If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, you need to watch this video!

Mom Spark Media’s Amy Bellgardt is just like you. She’s a woman who now owns a successful business — Mom Spark Media — but she started out blogging about products that her family loved on her blog — MomSpark.net.

Amy shares how she started reviewing products on her blog and more!

To find out more about Mom Spark Media:

• If you are a mom or dad blogger, apply here.
• If you are a business in need of Mom Spark Media’s services, find out more here.

Join Mom Spark Media’s Twitter Party on Fitness at Home with @GaiamTV on Thursday, February 23 from 8-9 p.m. EST.

You can see Amy’s video here.

Do you enjoy exercising at home?

Gaiam TV offers hundreds of streaming fitness videos that you can access right from your home computer, smart tv, iPad or iPhone! Gaiam TV works for busy schedules because you can watch videos at your convenience.

Join us Thursday, February 23rd at 8:00pm Eastern on Twitter at #GaiamTV as we discuss the fitness at home with Gaiam TV! We’ll also be giving away a TON of prizes, including a yoga prize bags with Gaiam yoga mats, gym bags and more!

RSVP and get more details below. Learn more about Gaiam TV, including how to get a free trial, at www.GaiamTV.com!

THE DETAILS:

TOPIC – Fitness at Home

TIME – Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 8-9 PM Eastern (7-8 PM Central, 6-7 PM Mountain, 5-6 PM Pacific)

HASHTAG – #GaiamTV

CUSTOM TWEETGRID – http://bit.ly/wOJbvj

PANELISTS – @MomSpark, @MomSparkMedia, @Gaiam, @GaiamTV, @makobiscribe, @DagmarBleasdale, @PrincessTimeToy and @HaleyTweetsToo (follow everyone before the party!)

PRIZES:

Five Gaiam Yoga Gift Bags that include:

• Sol Shakti Rubber Yoga Mat
• Grippy Yoga Mat Towel
• Everything Fits Gym Bag
• Cork Yoga Bricks
• Three-In-One Strap & Sling

*Winner must be a USA resident and MUST be present at the Twitter party to win! Not sure how Twitter parties work? Email us at momsparkmedia@gmail.com for help!

In “Muted. Dreams” – Antonio Brown details his childhood of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to protect him the most. For years he suffered in silence, forced to accept a nightmare childhood. But today, as an adult, he can help give power to those children facing this under-reported, under-recognized and under-treated plight.

Did you know:

• Every 13 seconds a child is abused
• It is estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will have experienced an episode of sexual abuse while younger than 18 years
• Child sexual abuse can happen anywhere, to anyone in any neighborhood, in every religion, across all racial boundaries and ethnic group
• Most children are abused by someone they know and trust, although boys are more likely than girls to be abused outside of the family

Join us Thursday, February 16th at 8:00pm Eastern for a very important Twitter event with Antonio Brown on child abuse awareness and prevention. We will also be giving away several Amazon gift cards and more. RSVP and get more details below.

THE DETAILS:

TOPIC - Child Abuse Awareness

TIME – Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 8-9 PM Eastern (7-8 PM Central, 6-7 PM Mountain, 5-6 PM Pacific)

HASHTAG – #protectachild

CUSTOM TWEETGRID - http://bit.ly/zsft6B

PANELISTS - @MomSpark, @MomSparkMedia, @AntonioisMuted, VerbalFirstAid, @SMWomen,  @AnnMarieNieves and @HaleyTweetsToo (follow everyone before the party!)

PRIZES:

• 5 winners will win an eco bag and $10 Amazon gift card prize pack

*Winner must be a USA resident and MUST be present at the Twitter event to win. Not sure how Twitter events work? Email us at momsparkmedia@gmail.com for help!

Going to the event? RSVP HERE! List your “name” as your Twitter handle (i.e. @MomSpark) and your url as your Twitter web address (i.e. http://twitter.com/momspark)!

If you were online yesterday, you probably noticed that many sites were blacked out in protest of SOPA, and lesser known, PIPA. Many bloggers joined the protest.

Google ran a black box over its logo. Wikipedia blacked out for 24 hours and urged users to contact their representatives. WordPress and Reddit ran a protest pages on their homepage followed by a call to action for people to email Congress in protest of SOPA. Twitter and Facebook ran as usual. No large, black protest pages on these sites. In addition, many bloggers ran “Stop SOPA & PIPA” banners on their avatars. Some bloggers “blacked out” their blogs for the day in solidarity.

What Will SOPA Mean for Bloggers?

If you are a blogger you’ll want to learn more about SOPA. Your online life could depend on it.

SOPA is the Stop Online Piracy Act or H.R. 3261, introduced in the House of Representatives. The bill was introduced by the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Representative Lamar S. Smith (R-TX) and a bypartisan group of 12 sponsors of the bill. SOPA is a sister law to PIPA, the Protect IP Act, introduced in 2008.

If passed, SOPA will allow U.S law enforcement agencies to shut down sites that infringe on copyrights. But what does that mean? And how will SOPA affect you as a blogger?

As bloggers, you write about what pleases you, what irks you, what you love, what you hate. Your posts can be heartfelt and original. Bloggers are content creators, primarily. But, bloggers also post content from other sources. Bloggers post funny tweets from celebrities. YouTube videos. Excerpts from newspapers. In short, while bloggers are content creators, they are also content borrowers who give credit where credit is due. SOPA would mean that if you post copyrighted material your site could be shut down for copyright infringement.

Bloggers, along with millions of Americans, oppose the restrictive parameters of SOPA. So who is opposed to SOPA? This video featuring a number of well-known bloggers including @theBloggess, @JessicaGottlieb, and more, explains SOPA and how it will affect bloggers, writers, and content creators.

America is hot bed of creativity. From a college guy creating Facebook to the creation of other sites, America is at the forefront of content creation. So who is in favor of SOPA?

Piracy and copyright infringement cost businesses about $775 billion annually, per the Copyright Alliance. According to CNET, Hollywood is very firmly behind SOPA. The film and TV industry wants to protect its copyright on media it releases. So-called “rogue” sites in foreign countries steal copyrighted content, like film, TV shows, and music. It is very hard to prosecute those outside the United States.

There is no denying that SOPA will mean that if a blogger posts copyrighted content on her blog, the blogger could have her blog “shut down” by U.S. law enforcement agencies. Facebook posts, newspaper excerpts, photographs, song lyrics, and even YouTube videos posted on blogs would be against the Stop Online Piracy Act.

Companies against SOPA

The list of companies against SOPA and PIPA continues to grow, but includes:

Online Services and Websites

• AOL
• ebay
• etsy
• Facebook
• craigslist
• Reddit
• Tumblr
• Twitter
• FourSquare
• Google
• Linkedin
• Mozilla
• PayPal
• Wikipedia
• Major League Gaming
• BuzzFeed
• Creative Commons
• DreamHost
• Hostgator
• OpenDNS
• Yahoo
• Scribd
• Vimeo

Advocacy Groups

• ACLU
• American Center for Law and Justice
• American Library Association
• Brookings Institute
• Consumers Union
• Heritage Foundation
• MoveOn.org
• National Association of the Deaf

For a complete list of organizations, groups, and individuals opposed to the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, go here.

So Who Is for SOPA?

Who supports the Stop Online Piracy Act?

• Disney
• Marvel
• CBS
• ESPN
• Viacom
• VISA
• ABC
• Capitol Records
• Church Music Publishers’ Association
• Estee Lauder Companies
• Go Daddy
• Fraternal Order of Police
• Motion Picture Association of America
• NFL
• Pfizer
• Random House
• Time Warner

Be Heard

Want to lend your voice? Sign the Google “End Piracy, Not Liberty” online petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA. Sign the petition to let your voice be heard.

Update: According to the Los Angeles Times, three of the co-sponsors of SOPA and PIPA have dropped out as thousands of websites and blogs went dark in protest. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) withdrew his support of Protect IP Act in the Senate, while representatives Lee Terry (R-NE) and Ben Quayle (R-AZ) pulled out of the House bill, SOPA.

Join us Wednesday, January 18th at 8:00pm Eastern on Twitter at #MODAwards as we discuss the upcoming film awards season and the nominated titles available for viewing with Movies on Demand!  We’ll also be giving away a TON of prizes, including a $200 Visa Gift Card, gift cards from Sephora, American Express, Best Buy and more!!

RSVP and get more details below. Also, check out Movies on Demand on Facebook HERE!

THE DETAILS:

TOPIC - Film Awards Season

TIME – Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 8-9 PM Eastern (7-8 PM Central, 6-7 PM Mountain, 5-6 PM Pacific)

HASHTAG – #MODAwards

CUSTOM TWEETGRID - http://bit.ly/wVlUPh

PANELISTS - @MomSpark, @MomSparkMedia, @CTAM, @MoviesOnDemand, @JasonDKing, @annecowan, @FaithfulMomBlog, @SassyScorpYM, @SippyCupMom, @AHelicopterMom and @HaleyTweetsToo (follow everyone before the party!)

PRIZES:

• $200 Visa Gift Card
• $25 Sephora Gift Card
• $25 American Express Gift Card
• $25 Best Buy Gift Card
• Movies On Demand title and studio swag

*Winner must be a USA resident and MUST be present at the Twitter party to win! Not sure how Twitter parties work? Email us at momsparkmedia@gmail.com for help!

Going to the event? RSVP HERE! List your “name” as your Twitter handle (i.e. @MomSpark) and your url as your Twitter web address (i.e. http://twitter.com/momspark)!

THE DETAILS:

TOPIC – Adult Online Degrees

TIME – Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 9-10 PM Eastern (8-9 PM Central, 7-8 PM Mountain, 6-7 PM Pacific)

HASHTAG – #UWCollegeFair

CUSTOM TWEETGRID - http://bit.ly/yDU87N

PANELISTS - @MomSpark, @UWCFA, @UWHWM, @UWSystemeCampus (follow everyone before the party!)

PRIZES:

• (2) $25 iTunes Gift Cards
• (2) Amazon Kindles

*Winner must be a USA resident and MUST be present at the Twitter event to win! Not sure how Twitter parties work? Email us at momsparkmedia@gmail.com for help!

<"text-align: justify;">Going to the event? RSVP HERE! List your “name” as your Twitter handle (i.e. @MomSpark) and your url as your Twitter web address (i.e. http://twitter.com/momspark)!

Is this how you shopped in December? With gas prices skyrocketing, driving from store to store searching for the perfect gift for family and friends is not practical. Shopping from home not only saves fuel, but allows you to find the perfect item at the perfect price.

If you didn’t brave the crowds at your local stores and malls, you are not alone. eMarketer.com predicted that a whopping 148 million U.S. citizens would buy at least one item online. In 2009 just under 70% of U.S. consumers shopped online. By 2015, the number is expected to rise to close to 80%.

Retailers are getting a foothold in to the online market through a variety of incentives. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and even creative social media games are used to attract and retain new online shoppers. One menswear retailer tweeted out secret promo codes to Twitter followers to entice shoppers. Who would turn down a 60% discount? Plus, once a potential shopper follows a retailer on Twitter that shopper is exposed to more deals, sales, and promotions from the retailer.

Mom Spark Media worked with Lands’ End Canvas’ modern, vintage-inspired clothing line this past holiday season. Rather than focusing solely on increasing sales via traditional social media channels, Twitter and Facebook, Lands’ End explored an up-and-coming site, Pinterest. This site is equivalent to a cork bulletin board or a vision board. Pinterest users “pin” favorite photos, fabric swatches, paint chips, and even recipes virtually. Pinterest users can “re-pin” pics of blueberry pies, blue suede shoes, and a dreamy blue party frock to their board to create a collage of items to inspire a home decoration project.

About two weeks before Christmas, Mom Spark Media assisted with a holiday procrastination party as part of the Lands’ End Canvas’ “Pin It to Win It” campaign. Attendees at the #lastminute Twitter party tweeted for a chance to win prizes by retweeting, answering trivia questions, and participating at the party.

For another part of the campaign, Lands’ End Canvas encouraged Pinterest users to browse landsendcanvas.com to create Pinterest boards in the “Pin It to Win It” contest. The contest drew attention to the Lands’ End Canvas site and gave users the chance to win apparel.

Blogger? Learn more about what Mom Spark Media has to offer.

Get inspired for the new year with “Words To Live By” a featured post on Mom Spark’s blog.

Mom Spark Media is proud to sponsor Reviewer’s Retreat ’12. Want to win a Conference Pass?

Mom Spark Media was hired by Lands’ End Canvas for the campaign. The views expressed in this post are those of Mom Spark Media. If you are a brand interested in campaign, for instance, a Twitter party, a blogger review and giveaway tour, or Blog Ambassador Program, contact Amy at momsparkmedia@gmail.com.

Reviewer’s Retreat is the first conference geared specifically toward the issues and challenges faced by bloggers in the product review genre, a topic that is lacking from most conference agendas. Review bloggers, those who conduct product and resource reviews on their site, will converge to take part in sessions on a variety of topics including brand-blogger relations, website design, perfecting the pitch, statistics, photography and more.  This brand-friendly conference welcomes company and agency representatives as building and strengthening relationships between bloggers and brands is one of the conference’s primary goals.

Mom Spark Media has partnered with Reviewer’s Retreat ’12 and will be present at the conference. We are also giving away a FREE Reviewer’s Retreat All Access Pass on Mom Spark HERE. (see other discounts and scholarships in the post as well)

Lands’ End is Hosting Procrastination Destination Twitter Event

Do you wait until the last minute to purchase presents?  Lands’ End is your Procrastination Destination helping holiday shoppers with a Twitter Event on Friday, December 16, 2011 from 10:00 a.m until 2:00 p.m. CST (11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST) at #lastminute.  Participants can tweet along for a chance to win festive prizes, learn about great values, retweet offers and answer trivia questions.  Each hour will also be designated Power Hour –  participants will have the chance to win one $250 Lands’ End gift card for each hour the #lastminute event trends.  Randomly selected attendees will have the chance to win more than 24 great giveaways over the 4-hour period.

Date: Friday, December 16, 2011

Time: 10:00 a.m. — 2:00 p.m. CST/11:00 a.m. — 3:00 p.m. EST

Hashtag/Location: #lastminute

Be Sure to Follow:

@LandsEndPR

@LEPRMolly

@LEPRMichele

@LandsEndPRAdam

@LEPRMariella

Twitter Event Schedule:

Schedule:

10 – 11 a.m: RT Fleece Be with You (Mommies with Style)

11 – 12 p.m: Personalized Presents (Mom Spark)

12 – 1 p.m: RT Presents for Procrastinators (Mom Select)

1 – 2 p.m: Gifts for the Decorating Diva (MomDot/Emily Hendersen)

For more information, please contact: Molly.Hawkins@landsend.com.

Chances are, the children in your life have a long list of toys on their gift lists this holiday season. I know mine do! So, how do you know where to begin?

Join us Thursday, December 15th at 9:00pm Eastern on Twitter at #GetItGuide as we discuss this year’s hottest holiday toys! We’ll also be giving away several Toys R Us Gift Cards, ranging from $50 to $100. RSVP and get more details below. Find out more about the Yahoo! Shine Get It Guide by visiting http://shine.yahoo.com/blogs/getitguide/.

THE DETAILS:

TOPIC – Hottest Holiday Toys

TIME – Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 9-10 PM Eastern (8-9 PM Central, 7-8 PM Mountain, 6-7 PM Pacific)

HASHTAG – #GetItGuide

CUSTOM TWEETGRID – http://bit.ly/viYNG6

PANELISTS – @MomSpark, @YahooShine, @ThriftyJinxy, @amomstake, @agiveawaydaily, @TheShoppingMama, and @HaleyTweetsToo (follow everyone before the party!)

PRIZES:

• (3) $50 Toys R Us gift cards
• (1) Grand Prize $100 Toys R Us gift card

*Winner must be a USA resident and MUST be present at the Twitter party to win! Utah residents are not eligible for wine subscription prizes. Not sure how Twitter parties work? Email us at momsparkmedia@gmail.com for help!