Tumblebrag

From Hispanic social media organizations to news and culture hubs, influencers and bloggers to online Latino initiatives, the world of Latino social media has only grown in the past year. Statistics and buzzwords aside, the Hispanic space is populated by professionals and platforms that affect the lives of many Latinos online.

Below I’ll provide a work in progress A to Z list. If you think you (or your organization) should represent a letter send me an email at adrian.carrasquillo[at]nbcuni.com or a tweet @RealAdrianC. I want to include the choices that best reflect the players in Latino social and digital media. This is version 1.0. 

A– Axel Caballero: The founder of Cuéntame (“Tell Me” in Spanish), a social site with a robust social media presence, has found an audience for his brand of bringing Latinos together through a focus on activism, immigration and video submissions. You may or may not agree with the “Latino Instigators” but there is no question that they have gained a foothold and a following online.

B- Being Latino: Being Latino calls itself “a communication platform designed to educate, entertain and connect all peoples across the global Latino spectrum” but most people call it a fun place for Latinos to comment on what’s going on that is relevant to U.S. Hispanics.

What separates Being Latino, which has become a force on Facebook, is the engagement from its fans and the conversation it engenders. On Twitter the hashtag #BeLatino has gained popularity among influencers who know that if BL can be a voice on Facebook, there is no reason to bet against them elsewhere on social media.

C- Latinos in College:  The organization, started by Mariela Dabbah, seeks to assist Latino students and their families in choosing schools, finding funding and succeeding in college. Goals that anyone would find worthwhile are buoyed by their focus on social resources. Videos like “Job vs. Internship” and a recent webinar series which began by explaining the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, are helpful for any students but aimed at Hispanics.

D- Dad Bloggers: Manny Ruiz, known as the Papiblogger, is one of the few dad bloggers in a world ruled by mommy bloggers. The man knows social (see H) and has taken cross-country trips with his family the last two years, chronicling them via blog, photos and video.

Over at Papá Heroes, Raul Colon and Rick Lipsett founded a site that looks at the risks technology poses to children and parents in this day and age.

E- Elianne Ramos: The one thing the repetitive Hispanic social media articles get right is that Ramos is a social media powerhouse. She is the megaphone, and part of the braintrust, behind Latinos in Social Media (See L). But it is her hosting of Twitter parties, through the #LATISM hashtag, that sets her apart from everyone else — Hispanic and general market social media alike.

The “parties” every Thursday at 9 p.m. ET are really conversations on all types of serious topics pertaining to Latinos. One week it might be religion, the next week it might be education and the following week it might be about how Hispanics can become entrepreneurs. No matter the topic, the issues are worthy of conversation and Ramos presides over it all, firing off questions and keeping it going well into the night.

F- National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts: Founded by actors Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga, Esai Morales, Merel Julia and attorney Felix Sanchez in 1997 the NHFA seeks to advance the presence of Latinos in media and entertainment. The foundation provides scholarships to Hispanic students and has partnered with Being Latino and the National Council of La Raza for activism and initiatives for Hispanic causes.

G- is for Blogs, Bloggers and Blogueras: Blogs by Latinos and blogs addressing Hispanic issues further established themselves in 2011. Blogadera is a compendium of 487 Latino blogs (as if 1/3/12) and a great place to start to find Hispanic bloggers.

Latina Bloggers Connect, started by Ana L. Flores, is a vast resource for finding and connecting with Hispanic women bloggers. Flores is also the founder of Spanglish Baby, a particularly resonant and popular blog in this multicultural age.

H- Hispanicize: Think a Latino Mashable with the heavy hitters behind the scenes to connect Hispanic bloggers with big brands for business and marketing purposes. Latino social media veterans Manny Ruiz (founder) and Louis Pagan (content manager) are intimately involved and a conference in Miami in April seeks to be bigger than ever. A Latino Film Showcase and professional development program are two of the events on tap. 

I-Immigrant Archive Project: Tony Hernandez, the owner of Latino Broadcasting in Miami, founded a project that is the true definition of a labor of love. An immigrant from Cuba, Hernandez family came to the United States when he was a child and his moving story became the impetus for him to start IAP.

The project puts a camera in front of immigrants who tell their stories. As Hernandez says, “What clearly unites us is the immigrant experience. Everyone knows what it’s like to say goodbye to their family members.”

J- Julio Ricardo Varela: Varela is a top social media voice who hosted the Social Media Disruptors panel during the LATISM conference in Chicago, a fit that couldn’t have been more perfect. Julio maintains a blog with a distinct editorial voice, something that he doesn’t shy away from. 

But what separates the founder of “Latino Rebels” from many bloggers lies in what he told the assembled group during his panel. He said that he often tries to take the next step with his posts that cover everything from Mexican car controversies to Puerto Rican politics and do some extra research and reporting to back up his opinion. Because blogging is his passion and Latino social media channels are his weapon, Varela makes this list and is an example for others who have the same resource at hand.

K-Klout: Klout may not only be a Latino social media tool but its founder Joe Fernandez is Hispanic and the self-described “standard for influence” had a coming out party in 2011 thanks to his stewardship. 

I have an interview with Fernandez coming up soon. Feel free to email or tweet me questions you would like me to ask (adrian.carrasquillo [at] nbcuni.com or @RealAdrianC.)

L- LATISM: The influence of Latinos in Social Media is clear by  the way it is interconnected with many of the other mentions on this list. But LATISM’s focus on tangible initiatives — social media for social good — foster an environment for it to continue to resonate through 2012 and beyond.

And of course there is one of the pillars of Hispanic social media, the aforementioned #LATISM conversation on Twitter which connects online Latinos with stories, culture and issues that interest the community.

M- Mami Bloggers: Latina Mom Bloggers, a sister company of Hispanicize, seeks to connect female bloggers with each other and with brands. Founded by Piera Jolly, Angela Sustaita-Ruiz and Eva Smith, the venture is another example of Latinos connecting with mainstream brands.

N- New Futuro: A mid-2011 entrant to the Latino digital space has a great chance to succeed because of its focus on an issue Hispanics are passionate about: Education.

With articles like “Fillin’ in a FAFSA” and “5 great tips for your scholarship search” the site seeks to be a bilingual resource to both parents and students in their journey towards the right college.

O-Over-indexing: The 2011 buzzword in Latino social media was, unfortunately, also the 2010 buzzword.

Statistics and studies indicate that Hispanics are online and use social media above average levels but in 2012 it will be interesting to see the tangible ways that Hispanic social media is used. At least those are the stories I’ll be looking out for.

P- Politics Resources: With the 2012 campaign season getting underway in January, there are some interesting Latino political sites and organizations to be aware of. Daily Grito, founded by Alicia Menendez, is the “Latino take on politics and media.”

Café con Leche Republicans are a new group that are staunch Republicans but feel strongly about changes in immigration policy within the GOP. VivirLatino, a political blog in its fifth year, is also worth mentioning.

My wonderful colleague Sandra Lilley will also be spearheading politics coverage for NBC Latino and tagging me in from time to time to help out.

Q-Questions at Twitter Parties: LATISM isn’t the only organization that has used Twitter parties to start a conversation around a certain topic. In September, Being Latino held one in conjunction with State Farm where they discussed small business entrepreneurship and the types of insurance coverage needed to get started. Latina Mom Bloggers held their own ViveMejor (Live Better) Twitter Party on December 16 with a dermatologist, a chef and nutrition expert and a celebrity stylist to talk beauty and cooking tips for the holidays. There is no doubt that 2012 will see Twitter parties become a bigger and bigger part of Hispanic social media initiatives. 

R-Lance Rios: Some might call him the hardest working man in the Hispanic social media space and they wouldn’t be too far off. Rios founded Being Latino in May of 2009 and has worked to make the organization “socially relevant” as their tagline reads.

The big news for 2011 was that Being Latino partnered with Manny Ruiz and Hispanicize to create a strong alliance between two of the top organizations. In a personal win for him, Rios partnered with Planet Pit, Pitbull’s official website. Rios who is a big fan of Pitbull, can count these strategic moves as his biggest partnerships of 2011 and there will undoubtedly be more in 2012.

S-SaludToday: Salud Today is a blog that seeks to make “a connection to improve Latino health” through articles, videos and their social presence. One article took a look at sugary drinks and how they are marketed to Latino youth. Salud Today also covers the issue of Hispanic health by writing stories on worthwhile initiatives. Check out the video on the ‘Comer Bien’ (Eat Well) video series which hopes to curb obesity among Latinos.

T- News Taco: Sara Inés Calderón is one of the founders of a Latino news, culture and politics site that drops the occasional dose of sarcasm into its headlines. News Taco sprang from the idea that Calderón and co-founders Victor Landa and Carlos Guerra had no place to go for Latino information that totally satisfied them — like a taco would. 

U-Urban Jibaro: George “Urban Jibaro” Torres launched Sofrito for Your Soul in 1997, one of the first Latino digital sites to aim to help the Hispanic community. 

When it comes to tangible efforts from online Hispanics, Torres is one of New York’s best with a toy drive, artists showcase, Latino job board and many more initiatives to his name.

V-Voto Latino: The line between social and grassroots has become blurred and a nonpartisan organization that seeks to empower youth to register to vote is increasingly using social media to make impressive inroads online.

Voto Latino’s “Be Counted” Census campaign leveraged Twitter to trend in the top ten globally and to become a top five non-profit Youtube channel.

W- Pew Hispanic Center: The Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet and American Life Project have become great resources to keep track of Latinos in the U.S. and their attitudes on an array of issues.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project has also provided interesting snapshots of Hispanics and their online habits, mobile use, etc.

X- is for Xcellence: Can you tell we’re reaching the end here? The White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics has been a part of an increased push by the Obama administration to focus on education among Latinos.

But the initiative has leveraged social media by tweeting from @HispanicEd and taking part in a Twitter party with #LATISM and answering questions and taking comments from the community. 

Y- Young Latino Network: The Young Latino Network, started by Jose Feliciano Jr. is a nice group out of Ohio that seeks to give young professionals in the Latino community the opportunity to come together, network, mentor and volunteer.  

The Latino Professional Network out of Los Angeles connects college students and Latino professionals towards the same goals. 

Z- Rather than try to shoehorn Zebra or something else random to make sense, I’ll round out the guide with a few others who I would have liked to include above:

Frankie DeSoto: His SolPersona blog is “a study of marketing to Hispanics and online media” and an example of how quality content can make you an up and coming expert. 

Latin Blah: An online magazine focused on bicultural Hispanics.

Latina Lista: “The Smart News Source” has been around since 2004 and I often come across their content on Twitter.

Maria Burns Ortiz: A Latina in the social media sports world would be rare enough. She also happens to be very good. 

Let me know what you think about the guide on Facebook or on Twitter @RealAdrianC.