The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl

I've got to admit at school I felt very much like a square peg in a round hole. While all my female classmates were fussing over clothes, make up and boys I was more interested in books and IT. I was also very shy and socially awkward which made school a bit of a chore. Still the good thing about this is that I blossomed in my late 20s and early 30s and now I am the kick ass diva that you all know and love. Looking back I realise that I was not alone and around the globe there were lots of quirky Black girls and guys who did not fit the status quo. So I was very intrigued where I came across a series called The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. The web series is the tale of Issa Rae who is making her way through life, work and love. Isaa is a quirky character who we get to see muddling through the awkward moments in her life and dealing with the insecure, stupid and angry thoughts that go on in her head. We also see her getting into mishaps while driving her car and also dealing with annoying colleagues at work. Issa is an actress and film-maker who came up with the idea two years ago as an outlet to share her own awkward moments after realising that these moments were not just unique to her but universal.
Face it we don't see many of these characters on the screen and with the likes of Pharrell Williams and Kanye West waving the flag for Geek Chic hopefully they will become more mainstream.

Check out the trailer above and the first episode below.

You can watch The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl here.

Social Media World Forum

Social media marketing to me is what direct marketing was in the 90s. A new medium comes into the foray and everyone jumps on it because it is new and sexy. Social Media consists of elements such as Facebook. Twitter, LinkedIn. Flickr. FourSquare, MySpace and Quora. Over the last year or so it has been taken seriously and more and more companies are using it as part of their marketing mix because it allows them to interact with their customers and get their messages out there. To meet this growing trend various events have been put on around the world to inform people on how to use the tools. In February there was Social Media Week which took place at various venues around London where I picked up quite a few tips. So I was pretty excited about the Social Media World Forum which took place last week at Olympia. The conference is produced by events company, Sixdegrees who put on the event in cities such as New York, Cape Town, Singapore and Dubai with the aim of engaging, debating and understanding the latest issues in social media marketing. The two days consisted of presentations and workshops with key speakers from huge hitting brands such as Facebook, ecademy, Klout, Microsoft and CNN and they explored issues such as trends in social media, integrating social media into marketing, monitoring and measuring, media and PR, applying social media marketing to B2B and social shopping.  Entrance to the event was free but there was a charge to attend each session but there was a Social Media Hub where was free for all where visitors could listen to companies talk about topics such as online privacy and security, social media monitoring and the impact of SEO. There was also an exhibition where a lot of companies were flogging there monetizing and measuring tools, recruitment consultants and social media agencies.

I attended the first day and I found it to be very insightful from a social media perspective and the amount of techie companies exhibiting various tools gave me an idea of where the market is going.  After a quick wander round the exhibition I had loaded myself down with an abundance of information. The event had a really nice vibe about it that had the sense that something new and exciting was about to take off. Also the talks in the Social Media Hub were very thought provoking; some were better than others but overall the quality was good. Social Media World Forum was indeed a very slick event that embraced the coming of age of the genre. Five things I learnt from the Social Media World Forum are below:

1. Location sites are going to be a real force over the coming years with the tie-ins to companies and incentives.

2. Your online reach will be invaluable in order to get the attention of advertisers hence the success of companies such as Klout and Reputation Online.

3. Listening to what people are saying about your or your client"s brand will be easier to do with the amount of tools that are now available on the market.

4. Facebook and Google will fight it out to rule the world and only the strongest will remain standing.

5. No-one really know what they are doing as the genre is so new so everyone is faking it.

You can get more information about the Social Media World Forum here.

The Big Fashion Wardrobe

Like most ladies I have always yearned for one of those huge walk-in wardrobes that holds all your clothes, shoes and bags. Rather like the one that lucky Carrie Bradshaw had in her bachalorette apartment and the lush one that Big built her in the first movie. Well those clever people at Westfield London have come up with a genius idea to host a vibrant room that contains a massive walk in wardrobe smack in The Atrium. Brands like DKNY Jeans, Firetrap, French Connection, Jaeger, L.K. Bennett, House of Fraser, NW3, Reiss, River Island and Ted Baker are displaying their wares while welcoming their customers to a unique experience. All the stores are offering exclusive discounts and some wonderful prizes are up for grabs. The concept of The Big Fashion Wardrobe is that fashionistas can experience every stage of looking fabulous from being in an opulence wardrobe full of clothes and accessories to getting a fabulous new hairdo and a fantastic makeover. After that customers will be able to show off their new look in a photo shoot. Added to that there will also be fashion blogging writing workshops hosted by a few popular bloggers which took place in the swish blogging suite. If that is not enough the day will be topped off with a fashion show. I popped down to Westfield yesterday to have a look at the event and I was very impressed, the organisers have really gone all out to make it a really seductive event for shoppers. This is where Westfield stands out ahead of all the other shopping centres such as Bluewater, Lakeside and The Trafford Centre. The theme here was glamorous opulence, whether you were delving into the rails of designer brands like DKNY Jeans or high street stores such as French Connection you were privy to the same euphoric experience that shopping for that special outfit can give you. Westfield London does it again!

The Big Fashion Wardrobe takes place at Westfield London till Sunday 3rd April. You can check out the website here.

PS: While I was impressed with The Big Fashion Wardrobe I cannot say the same with the PR team. I sent an email asking for a press release to be sent to me so I could cover the event but heard nothing back. I did not even get a reply to the tweet I sent, so much for engaging with customers. Anyway despite being ignored by the PR company I decided to take myself off to the event myself and I am glad I did.

PPS: I would like to add that after my outburst I received a lovely email from Propellernet who do the PR for Westfield apologising for the breakdown in communication and inviting me down to the event. Sadly I was unable to attend but I do appreciate them reaching out to me and trying to make amends.

Welcome to my World

Juggling full time studies and a blog while growing a media empire can be quite a struggle but Wande Alugo manages it smoothly. Her blog, Wande's World is the go to place for anyone who is interested in hair, make up, skincare and fashion. On here you can find reviews on products, events and the lowdown on the new make up looks. Wande has been blogging for a good few years and describes herself as the big sister who hands out valuable advice on how to look hot for any occasion. When she is not blogging, Wande hosts a lifestyle show on YouTube that covers topical issues such as beauty, fashion and random rambles. The show is also named Wande"s World and slots into her master plan on building her own brand on different platforms. Wande describes herself as a techno geek and admits to being married to her Blackberry. She took five minutes out with me to discuss the beauty of blogging.

What made you start blogging?
Funnily enough when I started I had no idea about the beauty blogging community, I constantly used to read up on news on beauty information sites etc. However when I would constantly get messages, phone calls, texts and the works about make up questions, and how to do this and that, so I started writing about makeup, and doing occasional You Tube videos.

Describe the concept behind Wande's World.
I’m often told I live in my own world - which is true - so I decided to base my blog around things I love, and before you know it my blog was a beauty blog and slowly embracing my fashion sense too. The concept behind Wande’s World is that literally anything I love or have experienced goes on my blog, simple as can be.

Over the last year beauty bloggers have really made their mark in blogsphere, how do you think they will continue to push the boundaries over the next few years?
I know right! I actually based on dissertation on the impact of beauty bloggers, which was amazing to see the perception of bloggers. It will continue to grow and beauty brands will listen to us more, and magazines will not be as important as it is today or used to be. Hey don't shoot the messenger, it's what I found from my dissertation lol. Evidently, brands are taking more consideration now, I mean where's the MAC/Rodarte collection? Not what I wanted but I’m just saying.

How do you get your inspiration for your posts?
Inspiration can come from anything, from problems I face to problems friends face, or simply just nature. I once did an eye shadow tutorial of the sunset, simply because it is so beautiful.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?
I’m currently a final year student (its over in two months, so cant wait) so working on Uni work, or working on some sort of marketing or PR project as I freelance every now and then. Another part is socialising, which I adore doing.

Describe a typical day in the life of Wande.
Wake, read the bible on my iPhone, or meditate on something I read. Check and respond to emails, check Facebook, check Twitter, check You Tube, check blogs that have been updated. On Uni days obviously I go to lectures, which is normally followed by some blogging event. Then off home to work on uni work of some sort. Check Twitter, and check and reply emails again. That's the cycle till I go to bed at crazy o’clock.

What are your favourite glossy magazines?
Vogue, Grazia and Elle

Name five blogs that you read religiously.
Mouldy Fruit, London Beauty Queen, Dulce Candy, Lipglossipping and Beauty Fulfilled. Goodness that was hard. I read hundreds on blogs though.

How do you see your blog evolving over the next two years?
Hmmm I haven't really planned but I hope to do more personalised posts and be more reader inspired.

You can read Wande's blog.

Follow her on Twiter.