Facebook Fan Friday's

Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg, elementary school flash backs, pictures you wish would never resurface. These are the common thoughts we often think of with regard to Facebook and social networking. But for business owners, Facebook may take on a different context.

Creating a Facebook business page means that you can keep people up to date with regard to the "brand new" client you just signed. Facebook allows you to get audience feedback for your logo or the latest promotional contest you are running, and it can even help you connect with fans. As a savvy, socialpreneur, I launched the Jaclyn Mullen Media Facebook business page earlier this year and have built up growing support from friends, family, business associates and alliances. Each individual in support of my goals has their own story to tell too. And so, I present to you a monthly unveiling of these mysterious supporters entitled "Facebook Fan Friday's." 

This month, we're featuring Stacey Acevero from Vocus/PRWeb. 

Meet Stacey and learn of her super, social life.

Stacey says, "Working in social media is almost a dream to me. I love being paid to do something I am so passionate about, and yet it's such a new and revolutionary job field! My favorite social media platform is Twitter, because the wealth of information and ways to share it (tweets, pictures, videos, storify) amazes me everyday. The collaboration and engagement potential is overwhelming, and meeting like-minded people on social media is the best part."

What has been your funniest social media story ever?
I have a professional life doing social media and PR, and I also have a personal life doing social media and promotions for myself, because I'm a nationally published model. A professional connection once mentioned that they saw a girl on a forum that looked just like me--turns out it was me, modeling for a sportbike forum. It was embarrassing but funny to admit to him that I live sort of a double-life in social media.

What is the craziest social media connection you've ever made? 
I'm a huge NASCAR fan, and often tweet while I'm watching the races. Turns out a popular NASCAR correspondent has the same hometown as me, tweeted me and now he checks in with me every once in awhile. I couldn't believe my eyes at first!

How has social media changed public relations?
Social media has changed the PR landscape in more ways than one. Namely, the media now looks to blogs and social media for sources, making them more accessible than ever. Establishing a relationship with the media is important before you pitch, and social media makes it just a little bit easier.

You work for PRWeb, what are the benefits to using your company's service?
The main benefits of PRWeb for press release distribution is online visibility of your brand because our releases hold tremendous SEO with the inclusion of customized URLs and the ability to add keywords, anchor text, links and multimedia. We have amazing partnerships with sites like the San Francisco Chronicle which pick up your news and gives it additional visibility beyond Google, Yahoo! and Bing. The possibilities are endless with PRWeb releases.

Your offices are in Maryland, for those of us that may visit--where are your favorite spots?
My fav DC metro area food spot is Davino--an Argentinian steak and seafood place in Bethesda--they have fantastic food and wine. For drinks, I love to try all different types of places so it's hard to choose a favorite. Luckily, Vocus/PRWeb has their own state of the art gym, so working out at the office is my favorite spot :) 

Jaclyn Mullen Media can't thank Stacey enough for her continued support and terrific Twitter skills. We first connected with her through the PR Web Twitter and have evolved our networking to Facebook and Linkedin.

To keep up to date on the latest PR Web webinars, promotions and PR tips, be sure to follow http://twitter.com/prweb  And if you like what you are reading here and want to be a Jaclyn Mullen Media Facebook fan feature, then follow these two steps--Like the Jaclyn Mullen Media business page and drop us a line with a brief bio.

Jaclyn Mullen has spent the past ten years immersed in consumer behavior, online media, and business development for several companies. As a graduate of the University of Miami, Jaclyn first developed her online expertise while studying the emergence of digital downloads on the music industry. She is dedicated to developing branding strategies and social media plans that ensure her clients and work stand out within their respective marketplace and generate consumer loyalty.

Shifting Gears To Get Back On Track After Dealing With Writers Block

This will be a short post (I hope). 

I started this blog back in November of last year. I started my own business in January 2011. And for a while, I was able to manage my business and the blog as well as my hopes and aspirations of inspiring people, generating income and creating compelling content when all of the sudden it happened. Fear crashed into me like a tidal wave and I began to shift my focus from creative writing to the panic ridden action of treading water. 

 

I abandoned my blog due to frustration and writers block and began generating proposals without a clear vision with regard to my ideal client. I began abandoning my own strategy and advice for visibility and let my brand become less of a priority to me. I took all the meetings I could even if my gut said, "This is not a part of your vision." My focus became fear and I wore fear every single day as if it were a perfume.

What were my fears? Fear of failure. Fear of losing money. Fear of remaining stagnant and not growing.  So I did what anyone else in my situation may have done, I grabbed onto the steering wheel, revved up the engine and shifted gears.

Shifting gears is not necessarily a bad thing. We need to be able to move forward at different speeds. The only challenge is when we are in fifth gear going full speed ahead with no destination in sight. As a result of feeding my "fear fuel", there have been some good things that have happened (the glass is always half full in my book). I've been able to diversify the types of projects I am working on and my client roster has grown to now include:

Give to Get Jobs

Financially Wise Women http://www.financiallywisewomen.com

As well as a new beauty site which unites women in conversation and beauty products called  Is That Odd

I've also learned that my creative channels are extremely important to me. Never again will I go without blogging, dancing or acting. A lot of times, when I explain to people what it is that I do, they're often as confused as me, how's that for some brutal honesty. I never sought out to be a singing, dancing, comedic business development person who can tell you about your Alexa rank and keywords while doing the moonwalk--it just happened, it's just who I am and there is a title for it: Entrepreneur. 

An entrepreneur is a person who has possession of a new enterprise, venture or idea and is accountable for the inherent risks and the outcome. 

And I am learning that a part managing risks and outcomes is being able to downshift gears and find peace, while doing the moonwalk and talking blog strategy. When we only have one speed, there's no room for silence, stillness and the other presence of mind that allows for us to be creative. As business people, artists, teachers, financial analysts, Jaclyn of All Trades, it's important to be creative so that we can uncover solutions. Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new (a product, a solution, a work of art etc.) that has some kind of value.

So, the moral of my blog post here is you just have to do it. Do something. Move from a place of inaction and step forward, or take a step back. I am slowing down the Jaclyn Mullen Media ship so that I can keep my eyes on the land ahead, be it the skyscrapers of Manhattan or the palm trees of Los Angeles. 

But enough about me, how about you? How has this past six months been going? Are you moving in the direction that you would like or is there some sort of obstacle on your path holding you back from your true desires? Are you making enough time to eat right, exercise and inspire yourself? 

In my case, taking a step back allowed me to banish my writers block and publish this blog post today. While I have been proud of many previous posts, I have to say this one takes the cake. Not because it's "so compelling" nor because it's my best writing yet. This post means I took a step forward to get back on track while facing my fears and pursuing what matters to me. It isn't perfect, but it is progress and that's what counts.

"Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person." Dr. David M. Burns