2013 DIGIFAM SPEAKER: Emily Broutian

This is a series of interviews with the speakers of Digital Family Summit 2013, October 11-13 in Baltimore.
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Emily Broutian is a 10 year old writer and blogger phenom.  She’s been writing ever since she was 5.  At that time her stories were about a girl and a dog, but now she has many different stories to tell.  She also loves doing arts and crafts, and loves reading books.  Her parents give her the best presents for her birthday.  This year it was her blog, which she wanted since she attended BlogHer  in New York with her mom.   She blogs about her life at XOXO Emily.

website: http://www.xoxoemily.com

How did you get involved with blogging?

My mom is a blogger. I started out by guest posting on her blog and making videos for her. It’s much nicer to have my own blog because I can write about whatever I want.

What’s your favorite technology to help you blog/write/tweet/edit?

I love iMovie because it’s an easy way to edit movies and make them look pretty. I organize my time with CalPad, it’s a calendar app that you can use for blogging and personal schedule, and it has tasks that remind you what to do every day.

What blogs do you read regularly?

I’m not allowed online much so I can’t read blogs but I read a lot of books.

Any advice for young bloggers?

Baby steps. Start small and build from there. Anything can be an idea for a blog post, take lots of pictures and videos.

What do you think is the greatest opportunity for digital teens today?

Meeting new people that you wouldn’t be able to meet in real life.

What’s the biggest danger facing digital teens & their families today?

Don’t give too much of your personal information because you don’t know who is reading your blog.

What are you going to talk about at the conference?

I would like to tell others about why and how my blog changed my life and how it made me better at writing and video-making.

What’s next for you after the Digital Family Summit?

After the Digital Family Summit, my parents are taking me to two vacations (Mexico, Switzerland). I’ll be blogging about both of them and the new stuff I learn along the way.

Who are your Creative Heroes?

Santa? Just kidding. Besides my mom, there’s someone on YouTube who makes funny but very interesting videos, her YouTube channel is Vi Hart. I would love to be able to make videos like her, some day.

Do you have any hobbies other than digital media creation? What are you passionate about?

I could spend hours reading a good book. I collect bouncy balls. I love swimming. My favorite sport is knee dodgeball.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 Adam Gertsacov is the co-founder and co-organizer of Digital Family Summit.  He wears many hats, including those of a professional clown, an author and publisher, an artist/educator, a non-profit administrator, a P.T. Barnum impersonator, a flea circus impresario, and the esteemed hat of the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland.