Heather Solos: The Trailblazer
Sassy! That’s a good word to describe a lass whose web site tag line reads: what you wish your mama taught you.
Meet the lady in person and you’ll soon add brainy, beautiful, cheerful and clever to the description. Heather Solos is our kind of enterprising gal. She’s tossed the stereotypes – i.e. “stay at home mom” and “blogger in pajamas” – straight out the window and forged her own new media career while doing so.
In the two years since she and fellow professional blogger “Bad Bad” Ivy Hogan of Tennessee launched Home-Ec 101, they’ve chalked up over one million page views, recognition from Woman’s Day and sponsorship from The National Beef Council and Kraft.
The recipe for success has been a boatload of savvy household advice served up with heaping spoonfuls of wit and a dash of retro charm. Tough economic times have created a need to do more with less for many of us and Heather and Ivy are the go-to gals for reclaiming the lost art of home economics.
For Heather, that means days of field testing product samples, recipes, and cooking strategies in her home kitchen plus writing, streamlining online marketing methods and juggling the management of her own household.
Often this requires her to remind the spouse and kids that her time at the computer keyboard is, yes, real work time. Hey, we can relate!
Today, Heather balances her online writing and social networking with real world speaking engagements such as the Step Ahead web strategies Blogging for Business seminar, the creating community panel at CREATESouth and more. Not bad for a gal who once not just walked but actually ran out of a college public speaking class when her turn was called!
Her work has not only helped draw her out of her shell, it has made her a leader and role model for those who refuse to accept restrictive labels.
Heather didn’t originally set out to become a social networking guru and professional blogger. Way back when, she double-majored in Biology and Biochemistry while working in the restaurant industry (even today, her bookshelf is a mix of meditations on quantum mechanics, cosmology, the comic fantasy of Terry Pratchett, and various cookbooks). It wasn’t until she was pregnant with her first child that her life began to take its unique direction.
For the last several years, Heather has been one of the primary driving forces for cataloging and highlighting blogs, Tweets, and social networking in and around the Charleston area. Her contribution to LowcountryBloggers.com has not gone unnoticed. News agencies across the country are already pointing to it as a model for how to incorporate community voices into a forward-looking regional network of new media information.
In other words, major industry players are catching on to what Heather and friends have been saying for years: blogs, Twitter, and social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn are such powerful communication tools that it’s doubtful a media business could still make do without them.
Her newest project, a natural evolution of her work with LowcountryBloggers, is Social Media Club Charleston, a local branch of a national organization dedicated to sharing new media lessons, encouraging the adoption of standards for the emerging industry, and promoting ethical practices.
Given the rate of change in the online world, it’s hard to predict what new networking tools will emerge in the near future, but it’s safe to say that Heather Solos will be on the forefront of whatever emerges. We’re just thankful to have this plucky lady blazing the trails for us!
Photos and Story by Jason A. Zwiker
imabug said,
yay heather!
Cheryl Smithem said,
Yeah! Heather gets her local recognition! Thanks Charlie! for the wonderful article on Heather. Her leadership and chutzpa are the stuff of the new world of journalism.
James Moffitt said,
This is an awesome article about Heather. I have been blessed to be acquainted with her over the last year and have been amazed at her ability to do so much. Way to go Heather!! Thanks for all you have done.
Vladia Jurcova Spencer said,
This is great article on Heather Solos!
imabug said,
i think it’s supposed to be “Bad Bad Ivy”
Katherine Schneider said,
Way to go Heather. Glad to see your trailblazing cyber work getting some well deserved recognition.
Congratulations!
Dan said,
See that look she’s giving in the picture on the left? When she gives you that look, three weeks later your liver falls out.
Don’t mess with the Solos.
Joan said,
Woohoo! Go Heather!
Jenn Fowler said,
Yes! Heather is a fun and fabulous lady-glad to see her getting some well deserved recognition.
Leigh Webber said,
Woo hoo, Heather! Smart, sassy, talented and a mom! Way to go!
Do I call this one Site Admin or Self-Promotion Saturday? | Home Ec 101 said,
[...] Thursday Charlie Magazine published an article about yours truly. I thought some of you may enjoy the sneak peek into my full color world. Just be glad it [...]
ThatBobbieGirl said,
Heather likes Terry Pratchett! I knew there was something special about that girl…
Mamie said,
Yay, Heather! Love the HomeEc101 site; I’ve learned a lot and have had a blast following the adventures of Heather and Ivy. Glad you’re getting some recognition!
Fawn said,
Love that pic of you at the laptop, Heather. You’re adorable! (Along with sassy, smart, cheerful, etc…)
Kathy Schaubhut said,
A well earned and much-deserved recognition.
Heather Solos said,
Thank you everyone for your kind words. This article was very kind and I appreciate it.
Margo said,
It was very kind, but very true my love. You are all of that and more!!
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