Latino Rebranded: Latinos and Social Media

Subtitle: The Why of it All

Without definition, one is left to be interpreted and thus defined by others.  More so, without definition one has no purpose and drifts to the will of the tides.

I’m going to briefly point out some things I have my sights on within the realm of social media.  I encourage you to do the same from time to time going forward.

In no special order here are some goals which have been set in motion and are continually honed:

• Give Latinos a pipeline to catapult their voices into the national conversation via social media.

• Engage influencers in multiple disciplines.

• Facilitate solidarity and communication within Latino community.

• Build Brand (Rebranded) “Me.”

• Communicate with like-minded people.

There’s much more to discuss for each point, but I’ve kept it brief for the sake of the blog and will pick up this discussion at another point in time.

If you have something you want to add, or think I’ve missed a critical point, please leave your thoughts in the comment section.

I’m also curious to know what YOUR purpose is?  Is it product or service awareness?  A grassroots endeavor?  Network with peers?  Keep abreast on the latest trends?  Become the next social media rockstar?

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Is anyone surprised?  Are you still one to think social media won’t work?  Well then, read up:

Social media and a national road tour are part of the plan to drum up interest. The campaign will stress the importance and secrecy of the count.

This shows the further use and maturity of social media.

(Not that I thought they would succeed, but this further strengthens my belief that those groups who wanted to ban the census will not win.)

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Subtitle: Filling in the ranks w/ the power of social media.

People often ask me how I select people or pick teams.  Honestly, with social media so big that when I need help either via volunteers or partners I look to various social media portals by making an announcement of intent and asking if there’s any interest.

So, I haven’t hand picked any teams, but do pick certain portals and trust the power of social networks and individual’s self determination and ambition.

Twitter and LinkedIn  are two of the biggest channels I do this with.  Follow me on these channels if you are looking to get involved…or just drop a note.

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“Part of LATISM’s long-term vision is to give back. The fact that our first Toy Drive and Fundraiser is aimed to benefit both children in Latin America and at home is yet another innovative example of how LATISM is using new media to benefit our community at large,” said Louis Pagan, Co-founder of LATISM.

For the second part of LATISM’s 3 Kings Day event, the networked reached 109% of a $1,000 goal.  LATISM pulled together through it’s organic network and talent along w/  BeingLatino to raise funds for UNICEF to distribute funds to Latin American children. The majority of the event happened online via a ‘TwitterParty’ in the span of 2 hours. v

The event still continues until the 4th, so if you want to still contribute you can do so by following the link.

To follow the event as it transpired, search the hashtag #latismtoydrive on twitter.

A huge thank you to @ergeekgoddess, @lancerios and all those who made it happen.

UPDATE 01/06/10 20:54 : The drive ended @ $1,362.  That’s a great stride given the small window of time we were working with.

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Subtitle: Giving Back

In an error of Change, where people are once again thinking globally, here’s your chance to give back, now and always – once you start to care, you will never stop caring.

I truly believe that the world will change with the power of non-profit organizations, and humanitarianism.

So, If you’re a blogger, Latino/a (Hispanic/Xicano/Cuban/Boriqua/Taino…human and care about children), then post this widget (hit copy), on your blog or social media site (customizable here).

If you don’t do social media, then just give.

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Another huge project I am working on:

Latinos in Social Media and Being Latino presents:

Our 1ST ANNUAL THREE-KINGS DAY ONLINE TOY DRIVE & FUNDRAISER to benefit The Children’s Aid Society’s Latino Outreach Initiative
[http://www.childrensaidsociety.org] and the United Nations Children’s
Fund [UNICEF] [UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/]

January 6th, the traditional day for gift-giving in Latin American tradition, to bring joy to disadvantaged Latino children in the US and Latin America.

The Toy Drive & Fundraiser will have two levels:

1st Level: Thanks to generous donations from our sponsors Time To Play,
Ingenio and Discovery Toys we will be donating new unwrapped bilingual Educational toys to the Latino Outreach Center of the Children’s Aid Society, located in Washington Heights, New York City. The toys will be distributed to poor Latino children in the area.

2nd Level: We will be collecting donations from our growing online
networks. This monetary donation will benefit UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and be distributed through UNICEF to centers aiding disadvantaged children in Latin America.

LAUNCH DETAILS:
• WHAT: Live Twitter Party
• WHEN: December 30th 2009, 8pm – 10pm EST
• WHERE: Twitter (use hashtag #latismtoydrive or enter latismtoydrive in
TweetChat.com – you must have a Twitter account).

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
• Donate ONLINE through our Chipin/PayPal account (http://bit.ly/7B8yL0).
Donations accepted until January 3rd, 2010. Donations accepted until January 3rd, 2010.

• Make a toy donation by sending new, unwrapped toys to: The Children’s
Aid Society -105 East 22nd St. Please use codename: LATISMTOYDRIVE. Toy donations will be accepted until January 4th, 2010.

• Follow and Retweet our Toy Drive message using #latismtoydrive on Twitter

• Write about it on your blog

• Post up toydrive widgets on your blog (http://bit.ly/5urQXF) and social networks.

All Toy Drive, Donations totals and ceremony pictures will be posted on
our Latism.org and Being Latinos website on January 6, 2010.

We thanks our sponsors Time To Play, Ingenio and Discovery Toys for
their generous toy donations, and our social media community for their
support!!

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Here are some great places to buy bilingual and educational toys for the children:

These companies are amazing for their well thought out toys.

Disclaimer:  I have boxes full of these toys here at home for an upcoming toydrive (more on that later), that they are participating in.  I opened up the boxes to see what was inside and was amazed at the educational value of these products.

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