Yes…It’s still me. Caryn…You may not have known that I’m Latina. I’m one of those girls who grew up assimilated from a very early age. I regret not soaking in as much as I could during my 3 years of high school Spanish and wish I would have grown up bilingual. But beyond language, I long to re connect with my cultural heritage because through and through, I’m still Puerto Rican. I know very little about Puerto Rican cooking, customs, tradition, or culture. What little I do know was learned through questioning my parents, books, and a trip to the island a few years back.
I’m going to be quite vulnerable here and say that for much of my childhood, I tried to be like “everybody else.” It wasn’t until I became an adult that I truly begin to explore that part of me I stuffed for so long. But it hasn’t been easy. People look at me and question my ethnicity on a regular basis because they can’t quite figure out what I look like. I open my mouth to speak without a hint of a Spanish accent, and people don’t readily identify me as a Latina. Even in the world of blogging, my identity is undefined. I’m a Latina who blogs…in English…mostly about topics that transcend culture and ethnicity. But does that make me a Latina blogger? I’m still working through the answer to that question.
Two weeks ago, I was invited to a lunch hosted by Monique from Blogs By Latinas. This isn’t the first Latina blogger event I’ve been invited to, however, they are few and far between. Monique envisioned “Discovering Màs” as a way for Latina bloggers to come together to “network and learn.” Forty local Latina bloggers, united by their passion for blogging, gathered for an open dialogue about brand relationships and building your personal brand (guest speaker Jennifer Vides), and developing compelling content (guest speaker Wally Sabria).
Here are some of the key points I took away from the lunch:
How to Market and Brand Yourself as a Blogger…Jennifer Vides
- You are your brand. Think about what you do and say…who you dialogue with…
- Be consistent when communicating about your brand.
- Be different…
- Be relevant to your community and audience.
- Build esteem by being involved in your community.
- Expand your reach by sharing your content with the right people in multiple places.
I was honored to be amongst such a powerful group of smart, creative women. Here are some photos from the event, courtesy of rx2lab.com
If you are a Latina Blogger looking to build relationships, check out Blogs By Latinas and Los Angeles Latina Bloggers.
Profuse thanks to the following sponsors:
Que Rica Vida (General Mills)
Haute CurVture
American International Industries
The Other Side of the Tortilla
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited to a luncheon and received a gift bag.
Photo Credit: {rx2lab.com}
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Hi Caryn! It’s nice to “meet” you and I hope to connect more with you. I’m Puerto Rican myself, so it’s always good to keep in touch with fellow Boricuas. I have heard great things of Monique’s luncheon – I only wish I lived on the west coast so I could have attended!
Just wanted to say hi and I look forward to seeing more of you via twitter, blogs, etc.