#DisneySMMC On The Road Hits Portland

By Meg Hodson

I pretty much grinned cheek to cheek when the invitation came across my inbox that I was cordially invited to the first stop on the Disney Social Media Moms On The Road Tour in Portland, Oregon. Even though I have been blogging for 3 years now, I have yet to attend a conference. To say the least, I RSVP'd before I could even read the entire email. 

The Disney Social Media Moms Celebration "On-The-Road" creates an energetic forum where influencers (primarily parents) and social media enthusiasts meet for a half-day program filled with educational and inspiring content designed to support the goals and unique lifestyle demands of parents. There was a full schedule packed into our half-day conference, complete with guest speakers, presentations, giveaways, and networking with other bloggers and influencers.

It was great and beneficial on many levels. First of all, the panel of speakers they had were top notch. The day starter with Tyler Slater , who is in charge of the Disney Parks blog for Aulani and Disney Destinations . I later found out it was his first Disney Social Media Moms conference.He gave the attendees nice insight into the magic of Disney (I know, we all know Disney is magic, but he sealed the deal). He teased us with the drudgery of traveling to Hawaii every three months to oversee the Aulani Resort. He was the perfect opener to the conference.

I really liked the presentation by Victoria Lim. She touched on the best way to shoot video with your cell phone and some great apps to use to edit your videos.  I am excited to use the app she highly recommended, Cute Cut.

We also heard some great advice from the editors at Babble. One quote from them resonates with me: "Align with like-minded bloggers; bigger is not necessarily better." Erin Glover had great social media insight and insight that those who work for Disney have into the history of all that is Disney. Marianne Richmond shares thoughtful insight into her journey as an author and 

There was plenty of time for networking with other influencers. I finally got to meet some "virtual friends" face to face, which was fantastic and worthwhile.

But the highlight of the day was a visit from your favorite mouse, Mickey! I kinda felt like I had jazz hands as we posed together. 

Have you attended a Disney On The Road event? What was your favorite part?

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

Tech Timeout: Are You Up For The Challenge?

By Meg Hodson

iPads, Wii, smart phones....oh my! Ahh, you've heard about them, but have you done one? Can you take a timeout from technology for one hour a day? Well, that was the challenge set forth to me from Foresters Tech Timeout. 

As many households these days, we are fairly "tech heavy". In my line of work, both as a small business owner and a blogger, I obviously use my computer, my iPhone, and my iPad everyday for extended periods. It's a similar situation for my husband. My daughter loves her iTouch. My two sons love games on the iPad and the occasional Wii game. 

I was drawn to this challenge for one reason: the goal seemed feasible! Even with all the technology reliance I listed above, devoting one hour a day using nothing that needed charging or to be plugged in actually seemed not only attainable, but a welcome refrain for one week. My daughter, on the other hand, died gasped when I said we were taking on this challenge. She wasn't so convinced we could do it.

During the week, the easiest time for us to do this was right after school. In the rush that is walking through the door post school, I am focused on snack time for the kids, lining up homework for the afternoon, or preparing for afternoon activities, like dance. Even with all this busyness, I could always manage to check a few tweets or respond to an email. It's usually a time my daughter will catch up on her Instagram. But during the week, we're shifting gears with our Tech Timeout challenge.

The weekday challenge has gone great! While we can't use the iPad or computer if we need to check spelling or look up a quick fact for homework, there is no worry; that one homework check can wait. While social media moves fast, there is nothing that I can't catch up on if I am away from the online world for 1 hour. 

I am always very involved in my children's homework, now even more so without my phone on the table. I'm more engaged. I'm looking at my children more as I talk to them (instead of scrolling through a text message from their father!) 

The weekends were actually easier. We usually have a soccer game or event to attend; although I would normally snap pictures away, during this challenge, I learned to refrain. 

If you're up for the challenge, too, click here to sign the pledge. Share your victories on social media with the hashtag #techtimeout.

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

Let's Protect Our Children Online

By Meg Hodson

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Mom It Forward for AVG Technologies. All opinions remain 100% my own.

My daughter is 10 and loves Instagram. As you may know, it's probably the most popular social site for the tween set. As someone who is deeply engaged in social media, this makes me happy. I love social media. But I'm also an involved parent. I routinely monitor her account. I check what she is posting and even what her friends are posting to keep things in check. 

I am glad I have been this involved because I stopped a habit that was cropping up on Instagram.  I noticed a trend recently among her friends to run what are essentially popularity contests. She didn't see it that way at first. I explained to her that doing collages of friends pictures and asking people to vote for their favorite might make the friend who got the least number of votes feel bad. When I explained it to her this way, she realized that what seemed harmless at first could really hurt someone's feelings. I urged her to set the example for her friends and not post such photos. I even encouraged her to "vote for everyone" if another friend still did such posts. 

But online security for children goes way beyond this. While there is an easy privacy setting for a site like Instagram, what about when your children start using numerous social sites? Or when they start using the internet more regularly? Or when they get a smart phone? Terms like "locations services", "privacy settings", and "public" should become topics you address almost daily with your children's online habits.

I will be the first to admit this is tough! It's time consuming, yet necessary. That's why I am glad there are companies like AVG Technologies that make this task easier. They are leading the charge to make both the discussion with your children and maintaining their online safety easier.

First, AVG Technologies has partnered with Childnet International  to publish an interactive e-book series, Magda and Mo,, to help parents and children navigate tricky internet safety topics such as cyberbullying and safe searching. Sounds good to me!

I also just downloaded the app AVG PrivacyFix which helps control and lock-in your privacy on your PC, mobile device and tablet. With a personal, easy-to-use dashboard, I am able to monitor and adjust privacy settings online and prevent third parties from tracking mine (or my kids') activities and location. Right now, the app supports Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and You Tube, You also get tips on ways to block ad tracking based on your phone habits. Best of all, it's free. 

To learn more about AVG Technologies, visit them on Facebook and Twitter.

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!

Marbles.....and Influenster?

By Meg Hodson

I am pretty sure no one plays marbles on recess anymore at school. For shame! I have such fond memories of playing it with my friends in grade school. There were many steps to having a good marble collection, as well as getting good at the game. 

First, you needed a good marble set to start. I remember a five and dime store in my hometown called the "88 Cents Store". Most items were 88 cents, or the price ended in .88. Well, they had a pretty awesome marble collection. I didn't have a lot of allowance money to spend, so I chose wisely. Some were small, standard marbles; others were larger, sparkly marbles,,,,,the ones everyone wanted to win when they played. 

Some of those first marble games with friends were rough. I was lucky if I would win one good one.....after losing numerous of my prized possessions. But you know what they say, practice makes perfect. The more I played, the better I got. I was committed! Pretty soon I needed a small nap sack to carry my marbles out to recess. 

Photo credit: Visualphotos.com

So, what does marbles have to do with social influencer site Influenster? Well, think of it this way. When you first sign up for Influenster, it may take a long time before you qualify for one of their treasured Vox Boxes. A Vox Box is a themed package of numerous goodies from brands that would like you to try their product and talk about it on social media. Well, you might need to flex some social media muscle first before receiving one of these fun boxes. But believe me, just like those treasured marbles, they are worth the effort and wait. 

Just like the more I played marbles, the better I became.....the more you "play" on Influenster, the more badges you will earn, which will ultimately lead to more opportunities on the site. Think of badges as becoming an expert in a given category. For example, if you think you are a cosmetic expert, you might choose to write a lot of quality reviews to receive the Beauty Queen badge. As you keep earning more badges, your influence grows. Keep sharing your reviews on social media and before you know it, one of those prized Vox Boxes may be yours.

You can visit the Influenster site for more information.....or leave a comment below and I may have a few invites for ya!

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog.  Cheers!