Welcome home!
Friends,
Welcome to the new home of Smart Girl Politics!
If you’ve been with us for a while, you know that SGP has worn a few different hats over the years: Tea Party organizer; host of Smart Girl Summit, an annual political conference for women; podcaster; blogger; activist; free market warrior; social media goddess. Who can forget our #TwitterBall back on Inauguration Day 2009?
Yes, we’ve tried to serve our wonderful community of conservative women — and men! — in many different ways. After trying some things that worked — and a few that didn’t — we came to the conclusion that the best way to continue serving our Smart Girls (and Guys!) was to get back to our roots. I’ll tell you what that’s all about in a minute.
But first, let me talk a little bit about the origins of Smart Girl Politics.
You all remember late summer/early autumn 2008. Sarah Palin was on the GOP presidential ticket, and boy was she treated horribly (and, let’s face it, is still being treated horribly seven years later). The media snooped through her trash, the Left mocked her, and the so-called “women’s groups” were silent.
A group of us used Stacy Mott’s personal blog, Smart Girl Politics, as an organizing tool to unite the voices of women on the right, aiming to fight back when conservative women were attacked. At the same time, we wanted to help women get involved, whether they wanted to run for office or learn to tweet. Through the years, we’ve helped get the Tea Party started (did you know that Tea Party Patriots started on our old Ning site?), organized six Smart Girl Summits, trained hundreds of activists, built a strong social media presence, and grown an army of seriously fierce women activists.
Fast forward seven years, and SGP is a well-respected and nationally-known brand. But our mission has become unclear; we may have tried a bit too hard to be all things to all people. That stops now. We’ve refined our mission, and have a spiffy new website for organizing, networking and just plain hanging out.
What’s different?
Our website. We’ve tried a few different platforms, and have decided that WordPress will allow us all the functionality we desire and need as a thriving online community.
We also have a new home at www.smartgirlpolitics.com. Our old sites will redirect to the new one, and any email addresses attached to those sites will remain functional.
And we’ll be talking politics. A lot. Because …. Smart Girl Politics.
Will it be all politics all the time?
Heck no. That is incredibly draining (props to people who live and breathe politics — that just ain’t us!). Conservative women are so much more than their politics. We like to cook, read, exercise, go to the movies, watch TV, play sports, watch sports, etc.
Wait, you’re regular women?
Well …. YEAH.
So, what is your mission?
Smart Girl Politics is an online hub where center-right women (and men!) gather to discuss the issues important to them, from politics, culture and religion to health, diet and fitness. And everything in between. We give voice to women (and men!) who are searching for a safe, supportive environment in which to express their opinions.
Basically, we’re an online home for those who’ve been with us all along and the new friends that we’re excited to welcome. While we’ll still hold activities on the ground, our new website — our blogs, groups, forums, live chats — will be our primary focus.
It’s important to note here that Smart Girl Politics has always operated under Reagan’s 80/20 rule, and will continue to do so. There is more that unites us than divides us, so let’s come together on the former and argue the heck out of the latter.
Tell me more about “Engage. Inform. Amplify.”
This is our mission statement broken down into three words.
Engage. This is what SGP does best. We start a conversation, then open it up to all who want to participate. And please don’t wait for us to start the conversation! Feel free to go to our blogs, groups and forums and start your own conversations. And don’t forget to invite your friends to join in!
Inform. We have lots of information and opinions to share with our community members, and we KNOW they have a lots to share with us, too. It’s vitally important that the information flow both ways.
Amplify. More voices, not fewer. We want SGP to continue to be an alternative voice for women, and we all know there is strength in numbers. The Left does not speak for us, so let’s amplify our voices and drown them out.
What about activism? Will you still be doing that?
Of course! One of the great things about being an online group is that it opens up many opportunities to engage in digital activism. We’ll issue calls to action from time to time, especially when elected officials need a good tweet upside the head. And being an online community allows women with busy schedules — basically, every single one of us — to devote as much or as little time they have, and still have maximum impact.
We’ll also continue to work with allied groups to provide “heels on the ground” opportunities for those of you who want to engage in offline activism. Want to go door-to-door in Wisconsin during a snowstorm? We’ll help hook you up!
Are any issues off-limits?
Well, we do take our Terms of Service very seriously, as it’s important to us to maintain a safe, respectful community for our members. We’re committed to being a safe online haven for conservative women who don’t feel welcome on other sites. Our message to those women is: you’re not alone! Please add your voice.
But, in terms of topics, we are open to almost anything.
Something we’ve been asked about frequently are social issues. These can be very dividing, as most of us are very passionate about these subjects, but, yes, please use SGP as a venue to talk about them!
What if we don’t all get along?
We don’t expect everyone to get along. Where’s the fun in that?
Let’s put it this way — we’re not the Left. We don’t expect our community members to march in lockstep and agree on everything. When it comes to conservative women, one size does NOT fit all. But please keep things respectful.
Do you engage in “identity” or “gender” politics?
Please. Just because we’re a voice for conservative women doesn’t mean we expect preferential treatment because of our gender. We don’t.
So, you’re not feminists?
No, we’re actually true feminists. We believe women know what’s best for them and their loved ones, and we have no interest at all in having Big Government take care of us. We can take care of ourselves just fine, thank you.
What if I’m not a girl?
Smart Girls can be girls of any age. Some of our most devoted and active Smart Girls have been grandmothers who are concerned about their kids’ and grandkids’ futures. And our Smart Guys have been incredibly supportive over the years. So, by all means, join us!
Will Smart Girl Summit continue?
We hope so, although there are not any plans right now to hold a Summit in 2015.
Okay, I’m in. How do I get started?
You have several options:
1. Read the blogposts.
2. Leave comments on blogs (we use Disqus, so you don’t have to register on our site to comment).
3. Participate in the groups and on the forums.
3. Suggest a new group.
4. Start a topic in the forums.
5. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter, In the Loop.
6. Share our content with your family, friends and colleagues.
7. Suggest ways to improve the site.
8. Participate in our live chats. We’ll have a schedule up soon.
9. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
