What SheSaid

Above: Kim Hoang, Melinda Moore, Raquel Krouse and Melissa Robinson.

SheSays finally landed in Los Angeles this past Wednesday, with its launch event at the Weber Shandwick offices.

With existing chapters in London and New York, SheSays offers resources (such as roundtable discussions, networking events and a mentoring program) for professional women worldwide to supplement their creative digital career development.

During the chapter launch, the panel discussion centered around the apropos topic of social media, and featured three of the industry’s thought leaders.

The presentations kicked off with Melinda Moore, VP of Trailer Park, who has worked on cross-platform campaigns for companies including imeem.com, msnbc.com and Vivendi Universal Televsion. Melinda shared case studies from her work with YouTube as a tool for social change, with a spotlight on will.i.am.’s use of the video sharing site to gather support in the effort to end world poverty.

Raquel Krouse, VP and Social Media Lead at the IPG Emerging Media Lab, provided insight on the importance of listening as customers are talking more with their peers online about products and brands. Raquel presented examples of how active listening has helped social media-savvy brands uncover opportunities, stay competitive, manage their reputation and avert crisis.

Bringing it all together was Weber Shandwick’s own Melissa Robinson, SVP, Digital Communications, who drove home the point that with new outlets and tools, companies still need to create content that is relevant and compelling. Melissa shared her work with Stand Up To Cancer and how they engaged organizations, bloggers and social media sites to help mobilize a legion of supporters. They joined a “Virtual Standup,”  which increased online conversations and helped drive consumer participation in the telecast which ultimately helped raise $100 million for the cause.

The Q&A session which followed allowed for an in-depth discussion with the audience on the future of Twitter, ROI measurement and the importance of human analysis of data collected from listening tools.

The SheSays launch had a terrific turnout and leveraging the momentum and success of the launch, the next event, featuring mobile gaming, is already in the works and is slated to take place early April.

Happy V-Day from the Consortium of Pub-Going, Loose and Forward Women.

Valentine’s Day for American women usually means chocolates, flowers, and dinners out with their bfs or bffs. But this year, in India, the holiday takes on a different meaning — the ladies of the titled group, led by Nisha Susan, plan to observe the holiday by retaliating against what Susan calls the “moral police.”

Last month, a group of Hindu activists walked into a south Indian city pub to harrass and assault the women patrons. The group, Sri Ram Sema (or Lord Ram’s Army) is hard-pressed to put a stop to so-called ”un-Indian” and “loose behavior” from Indian women.

In rebellion to this act, Susan has employed the power of social media — thousands of members of her Facebook group will be sending a plethora of pink undies (or “chaddies” as they are called in India) to the leader of Sri Ram Sena.

Click here to read more.

TED: Technology, Entertainment, Design

This past week, the TED Conference decended upon Long Beach, California, just as it does every year since it began in 1984. Bringing together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, TED is like no other conference in the world.

Over four days, 50 speakers each take an 18-minute slot, to share insights in science, business, the arts and global issues facing our world. There are also several shorter pieces of content, including music, performance and comedy.

This year’s speakers lineup included authors, musicians, astronomers, biologists, maestros — each sharing a new revelation, a fresh perspective, a unique dream of a more perfect world.

To learn more, visit: conferences.ted.com

SheSays, “Join Us!”

With chapters in London and New York, SheSays (the social network for professional women in digital marketing and advertising) finally lands in Los Angeles this month with its launch event. A panel of industry experts will navigate us on an informative trip through the ever-changing world of social media. The presentations will be followed by an opportunity to meet & mingle with your LA digital sisters.

SheSays LA Launch Event
Social Media: Add as Friend
February 11, 2009 / 7-9:30 PM
Weber Shandwick (located at the Pacific Design Center)
Green Building, 7th fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
www.SheSaysUS.org

To RSVP for this FREE event, click here.

Note: Space is limited. Reservations are recommended.