The Social Network of the South

By: Javacia Harris Bowser

They call it a virtual front porch for Southerners and people who love the South.

In 2011 St. Simons Island, Ga., residents Cheri Leavy and Whitney Long decided to launch a Tumblr blog about the South. But with so many Southern-themed blogs out there, Leavy and Long knew they had to find a way to set their site apart from others. In January 2012 they added a weekly newsletter.  In July of that year, inspired by their love for connecting with people, Leavy and Long launched a social network that would allow users to interact with one another.

The Southern Coterie was born.

Better known at The Southern C, The Southern Coterie is meant to be the social network of the South, Leavy and Long say. Through the site users can share blog posts, photographs, videos, recipes and more about Southern culture.

“We have created a virtual front porch for Southerners and all those who love the South,” Long says. “It’s like dropping by your neighbor’s house and chatting but at The Southern C, your friends can be from around the country.  It’s a unique site that offers the opportunity for conversations between a variety of members about a common interest – the South.”

The Southern C is the place for sharing your grandmother’s famous recipe for pimento cheese and learning about the hottest restaurants in Charleston. It’s the place to talk football or find the perfect spot for a seaside wedding on 30-A. And whether you want  to listen to the Blind Boys of Alabama sing their rendition of “Amazing Grace” or just catch up with your favorite Southern blogger, Leavy and Long want The Southern C to be your go-to site.

This year Leavy and Long decided to take the fun offline with The Southern C Summit, a series of conferences for Southern bloggers, brands, and businesses.

“The Summit Series is a live event designed to offer attendees an opportunity to network and develop business relationships, while engaging in meaningful conversations in an intimate setting,” Leavy says. “It is a great opportunity for writers, bloggers and journalists to learn new media marketing to promote their efforts and the seventh largest magazine in the nation, Southern Living, has editors participating and networking in a casual atmosphere.”

The first summit was held in May at Jekyll Island, Ga., and featured panel discussions on blogging, workshops on how to pitch stories to media, and presentations on brand building through storytelling.

“Seeing all of our hard work come together for a successful event was very rewarding,” Long says. “And by successful, I mean people connecting, collaborating and creating together – be it a blogger with a business or brand or a business owner finding out about a quality southern product and now carrying it in their store as a result.”

Long adds: “The educational sessions were top-notch with useful takeaway info on a variety of topics that related to our attendees.  We wanted to make it a truly inspiring and learning event and from the feedback, we accomplished that.”

The next summit is set for Aug. 1 and will be held in Athens, Ga. In October, The Southern C Summit will hit the road and travel to Nashville, Tenn.

Scheduled presenters for the August summit include Southern Living executive food editor Hunter Lewis, Shameka Ayers of the popular blog The Broke Socialite, and Robin Wheeler, a sales lead at Twitter.

“Much like on Jekyll Island in May, our gathering of Southern creatives in Athens offers invaluable opportunities for creating connections and collaborations with others all while networking with other knowledgeable, inspiring and successful women,” Long says.  “We have once again assembled a talented and qualified team of speakers to lead the educational sessions and panels so attendees will leave inspired and ready to take their blog, business or brand to a whole new level.”

Learn more and register for The Southern C Summit here.