Archive for the ‘social networking’ Category
Washington DC Bound
9:30 am By Maegan La Mala · Blogs|Media|Politics|social networking|Washington DC · 2 Comments
20 May 2012Update to the update: I’m on a plane (yay) but lightning has the plane stuck on the runway (boo). Maybe I wasn’t meant to go?
Monday morning update: I missed my original flight and was unable to get on any flights last night on standby. I’m en route to the airport again, trying my luck again, hoping I can catch a standby spot. If I don’t make this flight, I likely will not be attending the event
Mala will be in Washington DC for the next two days, as I was selected by Latinos in Social Media (#LATISM) to receive a scholarship to participate in their first Top Blogueras Retreat.
The retreat, sponsored graciously by such outstanding corporations including Johnson & Johnson, Univision, McDonald’s, Mary Kay, Southwest Airlines, Procter and Gamble, Comcast, Fleishman Hillard, Disney/Babble, Macys, Porter Novelli, and Consumer Reports, will include opportunities for bloggers like me, to be mentored. The retreat, organized in partnership with Latina Bloggers Connect, will include a visit to the White House and meeting with such influential advocacy organizations as National Council of la Raza (NCLR).
If all of this sounds like it’s the antithesis of what I’ve been about for my blogging career, it kind of is and that’s precisely why I am going. As a political mami media maker (not a mom
blogger, not even just a blogger) I have covered everything from the Latin Grammy Awards, to the presidential debates, to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Our team coverage has included live blogs of Netroots Nation, The Allied Media Conference, and reviews of films, musical acts, congressional votes and always with big uncensored mouths, always unsponsored, unbought. I am attending this blogeura retreat because as I wrote last year on the 6th anniversary of VivirLatino, the Latino blog landscape has changed and continues to change. Many of my media making and rabble rousing friends have stopped because of shift in the accepted definition of “blogger”. Those of us who found ourselves courted in the pre-Obama era, have felt the walls of the non-profit industrial complex and corporate personhood closing in on us. It’s been a struggle for us to continue. So who are considered the top voices and who is not? What are those voices saying and what does that say about the future of truly independent media?
I and by extension, VivirLatino has had a complicated relationship with non-profits, lawmakers, and companies who want parroting instead of critical analysis. I will be the first to admit that I am a bad capitalist and my personal and business finances are essentially one and the same because blogging is more of an extension of who I am than a separate money making venture. This has led to a less than sustainable career but a career/life none the less and for that reason, with many years of experience under my belt, I claim my position on top shamelessly.
Please follow me here on VivirLatino and on twitter accounts : @vivirlatino and @mamitamala as I look at all these issues. And I want to hear what all of you think about the direction of Latin@ blogging and online media.
For more information about the First-Ever Latina Blogger Retreat, visit http://blogueras.latism.org/
Telefono : Suena for More Than Just Calls in POC Communities
9:09 am By Maegan La Mala · Internet|social networking|Tech|Twitter · 3 Comments
14 Jul 2010Last week a report released from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Center revealed that it was African-American and Latino communities were using their cell phones for more than just calling.
Not only are our communities more likely than whites to have cell phones but we are also more likely than whites to use it to access the internet. From the official summary of the report:
African-Americans and Latinos continue to outpace whites in their use of data applications on handheld devices.
Continuing a trend we first identified in 2009, minority Americans lead the way when it comes to mobile access—especially mobile access using handheld devices. Nearly two-thirds of African-Americans (64%) and Latinos (63%) are wireless internet users, and minority Americans are significantly more likely to own a cell phone than their white counterparts (87% of blacks and Hispanics own a cell phone, compared with 80% of whites). Additionally, black and Latino cell phone owners take advantage of a much wider array of their phones’ data functions compared to white cell phone owners. It is important to note that our data for Hispanics represents English-speaking Hispanics only, as our survey did not provide a Spanish-language option.
Is it “Adios” for MySpace Latino?
4:33 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Internet|Marketing|social networking · Comments Off
2 Jul 2009
About 2 years ago we told you about MySpace’s bid for Latino market share, aptly named “MySpace Latino”. Back then, MySpace was leading the social networking revolution, but fast forward to today, and we find that MySpace “original” is becoming more irrelevant by the minute in the shadow of Facebook. Perhaps that’s why the Latino version of the service might be going the way of the Walkman. GigaOm’s Jennifer Martinez reports:
As MySpace struggles to regain ground it’s lost to Facebook and sort out its revenue woes, executive departures from MySpace Latino, a combination Spanish-English site targeted at U.S.-based Latinos that launched a little over a year ago, indicate it may be on the chopping block. MySpace Latino’s VP of Hispanic sales and strategy, Manny Miravete, has left the company, and the site’s managing director, Victor Kong, has reportedly left as well. The site itself hasn’t been refreshed in over a week amid a wave of layoffs at MySpace’s U.S. and international offices.
I’m not sure how successful the Latino version was, but it’s no loss to me. I never touched it, and I don’t know anyone who did. This is an instance in which the brand didn’t need to niche itself out to appeal to Latinos – it did it just to please advertisers who wanted to target the Latino segment. Disingenuous attempts at catering to an audience are seldom successful, and much less when the main brand is already creaking under the weight of one hefty competitor and a series of dispersed services and sites that have innovated while MySpace has remained asleep at the wheel.
Martínez also reports that an email statement from MySpace says that the site will “remain live and not shut down” and that MySpace Latino is merely “restructuring”. Whatever the case, I won’t be visiting anytime soon.
The phenomenon apparently extends beyond the U.S. Latino operation. Late last month it was reported that MySpace Brazil, Mexico and Argentina would also be shutting down. That was quick.
Via / GigaOm and Salon
Fuerte Pushback Against Sotomayor Hate
9:16 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Arts|Blogs|Controversia|Internet|Linking Latinos|Media|media justice|Politics|social networking|Twitter|Women · 1 Comment
7 Jun 2009
Don’t let the last post fool you. The pushback against the anti-Sotomayor messages and anti-Latino messages in general are coming strong from organizations in the form of websites, videos and kick ass images.
Take for example the art coming from Presente.org, seen here. Presente! also has a petition at their site urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to Confirm Judge Sotomayor.
Speaking of petitions, The National Council of la Raza, has set up a site along with a petition directed at Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, to stop the racist/sexist speech against Sotomayor and Latinos overall.
Alberto Cutie retires from Catholic Church, joins Episcopalian
3:18 pm By la Macha · Controversia|Miami|social networking · 1 Comment
28 May 2009
If there is a way to fuck things up, the Catholic Church will find it.
I’m not sure why the Catholic Church seems to think that their priests engaging in sexual intercourse is so horrible a thought it needs to be banned. The Church is getting desperate for new young folks to fill the ranks of the old men who made the mess the Church is in today, even as it steadily dismisses those new young folks in favor of upholding antiquated laws that really hold no meaning at all. From CNN:
Cutie (pronounced koo-tee-AY) will pursue the priesthood in the Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida said in a written statement.
It was not immediately clear how long the process would take.
Cutie is sometimes called “Father Oprah” because of the advice he’s given in Spanish-language media.
He shocked the Catholic community when photographs of him embracing a bathing-suit-clad woman emerged this month.
Cutie admitted having a two-year relationship with the woman.
advertisementShe has not been publicly identified.
I’m no big fan of priests or of the Catholic Church, but this guy seems to be genuine and real. He seems to be in a committed relationship with one woman who is fully grown and fully consenting. An oddity for far to many priests in the Catholic Church.
Tell me again why *he* is leaving the church and not the pedophile that’s been moved from church to church for 40 years?
The Pope Wants to be Your Facebook Friend
4:28 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Internet|Religion|social networking|Twitter|Uncategorized · 1 Comment
25 May 2009
You might think the Vatican would be busy lately, what with all the denouncing of sex crimes against children in Ireland they should be doing. But they don’t appear to be too busy to waste all of our time on dumb shit. One example is pope2you.net, a lame attempt to get younger people into the Pope’s fold.
You won’t get an email saying Pope Benedict added you as a friend and you can’t “poke” him or write on his wall, but the Vatican is still keen to use the networking site Facebook to woo young people back to church.A new Vatican website, www.pope2you.net, has gone live, offering an application called “The pope meets you on Facebook,” and another allowing the faithful to see the Pope’s speeches and messages on their iPhones or iPods.
I can’t poke the Pope? How lame is that? How about kicking him in the shin with my pointy boots for what he said about condoms spreading AIDS? Joking aside, if the Vatican wants to appeal to “young believers”, why not learn how the technology works and really use it to its full potential? A favorite blog of mine, ReadWriteWeb, reports that they’ve tried out the app and its pretty much snoozeville:
The Facebook app, which is currently loading very slowly, is also not exactly the most groundbreaking app either. Facebook users will be able to send and receive 20 different virtual postcards of the Pope, with texts available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish (with Latin being conspicuously absent here). According to the app’s description, installing it will allow you to “Spread friendship with the Pope and become a witness of Christ in the world through the web.”
Sounds exhilarating.
What’s next? The Pope on Twitter?
Via /WashPo and ReadWriteWeb
Angie Zapata and Social Media
11:33 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · crime|GLBT|Internet|Justice|social networking|society|Twitter · 2 Comments
10 Apr 2009Angie Zapata was a transgender woman who was brutally murdered in Colorado last year. Next week, her killer goes to trial, and an online campaign by ProgressNow Colorado is encouraging us to remember Angie’s life and death at this difficult time.
Light a Candle for Angie is a Facebook application designed to draw attention to the issue of hate crimes. If you are a Facebook member, why not join the iniative?
If you are a Twitter member, you can follow all of the activities around the online campaign by adding Justice for Angie, or searching #zapata for other online conversations around anti-hate activism in Angie’s name.
It’s refreshing to once again see social media sites being used for something more than just entertainment. These applications’ ability to bring people together also have great potential to harness the power of many to bring much needed attention to serious social issues such as hate crimes, which I hope will eventually bring about policy change.
Via / AngieZapata.com
W.W.J.T? What Would Jesus Tweet?
10:54 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Internet|Religion|social networking|Tech|Twitter · Comments Off
10 Apr 2009
I’ll be walking the Stations of the Cross in my hood later today pero turns out I can keep my ass in front of the computer and remember the Passion of the Christ.
In a marriage of Christian tradition and digital technology, Wall Street’s Trinity Church is using the micro-blogging service Twitter to perform the story of Jesus Christ.
The main characters will tweet the Passion play for three hours beginning at noon on Good Friday. The feed also can be delivered to mobile devices or e-mail addresses.
The lower Manhattan Episcopal parish also is offering a Web version of the Stations of the Cross.
So is this sacrilege or is it keeping up with the times?
Via / ABC
Tweeting, Twitting and Twatting
9:07 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Funny|social networking|Twitter · 1 Comment
26 Mar 2009The recent deaths of two family members, explaining twitter to twitless amigos, and a sort of twitter break up have revealed to me the pros and cons of the twitter and how it changes communication.
So yeah this toon made me laugh and reflect. Pero you should all still totally follow us.
Via / Culture Kitchen
Bebo Goes Latino
12:47 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Internet|Marketing|social networking · Comments Off
9 Mar 2009
Do you use Bebo? Wait…I mean, have you even heard of Bebo? I had (but since I write about this kind of stuff I have to know) but I personally don’t need another social network, what with all the time I already spend waste on Facebook (ed. note: why not join us?), but Bebo hopes the rest of you are not like me:
AOL-owned social network, Bebo, announced Monday that it has launched a U.S. site for Latinos. According to the company executives, they decided to open a version of its site catering to the Latino community after enjoying success in offering a similar experience to those in the U.K., Ireland, Poland, and elsewhere.Along with the launch of the new site, Bebo also announced that it has partnered with Hearst Magazines Digital Media and AOL Latino to incorporate offerings from both companies into Bebo. Hearst will be providing interactive content syndicated from its MisQuince Magazine and AOL Latino will give users access to music and entertainment. The new site is live now
Did you say AOL? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
I’d be interested to hear what you guys think about Bebo and its new Latino encarnation (when the link to the site actually starts working — WTF? Not very good sign to be broken on launch day…). Will you use it? Why or why not? Would you be more inclined to use a unique Latino social networking site rather than a general market one “adapted” to supposedly fit Latino needs? Let us know what you think.
Via / WebAware
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VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
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- Maegan La Mala: Thank you Julio! To be honest I was a little nervous. [...]
- Ana L. Flores: I was very excited when you decided to join us. I really wanted your voice there as it would add dep [...]
- Maegan La Mala: Hola Juliana and thanks for commenting. There is a dearth in activist/critical thinking Latino blogg [...]
- Julio Ricardo Varela: Good for you for asking. I got goose bumps just reading this and yes, yes, yes, to it all. Thank you [...]
- julianabritto: The sense that I get is that you might feel a little frustrated at the dearth in activist bloggers? [...]
- LATISM/Top Bloguera Retreat Reflection II : Yes There a Place for a Latin@ Political Blog
- Top Blogueras at the White House : Beyond Puppetry and Pendejas
- Washington DC Bound
- By Land & By Sea Drawing Attention to Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera
- Welcome to NY Secure Communities
- DOJ Puts Sheriff Arpaio on Notice. Who Will Put the DOJ on Notice?
- VL at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival: Babygirl
- 45th Precinct Residents to File Complaint Against Abusive NYPD Officers
- Monday Musica : Maga Bo – Quilombo do Futuro
- NYC : Confronting Police Violence in the Courts – May 19, 1-3pm – Justice Committee Workshop
