During this high-level event, top Publishers, Agency Executives and Brand Marketers will come together to discuss how Social Media is everywhere and is changing everything.

–>DIGIDAY gives media and marketing leaders a chance to converge and reveal high-level success strategies as well as offer insights on how the future of Social Media Marketing will play out for all.

–>Leading Women Include: Cynthia Neiman, Vice President of Mattel Digital Network, Mattel, Marty Collins, Group Marketing Manager, Windows Digital Marketing, Microsoft, Tameka Kee, editorial director, DIGIDAY, Sarah Hofstetter, Senior Vice President, Emerging Media & Client Strategy, 360i, and many more!

–> We’re partnering with digiday: Social on this event, so Girls in Tech LA Members Save $100 off the registration price. Use this code for your discount: GITDS. Register at https://registration.dm2events.com/event/socialla/.

JB

J. Briganti

Thanks to advanced technology, you know longer need to be a professional photographer to capture a unique moment in time.  Although it is true that photography is an art, even those of us just snapping away as a hobby can achieve exceptional photographs with the right camera in hand.

The Olympus SP-59OUZ will provide you with photographic pleasure.  It is an affordable camera appropriate for someone taking up photography as a hobby and can also be easily enjoyed by all members of the family.  It comes complete with lots of valuable shooting features such as optical zoom, shadow ADJ for brightening the subject against backlight, exposure compensation for adjusting the brightness and macro shooting for taking great close ups.   And let’s not forget the self timer so that all of your family or friends can be in the picture.

Taking a good photo is not really as difficult as you may think.  You don’t need years of experience or the most expensive camera.  What you do need is inspiration.  Where to find it?  It’s all around.  Take time out to notice your natural surroundings including your own garden, local parks or distant landscapes.  Family pets or small animals like birds, squirrels and rabbits make wonderful photos too.   Zoom in on your own family members when they’re not looking for photos with a natural complexion.

Here are some simple steps that you can follow and you’ll be on your way to photographic bliss.

• Get up close and personal to your subject, when possible.
• When shooting animals get down low on their level.
• Hold your camera in a vertical position for a change.
• Look for a simple, uncluttered background.
• Shoot with the sun behind you.
• If your outdoor subject is in the shade, turn on the flash.
• Use a tripod for extra steadiness.
• Make use of macro shooting for great close ups.

In addition to these simple tips, take the time to read your camera’s manual; by doing so you will learn how to operate the different camera modes available.

Have fun and enjoy your photographic journey!

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.

1. Honor the way adults learn
   1. Show, don’t tell
   2. Novelty
   3. Relevance
   4. Emotion
2. Master the art of storytelling
   1. Turn off your computer.
   2. Decide what kind of story works best given the subject and your goals.
   3. What do I want them to… Feel? Think? Do?
   4. What do they need to remember?
3. Practice restraint
4. Be yourself

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

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.

Are you wondering how to help Haiti? It’s noble and good to open your wallet and send money. But can you send $100,000? I can’t. That’s why I’m supporting Pencils of Promise, a group competing on Chase’s Facebook-based Community Giving Competition. POP is trying to win $1,000,000 to support their mission of building schools in poor areas. If they win, they pledge to donate at least $100K to Haiti.

It only takes about a minute to vote for them. You can vote here: http://bit.ly/4DYKIV. Please feel free to Tweet about it, too.

From the POP blog, here’s how young girls reacted to plans to build a women’s dormitory and library in Champhet, Laos, to replace the makeshift huts they stay in during the school week, before they walk home on weekends:

“At the start of each school week, hundreds of girls from faraway villages have to choose between their personal safety and their education. For them, though, the choice is obvious. The only way to personal empowerment, agency, and ability is through this education. The safety they will have to forgo. We ask many girls if they would like a place of their own to live—a dormitory for only females. Smiles explode onto their meek faces with eager yeses. They say they want a place where they are safe, where they aren’t scared at night.”

Inspiring stuff, huh?  If POP wins the competition, they pledge to build 50 schools throughout the world, including safe facilities for communities where women traditionally have less access to education.  POP is run entirely by volunteers and support they receive goes wholly to their projects. As of today, they are only a few votes away from being a finalist. Voting ends Friday. Your vote can have an impact!

To make it simple, here’s that math again:

60 seconds of effort =

50 schools +

100K to Haiti.

In Sum :  Impressive.

The Founder’s Institute and TheFunded.com are amazing resources for anyone starting their own business and looking for a network of colleagues and advice.  We’ve partnered with them on the upcoming Catalyst Conference, getting their help spreading the word about our exciting inaugural conference.  I wanted to take a moment to let you know about some equally exciting things they have going on.

This Thursday, they’re hosting the Founder’s Showcase. There, you can meet top investors, socialize with other entrepreneurs, hear great talks, and see inspiring pitches from cutting edge start-ups. The Founder Showcase is an open startup pitch and networking event that highlights seed stage businesses, helping founders gain traction among the Silicon Valley elite. On Thursday, January 14th, ten companies elected by over 13,000 registered Members of TheFunded.com will present to an audience of over 200 investors, founders, and members of the press. A panel of experts will critique the pitches, and an open ballot of those in attendance will determine the Founder Showcase Winner – who will win a number of prizes, including $2500 in cash, $1000 in free legal services from Cooley Godward Kronish LLP, and a free two-day rental of a Ferrari 360 Spider.

Showcase guests will be treated to food and drinks, as well as informative talks by two leading Silicon Valley CEOs – Philip Kaplan of Blippy, and Jay Jamison of Moonshoot. There is also a networking and Pitch Table area for startups, service providers, and investors to convene. Previous investors that have attended include JAFCO, Leapfrog, Polaris, Omidyar, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, First Round, Blue Run, and various angels. A finalist at the last event, RelayRides (www.relayrides.com), even received funding as a result of the event.

Only a few dozen tickets and inexpensive pitch tables remain – to register and learn more, visit http://foundershowcase-girlsintech.eventbrite.com/.

“Twit-tahh?” the manicurist gave me a puzzled expression, “What’s that?” she turned her attention back to my nails, carefully cutting away at the dead skin near the base of my nail and listening as I explained the viral phenomenon that is Twitter. I asked her if she had heard about the “Twitter manicure” I read about in a PopSugar article recently, negative. None of the manicurists in the Palo Alto-based salon had ever used Twitter or Facebook, let alone heard of either of them.

As shocking as the image of hot blue nails with miniature light blue birds and bright orange “fail whales” painted on them is, it’s only the newest concept in the evolving relationship between social media and fashion. Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook have been featured on t-shirts for a long time now. Popular shirt sites like cafepress.com and threadless.com sell shirts that feature slogans such as “140 is the new 420,” “Don’t Make Me Unfriend You” and “I’m Not A Blogger, I just Tweet A Lot.”

So, does this mean that social media not only a hot trend, but a haute trend as well? Last year, I wrote briefly about Shopflick —a place where online shopping meets YouTube. The website doesn’t feature mass-market retailers, major fashion brands, or look to advertise through mass-media. Instead, it calls itself a “video-powered marketplace for indie-inspired goods.” And features designers like Amy Hall, for Amy Kathryn Handbags. By viewing the two minute video (each item has their own), we meet Amy and listen to her describe her product, her inspirations, and her reason as to why her product is better than the rest. At the end of those two minutes we have all the information we need to make a purchase. Another site similar to Shopflick is StyleHop. This one brings social gaming and fashion together through fun style-rating games and links to post directly to Myspace and Facebook. It uses a Yelp-like system and provides viewers with advice on the most popular fashion for that city.

Is video shopping better than window shopping? That is up for debate. Personally, I prefer strolling through the mall and trying things on over sitting at home in my pajamas clicking on images and videos.