: Tags: Blissdom 2012, Bloggers
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First Amendment Protects Bloggers,too

With no legal codification of ‘journalism’, Federal Judge Marco Hernandez employed his own interpretation of what constitutes journalism in the recent libel trial of Obsidian Finance Group v. Cox.

This is a dangerously slippery slope for all bloggers and citizen journalists sharing news of events around them on their blogs.

Yes, this is as bad, if not worse than SOPA. An op-ed by Jason Stverak in the Washington Examiner gives a chilling look at the First Amendment implications:

Hernandez ruled that blogger Crystal Cox was not entitled to the same protection under media shield laws that other members of the press enjoy. This ruling made it easy for a jury to find her guilty of libel. That result threatens the First Amendment rights of all citizen-journalists.

With the Internet increasingly serving as the dominant source of information, a national debate has been taking place asking the question, who is a journalist? Legal scholars, journalism academics and First Amendment advocates all have their opinions and as expected, there is little agreement.

But why is this issue so complicated? Bloggers, like all citizens of the United States, have First Amendment rights. Has the definition of a journalist changed? Or has perception and therefore legal definition simply not adjusted to modern technology?

According to Professor Kyu Ho Youm of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, Judge Hernandez “ruled correctly” in the Cox case. But he also acknowledges that the ruling was based on his “textual interpretation” and that “pre-Internet law needs updating.”

Others blogging on this subject:

Marathon Pundit

The Mental Recession

Posted on February 17, 2012 :: Categories: Bloggers :: Tags: Bloggers
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Protect Your Voice

We live in an amazing age of information pollination, where news and views can be disseminated globally literally within minutes. This technology allows for information sharing and collaboration between distant populations in ways that were practically and physically impossible a decade or two ago.

In recent months there has been an insidious threat to this wellspring of information in the form of SOPA. Bloggers and citizen journalists, better known as new media journalists, are not afforded the same protections within the legal system as print media journalists. They lack coverage under state shield laws and are not granted Freedom of the Press rights. The dissemination of information is no longer controlled by traditional media outlets, and shield laws should be updated to reflect this shift in reporting.

Protect your Voice.

Sign the Petition.

Posted on February 09, 2012 :: Categories: Bloggers, Media :: Tags: Bloggers
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UPDATED! Gaining Bliss and Much, Much More at Blissdom 2012

UPDATE: Thanks to all the commentators for you kind words of welcome! I will make a point to meet each one of your personally at BlissDom 12.

This coming February 23 to the 25th I will be indulging in some well earned Bliss – I’m attending the 2012 BlissDom Conference in Nashville, TN.

What is BlissDom Conference? It is a highly regarded conference for women who find bliss in blogging. The conference attracts talented, highly skilled experts in Social Media, Blogging, Publishing, and Public Relations to share their knowledge with Blissdom attendees.

Allison Worthington, Paula Bruno, and Barbara Jones of Blissdom Events are the dynamic trio that make Blissdom the premier women’s conference in the United States and Canada.

There a several reasons I’m attending this conference, the most important reason is the subject matter presented at this conference. The four tracks presented: Life Development, Photography, Writing, and Business are presented in a way that engages the audience to put into practice the subject of discussion then evaluate their results.

Pure Awesomeness.

Gone are top down lectures followed by a brief Q&A. This format is a highly effective way to share knowledge and it is what sold me on attending BlissDom.

Although I may be a ‘newbie’ to BlissDom, I’m quite experienced in attending conferences for professional and personal reasons. I’m looking forward to this conference, as I feel I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and entering into the unknown. Typically at conferences I’m surrounded by familiar faces and subject matter. With BlissDom, however, the only person I’ll recognize is Alli Worthington. Most bloggers, if not all, attending this conference are not regular readers of my blog. I see this conference is an opportunity to introduce myself and find common ground within a blogging community that rarely crosses my blogging path.

So, if you are planning to attend BlissDom 12, please leave a comment and feel free to say hello at the conference. You can spot me as I will be sporting a Sting – Dream of the Blue Turtles purse:

PS: I’m flying into Nashville on February 22nd and I’m looking for photo walk tips around Nashville and good running trails near the Opryland Hotel.

Posted on January 16, 2012 :: Categories: Bloggers, Conference, Entertainment :: Tags: Blissdom 2012, Bloggers, Conference
1,734 views :: 45 Comments

American Power – Beating Righthaven

This is a story that all Americans, regardless of your political orientation, should stand up and cheer this amazing victory!

My good blogging friend, Professor Donald Douglas, reports on his experience dealing with the predatory trolls at Righthaven:

I’ve been meaning to put up a big entry on my successful defense against Righthaven. I was thinking I’d write some big fancy post on my motion to dismiss, which I filed with the help of David Kerr of Santangelo Law Offices in Fort Collins, Colorado. But I’ve been too busy and haven’t taken the time. So, with recent developments indicating the end is most-likely near for the reviled copyright trolling concern, I might as well post on it for the record.

Righthaven sued me for alleged copyright violation on March 8, 2011. The docket listing is here. The lawsuit claimed that I’d infringed the copyright held by the Denver Post for its picture of the invasive pat down at this article: “Controversy over pat-downs, body scans lands at DIA.” Like dozens of other bloggers, I’d featured a full-size screencap of (the article and) the crotch-grab photograph in a post on TSA’s “touching junk” backlash. I filed a motion to dismiss pro se. Attorney David Kerr provided legal advice pro bono.

Righthaven files “no warning” lawsuits. That is, it gives no advance notification to defendants, which violates the norm of providing “take down notices” to those suspected of copyright violations. By doing this, Righthaven — which made a speciality out of suing small-time bloggers and “mom-and-pop” businesses — was able to scare the bejesus out of its targets, who then would settle out of court generally in the three to five thousand dollar range. Defendants were threatened with the possibility of a $150,000 judgment and the forfeiture of their website’s domain name (URL address). Let me tell you: It’s frightening as hell opening up that letter of service and reading the lawsuit. You can’t even believe you’re being sued, but you can’t ignore it or wish it away. A non-response would result in a default judgment, so there’s no time to dilly-dally. No wonder so many defendants settled out of court rather than attempt a legal defense, especially since obtaining legal counsel and going to trial would probably run into the tens of thousands of dollars on average.

What ever political stripe you carry, the predatory nature of Righthaven copy write lawsuits threatened the amazing free flow of information and discourse within the world wide web. I love and respect the range of opinions buzzing around the blogosphere. I may not agree with all the opinions I read but I strongly support the right of bloggers to express those opinions. To that end, we should all stand together and cheer this amazing victory!

Congratulations, Donald!

Posted on November 03, 2011 :: Categories: Bloggers :: Tags: Bloggers
734 views :: 2 Comments

Bold New Look for The Sundries Shack

Yowza! Jimmie Bise has got himself one hot blog!

The Sundries Shack, serving up the best of new media since 2004, is looking better than ever. I’m seriously impressed with this new design and features. The blog has the looks and moves that turn ones head. Well done, Jimmie!

While visiting, I suggest you check out his amazing podcast shows smartly titled ‘The Delivery’.

Whew, I need a cold drink right about now..

Posted on September 27, 2011 :: Categories: Bloggers :: Tags: Bloggers
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Bill Clinton Stumps for Loretta Sanchez – Guess Who Shows Up?

My good blogging buddy on the left coast, Donald Douglas of American Power, had the opportunity to document a rally for congressional candidate Loretta Sanchez. Bill Clinton was the invited speaker and guess who made a surprise appearance?

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Posted on October 16, 2010 :: Categories: 2010 Election, Bloggers, National :: Tags: Bloggers
3,383 views :: 3 Comments