Immigration reform has to get done.

That’s why Murdoch and Bloomberg joined together to create The March for Innovation, or iMarch, an online forum that includes Twitter town halls and pressure from citizens through social media to get politicians to hear their voices in support of immigration reform. The president’s campaign apparatus, reconfigured as Organizing for Action, is supporting iMarch as well as the former California governor.

Supporters took to Twitter Wednesday to announce the launch of iMarch.

RT if you agree: This is not just a debate about policy—it’s about people. #iMarch #ImmigrationNation, twitter.com/whitehouse/sta…

— The White House (@whitehouse) May 22, 2013

— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) May 22, 2013

This is my first-ever Vine message. Here’s some reasons I support comprehensive immigration reform: vine.co/v/b9wYdjXi7Pn #iMarch

— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) May 22, 2013

Be part of this historic movement and join the virtual march for immigration reform. #imarch #immigration twitter.com/luisfortuno51/…

— Luis Fortuño (@luisfortuno51) May 22, 2013

Immigration reform has seen a largely bipartisan push as the so-called Gang of 8 senators crafted legislation that was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and now heads to a vote from the full Senate.

Asked why immigration reform is seeing a push that has even surpassed the McCain-Kennedy effort from 2007, longtime reform supporter Rep. Luis Gutierrez says the reason is clear.

RELATED: Analysis: Can the House torpedo immigration reform?

“November 6th — there was an election — and clearly there was a mandate of the people and the Congress, unlike on guns and when it comes to the budget and unlike so many other issues, is being responsive,” Gutierrez said on HuffPost Live, Wednesday.

AOL co-founder Steve Case, who has testified in front of Congress as well as Steve Jobs’ widow also added to the chorus of politicians pushing for reform on Twitter.

MY VIEW: Don’t Let Top Talent Leave the U.S. on.mash.to/12ui8RO #Immigration Join us! #iMarch And please RT!

— Steve Case (@SteveCase) May 22, 2013

Jose Antonio Vargas, a journalist who came out as undocumented in a New York Times article, and has emerged as a passionate advocate for immigration reform, announced that he will use Reddit’s popular “Ask me anything” feature to bring attention to iMarch.

I’m doing @reddit #AMA at 4p ET for #Marchforinnov. Come and ask hard questions about #immigration and @defineamerican #iMarch

— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) May 22, 2013

Creators of the iMarch campaign are banking on Americans to use social media to pressure politicians to support reform and as of Wednesday afternoon, nearly 12,000 “actions” had been taken on Facebook and Twitter to push for immigration reform.

“Yahoo has a very recent history of mismanagement, and I think it’s a pretty typical case of a dying brand buying a ‘cooler’ one to revive itself,” said Tumblr user Abel Iraola, who works in Congress.

“If they play it like Google with YouTube and make changes gradually, this is a partnership that could work out; if Yahoo goes all out to monetize Tumblr, adding ads, charging a premium for certain features, and going out of its way to block gifs, clips, and music for legal purposes (which form the backbone of the community), then it will find itself undergoing an exodus very fast.”

In a statement posted to her own Tumblr blog, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said Yahoo isn’t looking to wield a heavy hand. “We promise not to screw it up,” she wrote. “Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going.  We will operate Tumblr independently.  David Karp will remain CEO.  The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve.”

RELATED: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg unveils pro-immigration advocacy group

Dee Trillo, a fashion blogger who uses Yahoo and Tumblr, says the partnership can be beneficial for both, because Yahoo will use its resources to help expedite improvements to the Tumblr interface while Yahoo will be able to reinvent itself in the social media space.

“They have been the outcast and this might be their chance to target a major audience via a powerful player as Tumblr,” she says.

Monica Vila, The Online Mom founder and NBC Latino contributor, says the move is a great one for Yahoo.

“When I first heard about this acquisition – I thought it was a brilliant business move on the part of Yahoo,” she says. “For a while and more since Marissa Mayer took over the helm – I couldn’t help but think that its aging community was a giant threat to its growth. Tumblr brings millennials and an increasingly savvy mobile user base – both of which are so important to the future of Yahoo.”

Karla Campos, who runs a social media marketing agency, says that as  Tumblr user, she thinks the acquisition will be OK as long as Yahoo doesn’t overreach.

“I think it is a good thing that Yahoo purchased Tumblr, hopefully they don’t start messing too much with the interface,” she says. “I think they should leave the user experience as is but add features. The article I read talked about new advertising opportunities that will develop with the buy which I think is good because people are always looking for ways to monetize their blogs.”

Jessie Nuez, a tech blogger and founder of The Wired Family, says too many people have been hitting Yahoo’s Mayer, formerly of Google, when they should be looking at what she brings to the table.

“I think people need to separate Marissa Mayer from Yahoo and see what she has accomplished in her career. As a former product manager, Marissa Mayer knows what it takes to create, build and grow a successful product and drive individuals to create their best work; just look at all that she accomplished at Google,” she says.

“Yahoo isn’t dead, it has lost its way and needs someone to steer them in the direction of continued success,” she adds.

RELATED: Bill Gates takes back World’s Richest Man title from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim

It was striking to watch accomplished news anchors and reporters as the manhunt for the Boston marathon bombers unfolded.

They were in Copley Square, only 5 miles away from where events were rapidly unfolding in Watertown and across Boston. They had outposts of reporters in every corner of the city and cameras would cut to each one with commentary from experts, interviews with bystanders, images of the police in action.

And it was also evident that the denouement was coming. Mayor Menino had already lifted lockdown and transit restrictions in some areas and evidently the entire law enforcement team was focused on one spot: A winterized boat parked in a backyard where the suspect was clearly hiding. Helicopters with infrared technology had confirmed that indeed the suspect was there.

Then something novel happened.  “Apparently, the suspect is in custody – Boston Police just tweeted that message,” a voice on my TV said.

While this was clearly a win for Twitter, it was remarkable for another reason.

The events of the past week have highlighted the power and lightning speed of the social media world we live in. From the immediacy of the information as it happens, to the successful outreach by FBI who released suspects’ images, appealing to the public, and which Twitter and Facebook alone multiplied times 1000.

And it is not without hesitation that we cheer these accomplishments. Just as the news was effectively shared, so is the lesson to our children that every act or word posted online has far-reaching and permanent consequences. And the importance of using platforms for good, to connect and share the everyday things we are grateful for, such as family, friends and government officials who can work in tandem to bring a horrific event to conclusion so the healing can truly begin.

“We’re doing it because of all of these industries are colliding and converging in different ways,” he says, in his always-impassioned trademark way. “So they say I have to be pretty crazy to try this,” he adds, laughing.

Ruiz uses the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival (SXSW) as his North Star, his guide, for what he wants Hispanicize to be. So this year he has added a journalist track, to make the conference more robust, but also because he says he believes it goes hand in hand with his mission.

“For journalists in these days of furloughs and layoffs, this is about helping them revamp their skill set and adapt to make it something they can thrive in,” he says. “I have friends sitting on trophies of awards, but they got laid off or got their three months notice. This is about making it worth it for them.”

The journalist showcase will feature Soledad O’Brien as well as talks from Hispanic journalists, in a TED-style, insightful way. There will also be social media, photography and video workshops as well as a State of Hispanic Journalism in 2013 session.

Inspired by the way creators bring their apps to SXSW and jockey for attention, Ruiz invited Andrew Quarrie to debut his new app for journalists, Jurnid, which he calls the world’s first social marketplace for journalism.

“It’s a social network aimed at journalists and news lovers,” Quarrie says. “It allows them to publish their content for free or to charge.”

Quarrie says the app will feature the now commonplace nuts and bolts of a profile page and tools for sharing to Facebook, Twitter and more, but will also allow journalists to mentor students in journalism school.

Quarrie says Hispanicize is a great place to debut his app because of the nation’s transforming demographics.

“The landscape of America is changing,” he says, adding that Latinos in journalism are a great audience for his app. Another reason is because he wants to put Miami on the map when it comes to innovation.

“Miami doesn’t get to shine,” Quarrie says. “People take their app to Silicon Valley or SXSW, but this has a chance to help the startup community down here.”

This is exactly what we’re after,” Ruiz says. “This is the Latino trends event. We want things to trend.”

But while a spotlight on journalists is what’s new, Ruiz says the main ingredient of his secret sauce has always been Latino bloggers and the sessions that connect them with brands.

“It’s about having all these influencers, putting them in the right setting and having them amplify their voices,” he says.

This chance for connecting with Latino influencers is why Procter & Gamble has come on as title sponsor and General Motors, Coca-Cola and Target are in as well. Pandora will fuel the music festival portion of the event.

Amid a sea of panels, Ruiz says a “Searching for Cesar Chavez” session, presented by the American Latino Museum, is one of his favorites. It will “look sincerely at why Latinos continue to fall short in major leadership positions and the implications for our culture.”

He believes more Latino leadership would stem the tide of the negative portrayal of Hispanics in the U.S. “People get away with trashing Latinos in a way that you would never see with other groups,” he says.

Ruiz is also extremely proud of a growing film showcase which will feature Mission Park and Filly Brown before its national premiere and includes actors Lou Diamond Phillips, Edward James Olmos, Gina Rodriguez, Vivica A. Fox and more. Part founder, part marketing machine, Ruiz says he also has a couple surprise “A-list” guests set to take part.

A contest called “El Buen Pitch” will see agencies with experience in the Hispanic market vie to create a marketing plan for nonprofit PADRES Contra el Cáncer (Parents Against Cancer) as well.

The event will also honor Latino social media pioneer Louis Pagan, who passed away suddenly in February at the age of 41, with the first ever Louis Pagan Positive Impact Award and an educational fund for his two children. While Ruiz doesn’t want to share the first recipient just yet, he says it will be someone who is a positive force in the Hispanic community and calls the individual a kind-hearted person more interested in giving than anything else.

Ruiz hopes the April Hispanicize showcase serves as yet another reminder to companies across the country that Latino consumers and creators are energized and expect to be taken seriously.

“The tipping point has been reached,” he says, picking up speed. “It is the time and the place for anyone with talent, for anybody who can produce content, to be their own outlet. Brands, organizations, individuals — if you put your time to use producing content with a coherent approach you will be able to make a living.”

Note: NBC Latino is a sponsor for Hispanicize 2013.

The organization is dedicated to “preserving California’s future through the stabilization of [the] state’s human population focusing on the “overpopulation and the environmental impacts of ‘too many people’ throughout the world.” This mission statement has led them to take on the issue of illegal immigration.

Marilyn Deyoung, chairman of the board for CAPS, was interviewed by Cuentame, a Latino social media advocacy organization, which posted the video on Youtube.

“A baby can join a gang and then commit a crime, a baby can drop out of school and become a criminal, a baby grows up,” she said about immigrants. “The DREAM act is dangerous, children of illegal aliens who were brought here under this stupid birthright citizenship visa.  They’re not getting into the depth of whether they’re communist or whether they’re drug smugglers or had felonies or had been in prison or anything. They know how to game our benefits — they’re on food stamps, they go to the hospital, get free education, free medical care.”

Many of the more than 100,000 people who saw the video expressed outrage on Cuentame’s social media channels as well as on Youtube.

Jo Wideman, executive director of CAPS, told NBC Latino Deyoung’s comments do not reflect those of the organization and that she is no longer a spokesperson for them.

“Her views expressed in that video are not views of the organization,” Wideman says. “Her comments were unfortunate, the video absolutely does not express the views of our organization.”

While Wideman stressed that Deyoung is no longer a spokesperson for CAPS, she is still listed as chairman on its board of directors in financial documents and on its website.

Wideman said that the organization has a new website going up in a month that will more generally go back to their roots focused on the impact of population on the environment. “There are too many people in the United States. If amnesty is enacted, millions more people will be able to come,” she says, adding that it will affect the poorest of the poor in the country.

The National Council of La Raza said CAPS can say their concern is the environment, but that it is actually an anti-immigrant group.

“This is part of the same network of anti-immigrant groups which go back to one man — John Tanton,” says NCLR spokesperson, Lisa Navarette, of the man behind FAIR and NumbersUSA. “CAPS was not founded by Tanton but umbrella organization U.S. Inc. has funded CAPS.”

Each group has their niche, according to Navarette. “This group claims immigrants are bad for environmental reasons, but inevitably, one of their members comes out with problematic opinions on race and ethnicity,” she says. “Even Glenn Beck has called CAPS kooky,” she adds, invoking the former Fox News personality.

CAPS released a video this week taking on John McCain for his work on the bipartisan “Gang of 8″ Senators working on immigration reform.

David Leopold, the former national president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and current general counsel for the organization, says non-profit organizations have to be careful with taking sides in political debates.

“It’s an important question — nonprofit groups should not be engaging in partisan politics,” he says. “The rules that govern are complicated. They can lobby on Capitol Hill but when it comes to endorsing that would be a line being crossed. They can criticize John McCain, but on the substance of issues.”

Wideman says the organization is nonpartisan and careful to toe the line and the reason it can release ads about John McCain is because legislation for immigration reform has not yet been introduced.

“You have to be very careful about grassroots lobbying and attempts to influence legislation or the public,” she says. “There is no legislation pending. We try to be very careful. For us it’s about how many people are coming in, not who is coming in.”

Cuentame’s founder Axel Cabellero says he doesn’t believe Wideman’s reasoning.

“This is what these pro-nativism, anti-immigrant groups do,” he says. “They push an agenda predicated on lies, hate and misinformation and when confronted – they backtrack. Say it wasn’t them – like kids, except their words harm people — the real lives of immigrants and Latinos.”

Wideman says her organization is not anti-Latino, but acknowledges that statements like Deyoung’s may rear their head again.

“From time to time you may hear someone make an unfortunate comment, but that is not our organization’s view.”

Most-Followed Latinos on Twitter

1) Shakira

Thanks to you hundreds of thousands of children will be protected in times of need. bit.ly/ShakHQBS @UNICEF—
Shakira (@shakira) February 22, 2013

Shakira is the ninth-most followed person on Twitter, settling in nicely between Britney Spears and Ellen Degeneres, and the top person on this list with more than 20 million followers. She recently used her social media influence to start a UNICEF World Baby Shower in lieu of gifts for her approaching pregnancy. Even after she gave birth to little Milan, she kept the initiative going, and when it concluded said she was thrilled that “over 80,000 children will be protected from polio, almost 200,000 oral rehydration salts sachets will be distributed in times of need, [and] the 3.8 tons of therapeutic food collected will save many children from severe acute malnutrition.”

2) Cristiano Ronaldo

3) Jennifer Lopez

4) Bruno Mars

5) Kaka

6) Selena Gomez

7) Demi Lovato

8) Pitbull

9) Alejandro Sanz

10) Ricky Martin

Top Politicians

1) Senator Marco Rubio 

I don't understand #nfl anymore. If RB can't lower head what do they do, take on tackler with chest? profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/14/nfl… #c'monman—
Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 15, 2013

With more than 350,000 followers, the Florida Senator certainly has a platform to spread the GOP’s message, but he’s just as likely to sound like a fan when discussing the NFL, baseball or college sports. In the tweet above, he laments a rule change where running backs would not be able to lower their heads to deliver a hit to an oncoming challenge, adding a “c’monman” hashtag for added effect.

2) Mayor Julian Castro

3) Governor Susana Martinez

4) Senator Bob Menendez

5) Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

6) Senator Ted Cruz

7) Rep. Joaquin Castro

8) Gov. Brian Sandoval

9)Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez

10) Rep. Raúl R. Labrador

Latino issues and organizations

1) SpanglishBaby

The Benefits of Bilingualism for Kids with Special Needs buff.ly/YoMd2K #bilingualkids #langchat #edchat #flteach—
SpanglishBaby (@spanglishbaby) March 19, 2013

Often, Latino issues are seen as beginning and ending with the immigration debate. While it certainly resonates with many Hispanics across the country, there is so much more. SpanglishBaby, founded by Ana Flores and Roxana Soto, seeks to serve parents who want their children to be bilingual and bicultural. SpanglishBaby serves as a resource for parents and the duo also wrote a book, Bilingual is Better.

2) Voto Latino

3) Latino Museum

4) NCLR

5) Immigrant Archive Project

6) Latino Rebels

7) Cuentame

8) Latinos in Social Media

9) Pew Hispanic Center

10) Hispanic Business

NBC Latino on Twitter

Lists are shameless, so why not drive it home by listing how you can connect with the NBC Latino team on Twitter?

1) NBC Latino

2) RealAdrianC

3) TheNininsky

4) PenaChristian

5) NBCNewsAlcon

6) KristinaPuga

7) SandraLilley

8) IgnacioTorres 

9) BettyCortina

10) JacquellenaC

“HABEMUS PAPAM”

— william levy (@willylevy29) March 13, 2013

New Pope is Cardinal Bergoglio from Argentina — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 13, 2013

“God bless Pope Frances 1 . He will be needing all the blessings in the world, with so many negative feelings,” wrote Christina Ramirez on NBC Latino’s Facebook page. “It is an honor to have a Latin Pope……2 thumbs up.”

The Pope’s middle name is ‘Mario! ‘That’s a sign. Can’t go wrong with a name like that… #Catholic — Mario Lopez (@MarioLopezExtra) March 13, 2013

Vatican panders to Latino vote today, but Pope Francis is just like his predecessor. Old school, stuck in medieval times. #SoyRebelde — Latino Rebels (@latinorebels) March 13, 2013

The pope is Spanish! Representing the Latino population!!✊

— Dilan Espinosa (@dilan_espinosa) March 13, 2013

A Latino pope feels like such a political move. Like when politicians learn spanish on the fly to “reach out” to us. #SaveYourself #latism

— Tracy Perez(@Tracy_Perez) March 13, 2013

A Jesuit and Latino pope for the first time ever!

— Bryan Valladares (@BWEEZYBIRD431) March 13, 2013

“The world seems to be getting closer by choosing leaders of ‘the new world,’” commented Juan Fabian on Facebook. “Catholicism needs leadership during these years and it feels good a new pope comes from Latin America. We have our challenges on this part of the world and it’s a new angle of mindset.”

The digital divide, which can be defined as the disparities between those who have access to the resource of the internet, was much more pronounced in 2009. Then, the internet use rates of Latinos were 64 percent, compared to 80 percent for whites. Now the share of Hispanic adults who say they go online at least occasionally has increased to 78 percent. Comparatively, whites are only at 87 percent. This means the digital divide has been nearly halved in just three years.

“Latinos are not only closing the digital divide, but on somewhat newer technologies like social networks, accessing the internet from mobile devices and owning a smartphone they are quickly matching whites and blacks,” says Mark Hugo Lopez, the associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center.

An example of another gap being erased and Latinos even surpassing non-Hispanic whites comes in cellphone ownership. Only minority groups are seeing a rise in cellphone ownership as both Latinos and blacks have surpassed whites since 2009. Hispanic ownership shot from 76 percent to 86 percent, while only 84 percent of whites own a cellphone. When it comes to accessing the internet through mobile devices, Latinos stand out again as 76 percent say they go on the internet on a phone, tablet or other handheld device.

RELATED: Report: Latino students are highest users of mobile devices for homework

Another major takeaway from the study was that nearly half of Hispanics live in cellphone-only households. By mid-2012, 47 percent of Latinos lived in such households, while only 38 percent of blacks and 30 percent of whites did. For Lopez, who works as a survey researcher, this news shows him the incredible importance of reaching Latinos through cellphones for polling that seeks to accurately gauge their opinions. This was one of the reasons many believe the opinions of Hispanics were inaccurately assessed leading up to the 2012 presidential election.

But Lopez also says these statistics tell you a lot about Latinos. “It shows the relative youth of Latinos, younger people are more likely to rely on their cellphone than older Americans,” he says. “But it is also a reflection of their mobility, that they choose to go cellphone only.”

In terms of the dwindling digital divide, Lopez says the largest gains have been among foreign-born and Spanish-dominant Hispanics. He says that internet usage rates are leveling off in the 80 to 85 percent range nationwide and this means Hispanics will be able to take advantage of having equal opportunity when it comes to the increasingly-online world.

“There is more of a level playing field than there has been in the past,” Lopez says.

“The other aspect of this is that with newer technology there are no gaps between Latinos and other groups and in some cases Latinos have overtaken or are leading.”

RELATED: Monitoring tech habits as a parent

The lightning-fast transition to mobile technology has left me – and I’m sure a lot of other moms – on our heels. Our perfectly-controlled worlds of scheduled tech time and filtered content have been replaced by an anytime, anywhere mash up of smartphones, tablets and connected gaming devices.

So what is a concerned parent supposed to do? Well, one thing it has taught me is to focus more on being a mentor rather than a gatekeeper. If there is no way to block everything out, then the challenge is to teach good decision-making; to turn our kids into their own gatekeepers. Easier said than done.

Take the case of mobile social networking. My daughter’s first smartphone roughly coincided with the time we let her have a Facebook account. Luckily, I was able to make a deal where all e-mail notifications came to me, and almost 18 months and 500 friends later, she seems to have avoided any serious mishaps.
But like I say, things move fast in the world of technology.

Soon after she got comfortable with Facebook, she wanted a Twitter account, and then Instagram. Then it was cool to SnapChat. Then video-sharing came along with Keek and now Vine. None of these social networks and messaging tools have any controls worth talking about, although many of them are clearly aimed at a younger audience.

For parents, mobile technology has become a game of whack-a-mole, as we desperately try to keep up with all the various apps and communication platforms that are currently in vogue. And for every app that we think we understand, there are five more that we have yet to learn about. The best we can do is keep our eyes and ears open and hope that those lessons on exercising good judgment found a receptive audience.

One of the most important things we can do is to share whatever little we may know with the parents of our kids’ friends. That community is the most important one because while they may not be YOUR friends, their rules and beliefs are going to impact your child when she’s over there playing with her friend. Talk to each other about the importance of filters, the notion that unfettered access to the Internet is not a right and share trends and other links and articles that you find that have helped you continue your parenting journey.

While I still think of myself as a tech-savvy mom, I know my limitations. It’s not about knowing the hardware anymore; it’s more about keeping an open dialogue.

Monica Vila is “Chief Technology Mom,” born and raised in Mexico and co-founder of The Online Mom, the market leader in providing online and off-line tools to make parents of kids K-12 smarter and more comfortable with the technology that touches their family. The Online Mom is a website, an online newsletter, a forum for discussion, a network of certified experts and a social community devoted to promoting a healthy understanding and appreciation for the positive role technology can play in a family’s life.

Ready for it? Well, the 37-year-old Corpus Christi native is actually into …cats!

My commercial for SHEBA® Facebook.com/ShebaBrand premieres in the US tonight! Watch it here: youtu.be/dCLw_zCXrPU

— Eva Longoria (@EvaLongoria) February 25, 2013

In a new commercial for SHEBA cat food, the actress is seen dancing alone in a beautifully furnished house, showing off some decidedly sexy Latin dance moves to the tune of “Come On A-My House” while her grey cat observes his owner enjoying the luxury of being alone.

Dancing is my passion,” says Longoria seductively during the 60-second commercial which premiered Monday night on ABC. “So is my cat …feed your passion.”

Longoria partnered up with the international premium cat food brand in their “Follow Your Passion” campaign, which showcases the passions of cat lovers around the world. And say what you will about her new passion, but there’s no doubt that the Mexican American star has quickly expanded her brand outside acting since “Desperate Housewives” ended in May 2012.

With roles in commercial campaigns for Canon and Lay’s Potato Chips, as well as a new steakhouse, several production projects and an ever-increasing interest in politics, the “GQ” cover girl has certainly become an enterprising business woman and media personality.