Welcome to Women Who Empower, the new monthly series that celebrates women who use their online presence to empower others. The Women Who Empower series was born out of a desire to use my blog for more than just a few good laughs. I want to make a difference, effect some kind of change in our world and I want to support, encourage and celebrate women.

Everyday women like Tiffany Romero and The SITS Girls.

She’s sassy. She’s sweet. She’s more than just a pretty face.

Tiffany Romero is the fabulous wife, mother, business owner, entrepreneur and creative genius behind SITS – an amazing site committed to encouraging, supporting, celebrating and educating women bloggers.

Tiffany created SITS (The Secret to Success is Support) in 2008 after her search for new blogs to read proved to be an overwhelming feat. Three years later, what started as a blog that encouraged members to spread comment love to the Featured Blogger of the day has evolved into a site sprawling with inspirational articles, educational resources and community-building opportunities.

With Tiffany Romero, Francesca Banducci and Kathy Bouska at the helm, SITS is taking the world of female bloggers by storm; celebrating, supporting and empowering its 8,800+ members each day and becoming a leading resource for women bloggers looking to up their social media mojo.

Empowering women through education, support and encouragement is an integral part of SITS. The site is chock-full of amazing articles that are sure to help women bloggers who are eager to become more social media savvy; whether they’re looking to build a better blog in 31 days, don’t where to start when it comes to learning HTML and CSS, desperate for advice on working with PR companies and brands, or clueless when it comes to SEO (search engine optimization) and making money online. SITS members are also encouraged to share, engage and network with fellow women bloggers in the on-site community forum. The community, education, support and encouragement provided by SITS is incredibly valuable and absolutely free of charge.

But for those looking to network, share and learn alongside their favorite bloggers in person, SITS’ wildly popular Bloggy Boot Camp provides women with the opportunity to increase their understanding of blogging and social media at one of the lowest conference ticket prices around. As the second largest women’s social media event in the U.S., Bloggy Boot Camp promises an intimate and inclusive environment filled with laughing, learning, sharing and networking in major cities throughout the year.

Education, support, boot camps…oh my!

Who knew that Tiffany’s eagerness to discover new blogs to read would become a catalyst in creating SITS and its community of 8,800+ women bloggers! Tiffany Romero found a need, filled it and took it a step further; encouraging women to find their voices and empowering them to become more social media savvy and successful online. I’m absolutely thrilled to be celebrating Tiffany Romero and The SITS Girls as Women Who Empower.

Here’s what Tiffany had to say about some of the common misconceptions about women bloggers, creating SITS and what empowering women means to her:

When SITS was launched in 2008, it filled a great need among women bloggers who were looking to increase their readership and find their tribe, or community of loyal readers who support each other. I imagine that stepping out and creating an innovative organization like SITS was a huge undertaking, one that required an incredible amount of creativity. What inspired you to create a space for women bloggers to meet their blogging goals?

The idea for SITS actually came just 2 months after I started my own personal blog. I was having a difficult time finding new blogs to read and looking through one of those directories seemed impossible. So, the idea that a site would feature a new blogger each day was born.

Women play an important role in every facet of our world. We’re leaders, scientists, educators, law makers, shapers of tomorrow’s generation and we’re taking social media by storm. More and more, women are using their blogs to influence others and effect change in the world. What say you about the common misconception that women bloggers lack focus, creativity and merely blog as a hobby?

I say anyone who thinks that hasn’t sat in a room with a group of bloggers. Lack of focus? How can someone look at the amazing sites, businesses and projects this community is creating and question their focus or creativity? Some of the smartest, savviest, creative and focused women I have ever met are bloggers.

SITS has been in the business of inspiring, encouraging, celebrating and empowering women bloggers for three years; providing them with the tools and support needed to realize their full potential. The positive impact that SITS has had on its 8,800+ members is undeniable. What kind of effect has all this inspiration, encouragement, celebration and empowerment of women bloggers had on you personally? The rewards, I’m assuming, are too great for words.

I couldn’t even begin to explain the rewards of both the virtual relationships I’ve cultivated on SITS and the in-person connections I’ve made through the Bloggy Boot Camps. Never in my wildest dreams {and I dream BIG} did I ever expect SITS to grow into the amazing community of women it is today.

“Empowering women” could mean many different things to many different people. How would you personally define the term “empowering women”?

Encouraging women to find their voice. That voice might be loud and booming or soft and soothing. The amazing thing about blogging is that it’s a space a woman can have for herself. With jobs, kids, husbands, in-laws, dinner and more, we often don’t have much left that is solely OURS. Blogs give us that space to use our voice, to be ourselves – whatever that means on that particular day.

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Tiffany Romero and The SITS Girls are in the business of inspiring and empowering women. Do you have an empowering woman in mind for the Women Who Empower series? I’d love to hear from you. Click on over to the Women Who Empower page and tell me all about her! And if you’d like to learn more about the women who were featured in the Women Who Empower series in the past, just click on over.

{Image Credit: Angry Julie Monday; used with permission and in accordance with the Creative Commons license}