Over the next week, we’ll be sharing interviews with bloggers to be featured at our Parent Blogger Brunch on December 9, co-hosted by Jessica McFadden of A Parent In Silver Spring. Meet members of the new media and sign up for the brunch now!
Leticia Barr is a DC Metro area dwelling mom of two elementary aged children with a background in classroom technology integration and school administration who uses everything she learned from teaching children,teachers, and principals as a professional blogger, social media strategist, and freelance writer.
Leticia founded TechSavvyMama.com, a site that assists parents in finding the best technology products, websites, and resources for children of all ages, from personal experience of bringing a computer into her home for her daughter. She uses her experience selecting software and online resources for one of the top 15 largest school systems in the country, knowledge about issues concerning screen time and children, and ability to evaluate educational sites to assess new products and services. Leticia also loves sharing honest feedback with her large community of faithful readers.
Leticia relies on personal experience from blogging and her background in education to branch out to consulting, professional blogging, and freelance writing. She provides social media consulting to companies looking to create blog ambassador programs and campaigns and has worked with PBS Teachers, Location Labs, The Mother Company, Marble Jar, BipperKids, BitDefender, and Comcast. Leticia is also a freelance writer whose work has appeared on Parenting.com, PBS Media Infusion, The Washington Post On Parenting, and Real Simple’s Simply Stated.
What has inspired your new material on your blog, and how do you keep generating new material?
Blogging about technology always provides new fodder thanks to new advances not only in devices, but also the need to ensure that we stay current in terms of privacy settings on websites, diligent about keeping passwords secure and antivirus protection up to date, and knowledgeable about the multitude of apps that are being developed every day.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have met through your blog?
Blogging and communicating with people through social media have allowed me to meet individuals from all over the country who I have formed real lasting friendships with that I may have never met otherwise. I’m fortunate that my work in social media also allows me to champion causes that are important to me. I serve on the Blogger Advisory Council for the American Cancer Society and will be going to Haiti in January to visit artists who create products for the Heart of Haiti line and hear about how their work provides sustainable income as they rebuild their lives and communities following the earthquake.
What is the best thing a blogger can give to his or her readers?
There are many things that bloggers can give to their readers. First and foremost, a true honest voice is essential whether you are providing an ah-ha moment in your reader’s day or a safe place to land and the knowledge that others share your story.
Which post of yours is your favorite and why?
I think my favorite post is the one that I wrote out of frustration when I found that my youngest was being bullied in preschool. I was horrified to know that a couple boys in his class, who were known to be bullies, had started targeting my son. Because we’ve created open lines of communication in our house, I was pleased that he told his sister who came to us. Nevertheless, I channeled my energy into writing a post that serves as a resource to other families who are experiencing the same thing by providing helpful links to great information.
What is your favorite blog to follow? Are / were you inspired by someone else’s blog?
I don’t have a favorite blog! There are so many that I follow to keep up with the happenings in my friends lives, read to stay current on the latest tech news or current events, or ones that I use to fuel my inspiration of my love of cooking and gardening.
My inspiration to start blogging was Jessica. We’ve known each other since our now 8 year olds were 6 months old having met at a Moms Club meetup. When she started A Parent in Silver Spring, I wrote to congratulate her and offered to help. She took me up on my offer saying she’d love my expertise on education and technology. As a guest writer, I wrote about those things but also favorite local restaurants because I love food! She always encouraged me to start my own site and as content as I was contributing to her own site, I started Tech Savvy Mama a month later.
If you could say one thing to a perspective new blogger, what would your advice be?
Don’t try to be everyone else. Just be true to yourself. Write about what you love. Your passion will be apparent to your readers and fuel new content as often as you want to write.
Visit Sandie’s blog,TechSavvyMama.com, like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter at @techsavvymama! You can also meet her at the Parent Blogger Brunch on December 9 – sign up now.
