• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content

Raul Colon - photographer, digital marketer & writer living on the beach in Puerto Rico.

I support causes by supporting individuals.

  • My Photography
  • Puerto Rico’s Beaches
  • Hire Me
  • Get to Know Me
  • Talk to Me

Only 1 Race the Human Race #keynote @edwardjolmos #hispz11

April 22, 2011 by Raul Colon

Edward-James-Olmos-and-Raul-Colon Only 1 Race the Human Race #keynote @edwardjolmos #hispz11

Today is Good Friday and given the teachings I received from my religion teachers, it is a day to relax and reflect. No work is to be done in cultures like Puerto Rico where Catholicism still has some type of influence mixed with other religious beliefs. Although I was brought up around Catholic mentors which have helped me throughout my life, in many ways I try to be more spiritual than religious.

Reading @ricky_martin’s book Me helped me understand the difference in between being spiritual and religious. As humans we love to divide ourselves. In 1999 I read another book who made me change my views in many ways. I bought The The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Livingir?t=cis02-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1594488894&camp=217145&creative=399349 Only 1 Race the Human Race #keynote @edwardjolmos #hispz11which was written by the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. The book starts explaining how as humans we divide ourselves in many ways. For example we are from different backgrounds such as:

  • Religions
  • Work for different companies
  • Business owners or employees
  • Favorite Sports Team ( we might have a different one for every sport)
    • Basketball
    • Futbol
    • Football
    • Baseball
    • Hockey
    • Rugby
    • Golf Player
  • Political beliefs
  • Countries
  • Cities
  • Neighborhoods
  • Families
  • Drive Different Cars
  • Types of Music

I think you all get the point that these lists can be endless but there is one thing we all have in common like for example:

  • Being Human

While at Hispanicize I had the opportunity to Listen to @edwardjamesolmos at his Keynote and his message was very profound. He started making an emphasis on the importance of speaking various languages and uniting ourselves by embracing as many languages as we could. His speech quickly brought to my mind the lessons I learned many years ago by reading The Art of Happiness.

http://twitter.com/#!/rj_c/status/56388774036385792

http://twitter.com/#!/rj_c/status/56388912746205184

Edward is a great activist fighting for rights of Latinos using the influence he has earned to protect human rights. The quote that had the most weight was when he stated “There is only one Race & it is the Human Race”

http://twitter.com/#!/rj_c/status/56391231319707648

DSC07498-1024x574 Only 1 Race the Human Race #keynote @edwardjolmos #hispz11

As humans it is our nature to divide ourselves. It becomes powerful and apparent with tools such as the internet. We can see how people are divisive from location and geographical barriers. Edward was very vocal on how as Latino’s we call ourselves a race and we are not. I see how many supposedly try to unite groups by dividing and I really think they are missing out. People who are out to destruct because they have a fear in collaborating or being in disagreement with someone. The most common situation are people doing unethical things that can be borderline illegal just to catch an audience. Some firm believers that any PR is good PR.

http://twitter.com/#!/rj_c/status/56391263729106944

I was so amazed by Edward’s keynote especially when someone from his generation embraces technology as a tool for all humans to stay ahead of the game. It is great when you have someone taking care of his own without excluding other groups and has the mind set to make sure he is using the right tools and technology to do a better job at it.

http://twitter.com/#!/rj_c/status/56395000837181440

I had the opportunity to talk to Edward for a quick minute and thanked him for his speech and for concentrating so much of a great message in less than an hour.

So today no matter what your religious belief is, work on building something even if your religion does not allow to physically work; build ideas on how you can unite those around.

Make sure you focus on building things with those that have common interests it will make it easier for you to complete any task at hand.

So like Mr. Edward James Olmos said don’t forget that “There is only one Race & it is the Human Race” ~@edwardjolmos

Make the best of this day and enjoy the time you have here on this earth with the people you have around you by making a difference.

Unite Unite Unite


Photo Credit by @papiblogger and Hispanicize.

Interview by our Friend @terezagarza from ChecaLAmovie.com

 

Filed Under: Featured, Professional Development Tagged With: Conference, events, Hispanicize, Human Rights, Politics

Pacing Myself!

April 17, 2011 by Raul Colon

5115357554_65bac3ffee_z Pacing Myself!

I have always gotten myself into trouble for not Pacing Myself. I remember that a full year after getting out of Initial Entry Training (IET) for the Army I had to do a PT test. I remember while at IET, I was running two miles in less than 10 minutes and 30 seconds which for was a huge accomplishment. A year later I had not been running or training as I did in IET so I ended up running the first 400 meters as if I was going to bring my two miles to less than 9 minutes. Reality was that I hit a wall and ran out of steam and couldn’t finish my run. I decided to train hard for the next Physical Training Exam in a month. I took my savings and reached a deal with a personal trainer at my gym to train me for the next 3 weeks.

The Importance of Pacing Myself

I was able to get back on track finishing the two miles in less than 13 minutes. I finished with highest running time for my age group. I failed the initial test  because I was not being able to pace myself.

More than a week ago when I presented at one of my sessions at Hispanicize, I ended up speaking fast and going through my presentation at lightening speed (as always). Thanks to my good friend @jaqcarly who was telling me to slow down, I did just that, slow down. Although I had some glitches in that first session, it earned me a business card with the message, “Awesome Presentation” .  I think I need to work on my presentation skills.

When I compare my presentation to my failed IET running time, I am able to find many reasons why I think I talk fast.

  • I want to keep the momentum going. I see too many people who are lethargic when they speak. On the other hand,  I guess if people can’t understand what I am saying, my message won’t get across to them. I am going to have to slow down and find a way to emit the same energy.
  • Cut down on the material I wanted to share. Usually I have loads of information I want to share. I am going to have to focus on the key points that will resonate with my audience.
  • Move around. Everytime I get stuck in front of a Podium, I end up trying to release my energy in another way (which ends up making me talk fast). I guess if I can walk around and release my energy, it might slow down my pace.

Besides speaking fast, another place where I still need to improve a bit more is on my writing. I need to pace myself and at least write a few posts a day so I can continue sharing my ideas with readers like you.

I will be working hard on improving my flaws and have learned many things from speaking at Hispanicize where I took the stage 4 times.

Is there anything you do that I can improve to pace yourself? Any Advice?

Do you need to pace yourself at something?


photo credit by familymwr

Filed Under: Featured, Professional Development Tagged With: Army, Blog, Blogging, Hispanicize, Military, Speaking, Writing

Blogging Does Pay Off!

April 6, 2011 by Raul Colon

4462985171_b2b3ef1350_z Blogging Does Pay Off!

People might think that writing for a blog or creating posts on your blog might not pay off. Honestly if I wrote on this blog to make money I would have stopped the very first months I started the blog. I started this blog last year at the end of May when I finally decided I needed a place where I could share my ideas while expressing myself from my standpoint.

I had written many posts in the past for other blogs with the purpose of teaching others and most of my posts where tutorials. I started this blog was to express my random thoughts that where not aligned to a specific subject.

I have inclined myself towards some topics more than others but at the end I am still trying to figure out what you want as a reader. I experiment every once in a while with various topics making sure my point of view stands out.

Posting With A Purpose

Every time I write a post I do it with a purpose. Those purposes vary with current events around me, the world, my online community, and many other factors.

I write this blog to share my thought and ideas with you the reader.

Today I can say some of the readers like yourself have given me a great opportunity to be part of the Hispanicize Conference not only as an attendee but as a Speaker and Moderator to some of the sessions.

The session I am moderating today will focus on Communispace’s Hispanic Identity Project, a research project conducted to better understand the growing U.S. Hispanic population, and its findings.

My Payback from Blogging

One of the payback’s I have gotten from writing this blog was the Payback of you taking time to read my posts whenever you get a chance. I really appreciate that over all the other content there is online, TV, Newspaper, Magazines, Books, and other channels you choose to periodically come by and read about my experiences and my thoughts.

I have to clearly say that the biggest PayBack I have received other than having you as a reader of my blog is having you as part of my community. My blog has enabled me to reach a new audience that little by little they have been become part of my close community of online friends. For those of you that read the blog thank you and even a bigger thank you for those that go the extra mile and leave a comment with your thoughts.

Thanking you for stopping by and I hope count on your support by following along the #hispz11 hashtag on twitter since I am sure this opportunity will link a fe readers like you from my existing community on my blog to the new relationships I plan to strengthen and establish during this conference.

Any other suggestions on how you and I can take better advantages of this opportunity and others?


photo credit by aless&ro

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Tagged With: Blogging, Hispanicize, Return On Investment

10 Tips to Get Ready for Hispanicize

April 3, 2011 by Raul Colon

3788770627_160d40bf4b_z 10 Tips to Get Ready for Hispanicize

1. Bring all the necessary tools: If you need help with mobile applications, we invite you to take a look at 10 applications that might be helpful for the conference and choose the ones you might find useful.

2. Review The Sessions: It might help if you familiarize yourself with what each one offers you. Choose a few prior to attending the conference and if you want to stay on track of what is happening, you can download the schedule to iCal (on MAC) from Lanyrd.com for our conference. The founders of @lanyrd activated this feature as a special request as an option to download Hispanicize sessions with just a few clicks. A big thanks to @simonw and @natbat for their help.

3. Connect with people online: Search for our official Hashtag on Twitter #hispz11, see who will be attending, speakers, and what people are talking about online. Creating twitter lists for this event will help you connect with new people.  I have included my personal lists of speakers. If you will be attending or speaking and have not been included in the list, please let me know.

  • Attendees
  • Speakers

4. Keep the Energy Going: Everytime I go to a conference, I get so involved in learning and connecting with people, I forget to eat or even drink water. With all of the talking you may be doing, make sure you Drink plenty of Water. Keep hands clean and carry hand sanitizer; you will be shaking hands with everyone.

5. Set Goals for the day and make them easy to accomplish. For example:

  • Introduce yourself to at least 10 people
  • Make a post on one of the sessions
  • Meet someone with a different background
  • Identify one business opportunity

6. Keep Track of Time: When we are having fun or are wrapped up in conversation, we might lose track of time. If you are speaking make sure you set the appropriate alerts on your devices (electronic reminders are always helpful). If you don’t want to miss out on anything set up your electronic calendars to sync with all devices.

7. Step out of your comfort zone: Participate in a session out of your area of expertise. Learning something new it might spark ideas on some of your current projects.

8. Be Human: I have seen people in conferences running around like programmed robots going from session to session missing out on the hallway conversations and the great people that are at the conference. Take a breather. If you are about to miss a presentation and are having a great conversation with someone, arriving a few minutes later (unless you are the speaker) might not be a bad idea. Remember Relationships are gold and networking should be a priority (at least in my book) for an event like this one.

9. Be Presentable: There are cameras everywhere  and pictures will be posted all over the internet. So make sure you leave your chancletas and rolos at your hotel room. Remember that first impressions and dressing for business, will help you stand out.

10. Back Up Power: Buying an external power device for your cellphone is a good idea. You don’t want to stay stuck to a wall and miss out on networking because your device has no juice left. I personally recommend  a Mophie charger for your iPhone because you don’t have to carry an extra device and its protects your phone. ( Review of the device). There is also an external mobile power pack called the Juice Pack powerstation that appears reliable.But feel free to buy one of your preference.

Any other suggestions or tips on getting ready for Hispanicize? Share them on twitter using the #hispz hashtag and start the tweet with Tip:

Ex. TIP: To save money, bloggers can share a room! #hispz11

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/hispanicize/statuses/53266577721790464″]



photo credit by KaileeCrip

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Conference, Hispanic, Hispanicize

10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize Conference

March 31, 2011 by Raul Colon

Screen-shot-2011-03-27-at-12.08.11-AM 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize Conference
Post was originally published in Hispanicize Blog
Based on my latest experience during South by Southwest I want to share apps that enhanced my experience and that I will be using for Hispanicize. In my opinion these 10 apps might be helpful if you have them on hand before you get to Hispanicize.

Pre-Conference

lanyrd-512x512-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceLanyrd will allow you to see who is speaking or attending a conference or event by using your twitter contacts. It facilitates in identifying your online contacts and helping with the opportunity to meet up at an event as long as that contact has registered on the application as attending or speaking. You can also use this app during the conference to stay up to date on what is happening. If you are attending and want to see those that are speaking or attending take a look. lanyrd.com/2011/hispanicizeconference.

You can also download the full shedule with just a few clicks at lanyrd.com/2011/hispanicizeconference .

Finding Interesting Topics and Your Way Around

36_494034_a6f3e15a5eea742-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceFoursquare is a great application for letting people know where you are located. In a conference it can also serve as a tool to finally meet people you interact with online, meet your Foursquare friends, win badges, and more importantly learn about offers and specials from local business around the venue. (e.g. best deals on places to eat, drink specials, or stay). Keep your contacts on fourquare and where you linked it to (e.g. Facebook and/or Twitter) up to date on your whereabouts.

Gowalla-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceGowalla is full of fun things to do and it is practical.  I really like that it also Syncs with Foursquare so you can update both . Challenges are given to you depending on the location with the opportunity to pick up items. It’s huge practicality is as a navigation device on your phone to get from point a to point b. Keep an eye out for tips left by other users on what to do and where to go

Communicating

mzi.yoxtvdlc.175x175-75-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceBeluga pods is a private way to stay in touch online. Works with accessing the app with any phone or browser. Very similar to the Blackberry Messenger but with more capability and not limited to one type of device.

Perfect for spontaneous plans while helping you keep up with all your different circles. Real time alerts using iphone push notifications. I have been using it for many things and to definitely keep in touch with everyone even on my day to day.

hootsuite-for-twitter-iphone-ipad-app1-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceHootsuite will give you the opportunity to monitor lists to stay up to date on what people are doing. Allows you to search by hashtag (conference) from people that are at a 10 or 5 mile radius.

By limiting your search to those that are around you and it helps connecting you with new people.

Networking

1292255199.usr105634-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceHashable is a fun and useful way to track your relationships and quickly keep track of people you met and where you met them by sending them your virtual business card.

If You ran out of business cards or forgot them this is one app that will get solve your problem.

mzl.izgiwjdg.175x175-75-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceIBizcard you can use the iphone app as a creative application.

Use it as a name tag or send your contact info via email with very few steps. iBizCard shows your contact information in large type on your iPhone or Touch

 

Sharing Media

mzi.wtkovhrq.175x175-75-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceBump™ makes sharing with people as simple as bumping two phones together. Just pick what you want to send, then hold your phones and gently bump hands with another Bump user.

And now, you can message with your friends who aren’t near you — just add them as a friend inside of Bump and start messaging immediately.

Instagram-App-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceInstagram allowes you to take pics and share them via twitter, facebook, tumblr, flickr, and posterous. Post as many photos as you want. Provides artistic filters to apply to your photos.

Ability to check into foursquare when you post a photo from a location

 

101215_LiveShare_icon_F_512x512-150x150 10 Apps To Get You Ready for Hispanicize ConferenceLiveshare Start a photostream for any occasion and invite friends to share photos.

Watch everyone photos flow in real-time.

 

Did I miss any of your favorite apps? Feel free to share in the comments area?

Filed Under: Events, Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Conference, events, Hispanicize

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »
Search
  • Puerto Rico's Beaches

  • Privacy Policy

  • Puerto Rico's Revolution Photos

RAULCOLON.NET RUNS ON THE GENESIS FRAMEWORK & POWERED BY WP ENGINE
SQUEEZED & SWEETENED BY LIMONADE INC.

All Rights Reserved.

COPYRIGHT © 2019 Raúl Colón Photographer & Activist