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Random Acts: Using Social for Good

Check out Random Acts, a charity company started by actor Misha Collins and run completely by volunteers that's working to make the world a better place through acts of kindness, both large and small.

They've got four main roles:

1) Sponsoring acts of kindness: Random Acts will provide funding for various types of acts of kindness, from giving out snacks to people on a hot day to purchasing much needed items for families in need.

2) Promoting acts of Kindness: Random Acts presents SAARA's (Semi-Annual Award for Random Acts) to their participants, encouraging people to do more and share their experiences. 

3) Raising funds for specific projects: As just one example, Random Acts raised more than $375,000 to work with locals in Haiti to build a large children's center/shelter for hundreds of kids there. 

4) Undertaking ad hoc campaigns to support the community: Random Acts raises money or donates goods for communities with specific needs (for example, to shelters or to the homeless in a specific area). 

Random Acts uses Twitter and Facebook to "connect with [their] supporters, build a community of caring people, and inspire acts of kindness." They encourage people to 'follow' them to keep informed about the fun and touching stories that come from the acts of kindness they sponsor. What better way to use social networking than to improve the world by spreading positive messages and goals?

Great job, Random Acts!

Check out their video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zy11CjXF9w 

-Talia Stern

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Must Read Blogs By Women

1. Cool Mom. Written by a woman whose gift is making people laugh and easing their stress, Cool Mom is a comedic approach to dealing with and sharing experiences and stories that most parents can relate to. Filled with pictures and anecdotes, her readers say that it’s a relief knowing someone else is going through the same thing. Who else needs a comedic relief more than moms? Creator Daphne Brogdon was a TV host, a stand-up comic, a mother of two, and a step-mom. She has worked in TV, radio, and magazines and knows how to provide the entertainment people need. If you’re looking for a laugh and a relatable story, Cool Mom is for you. http://coolmom.com

2. Catalyzing. Originally started as a blog for the non-profit Catalyst, an organization focusing on helping women entrepreneurs, this blog brought together the voices and forces joined by the mission to strengthen women in business. It offers many different voices and approaches, and is a great place to find posts about the various strengths and downfalls, successes, challenges, and failures experiences by women in this field. The experiences, ideas and opinions written about are sure to relate to each woman in a different way. A more formal blog, it ensures advice, empowerment and guidance for all its readers. http://www.catalyst.org/zing

3. Home-Based Working Moms. This blog is a self-proclaimed “online community and professional association for moms working at home.” What’s great about this blog is that it offers a framework in which to network with others and grow your business, all from your home. You can choose to be part of the directory of women, and learn of opportunities and strategies from others. Forbes recently voted this website to be part of the top 10 websites for working moms and top 100 for all working women. http://www.hbwm.com/

4. Deal Seeking Mom. “Teaching you how to save big so you can live large.” Writer Tara Kuczykowski is a married mother of five children and what her blog offers is exactly what her tagline is – how to save money and get freebies, so you can “have more disposable income for the things in life that make it worth living.” Constantly posting about sales, deals, freebies, informal ways to cut costs, coupons, money-making ideas, how to live on less, and more, this blog promises to help its readers have more at the end of the month – in “stuff” and in money. http://dealseekingmom.com/

5. 45 Things This blog is written by columnist and author Anita Bruzzese, and often features posts on unemployment issues and procrastination – and how to combat it. A collection of empowerment and advice-filled posts, On The Job offers insight as to what the next step could be, coming from a professional in workplace leadership and enhancement, and one who has been in the same position as many of her readers before, this blog offers a practical approach to making a change. http://www.45things.com

-Esther

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New Years Resolution

Hello to all and Happy Holidays! This past week, CNN posted an article about the top thirteen stories they’ve had this year and, not surprisingly, a story of Sheryl made the list!

 Jennifer Kuhle, a woman from Pennsylvania, read Sheryl’s book Lean In and felt that the strong message made her life seem insufficient because she was currently a stay at home mom with two sons. After thinking about the message of the book, she posted, “When the time is right, I'll lean into my career once again, and I know I'll do it with gusto, but right now, my family is my favorite. And I wouldn't have it any other way.”

 Lo and behold, Sheryl Sandberg saw this post and shared it on her personal facebook page with a comment saying, “Of all of the things that have been written about 'Lean In,' this post is one of my favorites.”

 Once again Sheryl has shown that “leaning in” is not just a movement for work but it is a lifestyle. One that says, whatever you are up to in life, give it your all.

New Years is fast approaching and although this semester and class and blog may be coming to an end, the message of “Lean In” will stick with me in the years to come.

 http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/23/living/irpt-personal-essays-yir-2013/index.html

Kayla Weil

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Mom Bloggers

What About Those who are too Busy Being Moms?

When I started hearing about the phenomenon of the “mom blogger” I was baffled. In my home my mom woke up at the crack of dawn each day to make sure that I got on the school bus on time. She then would prepare lunch for my little sister and brother to take to school and wake her when it was time for her bus to arrive. After that she would do the dishes fro last nights dinner, work on neatening up the play room, while simultaneously on the phone with each of my older sister, editing one of their college papers, while giving the other dating advice. After that she would run out to the grocery, come back, do a couple loads of laundry, some ironing, then prepare dinner, and call my older brother living in a different time zone to find out if he had any clean socks, and explain to him how to order more of those online. Lastly, she would greet my father and the kids as they came home from work or school, serve dinner, and help us all with our homework, and prepare the younger children for bed. I grew up in a family of seven, and while she was busy being the absolute best super mom ever, I am positive that my mom never had a spare moment to blog about these experiences. 

According to Mashable the top mom bloggers all have an average of 3 kids. Not to downplay the effort it takes to raise 3 children, this group is missing the input of some of the most efficient, power house mom’s out there- those who are too busy being a mom to actually blog about it. This leaves a gaping hole in the mom blog archives. The most efficient mom’s are not blogging. We are only hearing from the mom’s that not too busy being a mom to maintain their blogs. 

Thus, although the mom bloggers have started a movement, the greatest members are yet to join- and by the nature very likely never will. 

 penina 

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Pinteresting Women on Pinterest

Make sure to check out these 5 awesome women on Pinterest:

1) Nina Garcia

I've been a fan of Nina's since her earlier Project Runway judging days for her sharp fashion critique and constructive advice. Her Pinterest page is just as savvy and fashionably spot-on as Nina is: it showcases all the latest trends from fashion week, stylish red carpet outfits, and memorable moments in fashion history.

2) Pascale de Groof

This Belgian-born mother, now living in Turkey, is spreading awesome tips and advice-from travel to interior design, to events and hobbies and crafts-to people all over the world. With over 77,000 pins, there is something on this PInterest board for everyone for anything. 

3) Ellen DeGeneres 

Ellen's got something for everyone. From gift ideas to adorable animal pictures, to bits about music, books, and shows-Ellen's Pinterest page always has something new to offer her followers. It's a great way to connect to one of America's favorite and most lovable talk show hosts. 

4) Michelle Obama

Get tips and info from the First Lady herself. Well, the Pinterest page itself is run by the Obama 2012 campaign. But Michelle will sign pins that are directly from her as "-mo". The Pinterest page is a great way to see a more personal side of the First Family, with pictures and recipe ideas, memories and other thoughts from the members of the presidential crew. 

5) Techmama

Beth Blecherman started her website "Techmamas" that explores social media and technology for families. Mothers (or other parents) checking out her Pinterest page will find great children's apps, tech bargains, and infographics showing how social media has influenced business, television, healthcare, and more. A great way for families to check out the greater implications of technology and social media on daily family life.

Strong women on Pinterest can offer great things to followers and fans. Power on!

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Letter to Sheryl #2

Dear Sheryl,

            In my previous letter to you, I wrote why our class was requesting you to speak to our class. I cited your accomplishments as a female successful leader, and told you how a class of women who are soon-to-be graduating and entering the workforce needed your guidance, support, and advice. But that was at the beginning of the semester, at the start of our “share the success” endeavor. Before I started consciously and unconsciously scanning twitter, the New York Times, and Buzzfeed for stories on women in tech, women in business, and women’s issues in the workforce. Before these headlines would catch my eye, before I really knew and understood what these issues were.  

            Now, a few months later, I know. I know that technology, one of the fastest growing industries in the world, is severely lacking in women. I know the small percentages of women that sit on Fortune 500 company boards. I know the double standards the media puts on powerful women and men. But I also know about all the women, such as you Sheryl, who are little by little fixing these ratios and discrepancies. All the information and knowledge I have gained has given me all the more reason to write again to you and ask that you continue to empower my fellow classmates and I to continue on the path that you have carved out for us.  Help us share your success with the women around us and spread your lessons.

  Sincerely,

Michal Kaplan-Nadel

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Dear Sheryl: Single Sex or Co-Education?

Dear Sheryl,

The writers of this blog are women in Stern College, one of the few remaining women's colleges in the United States. Many studies have shown that girls who learn in single-sex classrooms outperform their peers in co-ed classrooms. That being the case, do you think we should work to enroll more girls and young women in single sex schools? On the other hand, should we be afraid that by doing so women will not be prepared to enter into the workforce, which is not gender segregated, making it harder for them to lean in at work? What are your thoughts on this issue?

Keep on inspiring women to lean in,

Kimberly

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Tessa Ann Taylor: a female inspiration

As a female attending an all women’s college, I sometimes fear that I’m missing out on the co-ed university experience. So when I came across Tessa Ann Taylor’s story, it helped to reassure my decision to attend Stern College for Women. 

Tessa Ann is the founder of Co, a “centralized inbox” app that makes messaging platforms simple. As an accomplished software engineer with big dreams and a bright future in the technology space, Tessa Ann is an inspiration to young women like myself.

For high school, Tessa Ann attended a co-ed institution, but when she felt that the education was lacking, she began to explore her options. Although she vowed to never attend a religious single-sex school, she decided to try out Annie Wright School, in Tacoma Washington, a Christian girl’s boarding school. This decision pushed her to explore women’s institutions for college, which led her to eventually land on Smith College in Massachusetts to continue her education.

“When I looked around my computer science classes at Smith, they were filled with women,” she said. “The computer science award recipients at graduation were women. The alumnae who worked in technology and came to talk to us were women. Many of my professors were women. I had nothing around me to suggest I couldn't or shouldn't be doing exactly what I was doing.”

With role models like Tessa Ann leading the future female generation into the male dominated working world, young women like myself have less and less to be afraid of. 

- Rena Green 

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Charity: Water on Social

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCHhwxvQqxg

Charity: Water is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring clean water to developing countries. Every dollar that is donated goes directly toward providing clean water to a specific region in need. Donors can even track their contributions and see which water project they helped fund through a Google Maps GPS system. Though the specific cause and transparency model of this charity alone makes it stand out from the rest, another major component responsible for its success is its outstanding use of digital marketing.

More than 75 percent of donors made their contributions online. “Word-of-mouth is most powerful in marketing across the board for businesses,” says Paull Young, the Director of Digital at Charity: Water.

In its September 2011 campaign, Charity: Water raised money for a new drilling rig in Northern Ethiopia. They gained more than $200,000 beyond their original goal of $1.2 million, most of which was raised via digital marketing.

The 2009 Twestival campaign also raised money for Ethiopia. On February 12th, 2009, more than 200 international cities hosted a Twitter Festival, bringing communities together to raise money. Charity: Water used this money to bring clean water to villages in Ethiopia and filmed the 4 days of drilling in the field, showing donors how their money directly impacted and improved the communities. Charity: Water's website provided sample tweets including general facts, a live feed of the drill, and the amount of money raised. People merely had to press ‘tweet this’ and all of their followers would be able to see the work that Charity: Water was doing in Ethiopia.

One of their current projects, The Birthday Project, motivates people to use their birthday in order to campaign for the Charity: Water cause. Instead of having friends give birthday gifts, Charity: Water asks to have them donate. You submit your name, your email, and the date of your birthday. Charity: Water sends you an email before your birthday, and you start campaigning. One six year old who took on this project raised $2,386.00 for areas in Rwanda.

Charity: Water is one of the most followed charities on both Twitter and Instagram. They create powerful videos and utilize visuals to tell the story of their mission and their work, allowing people to engage online and share stories with their friends. Like any other brand, Charity: Water offers a customer experience as they raise awareness of this great need in developing countries. 

-Melissa Adler 

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Dear Sheryl

Mary Barra was just recently appointed the new chief executive officer of General Motors. This makes Mary the highest promoted woman in the automotive business to this day. She is a woman who has made it all the way to the top in the business world while also managing a family.

Upon this event, you commented:

"Another glass ceiling shatters as Mary Barra becomes the CEO of General Motors, and the first woman to head a major car company anywhere in the world. Congratulations Mary – and thank you for your leadership!"

Your public support for women succeeding in the business world is inspirational to me, as a woman going into the business field as well as to my class. Please come and speak to us about your experiences, your book, and your life.

Kayla Weil

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Part Cause, Part Community, Part Curriculum

Jennifer Shaw is a 35-year-old women who is helping women advance their digital literacy to improve their technical careers. 

The program is trifold, part cause, part community, and part curriculum. 

She recognized struggles in her own career and from those issues arose both NYTech Women and Bella Minds.  NYTech Women in an New York based program that helps push women higher in their fields.  She says about the program, "I went out in search of an organization that was focused on technical women and propelling them forward, and at the time I didn't find anything that resonated ... so I built it," Shaw said. "Now, we're about 3,500 members or so."

Shaw herself had moved to New York because she was not finding professional stability and advancement out in Nebraska where she lived.  From this geographic problem, she came up with the idea for Bella Minds, which provides education to mid-career women in rural parts of the country that encourages and teaches them to use technology to build their careers.  Bella Minds recently had a crowd funding campaign for a pilot program their hosted for 25 women which included a 25 hour technical boot camp, followed by 8 weeks of group work, and a mentorship match program. 

Shaw recognizes the wage disparity and inequality in the workplace.  She also understands that technology is a requirement for professionalism, no longer an option. 

The program is professionally focused, working on mentorship and networking, but also personally focused, provided the women with the support and camaraderie they may not get living in spread out rural towns. 

            New York and other metropolitan cities are much more advanced in both the tech world and their employment of women.  Shaw has pinpointed a niche of women, women who live and work in rural areas, which can greatly benefit from her organization. 

Check out Bella Minds here: 

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Tweet the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

In my opinion, the reason that social media got so popular so quickly was the power it gave to the regular person to become an author, a political commentator, a journalist, and really just someone who had a voice. This sense of empowerment and the ability to get your messages out quickly was soon picked up by organizations as well. It gives those companies, causes, and organizations not only a voice, but a 'soft voice', one that can break down the 'invisible wall' and allow them to interact with the public in a personal way. This 'invisible wall' is something that often plagues companies and organizations.

The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is an "organization" that has leveraged this opportunity to interact with the public in a personal way. Israel as a whole has taken significant steps towards improving their public relations on the world scene, recognizing that the media bias and dishonesty has spread wildly and has effected them in a negative way. The IDF specifically have taken the charge in this effort. Facebook pages, instagram accounts, twitter handles and blogs seem to have sprung up overnight, and are focusing on personal stories and real-life accounts, humanizing this powerful army, and doing its part in defending the name and truth behind the country and what the army they fight in stands for. The social media presence of the IDF has also inspired, empowered and enabled others to stand up for Israel, those who may have been too shy or hesitant to be the bold one speaking up. Israel advocacy efforts and organizations have seen a rise as of late as well. The bias that for so long was the only voice on the world scene has competition now, all empowered, enabled and inspired by social media.

-Esther

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Today our class had the privilege of hearing from Liz O'Donnell, a long time PR agent, founder of award-winning blog Hello Ladies (helloladies.com), wife, mother, and recent author of Mogul, Mom, & Maid. 

Liz spoke to us about her experiences with and exploration of women in the workplace, her take on feminism, and how to network with other women (combination of Twitter and "Hey, cute shoes!"). She inspired our class as a working mom voicing her own take on the myriad issues that women, whether middle-class white women or otherwise, face in American society today. 

Thanks, Liz, for stopping by and sharing a bit of your world with us! 

~Elana R.

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Challenge Sheryl:

I have been recently considering my career options. As a 21st century college woman it has always been clear to me that I would pursue a challenging and ambitious career. 

Through the course of my career search I have speaking to many different woman working in different areas to hear about their experiences. Most woman have been giving me the same response: “Its a great job, but be prepared to work 12 hour days, 7 days a week...” or “Its a wonderful job, but forget about spending time with your kids...” 

I myself grew up with a mother who worked long hours every day. I spent most of the time with the baby sitter or home alone. As I now consider my own career options, I am repeatedly faced with the same question: What happens to your family? What happens to the people in your life you want to be there for and care for?

Is this anti-feminist of me to think that the idea of woman as the bread winners and CEO’s is threatening some very important parts of our family and community life? Woman are also responsible to be there for others, to give and take care of the people who depend on them.

What happens when the woman is stuck in an office all day? I applaud all the woman who have taken strides in advancing woman's rites and prestige, yet at what price? Have we sacrificed one of woman's most sacred roles? And if so, is it worth it? 

Penina Rosen 

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Dear Sheryl

I just watched the awesome Pantene commercial you endorsed 

http://fashionista.com/2013/12/pantene-philippines-ad-sheryl-sandberg/?utm_source=fashionista&utm_medium=widget&utm_campaign=Popular+Posts+Tabbed

I loved the story and the double standards of labels in the workplace. 

How did you get involved in this project?

All the best,

Ruthie Heller

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LeanIn on social media: Microagressions

  This is one of the most recent posts on LeanIN’s tumblr page. It was captured by Kiyun, as the caption underneath explains, a photographer who asked her friends at Fordham university to tell her an instance of racial microagression that they faced.

  What is microagression? The term, as explained by Columbia professor Derald Sue refers to “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color.”

  The backhand derogatory comments made to the individuals in the pictures may have seemed innocent to the person saying them, but in fact they are hurtful, insensitive, and are evident of underlying racial prejudice.

  By posting these pictures and linking to the Buzzfeed post that includes even more pictures, LeanIn calls its supporters attention to yet another important cause that stems from inequality and insensitivity. LeanIn may have been started for women in the workplace facing struggles, but they now consistently use their influence to show other injustices and how we can fight back against them. LeanIn gives us one more reason to think about our words, actions, and how we treat the people around us. No one should be made to feel inferior because of race, gender, or any other characteristic. 

- Michal Kaplan-Nadel

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Viva la Feminista- Not Your Average Mom Blogger

If you take a look at many mom blogs out there, you'll probably find lots of recipes, DIY advice, and childcare tips. While all of these are great things, I don't know about you, but reading a blog post about how to knit your own sweater doesn't appeal much to me. 

Viva la Feminista is different. Written by Veronica Arreola, who describes herself as "trying to navigate and understand the intersection between feminism, motherhood and her Latinadad," this blog has much more substance than many of the other mommy blogs I've seen out there. 

The author isn't afraid to speak up about her thoughts on feminism, and offers insights as a proud woman. 

Check it out! http://www.vivalafeminista.com/

-Kimberly