Remember the recent Good and Good for You Challenge that my family participated in in February? Well, this Tuesday night I’ll be co-hosting a Twitter party with the National Pork Board and The Motherhood in honor of Nutrition Month. Please join me for the #PorkPledge Good and Good for You Twitter Party for great tips, trivia and prizes!

If you’re unfamiliar with Twitter parties, they involve people all tweeting about the same topic while including a specific hashtag that lets them find each other and the related tweets. For this Twitter chat, the hashtag is #PorkPledge. You can use a website like TweetChat to make it easier. Here’s a link that will work tomorrow night.

Here are the details:

When: Tuesday, March 13, 7-8 p.m. ET

Where: The party will take place on Twitter, using the #PorkPledge hashtag.

Who: The National Pork Board (@AllAboutPork) and The Motherhood (@theMotherhood) will be hosting.

Prizes: Five prize packs will be given away throughout the hour, based on responses to trivia questions. They will be filled with pork coupons and other items to help you live a healthier lifestyle (such as a meat thermometer, reusable water bottle and reusable grocery bag).

RSVP: Let us know if you’ll be there! Click this link and press the red “yes” button under “Are you going?” – http://twtvite.com/gku88u (look on the right)

That’s it!

{I am being compensated for my participation in the Good and Good for You Campaign. Opinions expressed are my own.}

Tweeting for Pork is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Bloggers often interact with brands. It’s wonderful that so many companies value our voice and influence.

Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of what this looks like to non-bloggers. My son talks with his friends in the high school class I teach. They have questioned why we’ve been paid to eat at a certain restaurant or make a shopping trip to Walmart; how we sometimes get free tickets to events, concerts, and plays. The biggie was when we got a free iPad because I’m on the advisory council for a new music program.

They want their moms to blog, too. :-)

The truth is, I’m just a stay-at-home mom who enjoys writing, taking pictures, and interacting with others via applications like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, and Whrrl, and that is why a company might work with me—or you, or any other blogging social media junkie—instead of someone who is like us in every other way.

Sometimes it makes me feel guilty, until I remember that we bloggers work hard for these opportunities. I’ve come up with an analogy that makes sense to me:

Bloggers are like the Electoral College.

To a company, do bloggers “represent” a certain number of people who are like them (SAHMs, photographers, foodies, crafters, scrapbookers)?

What do you think?

[Please don't pull apart the details of my political analogy, since obviously we would be self-elected members of the Electoral College. Maybe that's the beauty of it: it's open to anyone.]

Bloggers: Like the Electoral College? is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

About a month ago I discovered what has become one of my very favorite iPhone apps: Instagram, released in October. I have several photography apps on my phone, including paid ones, but this free app has quickly become my most-used, primarily because they’ve nailed the social media aspect of it.

Instagram allows you to use either photos you take from within the app or from your photo library; edit them with cool, retro filters; and upload them to your Instagram feed. You also have the option of adding the photos to Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Posterous, or Foursquare. One drawback is that you can’t zoom the camera from within the app (I can with Best Camera, one of my other favorite iPhone camera apps). If I want to zoom, I just take the photo with the regular camera app and import it to Instagram.

New Permit Driver | Mickey D's Sweet Tea | Best Camera Book

Instagram is slice-of-life. Those things that you’re told no one wants to hear about on Facebook and Twitter—what you’re eating, wearing, etc.—they don’t mind seeing. Almost nothing is mundane.

You’ll want to follow people who are your real life, online (or both) friends, otherwise their images probably won’t mean much to you. Once the app is installed, click the Profile tab to search your address book, Facebook, and Twitter friends (the Twitter search never works for me) to see who’s on Instagram and select who you want to follow (the photos they upload will be in your feed). I installed it on my husband’s phone and he immediately uploaded two photos.

Instagram has some heavy investors, so there will probably be additional (paid) filter options and apps for other camera phones in their future. The quality of photos in my flickr stream may have taken a dive, but I’m having so much fun on Instagram that I just don’t care. For a girl who loves seeking beauty in the mundane, it’s a perfect app.

[Angry Julie Monday just wrote a post for iHeartFaces about iPhone camera apps, including Instagram.]

Instagram: My Favorite New iPhone App is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

On Saturday, July 24, I had the pleasure of co-hosting the Hebrew National Better-Than-A-Picnic at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park with Mishelle, Stacey, and Renee, and Emily of The Motherhood flew in for the day just to help us.

The heat index was over 100°, but that didn’t stop the fun, food, and fellowship. Thanks to everyone who came out to play and eat with us on a fine summer day, some from many miles away.

Our Atlanta Hebrew National Picnic was Better-Than-A-Picnic, and I’ve Got the Photos to Prove It is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Elmer’s is making it easy to do good this summer in the spirit of Bagging It Forward by donating $10, up to $10,000, to Adopt-a-Classroom for every Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward blog meme post.

HOW CAN YOU JOIN?

• Participate in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward and by giving away a virtual bag of school supplies and creating a blog post with specific rules described below.
• Elmer’s will donate up to $10,000 to Adopt-A-Classroom.
• You can give as many virtual bags as you want.
• The Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward will officially begin at 12 AM EST on July 22, 2010 and end at 12 PM EST on August 12, 2010. Blog posts submitted to us before or after that time period will not be counted.
• The blog post link has to be submitted in the comment section of this post for your participation to be counted.
• In addition copy and paste the following text into your blog post:

ELMER’S VIRTUAL BAG IT FORWARD RULES

• Copy and paste these rules into your blog post.
• Create a blog post giving a “virtual bag of school supplies” to other bloggers or write about your Back to School shopping trip at Walmart.
• Link back to the person who gave you a bag of school supplies.
• Let each person you are giving a virtual bag of school supplies know you have given them a bag.
• Leave your link in the Elmer’s Virtual Bag It Forward comment section. You can also find the official rules of this virtual #bagitforward program there.
• Elmer’s is donating $10 for each blog participating in the Virtual Bag It Forward Donation to Adopt-A-Classroom (up to total of $10,000 for blog posts written by August 12, 2010).
• Please note that only one blog post per blog url will count towards the donation.

I’m donating a virtual bag of school supplies to Sprittibee and Dianne, and challenging them to Bag it Forward with Elmer’s!

Help Raise $10,000 for Adopt-a-Classroom from Elmer’s is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

I’ve been working on a new project with Allison Worthington that officially launched this week, called BlissReads. BlissReads is a network of sites where a group of women curators (the BlissChicks!) curate quality content from around the web. I curate for two sites, BlissReads Photography and BlissReads Technology.

What, you may be asking, is content curation?

Content curation is gathering, organizing, making sense of, and sharing content. Think of a museum curator who gathers artifacts from all over the world and carefully puts them on display. A content curator finds the best content and displays it beautifully. Content curation works to promote quality content and the creators of that content.

That’s a partial definition from the BlissReads FAQs. In a nutshell, we find great stuff on the web and feature excerpts, adding our own commentary. Comments are closed on the BlissReads sites and all posts link back to the original source, directing the reader there.

Here’s a video overview put together by Amy, a fellow curator:

What do you think?

Hello, my name is Dawn and I’d like to curate your content is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

As more blog conferences and other opportunities present themselves to bloggers, sponsorship has become one of the hottest trending topics in social media. Twitter parties with the #getasponsor hashtag and Get a Sponsor website have sprung up to help women discover how to approach and work with companies to the benefit of both parties.

Truly, it’s a win/win situation: bloggers can provide the social network outreach and real, first-hand reviews of products or services for the companies, and the companies can provide those products and the funding to get us to conferences where we can expand our networks (start or deepen friendships with other bloggers within the community), thereby increasing our outreach and exposure for the brands who help get us there. Win/win.

I recommend approaching companies whose products you already use or are genuinely passionate about, a good fit for you, your blog, your readers.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Although my blog focuses primarily on photography, homeschooling, parenting, and family life, I approached Spanx for sponsorship to BlissDom. That affiliation was a perfect fit (no pun intended) for a woman who’s birthed eight children attending a blog conference where all the women are trying to look their most fabulous.

What I don’t recommend is taking it personally if a company refuses you, or never answers your request at all. I didn’t receive responses from three companies that I contacted about Photoshop World sponsorship. Two were companies with which I’ve worked with and have a good relationship.

It’s easy to internalize that or even let it hurt your feelings (talking from experience here). Don’t. Maybe there’s a company-wide policy about personal sponsorships, or your email got lost in the shuffle. Admittedly, an open refusal is much easier than no answer at all.

Photoshop World Sponsorship Thank Yous!

Later this month I will be attending my third Photoshop World, this time in Orlando. I currently have two sponsors, Red River Paper and Artistic Photo Canvas; both companies’ products grace the walls of my home.

Look for upcoming posts featuring these companies.

I’m seeking additional sponsorship for Photoshop World. Transportation, hotel, and food costs add up on the road! If you would be interested in having me represent you there, please email me via my Contact form.

Thoughts on Sponsors, and a Thank You to Mine is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

Two dear friends. my husband, and I had the pleasure of hearing The Greencards live last night on the second of a two-evening stop at the historic Crimson Moon Cafe in Dahlonega, GA. My husband calls me a Greencards groupie. I own all four of their CDs and was a member of their “street team,” promoting the show.

You can imagine my surprise when the hostess came to our table and said that Carol, the lead singer, requested to meet me. She thanked me for my help, gave me a Greencards t-shirt, and noted that the days of publicizing through flyers were over and that social media was now key.

I was able to directly or indirectly broadcast the information to as many as 16,000 people, so obviously she’s right. That would be a serious amount of flyers.

The concert was as good as expected. I moved in close for some shots with my 50mm lens and my husband got some pictures of me afterward with the band.

Carol has a pure, angelic voice. She’s originally from Australia.

Kym is another Aussie. I love watching him play; he enjoys the music so much.

Jake is a local boy and only 19 years old. He was 17 the first time we saw him play the guitar. Musical genius.

I call The Greencards hip bluegrass. They received Grammy nominations in both 2008 and 2009 for “Best Country Instrumental Performance.” If you get the chance to see them, don’t miss it!

{Disclosure: Concert ticket and t-shirt were provided for my participation on The Greencards Street Team.}

Rockin’ with The Greencards is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

You know you love a band when you volunteer to be part of their “street team.” That’s how I feel about The Greencards, a group that I describe as hip bluegrass. We own all of their albums and have already seen them live once before.

The Greencards will be live at the Crimson Moon Cafe in Dahlonega, GA, next Friday night, February 19, 2010, at 8 p.m. You can bet my husband and I will be there.

A second show has been added for Saturday, February 20.

You can find out all the details and RSVP via the Facebook event page here.

Let me know if you can attend!

The Greencards LIVE at The Crimson Moon Cafe! (updated) is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved

To be an attendee at a large conference and not be plugged into Twitter is like experiencing the event at a fraction of full value. At Photoshop World, every time I was in my room with the laptop I plugged into a #PSW TweetGrid search to keep track of what was happening throughout the conference as a whole, beyond the scope of only those whom I follow. As an event organizer, you should be living in that TweetGrid (or other such search) before, during, and after the conference.

In my zeal, I retweet frequently during conferences; there’s lots going on and it’s good to share the RT love. Thursday morning I retweeted something about a contest, the primary detail of which involved having your picture made with Joe to enter. In the world of Photoshop World there is only one Joe: McNally.

Later when I ran across him on the Expo Hall floor, I immediately remembered the tweet. I seem to have above average luck with this sort of thing and even though I had no idea what the prize would be, I wanted a chance to win!

Throwing caution to the wind, I approached Joe and explained to him that there was a contest that involved having your picture made with him. The fact that he looked skeptical should have been a major red flag: surely I wouldn’t have been the first to approach him requesting a photo, right? I grabbed an innocent bystander, who took the picture.

Minutes later, I scoured TweetDeck on my iPhone and saw that the contest was from MPix. At their booth, I discovered that I was supposed to have my picture taken with Joe at the MPix booth, not Joe McNally. The guys at MPix had a good laugh with me, and I proceeded to snag the real Joe, get a shot with him from my iPhone, and tweet it in proper contest-entering fashion.

Bright and early the next morning, I was awakened by a DM (direct message on Twitter) asking for my address and telling me I’d won. “Won what?” I asked. An autographed print of the Photoshop Guys!

In the end, I won the prize and got a picture with living legend, Joe McNally. Thanks, Joe.

Photoshop World Most Embarrassing Moment: the Joe Pic is a post from: My Home Sweet Home
© 2012 My Home Sweet Home | All rights reserved