As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human. Last year for Black History Month, I started an online series called 28 Days Diversity where I would feature someone new everyday during the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. Even though it’s black history month, the goal for 28 Days of Diversity is to feature not just African-Americans but other minorities in the web/tech space. Also note that 28 Days of Diversity is not a popularity contest or an influencer list but a list of thought leaders in the social web sector, including entrepreneurs, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order who I have either met in person or followed online. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph.
For 2011 I wanted to not just feature individuals but also address a topic that affects everyone. For 28 Days of Diversity 2011 each post/person will answer the question “How can we use technology to close the digital divide?” So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com/tag/28daysofdiversity and 28daysofdiversity.com to see who’s on the list. For day 8, I would like to introduce to some and present to others:
Jen Lawrence
Twitter: @JaelDesignsInc
Website/Blog: jaelssocialmedialife.com
Bio
I am a FT working mom raising four children ages range from teen to toddler. I started a small graphic and web design business in June 09’ and life’s been a hectic balancing act ever since. I work FT as Marketing Coordinator for an alternative weekly newspaper and I also handle duties within the Web Department.
I started blogging back in June 09’ to document my journey and follow my dream of becoming a mom entrepreneur and offer business resources to readers which quickly turned into a more personal blog followed by lots of social networking, social media marketing, serving as brand ambassador for many notable brands and building great relationships in the blogosphere. I’m really down to earth, drama free and a social butterfly by nature!
So with daily chaos, 4 children, FT Job, Small Business, Social Networking, Networking in my local community, and a partridge in a pear tree! Life is hectic! Honestly without chaos I’m not that productive. So, I guess I wouldn’t have it any other way! If I can manage to sleep in on Saturday mornings and sneak in some “ME” time on the weekend that’s bliss! Welcome to my world…
How can we use technology to close the digital divide?
I think whether you are a child or an adult we (as a community) need to help gain the necessary resources and offer more courses to help people who aren’t familiar with using computers or software and at minimum teach them to use the internet and research information as well as help them set up an email address and show them how to use and manage their email account. We need to make sure computers are accessible, we need to help educate, and offer affordable or free software to people who aren’t fortunate enough to have these resources conveniently in front of them whether it be in low income communities, schools etc.
You can follow the status of 28 Days of Diversity 2011 on http://28daysofdiversity.com and http://socialwayne.com/category/28-days-of-diversity/
