By Brenda Labbee

January is mentorship month. Typically when we think of mentorship, we think of a professional with many years of experience guiding a high school or college student. Our goal is to help them become better employees once they finish their education. AWM's Atlanta Affiliate has had a mentorship program for five years that has been extremely successful in helping students at nearby Spelman College and Georgia State University gain quality employment. It has been so successful we have students coming to us from other schools asking to be a part of the program.

But mentorship can be just as rewarding for the professionals. The media industry is changing at the speed of light it seems. We have smart phones, streaming, internet radio and TV, Facebook, Twitter. Arbitron and Nielsen show rating declines that affect our media plans and buys. Marketing managers have to change the way they target their consumers. Those students we are mentoring can teach us about new media - because they use it constantly. They can keep us informed on the newest trends and how to reach the younger consumer. At times I think those of us on the backside of our careers can benefit more from our mentees than they do from our lifetime of knowledge.

By Erin Fuller

So, the State of the Union address happened, as is constitutionally mandated, the other night. I have lived in Washington D.C. so long I honestly have no idea what people who live outside of this area do on this sacred evening, but here, it is kind of a big deal. Big deal in that I not only watch the address, but then manically flip from channel to channel to see who has the best rebuttal, spin, interviews with the observers, etc. Only snow gets more media attention here. (And my love of snow coverage will get its own post if and when it ever snows here in 2012.)

And because it is 2012, I also had my phone and iPad in front of me so I could monitor the Twitter and Facebook traffic. (And yes, I am totally aware that this post outs me as a total and complete political geek, but I'm okay with that.)

By Erin Fuller

So many of us focus our resolutions on what we put in our bodies – this list focuses on where I will and won't spend my precious media time. My media-based resolutions have taken a few weeks to develop – clearly setting the stage for some work in 2013 – but here's what I plan to do, not do and celebrate to better advance women in media in 2012. Care to join me?

1) No more "guilty pleasure" celebrity reading. AWM was fortunate to host a screening of the exceptional Miss Representation two months ago with American University's Women & Politics Institute, and the impact of repeated images of famous women underweight, overweight, dressed well, not dressed at all and everything-in-between hit me. I am more than happy to read about great content, creative programming and talented professionals – but I am just saying no to anything beyond that. I will admit that I almost reached for the magazine with the screaming "Broken Marriage!" headlines at the salon last week – but grabbed my Kindle instead.

By Kay Olin

It is only the first week of January and I am already looking forward to one of my favorite weekends all year: judging the Gracie Awards in Washington, DC! What a rich weekend spent with over 75 professionals reviewing such extraordinary programming by, for and about women. Being able to watch the impressive work of women all around the country (and the world!) is truly a treat. Throughout the 48 hours spent judging, there are plenty of cookies, laughs and yes, tears spent on George Washington University's campus while reviewing all the phenomenal entrants. Each judge comes away feeling so proud of the quality of the Gracies and what it means to have touched so many with your contribution.....whether it be though judging or being an entrant!

This all leads up to the 37th Annual Gracie Awards, which will again be held in LA again this May. This event offers all the glitz, glamour, stars and excitement of Hollywood, while also making a meaningful statement about women and their contributions to media today. The Gracies are coveted by the winners and a Gracie statue is truly the best recognition and celebration of the contribution of women to our industry and to the world around us.

By Lisa Nicole Bell

Time management, for most people, is a myth.

There's no such thing as time management. We hear about ideas and systems that are supposed to "manage" time, but time is finite and uncontrollable. Our "management" of time does not create more of it, nor does it stop time from marching on. In theory, we can manage time since we have a degree of control over what we do with it. But in reality, we can only truly manage ourselves and our priorities.

By Ora Wiseman

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing one of this country's most important news figures, Belva Davis - the first black female television journalist in the Western United States. This is important to American history because Davis was hired in 1966 by KPIX Television in San Francisco, California at the height of civil rights movement.

Davis chronicles her fascinating journey in her new memoir "Never In My Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life In Journalism." I found myself glued to the pages of the book as I read about Davis' experiences as a brave reporter during the tumultuous 1960s.

By René Syler

Yesterday was one of those days where my past collided at full force with my future. It started with a call from a broadcast headhunter, peppering me with questions about where I was with my job search.

An hour later I got an email from the Alliance for Women in Media, asking me if I would emcee a panel at their upcoming New York Symposium about how to use social media to market to women. In their letter, they called me a "media executive." I loved it; you would too if you knew my journey.

By Sarah Foss

Last week I had the pleasure of attending AWM's Symposium on Digital Literacy for Women & Girls. Held at Tribune Tower in Chicago, the event shed light on the ever-pressing opportunities and concerns of the new digital world, focusing on emerging (yet expansive) social and mobile media platforms.

While there were a number of speakers who addressed the issue of gender head-on, it was the underlying perspectives on technology that accentuated critical changes in our society and world. As Ms. Rosalind Hudnell, chief diversity officer and global director of education & external relations, of Intel, stated, "There are the technology haves, have-nots, and have-a lots."

By Lauren Darr

It's that time of the year when the summer is winding down and the kids go back to school. Fall is a bittersweet time of year. While it's great having the cool craziness of summer, it's time to settle into the routine that comes with the next season. Fall is nature's time to settle down, change, and prepare the next year. We as women can ride the tide of the season to do the same for ourselves. With this transition, my mind looks forward to several activities that will prepare a strategy for the forthcoming year.

Tuning In

By Amy Lotz

I have had this million dollar idea for more than decade - at least, I think it is a million dollar idea. If I had more of an entrepreneurial spirit, I might even have cashed in on this by now! So here goes...The ALL Spelling Shows TV channel.

Now before you roll your eyes at me... let me tell you why. It would show all Spelling-related TV shows 24 hours a day. Thank about it! This channel would include both Aaron and Tori Spelling material. (For all we know, Candy Spelling might have a new show in the works herself, and that could be also be included).

By Elizabeth Engel

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Philadelphia Eagles Academy for Women, and it got me thinking about how the NFL markets to women.

A little background: I am a long-time NFL fan. Growing up, Sundays meant church, hoagies from the corner deli, and the Philadelphia Eagles. But my mom was the one who taught me about the game. In college, I spent Sundays in the one all-male dorm on campus to catch the games. I lost touch with my beloved Eagles when I moved out of the broadcast area for grad school. But eventually, the NFL Sunday Ticket saved me, and I was able to re-establish my relationship with the team, even launching Snarkin' the NFL, a blog about the Eagles and the NFL, in 2005.

By Layla Masri

From easy computer access to the "passback effect" (parents passing their mobile devices to the back seat of the car to keep children occupied), children as young as age 3 are preparing to take part in the social-media revolution. The good news and bad news is that children are natural socializers and are rarely shy about sharing all sorts of details. While these traits makes them a perfect fit with the social world, such openness and sharing of personal information and photos can be dangerous for children online.

So, how do you provide social satisfaction to children while keeping them safe? The answer is to create "social-networking lite" options within children's favorite online spaces. Here are five clever ways to engage young audiences safely:

By Sarah Foss

What a change a year makes! During the recession, I, and many other executives, wondered...was it just a slight journey off our golden path? Put another way, would we ever get our mojo back?

By Erin Fuller

Like most of us, I have seen the already-iconic Situation Room photo (below) of our government's leadership during the raid on Osama Bin Laden's compound. When I saw it, I immediately flashed to other photos, taken at pivotal times during past administrations. Like this one or this one.

By Debra Puryear

Do's and Don'ts To Advance Your Career in Any Economy

For the Do's: