Speaker Bio: Ebony Ajima Maddox

Session Title: Learn from My Mistakes: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started a Blog

Ebony Ajima Maddox runs Black Women Losing Weight, a thriving community focused on making a positive impact on the health of black women. With over 14 years of experience in communications and web strategy, she believes in using the power of the web for good. The left side of her brain is a skilled internet marketer, web developer, and content curator while the right side loves to sing soul music and study eastern philosophy. She’s a proud mom and Howard University grad. You will find her blogging and celebrating success stories daily at blackweightlosssuccess.com.

Speaker Bio: Davina "Dayvee" Sutton

Session Title:


Dayvee Sutton is a two-time Emmy Award Winning sports journalist, entertainment and lifestyle reporter, social commentator and entrepreneur. Over the course of her career she’s worked for ESPN, Comcast Sports, Turner Sports and CNN, including CNN’s London bureau. She hosted an entertainment and lifestyle show for NBC Charlotte and most recently covered sports for CBS Atlanta. Now Dayvee hosts “Beyond the Usual” travel show, “Conversations with Regular Folk” and “Travelscope” podcasts, write and work as an on-air contributor for various outlets, and produces special segments and documentaries through her production company Dream Network Media - - including the thought provoking and emotional film “What We Told Our Sons: Families React to the Trayvon Martin Verdict.”
You can learn more about her at www.dayveesutton.com

 

Speaker Bio: Davida Arnold

Davida E. Arnold is a passionate storyteller, entrepreneur and community builder with an ear for women and girls’ stories. Davida’s company, GirlGameChanger, is the social forward alliance of #WomenWhoDare create solutions from challenges. “I am dedicated to amplifying the female voice to create brighter futures. A strong woman’s voice makes sure all of the members of our community are heard, she says.” Girlfriend style insights speak across across careers, countries and stations of life, bringing content to light with humor, insight and authority. Like your favorite auntie, sister or BFF, GirlGameChanger’s s strength lies in its ability to keep it red emoji one hundred, while helping others to do the same.

Philly born and Brooklyn raised, this multi-hyphenate is also a marketing consultant with over a decade of experience across branding, future-casting and on-air appearances. Currently Manager of Content Marketing for SheKnows Media, she lives with her two very tall and very hungry sons, lots of sneakers, oodles of books and two passports. “Nothing gets me more excited than boarding a plane to go interview a daring female. And cheesesteaks-but I digress, Coco Cherie.” Davida asks“Today, what do you dare do?”

Catch Davida on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook,  and the web: @GirlGameChanger

Speaker Bio: Carlos Nai

Session Title: Engaging Audiences, while Increasing Content Monetization

Carlos Nai, Partner Development Executive, Google
Carlos is a Partner Development Executive focusing on building partnerships with North America's top digital publishers. He's primary focus is on helping publishers deploy an effective programmatic strategy. Prior to joining Google, Carlos was the Network Strategist and AE for Game Advertising Online's publisher business.

Speaker Bio: Cari Rene

Session Title: The Social Science – Productivity Tools You Need to Soar on Social Media   

Born in Delaware and raised in Atlanta, Cari’s discerning eye and love for fashion developed at a young age, when she would watch her mother sew beautiful garments for her clothing store she owned and managed in South Philadelphia.  After completing her Marketing degree from Georgia State University and spending a few years in Corporate America, Cari decided to follow her passion and set her sights on a career as an Image Consultant and Stylist. She started her fashion blog LAYLLAH with her sister Kay Lynn in 2014 as an online outlet to showcase their affordable, easy, accessible and edgy-chic style to readers all over the world. Just under 2 years later, the blog displaying clean lines, monochromes, neutral tones and classic pieces has become a go-to source for fashion inspirations and amassed a social media audience of over 56,000 followers. Taking a modern minimalist approach to style, LAYLLAH is catching the attention of local, regional and national media outlets as one of the popular fashion blogs to follow.  With her keen eye for detail and fresh approach to styling, Cari's ability to simultaneously predict trends, and transcend them, has solidified her presence in an ever-changing industry.  Cari has created content for brands such as Halston Heritage, Zara, Diane Von Furstenberg, J Brand and H&M and continues to pave the way for bloggers inspired by her journey.

 

Speaker Bio:Bee Quammie

Session Title: Black Weblog Awards

Bee Quammie is a healthcare professional, blogger, freelance writer, social media consultant, and speaker. With a degree in Health Sciences from the University of Western Ontario and work in George Brown College’s Post-Graduate Health Promotion program, Bee has turned her passion for health into a career in mental health research, international health, and acquired brain injury.

 

Speaker Bio: Alexzandria Cormier-Hill

Session Title: Think Small, Create Big in 30 Minutes

Alexzandria Cormier-Hill (C.Hill) is an adamant advocate of learning, creativity, and leadership. During her time at the University of North Texas, Alexz participated in numerous opportunities that championed topics such as education, diversity and youth mentorship. She served as an ambassador for UNT’s Professional Leadership Program, Black Enterprise Magazine, Monster.com’s Diversity Leadership Conference, YES Prep’s Alumni Association and the Mickey Leland Kibbutzim Internship Foundation. As the Current Events/Hot Topics event planner for the University’s Programming Council and Marketing Director of her undergraduate chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc, Alexz developed a calling to create unique, encouraging narratives about Millennials and their capacity to take active leadership.

After graduating with her B.A. in Marketing, Alexz catapulted into her career. She’s helped develop the brand for the Houston’s Mayor's Office of Education Initiatives, a multi-million dollar start up, and the award-winning charter school system YES Prep Public Schools (which happens to be her grade school alma mater.) She started her blog, DPTaughtMe, in 2014 as a way to address her passion and concern for Greek Leadership through sharing her experiences in hopes of cultivating young, Greek movers and shakers of the next generation. Currently, Alexz is working in higher education, helps budding entrepreneurs define and refine their brand through her branding boutique Narrative Cre8or, serves on the board for Houston African American Bloggers, guest writes for the popular NPHC platform Watch The Yard, and continues to share her love for youth development and leadership to whoever will have her.

Writing Your First Book Presented by Stefanie Newell

Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 3:30pm

Like most writers, you may find yourself stuck before you even begin setting pen to paper, simply because you don’t have any idea the steps to write a book.

This session will help you to bring your book idea to fruition. If you aren’t sure what to give thought to first, the Writing Your First Book session will take away the guesswork and provide all the essential steps to write a book. From the writing process to choosing a publishing route, your writing and publishing related questions will be answered.

Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, this session is designed to help you begin your manuscript and complete it! It will walk writers through the first year of writing including: the dreaded procrastination, never having time, fleshing out ideas, writing the first words, writers block, and more!

You will learn:

  • How to get started writing
  • How to outline your manuscript
  • How to make time for writing
  • How to cater to your target audience
  • Manuscript formatting
  • Choosing between self-publishing and traditional publishing
  • The basics of editing your first draft and more!

Video Livestreaming to Leverage Your Business Presented by Monique Johnson

Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 2:15pm

Are you looking for unique ways to connect with your audience through video? Are you overwhelmed by all of the livestreaming apps and do not know which one to use?

Join Monique Johnson for a presentation on efficiency and productivity through livestreaming tools and YouTube. When made well, videos have the power to engage an audience, showcase a product, describe a concept and generate a call to action.

Learn how to create blog content of over 500 words (without writing a single word) in less than 3 minutes with livestreaming tools: Snapchat, Periscope, Blab, and Facebook LIVE.

Learn how to create a content system for your videos that will guarantee engagement and your audience taking action.

This is blueprint to kill it in 2016 with video and it all can be done through the most powerful device that you carry with you every single day: your mobile device.

 

 

Productivity Tools You Need to Soar on Social Media presented by Cari Rene

Session Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 2:15pm

We will dissect the science of social media as bloggers are introduced to a number of productivity tools they can use to help increase and enhance their social media platforms. Many bloggers are unaware of the online resources available right at their fingertips to ensure the most engaging experience for their audience. In this session I will also reveal my personal practices for creating a consistent and intriguing social media experience that attracts over one thousand organic followers a month.

Questions this Session Will Answer:

  1. What are the top 5 productivity tools every blogger should have one their devices?
  2. How should bloggers use the tools to ensure the most effective and engaging experience for their social media audience?
  3. Why creating a highly visually appealing and consistent social media platform is critical to increase the success of our blogs?

Smarter Reporting presented by Davina "Dayvee" Sutton

Session Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016

The landscape of content creation is changing moment by moment. This workshop is led by two-time Emmy Award winning journalist Dayvee Sutton, whose content reaches over 75 million unique viewers each month on all of her platforms. Dayvee will walk you through the latest trends and developments in digital media and walk you through the steps to start your own brand building platforms, and how to extend your reach by contributing to other outlets. Dayvee will also share the secrets of building a professional mobile digital photojournalism kit.

Questions this Session Will Answer:

1. What’s now, what’s new & what’s the future for digital content creators
2. How to position yourself for success in an already flooded & comparative market
3. How to turn your smartphone into a professional multimedia tool
4. Basic apps you need for digital photography, videography, interviews and social media management
5. Accessories are the key - detailed list of recommended gear to complete your mobile digital kit & it can all be done for under $200!

5 Steps to Explode your Instagram & Facebook Audience Presented by Kristy McCarley

Session Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 1:00pm

This session will explore marketing techniques and strategy for Facebook and Instagram.  Attendees will learn how to grow their followers with just a few clicks and east, low-stress tips for managing your social media pages.

Questions this Session will Answer:

  1. Beyond Boosts - How can I use Facebook ads to drive traffic to my blog?
  2. What are the elements of a good photo on Instagram?
  3. What's the best ways to use images & video to grow my Facebook and Instagram following?

Engaging Audiences, while Increasing Content Monetization Presented by Carlos Nai

Session Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 11:00am

With 10 million+ online publications including blogs and corporate spin sites competing for space, how do you keep your audience engaged long enough to monetize your content? The challenges content creators face are complex but through effective application tools, success can be had! Learn from Google Publishers on how best to monetize your content, keep your audiences happy, and stay relevant with the ever-changing tech landscape.

Questions this Session Will Answer:

  1. How can bloggers best monetize their content?
  2. How can bloggers keep their audience engaged?
  3. What Google Publisher tools and resources can bloggers for success?

Session: Think Small, Create Big in 30 Minutes presented by Alexzandria Cormier-Hill

Session Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 11:00am

In the "Think Small, Create Big in 30 Minutes" session, I will teach bloggers how to cultivate numerous concepts for their blog entries in a short amount of time. Two of the main killers of successful blogs (outside of time management), is not knowing what to write about and failing to strategize. In this workshop, BWB attendees will learn how to break down huge blogging themes and concepts into a number of smaller, practical and engaging topics. Attendees will also be able to identify when the topics should be distributed, in what medium they should be presented in and how they can plan for the most optimal audience readership and response.

Questions this Session will Answer:

1) How can I brainstorm ideas when I have the most intense writer's block?
2) What are some creative & strategic ways I can form content that resonates with my audience?
3) What are a few strategic ways I can calendar out my blog entries and campaigns that will give me the readership I desire?

 

Storytelling - PIVOT: How to Successfully Rebrand Your Blog Presented by Vashti Patrick Joseph

Session Time: Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 9:15am

As bloggers (and business owners) growth is inevitable. Sometimes this growth means switching our blog's focus/rebranding and introducing new content. This can be a scary and nerve racking experience because we fear having to start from scratch, losing our audience, and often wonder how we're going to make the transition as seamless as possible.

This session will teach attendees how to successfully pivot by sharing my experiences from rebranding my blog, AND introducing new content to a previously niche audience. While losing some of your audience is inevitable with this type of change, I was able to successfully make the switch each time while retaining the majority of my audience.

Questions this Session Will Answer:

* What you MUST do prior to rebranding
* Steps you can take to include your present audience in the change process
*How to engage with your new audience
* How to handle the technical aspects of rebranding (changing URLS, Redirecting your traffic etc)

Storytelling: How Blogging Transformed My Life presented by Linal Harris

Session Time: Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 4:45pm

In the session I would share my personal story of starting my blog back in 2011 as an uninspired global executive.

I committed to blogging once a week...no matter what.

Despite many obstacles I kept that commitment through 2015.

As a result, I grew my blog to global proportions with readers and visitors from all over the world.

I secured my own radio show.

I received a promotion to VP, Chief Diversity Officer of my company, largely because the CEO noticed my blog which led to us building a relationship.

I was introduced to life coaching through one of my readers, resulting in me becoming a certified ontological life coach.

I left my job and started my own company.

Simply put...blogging changed my life.

I would share the story above along with the lessons I learned about consistency, persistence and being prepared for opportunity.

Questions this Session will Answer:

1. How to confront your fears about blogging.

2. What it takes to build and create successful blog.

3. How to leverage your blog for professional and business opportunities.

Learn from My Mistakes: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started a Blog Presented by Ebony Ajima Maddox

Session Time: Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 3:30pm

It all sounds so easy, right. All you need is a domain name, a hosting account with WordPress installed and every social media account known to man, and you are all set, right? No. Things can get really difficult and complicated really quick. From money problems and email management issues to sick days and navigating trendy new tools, there are so many factors that can impact the success of your blog. In this session, I will share some of the major lessons that I've learned through the ups and downs of running a blog.

Questions this Session Will Answer:

  1. Why do you need to treat your blog like a business from the start and not a hobby?
  2. What if you don't want to be the face of your "brand"?
  3. Why you should choose a niche that you are really passionate about?
  4. How much more expensive can blogging be than you think?
  5. Wearing all the hats: What skills do you need other than writing and editing?
  6. How do you decide what new trends and tools are for you and which ones aren't right for your blog?
  7. How important is a customer service plan, including email management, from the start?
  8. What do you do when your blog's income falls off all of a sudden?
  9. What do you do when you are faced with a major health/family crisis but you have a thriving blog?
  10. What are my top 3 tips to consider before moving to full time blogging?

Ebony Ajima Maddox runs Black Women Losing Weight, a thriving community focused on making a positive impact on the health of black women. With over 14 years of experience in communications and web strategy, she believes in using the power of the web for good. The left side of her brain is a skilled internet marketer, web developer, and content curator while the right side loves to sing soul music and study eastern philosophy. She’s a proud mom and Howard University grad. You will find her blogging and celebrating success stories daily at blackweightlosssuccess.com.

Sponsored Content 101: How Publishers & Brands Can Get Sponsored Content Right Presented by Ty Alexander

Time: Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 2:15pm

The potential success of sponsored content rests solely on the opportunity to connect with consumer. In this panel discussion industry expert, Ty Alexander will breakdown how storytelling has become the matriarch behind her wildly popular blog that she’s managed to monetize through sponsored posts.

Questions this Session will Answer:

  • The tops three things publishers and brand do that make sponsored content fail
  • What makes a good storyteller
  • How to promote sponsored content
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