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Social Media Strategy

This is in response to a student’s SMART goals for a social media campaign.

Hi, Student,

The strategy you developed here is well-done. You wrote, “create engaging content on all forms of social media because each platform has different functions and various users that could potentially become interested in the company’s products and services.”

Although this is an ambitious goal, unless you have a team to post, reply, analyze, and report, it’s difficult to devote the time to make this goal achievable. On Hootsuite, you can post to several sites at a scheduled time. But their fees are unaffordable for small companies. This week, I cancelled a premium upgrade on WordPress for $96, because our nonprofit members didn’t pay dues this year. See http://wijsf.org 

That’s not a lot of money but to a nonprofit with little income, it’s a lot. We can’t pay a SM team, so the burden falls on me, the director, to get it done. I have 25 students with two assignments each week. In seven days, I grade 50 assignments. I must read, digest, and respond to each student, intelligently. Rarely do teachers get paid for the time they devote to grading. Luckily, I don’t have face-to-face classes of one to four hours. But grading takes up at least four hours of my time five days a week.

I post about my company on several social media sites. I cut and paste messages and wait for responses. However, I don’t have the time to analyze each post. The post sent to 449 members this month is – PAY YOUR DUES – so we can pay our graphic designer who spent hours from January to June to create our publications that are printed and online at http://issuu.com/joancartwright 

As the editor of each article, I don’t get paid a salary. I’m literally working for gratis, which becomes tedious. The customers I aim to retain are 449 members who may not have $75 for dues (increased from $60 in the past three years). We promote women musicians who struggle, financially. My challenge is to continue what I do for free or stop altogether. After 18 years of fulfilling this mission, do you think I should continue or quit? 

Fortunately, my daughter picked up the SM banner by posting about our organization on social media. But she doesn’t analyze the data, which is an important component of the SM process.

Please excuse my rant. What do you think about this real-life business scenario?

In your feedback to Brett, you mentioned having celebrities promote the new seasonal product. Does every business owner know a celebrity willing to promote their product?

You mentioned hashtags to Sofia. Just this week, I had my son search my hashtags – #joancartwright and #divajc. He’s known me all his life and he was astounded by the number of entries that came up.

Did you see my announcement “So many sites, so little time” with 47 social media sites? There’s no way I can post on all of them. Could you?

So, SMART goals must be achievable. I think you get the picture.

Thanks,

Dr. Cartwright

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Moving!

Last year, 2024, was a continuous journey! On May 16, I traveled from Atlanta, GA, to the Bronx, NY, from my daughter to my son. I flew to LaGuardia Airport and my son, and his daughter picked me up. I stayed with them for two weeks in the Bronx and enjoyed time with my great grandson Enzo (3). I returned to Atlanta on May 29.

On June 11, I packed my car and drove to Delray Beach, Florida, where I stayed with my dear friend Lydia in her home until July 1st, when I moved into my friend, Roberta’s condo, where I stayed until September 2, 2024. I taught a class online for SNHU and got to spend time with several of my Florida friends. Also, I attended the memorial of my dear friend Ernestine Ray at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center (AARLCC), in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

On September 2, 2024, I drove to Sanford, Florida, to get the autotrain to Lorton, Virginia. I was too late for the train that day, so I spent the night at a Comfort Inn, and boarded the autotrain the next day at 2 p.m. I arrived in Lorton the next day at 9:30 a.m. First, I visited my childhood friend, Diane, in Woodbridge, Virginia. Then, I drove another hour to Waldorf, Maryland, to my cousin Veronica’s home, where her mother Ginny was staying.

On September 25, I drove to Pittsburgh, PA, for the ASALH Conference. There, I spent four days in an Airbnb with my granddaughter, Muki. Both of us presented at the conference in the Omni Hotel with playwright Herman Levern Jones and his wife Carolyn.

Then, on September 29, we drove back to Charleston, South Carolina, where we attended the soiree of noted artist Jonathan Green. That night, we drove to John’s Island, South Carolina, where we spent two nights with Glenda. On October 2nd, we drove on to Atlanta, Georgia, where I stayed in an Airbnb for three weeks, while we produced the first Musicwoman Festival in East Point, GA. See details here https://wijsf.org/festival/musicwoman24.htm.

On Monday, October 21, I set out for Charleston, SC, again, and attended Jonathan’s weekly soiree. That night, I went to Glenda’s on John’s Island. The next day, I had lunch with Dr. Delores Walters on James’ Island. On Wednesday, I had lunch with Sophia Dovier, Jonathan’s young intern. Immediately after lunch, I drove to Chadbourn, North Carolina, where I spent two nights with Mike and Patti. In Whiteville, NC, I had my car inspected and renewed my registration. On Saturday, Patti and I drove to Myrtle Beach, SC, to Kohl’s and we had lunch at the Crab Shack, on the water, which was delicious and delightful.

On Sunday, October 27, I drove to Woodbridge, Virginia, where I had dinner with Diane and her daughter Anisha, and her children Darius and Nicole, at the steakhouse. Yum! Then, I drove to Waldorf, MD, where I stayed with Ginny and Veronica. My childhood friend Diane came for dinner on my birthday, December 7, 2024. Ginny and I attended a Christmas program in Alexandria with Amy Bormet on piano and the Vaughn Ambrose Big Band.

On December 16, I drove to The Bronx, NY, to spend the holidays with my son, Michael. This was the first year I spent up North in cold weather in a very long time. I had not seen snow since January 1996 in Switzerland. The temperature dropped to 10 degrees, and I was freezing, after nearly 40 years of hot weather in Florida. It snowed in Waldorf, MD, and accumulated 16 inches, and they had to be shoveled out!

On December 26, I drove up to Hartford, Connecticut to spend two days with Jodylynn, our graphic designer for Musicwoman/Musicman Magazines. We had dinner with Kiki and Jeff, who introduced us in 2014, after I met them on the Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean cruise, where I sang for 28 days.

I returned to Waldorf, MD, on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, where I got to spend time with Veronica and Ginny, in frigid weather.

Then, I drove back up to New York, again, on Sunday, January 26, to Mt. Vernon, NY, to live with Aunt Carrie, godmother of my first grandson, Robert Logan. During that trip, my odometer registered 10,000 miles. When I first left Atlanta on June 11, it only read a little over 4,900 miles! So, I drove 5,100 miles from June 11, 2024, to January 26, 2025.

Whew! What a year 2024 was!

After seven weeks in Mt. Vernon, I was set free from being a caretaker on Friday, March 14, 2025. I drove to New Brunswick, New Jersey, where I spent three nights at an Airbnb, decompressing. The following Monday, I drove to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I spent a week with my friends Carla and Lovett Hines. I got to visit my alma mater, LaSalle University, which has really grown. Spending time with Carla was so much fun as we reminisced about our friendship from 1976 to 1982, when I moved back to New York for two years. Though we only saw each other once from 1982 until 2025, our friendship never faded.

On Sunday, March 23, 2025 (R.I.P. Trubble Funk), I began the trek to Louisiana. I stopped for the night in Roanoke, Virginia. The following morning, I went to get an oil change at the Hyundai dealership. That was a great experience because they serviced my car and didn’t charge me! Christmas in March! From there, I drove to Birmingham, Alabama, where I stayed at a Red Roof for one night. They had a great breakfast and the room was nice. Then, it was on to Shreveport, Louisiana, where I took the top floor of my dear friend’s home. I’ve been there ever since. I like this town, probably because I really don’t have to drive even a mile to get to all the shopping I could think of and many good restaurants. The home is beautiful, the neighborhood is peaceful, and I am happy! I’m teaching Graphic Design at SNHU and contented.

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All my sites

Here are links to all of my websites:

www.drdivajc.com

www.joancartwright.com

www.musicwomanarchive.com

www.musicwomanmagazine.com

www.musicmanmagazine.com

www.wordpress.com/wordswespeak.com

www.wordpress.com/divineconnectionchurch

https://soyouwanttobeasenior.wordpress.com

https://muse2013.wordpress.com

https://musicwoman.org

https://divadialogues.wordpress.com

https://womenherstories.wordpress.com

https://thenationofwomen.wordpress.com

https://redonionproductions.wordpress.com

https://sherlockholmesed.wordpress.com

https://fyitravelclub.wordpress.com

https://poetryerotica.wordpress.com

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Lessons Learned

In the sixth month of my 76th year, I am reflecting on lessons that I’ve learned recently and throughout my three score and 16 years of life on Planet Earth. Here are some of them:

Live to breathe, breathe to live.

Be fruitful and multiply and love your family.

Ask questions and don’t assume you know the answer.

Find something you love to do and do it ’til you’re satisfied.

Recognize your friends and keep your enemies close.

Before you ask someone, try to do it yourself.

Learn new skills.

Look at the other person’s perspective but keep your feelings present.

Observe and listen.

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Reinvention (2)

The beauty of matter is that it can be revived, revised, reevaluated, renovated, and reinvented. In seven and a half decades, it has been my experience that you can reinvent yourself in many different ways. For instance, I was a student, until I became a mother and a wife at 16. That was my journey, until I became a professional performer. Although I remained a mother and became a wife to three other men, music usurped my time, energy, and convictions. By 40, I was only concentrating on being a musician. I got to tour the world, bringing songs of love, light, and promise to masses of people. However, learning was still in the mix.

At 43, I accepted my Master’s degree in Communication. However, I was weary of studying and writing, so I took off and running to Switzerland, where I concentrated on meditation and music. I met new friends, who offered me new experiences. For eight years, that was all I did.

Upon returning home, I focused on my fourth marriage, which lasted only four years. During that time, I learned about the Internet, designing websites, and uploading photos and music from my past experiences. I went from MySpace to my own website that took a lot of time to build with HTML coding. [http://fyicomminc.com]. I built websites for other artists, authors, and entrepreneurs, earning money to live on.

From jazz clubs, concert halls, school programs, and community events to yacht parties, weddings, and cruise ships, I sang, I sang, I sang, until I couldn’t sing anymore. I visited places that had been posted on my dream board since 1983. I worked with musicians in Mexico, South Africa, Ghana, and 8 European countries. I recorded on four CDs, wrote 14 books, taught numerous college courses, and established a global organization to promote women musicians from 27 states and 21 countries. http://wijsf.org

Yet, I am still in the game. As long as I have breath in my body, I will eat, love, work, and play. I love meeting new people. Here are some of my most recent friends. Life is about loving yourself and others. Stay relevant by reinventing your circle of friends!

https://divadialogues.wordpress.com/2023/11/23/reinvention/
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Recollection

Although dé·jà vu is a feeling of having already experienced the present situation, today, I felt like I was living an experience I once had. That is called memory, remembering, and recollection.

Travel: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

The trains made travel in Europe a pleasant adventure. Most notable are the trains in Switzerland that are first class, even in second class. Travel through Switzerland opened my mind to possibilities. People built their homes high up in the Alps. It is a tremendous feat in my mind.

From the train from Montreux to Lausanne, Switzerland in 2021
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Summertime

While my Florida friends are hyperventilating, I’m sitting in a cool office at the back of our apartment in Atlanta, shrouded by eight tall pine trees, in the shade. It’s actually chilly and comfortable to work in. There’s the sound of traffic – motorcycles, highway traffic, and people. But the still and quiet prevail. Midsummer, I am teaching graphic design and desktop publishing at SNHU, tweaking grant proposals, and listening to podcasts about health, AI, culture, politics, and religion. Just now, the question I heard was, “How will AI overtake my job as a professor?“

At this point in my life, I’m convinced that most students don’t read, write, or construct any new art. They plagiarize and copy photos into their designs without a thought to being original. Some of them put forth the effort to create and their designs make me smile.

Several friends are born this month. So, Leos are in my circle. One grandchild is born on August 20. She’s a kitten evolving onto a woman. She is my daughter’s daughter and we are three of a kind!

Happy Birthday Muki, Tez, Lydia, and Sherry! May all of your dreams come true!

Love

Dr. Diva JC

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The Real Beautiful People: Mixing the Races

As a descendant of a man born in the Bahamas, on an island 400 miles out in the Atlantic Ocean, it’s been difficult to identify many of my relatives. At 75 and 1/2, I met two women at the Atlanta Urban Tasting on June 21, 2023. That was the first day of summer and it’s been heating up ever since.

Uriah Theophilus Cartwright (May 7, 1919 – June 29, 2018) was born on Long Island, Bahamas, to Christopher Cartwright and Mary Deal Cartwright. The history of this island entails the mixing of Taino, African, and European people. The family names include Cartwright, Deal, Fox, Knowles, Sims, Turnquest, Glinton, Major, and several other nomenclature from the United Kingdom. The European men took their turn at producing children with native and imported women. My great grandfather, Richard Cartwright was the governor of the island for some time. He was known for drinking up the wealth of the family up, while fathering 36 children. That would equate to over 500 cousins as my mother would pronounce, regularly. [Photos: Carlton G. Cartwright].

The product of my grandfather’s shenanigans was a horde of beautiful people. Some look like they are Indian, some look Italian, some look Asian, everything is in there. So, it’s time for a family reunion.

Every photo of every person has a story. So, I’m starting here, and hope to finish with a beautiful Family Reunion on Long Island, Bahamas, at my cousins motel, Sam’s Place, in Sims.

On Long Island, Bahamas, Mary Jane Deal married Christopher Cartwright, the son of Governor Richard Cartwright, son of William England Cartwright, Sr. Chris was one of 36 children fathered by Richard. He was one of the four eldest brothers, according to my father Uriah. Mary and Chris had five sons, Garfield, Carl, Uriah (or Nat), Forrest, and Nathaniel. The two younger brothers died before the age of 10. Gary, Carl, and Nat moved to New York City, when Nat was only 16.

Nat met Charlotte Shirley Galloway in the Army, in Arizona. They were deployed to Europe. Nat went to Italy and Charlotte went to Belgium. Nat was injured by shrapnel, just before shipping back to the states. He won a Purple Heart for his injury and a Crown Medal for saving someone’s life. They came back to the states and lived in Philadelphia with Charlotte’s mother Harriet Maude Logan Galloway, until they moved to The Bronx, New York. When their first child, Joan Renee Cartwright was three, in 1951, they moved to a house in South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Queens, on Long Island, New York. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

On August 9, 1964, Joan married Peter Joseph Serrano from Puerto Rico, who lived in the Bronx. They had two children, Michael Joseph Serrano (b. 1/22/1964), and Michelle (Mimi) Johnson (b. 12/23/1965). Joan’s offspring produced five grandchildren and six great grandchildren (plus three beautiful girls from my grandson Robert’s wife Tyfanni, whom she adores!)