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Comparenting Quaker

It’s Time To Stop COMPAREnting Ourselves To Each Other!

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As someone who works heavily with social media it is often second nature to make sure that I am sharing the best possible photos and moments that I possibly can, even if those moments are a teeny, tiny bit staged… Even knowing that this is a common practice I often find myself getting jealous over other people’s perfect photos and experiences.

Well, I will compare myself no more! To celebrate the real side of parenting, Quaker is encouraging all Canadian families to join the #stopCOMPAREnting movement. COMPAREnting occurs when you compare your parenting style to other parents after getting only a small glimpse into their world. Social media is a great place to share and get caught up with friends and family but can often leave us feeling insecure about our own parenting methods and habits.

Instead of worrying about how perfect everyone looks on social media, Quaker’s #stopCOMPAREnting movement aims to remind Canadian parents to look beyond the image and celebrate the authentic, real everyday moments. That said Quaker and I encourage you to join us in sharing your unfiltered everyday moments on social media using the #stopCOMPAREnting hashtag. I’ll even go first!

Comparenting Quaker

What you are looking at is my messy old house. Here’s a little blogging secret that I know for a fact happens a lot. When we need that perfect shot of the kids playing nicely together or trying out a new item for the blog, we simply shift the mess from one side of the room to the other. With over 12 hours of kids activities, homework and free play to get to each week, who has time for cleaning?!

See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it? Now it’s your turn! Grab that picture you took that you swore you’d never share of your messy house or unruly kids and pop it onto your favourite social media channels using the #stopCOMPAREnting hashtag. I will guarantee you that other parents will breathe a sigh of relief that they are not the only ones and maybe even decide to share some photos of their own.

Let’s stop worrying about perfection and start supporting each other more through the ups and downs of parenting! Feel free to tag myself or Quaker Canada on social media along with your #stopCOMPAREnting posts and we’ll be there to cheer you on! Quaker, a brand that has been supporting families since 1902, believes that for families to be at their best, we must be confident in the choices we make, so let’s be confident in our decision to stop COMPAREnting!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this program.

My Social Capital Conference Experience; Or, How To Earn Klout About Sheep

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Social Capital Conference

I recently had the pleasure of attending the 3rd Annual Social Capital Conference, right here in my hometown of Ottawa. Due to financial reasons, I wasn’t sure I was going to make it out this year, but then out of nowhere, my knights in shining armour from Chevrolet Canada stepped in and offered to pay my way to the conference. I have no idea why they did this but I am grateful beyond words for the experience.

While I enjoy going to conferences for the content they provide, the real reason I love them is for the networking and social interaction, and SoCap certainly did not disappoint in that regard. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to mingle with some of my favourite online personalities and got the chance to meet some amazing new people that I hadn’t interacted with before. I tend to ramble on and on, so I thought it would be best to bullet point my highlights from the conference for you:

* Not five minutes into my time at SoCap, I had the pleasure of meeting someone I really respect in the social media space, in Susan Murphy. You might remember her from such twitter handles as, @SuzeMuse and @icanhazpodcast, and she was even nicer in person than I had imagined.

* Gini Dietrich’s opening keynote was excellent and I especially appreciated that she went through her whole blog writing and publishing process, as it’s something I have been struggling with lately. Also, I’ve been lurking on her, Spin Sucks, website and the community engagement is incredible. They welcomed me in group form after my first comment and I will definitely be spending more time there.

* Danny Brown was incredible during his closing keynote, doing everything but performing a rap number for us. Although he was informative and witty, I think my favourite part was the video with Dino Dogan and him, which spoofed on Danny’s unusually high Klout influence on the topic of “sheep”. That video alone gave me a ton of ideas and was well worth the price of admission.

* One of my main goals at the conference was to learn more about how to shoot and create proper videos for my blog. Both roundtable sessions I attended provided more information than I was prepared for and the conversations have continued to this day. For that, I have to say special thank you’s to a few people. First, to Kat Inokai, whose passion and energy for what she does make you want to jump right in and get started. Next to Heath Horejda for his expertise and amazing tips on how to properly conduct an interview. Finally, to Anthony Wong at Do More Video, not only for helping me find the tools I need, but also for offering and providing guidance outside of the conference walls. You were all brilliant in your own ways and I learned a lot from you collectively.

* The first time I met the Cocktail Deeva, Dee Brun, I was a shy, red faced newbie at Blissdom Canada. She made me feel welcome and even wiped the nervous sweat from my brow before posing for a picture that I would use to brag to my bloggy friends back home. Fast Forward 7 months later and I am a smart mouthed Dad blogger who isn’t afraid to jokingly mix it up with her during her presentation. Honestly, this was my favourite part of the conference. The engagement and laughs during her session is what I am all about and I’m glad I chose that one. Also, for those looking for my nude Google+ Hangouts, I’m working on it…

*Finally, just getting to spend time with my friends, to talk about our lives, our blogs and our causes, is what made this an amazing weekend. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Engagement with our peers. This was my third conference this year and the value I have gained outside of the conference walls has easily been worth the price of admission by itself.

In closing, I just wanted to thank the organizers for putting on an amazing show. Also, a very special thank you to Chevrolet Canada for allowing me to take part in this incredible experience. I will absolutely be back next year! Also, if you are reading this, please follow all the wonderful twitter accounts I have tagged in this post. They are all amazing and insightful.

Social Media Commerce For Dummies {Review}

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9781118297933 cover.indd

I’m taking part in a program featuring the “For Dummies” books and my first book was entitled “Social Media Commerce For Dummies”. In the year that I have been blogging, I have developed a passion for learning about everything social media, so this was a logical next step.

About The Book

Social media commerce is a booming industry. By using social networks in the context of e-commerce transactions, brands large and small are making their products more available and more convenient for customers. This one-of-a-kind guide introduces you to social media commerce and explains how you can use social media to provide better customer service, collect payments online, and build your customer base. Online marketing expert Marsha Collier helps you determine where you have the best opportunity to reach your market, which sites you should integrate with, and much more.

I’ve always been a big fan of the “For Dummies” series, even though they call me a Dummy with each new book I read. Admittedly, I didn’t get through this entire book yet because, well, I just don’t read all that fast and I haven’t received my “Conquering ADD for Dummies” book yet. What I have read, however, is more than enough to make me want to get through to the end of it.

My favourite part of the book so far has been the “Casting and Catching Customers” chapter. It’s not easy to stand out in a crowded social media scene and this chapter teaches you not only how to find people in your demographic but also how to get them coming back for more. It also helps with tips on building your Facebook page, which we all know can be a challenge these days.

With things such as blogging, podcasts, video and social media advice included, this Social Media Commerce book has been an excellent tool for me to use in looking at the next step in my online development. I definitely recommend it for anyone looking to monetize their web space or for businesses looking to take the next step.

For more information on the book and where to get a copy, you can visit the “Social Media Commerce For Dummies” Info page. You can also catch up with the “For Dummies” franchise on Facebook and Twitter.

This is the part where you’d expect me to throw out some cheesy one liner like, “You’d be a dummy not to buy this book!” or “What are you waiting for, Dummy? Go get it!” Don’t worry; I won’t do that to you…

Cheers!