E-Mail: seana@girlsintech.net
Jabber: seana.norvell
Registered Since: 2009-06-01 02:11:34
Profile: Seana Norvell has been in Silicon Valley’s tech industry for over 5 years. She is currently managing accounts in high tech public relations (focusing on consumer technology) and spends a lot of her time in the Twitter community and surfing the social web. Seana’s background is mostly in marketing and public relations for enterprise software and consumer technology, although she did do a stint in software sales. Seana is from a small beach town in California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated from the local University of California, Santa Cruz. Other then technology, social media and gadgets, she is passionate about traveling and has been all around the world, extensively through Asia and Central America. Her other passions include cooking and enjoying life on the Central Coast.
| March 25, 2010 | ||
| 7:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
Girls in Tech Santa Cruz is proud to present:
She’s Savvy: SEO
with Chelsea Rustrum
What is SEO? Who uses it? Who needs to know about it?
Please join us for some refreshments and a workshop aimed to help de-mystify SEO.
Chelsea Rustrum, an expert in SEO, is going to help us understand SEO and provide us with best practices on the subject.
RSVP: http://shessavvyseo.eventbrite.com/
The Girls in Tech network is full of wonderful and inspiring women from all professions, background and walks of life. I thought that from time to time it might be interesting to profile members and I thought I would start with a Q&A with Chelsea Rustrum. I cannot tell you how Santa Cruz is buzzing about this wonderfully bright and very accomplished woman.
When Chelsea was in 8th grade, her brother challenged her to learn how to build web sites and use technology but refused to give her “ANY” guidance. Up to the challenge, she built her first site and learned how to upload it within 24 hours of reading forums, tutorials, and help sites. Now, that’s my kind of ambition.
Here are excerpts from the Q & A:
Q: What do you do for a living?
CR: I am self-employed. I founded Free Mania, an online Free Stuff portal in 1997. Free Mania provides a community for individuals interested in saving money and trying products before buying them. I also do larger marketing contracts including strategy and execution utilizing SEO, social media, and fully integrated campaigns.
Q: What do you do on a day to day basis at work?
CR: Every day is different, but I try to focus on revenue generating activities as much as possible. My day-to-day activities include everything from creating content, to working with developers, to building out my social media strategy, etc. I also reach out to form partnerships with sites that can offer my visitors value. Currently, I’m also working on moving Free Mania over to the Drupal platform.
Q: Where did you go to college and why?
CR: I went to college at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. I applied because of their teaching philosophy and utilization of technology in business. The beach, the rolling green mountains, and the small town atmosphere didn’t hurt either.
Q: Where are you from?
CR: I am from Rogue River, OR.
Q: What did the path look like that brought you into your profession?
CR: I was always a bargainer by nature. I’d tell my mom what was cheaper by the ounce at the grocery store when I was 6 years old. When the Internet first graced our household in 1997 when I was 14, the first thing I typed into the search engines was “free stuff.” There were only a handful of freebie sites at the time, so it just seemed natural to start Free Mania.
I also had my hand as a Marketing Programs Manager for ClickTracks Web Analytics from 2006-2008.
Since then, I’ve done contract work for many companies, developing and executing an effective online marketing strategy.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to be a “girl in tech”?
CR: I don’t think I decided. I am naturally a girl in tech, so it just sort of fit.
Q: Can you recall a particular time where you thought being a woman inhibited your career?
CR: I think you just have to be outspoken. If you know what you want, make it clear. So no, I can’t really remember a time when I thought being a woman inhibited my career.
Q: If you could give 3 tips to young girls interested in tech, what would they be?
CR: 1.) If you don’t know the answer, you can find out. Keep trying until you find the answer. Use your resources, find mentors, ask for help, and above all, be wiling to uncover answers all on your own. If you remain determined, you can accomplish and learn nearly anything.
2.) Find something you’re crazy passionate about and throw yourself into it without expectation of compensation. If you do what you love, the money will come.
3.) Don’t every let anyone tell you can’t do anything. The sky is the limit if you believe it is.
If you haven’t had the chance to be present for one of Bronwyn Saglimbeni’s workshops, you must. Bronwyn is a seasoned communications professional and works with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications.
At the First Annual Girls in Tech Retreat for GIT Managing Directors, Bronwyn and Kristine Shaefer, lead a workshop on public speaking and it was such a success and so helpful that I invited her back down to Santa Cruz for a workshop on ‘perfecting your presentations’ – lucky for me she obliged and I thought I would share some of her key points and takeaways with those of you who weren’t in attendance:
Now, who hasn’t spent countless hours putting together an important presentation only to have your audiences eyes glaze over? Are you as guilty as I am for being one of those to get sleepy in the middle of a PowerPoint? I thought so.
So let’s change the game.
Now, next time you go to put together a slide deck, think about these simple, but key, points. If you still can’t get it right then maybe you should reach out to Bronwyn for some additional direction 
Valentine’s Day is just over a week away and I thought I’d share a few sweet (and affordable) gift ideas.
Tunes
Remember when we used to make mixed tapes to express our affection to our crush? Well, thanks to the internet that is a LOT easier these days:
Slacker Personal Radio has a collection of DJ-programmed Valentine’s Day stations that you can listen to on the web or your mobile phone. As always with Slacker, if you like a song “heart” it and it will play more often, and if you don’t like it, “ban” it and it will never play again.
Slacker allows anyone to capture a moment by playing romantic music wherever you are. Also, with Slacker, in a matter of minutes, you can create a custom station based on any artist or number of artists you like and then share that station with the one you love.
Here are a few of the highlighted stations:
Rock Ballads – http://slacker.com/r/5Kyb
Country Love – http://slacker.com/r/HgZM
Broken Heart – http://slacker.com/r/5Ky5
Words
FastPencil.com offers an amazing DIY gem for those looking for affordable, thoughtful and one of a kind Valentines Day gift ideas. FastPencil is an online publishing tool that allows you to print your own books — you can use it to make a really fabulous thoughtful gift or you could publish a handful of poems, complete with glossy photos and personal anecdotes to give the one you love. The sky is the limit.
FastPencil is currently offering users an incentive to get their book project going!
- What – A free printed book, a free eBook and free shipping & handling
- When – This offer is valid through Feb. 27th
- Who – The first 1,000 FastPencil users to sign up
- How – Visit https://www.fastpencil.com/offer/consumerpromo
Food
Have an iPhone? The California Strawberry Commission has recently launched its free STRAWBERRIES iPhone app.
All you need is to download this app and you will have tons of dinner and dessert recipes in your pocket that are instantly accessible during your trip to the grocery store. Let’s face it, nobody appreciates anything more then a home-cooked meal.
The app offers a collection of more than 50 strawberry recipes from food bloggers and chefs from around the web. Strawberries are among the healthiest foods in the world and the STRAWBERRIES app demonstrates a range of recipes such as strawberry shortcake to more exotic dishes like strawberry ceviche and strawberry dumplings.
Strawberry Recipe App is available now for free download in the App Store:
- More than 50 recipes, categorized by dish type.
- Access your favorite recipes – and shopping lists – in the kitchen, at the store, or anywhere!
- Share recipes on Twitter, Facebook and email.
- Discover and link to the food bloggers and chefs behind the recipes.
You can download the app here: http://bit.ly/8LANJo
So, please enjoy these three fabulous, simple and sweet Valentine’s day ideas and please share with us what you decide on for your Valentine!
Girls in Tech sponsor, NextSpace Coworking + Innovation, UC Santa Cruz and the City of Santa Cruz have come together to create the ‘What’s Next Lecture Series‘ and is kicking off its five part Innovation program with a look at “Sustainability and Social Innovation: Doing Well by Doing Good,” on February 18, 2010 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Downtown Santa Cruz.
The panel will feature Peter Meehan, CEO of Newman’s Own Organics, KoAnn Skrzyniarz, CEO of Sustainable Life Media, and Joshua Levine, Vice President of Socially Responsible Investing at RBC Wealth Management. Sandy Skees, CEO of Communications4Good, will moderate the panel as it explores trends and success factors in companies with a social and environmental mission.
These outstanding speakers will provide the audience with current thinking, best practices and trends in sustainability and social innovation, examining how brands and the media are framing this business shift. Topics will include an exploration of how businesses are responding to the social, environmental and economic challenges of today’s world with innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Future topics in the year-long series will feature topics that include Energy, The New Workplace, Innovation in Research & Development, and Gaming & Social Media.
If you live in Santa Cruz or will be in the area be sure to check it out. Tickets are $15 for the general public. Students are free but must register in advance. For more information or to purchase tickets, see http://www.whatsnextlectures.com.
November is National Novel Writers Month, NaNoWriMo.
Have you ever thought you had a book in you? NaNoWriMo is a great opportunity to finally bang that project out, although it is no easy task. The object of NaNoWriMo is to sit down and write a 175-page
(50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Last year NaNoWriMo had over 100,000 participants and over 20,000 completed their novel. If you complete your novel within the time window you win the contest.
Recently FastPencil Co-Founder, Michael Ashley, posted his thoughts on “How to Win Big at NaNoWriMo” and I thought he had a few great points.
When writing a novel at anytime you shouldn’t be afraid to invite friends in to help you review and edit your material. Your friends and family are the people who want to see you succeed and can prove to be extremely helpful in making sure that you get some quality feedback. He also touches on how to avoid procrastination and think about your novel as a “sculpture” a bit hunk of material that over time will be whittled away into what you envision. The key is to just start writing.
What about writers block? I recently read a few great tips from CopyBlogger in “Why Writer’s Block is Your Secret Weapon.” As simple as it sounds they recommend you just take a blank sheet of paper and answer “what am I supposed to be writing now?” Sound simple enough? Then just start scribbling down thoughts, ideas, comments, etc. that relate to that project. That will get you going.
If you have ever thought about writing a book, now might be a great time to get started. I highly recommend taking a look at the two blog posts I mentioned here to give you a few other great ideas. FastPencil.com is a great place to write your book. They will help you by hosting the content (so it never gets lost), they will walk you through formatting and provide you with the tools you need to invite friends in to comment on or help you with your novel. FastPencil also has a marketplace where you can find professional editors, illustrators, graphic designers, etc. if you need them. They will also publish your book for a fraction of the cost of others as well as help you promote it. If you decide to write a novel for NaNoWriMo and complete the task, they will also offer you a copy of your printed book for free.
Happy writing.
| December 3, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
Girls in Tech Santa Cruz is proud to present:
The “Perfecting Your Presentations” Workshop with Bronwyn Saglimbeni.
Bronwyn will walk attendees through tips to putting together the perfect power point presentation and advise on delivery tips.
This event is perfect for women of all ages and career levels to get a bit of added confidence while making your presentation to a partner, boss or potential client.
For nearly 15 years, Bronwyn has worked with clients to improve their public speaking and media relations skills, challenging them to bring out more of themselves in their communications. Bronwyn is known for her playful, irreverent approach to coaching, combined with her knack for delivering “tough love” in a way that allows executives to achieve true breakthroughs. In her work in public relations and communications coaching, Bronwyn encourages clients to be authentic, engaging and approachable, which has garnered coverage in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, CNBC and others; and successful speaking engagements at Ad:Tech, AAAAs, Under the Radar, Demo, and other top industry events. Bronwyn has also worked with clients preparing for television appearances including American Idol, The Oprah Show, and Home Shopping Network.
A big thank you goes out to NextSpace for sponsoring and hosting this event for Girls in Tech.
All attendees must RSVP via Eventbrite: http://gitscperfectpreso.eventbrite.com/
A $5 ‘early bird’ ticket price will cover refreshments at the event.
On November 19 the ticket price will adjust to $7 per person.
If you live in or near Santa Barbara and have an affinity for music (who doesn’t?) you might want to check out ‘New Noise Santa Barbara‘ on October 8-10.
The team over at ‘New Noise Santa Barbara‘ have put together a pretty awesome line-up including:
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Murs
Edward Sharpe @ The Magnetic Zeros
Mad Caddies
Zach Gill (ALO) & Kyle Hollingsworth (String Cheese Incident)
No Use For A Name
Har Mar Superstar
Pulley
Nathen Maxwell & The Original Bunny Gang (feat. members of Flogging Molly)
In addition to tunes, they have planned a conference to coincide.Topics will include:
THE GREEN CONCERT
LICENSE TO ILL: Placing Your Music In Film and Television
THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN: Exploring The New Frontier In Music, including Tom Merritt of CNet
THE GREEN MUSICIAN: Make Music Without Hurting Mother Earth
NEEDLE IN THE HAY: How To Get Noticed By Record Label A&R Peeps
Check it out at: http://newnoisesb.com
| October 9, 2009 | ||
| 7:00 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
| October 10, 2009 | ||
Can you believe that October is literally around the corner? The Girls in Tech Retreat on October 9th and 10th is just over 2 weeks away!
Our agenda is very close to being finalized. We have confirmed Gina Bauman and Elizabeth Weil of IVP for our VC panel as well as an executive from Plantronics, Joyce Shimizu for the fireside chat with Priya Ganapati:
Girls in Tech First Annual Retreat
October 9th, 2009
- 7:00 PM Casual Mixer, Cafe Mare: 740 Front Street, Santa Cruz, CA
October 10th, 2009
Location: UCSC University Center
- 8:30 AM Coffee & Breakfast, networking (Sponsored by NextSpace)
- 9:00 AM Welcome remarks by Adriana Gascoigne (Founder)
- 9:15 AM ‘Chapter Evolution’ Morning session on what works and what doesn’t
- 10:00 AM Keynote (Kara Swisher of WSJ)
- 10:30 AM Break
- 11:00 AM Public Speaking Workshop with Bronwyn Saglimbeni & Kristine Schaefer
- 1:00 PM Lunch
- 2:00 PM Social Media Scalability for Social Businesses with JD Lasica
- 3:00 PM VC Panel – Gina Bauman and Elizabeth Weil of IVP Discuss what VCs looking for right now? What’s it like to be a woman in a male dominated field?
- 4:00 PM Fireside Chat: Plantronics‘ Joyce Shimizu and Priya Ganapati (WIRED)
- 5:00 PM Closing remarks: Where we are taking GIT from here
If you are a Girls in Tech Managing Director or Advisory Board Member we would like to invite you to attend the event. If you are interested, please email seana at girlsintech dot net.
SPONSORS: We have received sponsorships from QTask, the City of Santa Cruz, UCSC’s Baskin School of Engineering, NextSpace and are very grateful for their assistance.
LODGING POSSIBILITIES:
Santa Cruz Dream Inn (Newly renovated and my fave…)
Hampton Inn
BayFront Inn
Ocean Pacific Lodge
Green Business Camp is an ‘Unconference’ for green business growth and collaboration in Santa Cruz on October 22nd.
This one-day event will give attendees the opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs, small business owners and green business leaders for a day of learning, collaboration, sharing, and networking. During this one-day Unconference event attendees will:
Unconference topics are driven by what you need to support your business growth and development. It is your opportunity to create connections with fellow green businesses and to form collaborations with other businesses that share similar values. Green Business Camp supports green business growth by:
You can find the schedule and additional information for the event on their website: http://www.greenbusinesssantacruz.com/
