Category: blog

blog, blogging, business, social media, social media creation, social network, writer, writing

My Social Media Strategy: How I Use My Blogs

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

As promised, my first blog post in this social media strategy series is about how I use my blogs – Christa in New York: Curating a Creative Life and Compass Yoga. I started blogging daily at Christa in New York: Curating a Creative Life on 5/31/07. To date, I’ve written 2,291 blog posts that have collectively received 250,000+ unique visitors across 60+ countries. It’s given me a way to learn, share, help, and celebrate. This blog has been a gift to me, personally and professionally, and there is no way to express how incredibly grateful I am to everyone who’s ever read it.

Blogging helps me connect with people even when we are separated by geography
My friend, Alice, was the editor of our school newspaper and she kindly published a few pieces I had written during our second year. My friend, Stephen, asked me if I planned to keep writing after we graduated. He said I should start a blog. I asked him who would ever read my blog and he simply replied, “I’d read it.” I remember that conversation as if it happened yesterday. That conversation changed the course of my life. I didn’t know it yet, and I don’t think Stephen did either. Some of our most poignant life moments happen that way – they come and go and it’s only upon reflection that we realize how very important they are.

My first blog
I got started blogging on Blogger.com exactly 9 years ago to the day on October 15, 2004 while I lived in Washington DC. My first blog was Eyes and Ears Wide Open and it was on blogger. My first post began: “I’ve been journaling for almost 20 years, and the time has finally arrived for me to get some of these thoughts out of my head, off the closed pages of my diaries, and out into the world. I hope that someone reads them and gets something out of them.” I published a total of 26 posts.

Blogging has shaped my career and my life
On May 31, 2007 I sat down on my couch and started my current blogging adventure. That simple site was largely responsible for helping me secure my first job out of business school at Toys R Us. My boss, Bob G., became my mentor and supporter. During my interview, we chatted about my blog – I had put the URL on my resume. Bob loves a good story, and I told him I was trying to figure out how to become a good storyteller. Today, we’re still trading stories…on Facebook.

Once the recession hit in 2008, I knew I needed to jump to a new job. Like all specialty retail, Toys R Us was heading for the cliff and I didn’t want to go with it. My blog helped me to secure a new role at American Express because my daily posting showed I was disciplined and committed. The job itself was great in terms of the work, but my bosses were the worst I have ever had in my career. Additionally, the company was about to go through one of the most frightening times in its 150+ year history. Lehman Brothers failed 5 weeks after I started my job, and I had a choice: I could be scared and keep my head down or I could pick my head up, sit at the front of the class every day, and learn as much as I could for as long as I was there. I chose the latter and wrote about many of my experiences, without naming American Express, on my blog. The posts are all there, as are the many lessons I learned along the way. *Blogging gives me a way to process what I learn and archive those learnings for myself and others.*

I stayed in that role for 16 months and when a friend told me about a new job in product development, I sold my story like never before. The competition for the role was fierce. I put everything on the line, including my growing interest in blogging and social media. That key point – that I blogged every day about my life and hit “publish” – helped me secure the role and that began my journey as a product developer in technology in a deep way. My blog gave interviewers a way to get to know me on a highly personal level. I also made a lot of dear friends in that role who taught me so much, many of whom are still a wonderful part of my life. I will always be grateful for their presence, acceptance, and support.

Finally, my blog led me to connect with so many people around the world who care about things I care about. Some of my favorite friends found me through my online writing, and to this day their support has never wavered. It is that support that helped me believe I could make a go of writing full-time, or at least give it a healthy shot. On June 15, 2012, I took the plunge to freelance and start my own content development business, Chasing Down the Muse, and in 16 months, I’ve never looked back. It’s been a wild ride; one I am grateful for every day.

The Compass Yoga blog
In March 2010, I started Compass Yoga, a nonprofit to get more yoga to more people in more places. When I published the Compass website, I had no idea how my idea would develop, nor all of the incredible people I would meet on the journey. This blog has 270 posts though I now publish much more regularly on it than I did at the start. Most of the posts are re-posts of content from other sites that discuss the therapeutic benefits of yoga and meditation. Occasionally, I publish a product review and world yoga news.

Through the incredible efforts of so many people, the Compass Yoga blog has been named one of the top 100 yoga blogs and one of the top 10 yoga blogs on Twitter. These kinds of tributes are humbling, shocking, and motivating. What began as one small class at my local library has become a source of comfort for so many people, and most of that credit goes to the amazing teachers, students, board members, donors, supporters, and volunteers who make Compass Yoga what it is – a place online and off that welcomes and accepts all voices in pursuit of a healthy, happy existence.

Blogging helps me find kindred spirits
She who does not howl will never find her pack. For me, blogging has been a way for me to shout about things that inspire me and are important to me, and connect with people who share those interests. Through my blogs, I have been able to create a living, breathing tapestry of my own personal history and the many fantastic characters who have played a part in making me the person I am. It is a deeply satisfying endeavor, something that helps me carve a life I love. It’s been a tool to discover who I am, and it’s given me a way to contribute and pay tribute to the lives of others.

Tomorrow’s social media strategy topic: How I use Facebook.

blog, social media, social media creation, writing

Beautiful: The Start of My Social Media Blog Post Series

Christa Avampato
These adorable icons can be purchased at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/152160612/social-media-icons-blog-buttons-web?ref=exp_listing

Today I’m kicking off a series of blog posts about how I used different social media channels. I’m writing this series for a few reasons:

1.) To let people know all of the ways we can connect online
2.) To help people who are interested in building / enhancing their own social media presence
3.) To crystallize the strategy and value of my own use of different social media channels

Social media has been an important part of my life because it’s allowed me to stay connected with people, even if they reside on the other side of the world. It’s largely responsible for being my partner in crime as I carve my own professional path as a writer. I’ve made so many friends through social media that I’ve lost count; I’ve actually become so close to some of them that I often forget that social media is what initially brought us together.

Tomorrow I’ll “chat” about this blog, as well as Compass Yoga’s blog, and how I use blogging on a daily basis in my personal and professional life. Because it bears repeating, I’ll also recount my story of how I got started blogging and the friends who inspired my blog writing.

adventure, blog, photographs, pictures, writing

Beautiful: My Blog is Going on Summer Vacation, Too

Christa Avampato
From Pinterest

Occasionally, a leopard can change its spots. A Christa in New York can become a Christa in Los Angeles, at least for a little while. We can break patterns. We can do things differently. We can evolve.

Last week, my friends Susan and Richard shared a post from the New York Times that discussed how technology is helping us connect and leaving us feeling lonely. We get absorbed into our screens at the expense of looking people in the eye. I’ve fought hard against the argument that all of our connecting is causing us to become disconnected but I couldn’t refute the points made by the post’s author, Jonathan Safran Foer.

Have I fallen victim to this trend? Maybe. And that answer scares me. This summer I’m going to spend more time connecting, less time connected. This blog will take on a different shape to support that effort so that I can spend more time in the world and more time on my personal writing projects. As someone who thinks in words, I’m trying to improve my visual skills and this blog will support that goal, too. I’m going to attempt to chart my summer in pictures with a couple of lines of text thrown in to record the a-ha moments. The joy. The happiness. The peace. The clarity. The adventure. The world as I see it with my eyes and not through the filters of online information.

Each day, I’ll try to post one photo that perfectly captures what that day means to me. Some will be pictures I take. Some will be pictures I find. And it’s all TBD…

blog, blogging

Leap: The Power of We – Part of Blog Action Day

Christa Avampato

Today, bloggers all over the globe are posting as a part of Blog Action Day – an annual campaign in which we rally together behind a specific theme. This year, we’re united under the banner “The Power of We”.

It’s an interesting time in the U.S. for this topic. We are in the midst of a cutthroat election season and for many it feels like we’re living through the theme “The Power of Us and Them, and the Good That Will Never Come From This Divide.” We are inundated by messages of Wall Street versus Main Street and the 1% versus the 99%. The challenge that we truly face is how to have civil and impassioned dialogue around the topics that impact all of our lives and test all of our beliefs in profound ways.

A couple of years ago, I didn’t think this was possible. Topics like a woman’s right to choose, gay marriage, environmental protection, public assistance programs, and other massive social issues will always have very stark contrasts on either side. There is no way to come together, right?

Michael Sandel thinks otherwise. Or at least he wants us to test the waters.

Dr. Sandel teaches a course entitled “Justice” at Harvard University. His style is masterful and magical. The class tests the students’ moral and ethical code, presenting them with highly controversial social dilemmas and asking them to take and defend a position.

You don’t need to travel to Cambridge, MA and pay an outrageous tuition bill to attend the class. It’s all available online, free of charge, to anyone with an internet connection. I took the course and during every class I would immediately snap to a specific judgment. By the end of the class I would completely question my beliefs.

And this is the point. Somehow Sandel manages to lead us toward contemplation no matter how much we dig in our ethical heels. It’s fascinating. And it’s what we need more of. This kind of discourse and discussion is badly needed in a world that is facing so many enormous challenges. It’s a skill that is in short supply from Wall Street to Main Street and everywhere in between, among the 1% and the 99%.

The Power of We starts with learning the art of conversation, the art of intelligent debate that allows all sides to maintain their dignity. It’s a difficult path but I believe we can get there if we all commit to be in this world together.

blog, books, social media, story, writer, writing

Leap: A Facebook Community for My Readers

Christa Avampato

5 years ago this weekend I started this blog. I never thought it would become such a labor of love that would bring so many incredible gifts. And finally, after all of this time, I got it together and created a Facebook Page expressly for the readers of this blog for several reasons:

1.) To provide a way for me to connect more closely with all of you and for readers to connect with one another

2.) To promote the works of other writers and to give readers the opportunity to do the same

3.) To offer all of us a way to share what inspires us – books, articles, photographs, stories, good works in our communities, quotes, travels, ideas, questions, etc.

4.) To give writers another way to promote their own work and connect with other writers

5.) To connect people who are taking big leaps in their careers and lives

I want this page to be a place where we can all offer up ideas and commentary in a supportive and thoughtful way. As I’m preparing to make my own professional leap, I’ve met so many people who are in the process of doing the same thing. Here’s our chance to get behind one another and encourage each other on the path forward. I really want this page to be incredibly dynamic with many contributions by a wide circle of people who are curious and passionate about living their best lives.

I really hope you’ll all join me, like the page, and then let the sharing begin at http://www.facebook.com/ChristaInNewYork.com.

blog, business, celebration, economy, hope, inspiration, writing, yoga

Beginning: My Features on Sour to Sweet, a Blog Focused on People Defying the Great Recession

Christa Avampato

Lauren Murray is striking back against the idea that our economy has ruined all of us.

Her blog, Sour to Sweet, is “my attempt to counterbalance the doom and gloom that’s already out there. Let’s celebrate the successes that, seemingly against all odds, have occurred despite the economic downturn.” Lauren reached out to me a few weeks ago after reading my book Hope in Progress: 27 Entrepreneurs Who Inspired Me During the Great Recession. She asked if I would be willing to share my own story through an interview (Not the Same Old Yoga) and if I’d write a guest post on the topic of inspiration (How to Survive the Uh-Oh Moment). I was both honored and thrilled by the offer.

I hope you’ll stop by Sour to Sweet and support Lauren in helping her to get the word out that it’s not all darkness out there!

blog, books, news, writing

Beginning: My New Blog Reads

Christa Avampato

I’ve been on the hunt for some new blogs to add to my regular reading. Here are a few of my recent favorite finds.

The Found Gen is “an independent publishing house and story/scripting group that focuses on providing the world with original stories and works from authors who represent the best of what the written word has to offer.” It focuses on bringing great new fiction writing to the attention of the world through the Lost & Found Quarterly. The Found Gen also focuses on reminding us of great fiction writers whom time has forgotten and is filled with valuable information for writers, particularly those interested on self-publishing. Get in on the story and check them out.

The Daily Reader is a Macmillan project piloted by my friend, Amanda Hirsch. The goal of the blog is simple: “to help us discover great reads while connecting the dots between books and current events.” As someone obsessed with the news (I’m one of those people whom they worry about getting current events fatigue when a major news event is underway), this is the perfect blog for me to read right after I finish watching the morning news and have read my daily dose of e-newsletters, alerts, and an online scan of 3-5 newspapers.

I first heard about Ollin Morales of Courage 2 Create on Problogger. His blog offers writing advice as he carves his path to the completion of his first novel. What I found so intriguing about Ollin was his optimism. The old paradigm of brooding writers who are a little bitter with a healthy dose of the dark side doesn’t fit Ollin at all. He started his blog about writing to chronicle is progress and learn about the process and commitment of putting word to page. I love how open and honest he is, sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly, and somehow always finding his way back to the good.

Those are my latest greatest finds. Have any you’d like to share?

blog, guest blogger, meditation, writing, yoga

My Guest Post on CrazySexyLife.com: How Yoga & Meditation Will Help Us Create a Brighter, Better Future

Christa Avampato

Today I have a guest post on Kris Carr’s incredible blog CrazySexyLife.com. A series of fortunate events this year led to this post as I’ve been exploring ways that yoga and meditation can create a better world for all of us.

My mission this year has been to get yoga and meditation to more people, more often, and regardless of financial means, in the hopes that we can build toward a tipping point of greater peace, happiness, and freedom. Every corner of the world seems to be facing incredible challenges, and to turn the tide toward a brighter furture, the world needs all of us at our very best.

Check out the post here to learn how I think yoga and meditation can help us reach that goal.

art, blog, creativity, imagination

Step 326: Keep a Canvas Blank

Christa Avampato

When I moved into my apartment over a year ago, I had nothing but a borrowed air mattress from a friend and a handful of clothes. My apartment building fire in my former apartment building ruined most of my belongings and the few that were salvageable were sent away for a special cleaning to remove the soot and the horrid smell that’s left in everything after a fire. It’s a smell that I’ll never forget. I looked around at my very blank, very empty apartment and my heart sank. I would have to start over. Again.

In the months after my fire I tried putting my material life back together. It was slow going. I had some art that was saved but the frames were ruined. I got them re-framed and tried to hang them on my blank walls. I couldn’t do. I’d start to put a picture hook into the wall and start crying. Starting over was painful, lonely work. Eventually, I just cried my way through it because it had to be done, and once I got to the other side of that good cry, I had walls that were decorated and a heart that felt more peaceful.

This experience caused a recent blog post by Derek Sivers to really hit home for me. Derek is the musician, programmer, and entrepreneur who created CD Baby and then gave away his company to charity to support music education. He’s a brilliant guy, generous, courageous, and best of all an incredibly honest writer. A few days ago he wrote a blog post entitled “Why wreck a blank canvas“. My only criticism of the post is I wish he had written it sooner. It would have helped me through my struggles of starting over. I wouldn’t have felt so badly about my very blank, new canvas known as my apartment, and in many ways, mirrored my life at that moment, too.

In the post Derek talks about the large blank canvases he has on the walls of his home. He leaves them blank intentionally to inspire others. A blank canvas allows every person to have his or her own unique vision of what should populate that area. It’s a conversation starter for Derek and a creativity jump starter to everyone who views those blank canvases. The comments on the post are equally fantastic – read through them. I’m taking my cue from Derek. I’m getting a blank canvas and hanging it up on my wall as a reminder that I will always be strong enough to start over.

blog, writing

Step 123: Blogathon 2010

Christa Avampato

Thanks to a post by my friend, Amanda, author of the fantastically creative blog Tastee Pudding, I learned about the WordCount 2010 blogathon. Started by Michelle Rafter, this year’s edition is a commitment by 111 bloggers to write every day for the month of May. The blogs span a wide variety of subjects, from skincare to gardening to travel to life as a teenager. In a single year, the number of participants has more than doubled.

From Michelle’s site:

“In spring 2008, I was a still a blogging newbie and looking for motivation to post more consistently. I challenged myself to blog every day during the month of May. Since misery loves company, I invited other writers to join me. The WordCount Blogathon was born. Some two dozen of us posted about work, life, love, food, travel, kids and a lot of other things. We wrote a lot, learned a lot, and a good time was had by all.

Flash forward to 2009. Magazines are folding. Newspapers are getting skinnier by the week. Freelancers who once made their living writing for print publications are looking to expand their repertoire to include podcasting, multimedia reporting – and blogging.

So once again, we challenged ourselves to blog every day. We also held a guest post exchange day where we spent one day writing on someone else’s blog, and vice versa. We also tracked our activity on Twitter, using the hashtag #MayBlog2.

We wound things up on June 1 with a Blogathon wrap party, chatting about what worked, what didn’t, what we learned and what we’d do differently next time.”

Michelle’s efforts to increase her own writing motivation, and take others with her, is a cause I support and admire. Have a look at everything that’s cookin’ for the 2010 WordCount Blogathon and discover some kindred writing spirits.