This is the story of how social media and a willingness to connect with people offline can lead to friendship, networking and support in the most unconventional way. This is "A Tale of Two Jaclyn's."
Left-Jaclyn G, Righ-Jaclyn M.
It All Started With Twitter
One day, back in February of 2011, I received an email notification from Twitter advising me that a woman named Jaclyn (from LA who worked in Public Relations) was now following me online. No big deal right? Except for the fact my name is also Jaclyn, I have been an Angeleno for the past 5 years and part of my skill set also entails Public Relations.
"That's a strange coincidence," I thought. "How many more Jaclyn's am I going to meet this year?" After all, one of my current roommates is also named Jaclyn and she spells it the same way I do (which typically does not happen). There's Jacklyn, Jacqueline, Jackline, Jaclynn....you get the point.
Now if your name is John, Sarah, Brian, Mike, or Kristin, I apologize. You have had to deal with name identity theft and replication your whole life but not me, not with a name like Jaclyn. At least, not until recently.
From Online to Offline
Back to Jaclyn G. I started following her back on Twitter. I even connected with her via the blogging site Tumblr and thus an online friendship was formed.
One day, while scrolling through her Tumblr blog, I couldn't help but notice pictures of Manhattan as well as the picture below, NYC vs LA.
Recently, I have been in New York actively searching for clients and projects to work on as part of my bucket list.
And then I found this "same name coincidence" to be even more intriguing. Two Jaclyn's, each from LA, temporarily in NYC, exploring the Big Apple. Of course I did what any sane person would--I found her email address and sent her a message. It went down as follows:
Subject Line: Jaclyn it's Jaclyn
Email: Jaclyn Gitlin, it's me the other Jaclyn from Twitter. HAHA.
Loved your Tumblr pic LA vs NYC. I want to hang that in my room! I am currently in NYC, trying to decide if I am woman enough to give it a year here. I have been in LA for almost 5 and always thought NYC would feel like home but I miss the warm weather terribly!
Anyhow, are you here as well? Here being in NYC. If so, let's connect. Would love to talk social media, PR, projects. Jaclyn Mullen
As it turned out, there was a networking event that precise evening that would allow us to connect in person. Jaclyn G. replied that she would gladly meet up, we discussed outfits and how we'd recognize each other from the mass crowd. From there, A Tale of Two Jaclyn's was formed.
Nice to meet you Miss "Same Name"
The moment had arrived. Jaclyn M. and Jaclyn G. would connect face to face, a sure progression from Twitter to Twitter.
I arrived at our networking event and filled out a name tag. Ten minutes later, Jaclyn G. showed up and filled out hers. You can imagine the looks of confusion we both received as we sat next to each other and introduced ourselves to people as "Jaclyn."
The most common response was, "Is this some kind of joke?" To which we both threw our heads back and laughed out loud then defended our honesty by pointing to our name tags.
We mixed with the crowd, we mingled. We talked about life and our dreams and the pursuit of our passions.
As it turns out, Jaclyn G. wants to be a luxury fashion publicist. Think Paris, fine lines and elegant looks.
This is Jaclyn G.
Our night ended over celebratory cocktails at some bar in the Lower East Side.
Moral of "A Tale of Two Jaclyn's"
I look forward to many more adventures with Jaclyn G. In a little less than a week, we have exchanged jokes and different advice on life, love and the pursuit of professional success.
I think the moral of our story is great--make sure to connect with your social networks offline if the opportunity presents itself. Honestly, what's the purpose of all of this social media stuff? To expand our network, to increase our awareness of opportunities, to engage with people who share similar interests.
Reach out and tweet someone. Email them. Don't just be a follower, engage. Converting a contact from online to offline can result in a potential job, a potential friendship; it can essentially change your life and make a major city such as Manhattan feel a little more like home.
Do you have a similar story? Have you ever connected with someone from your social network or even someone named Jaclyn? Sharing is caring; be sure to tell your tale via the comments section of this blog.
And in case there weren't enough Jaclyn's in this story, here are a few other "Jaclyn's" you should check out:
Friends of Jaclyn The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (FOJ) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families formed in 2005. FOJ matches a child in need of love, support and friendship with a college or high school sports team based on geographic basis. Through a due diligence process, the foundation screens for the best match based on the child and family's needs and the team, coach and athletic director's commitment to our foundation's goals.
Jaclyn R. Johnson Founder of Social + Creative Agency @NoSubjectLA. Editor in Chief at SomeNotesonNapkins.com. Los Angeles + New York Resident.
And of course, these two Jaclyn's.
Jaclyn Gitlin Tumblr blog
Jaclyn Mullen. Check it -----> http://www.jaclynmullenmedia.com
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