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Momaraderie is Erica Allison, North Carolina PR Pixie Peep

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I had the pleasure of meeting Erica Allison at Social Slam in Knoxville in April. What a big-hearted woman and someone you should know. As a PR colleague, she’s tops; she has a successful blog, called Spot On, (which I successfully blogjacked last week whilst she was away); she runs Allison Development Group, her PR and social media outfit; she is a fab writer (I know this first hand); and, she’s a mompreneur with two little ones trying to make a go of it in summer with the regular issues with sitters, holidays, etc.

You can follow her everywhere – via Skpe (funny, she just popped up on my screen that she’s online…or maybe it’s the kids); via Google+, via LinkedIn, via Twitter, Facebook, her blog, and my goodness, she also has a mobile phone number.

Twitter has changed my life; period. I have developed some of the most incredible friendships and business relationships evah. There’s no way anyone can expand their horizons without the marvels of social media, and meeting Erica Allison has been a highlight of mine.

So, if you take nothing away from today’s Momaraderie, I encourage you to take this…Erica is absolutely a must-follow, must-engage because:

*She’s continually supportive and offers sage counsel to anyone she meets.

*She’s not one to let her hair down all the way (cough, ahem, unlike some writers you may know), and that’s a good thing.

*She’s got a buoyant personality with a kick-ass charm and professionalism to boot.

*She’ll nurture you on the social media pathway, so tag along.

*She’s a hot-rod public relations practitioner, and is ready for hire.

*And, she’s simply a fab friend.

Erica Allison…I’d be surprised if you don’t already know her.

Momaraderie is Homeschooling, Grantwriting Canadian

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Momaraderie is an occasional feature I write about professional moms I meet, engage with and want to learn more about. I first was introduced to the inquisitive Dawn Comber via a Headway Theme Twitter chat. We got to exchanging tweets, and she seemed to pop in to lend her thoughts on a regular basis.

Dawn Comber (@DawnComber on Twitter) is a keen lifelong learner with a passion for building communities both on and offline. She hails from Oakville, Ontario, where she manages her small business, volunteers for a housing charity, and raises her youngest child, who is 13. The other four of her five children were homeschooled for nine years while she managed a grassroots not-for-profit.

Dawn began juggling her own education along with that of her kids, heading back to school part-time and emerging with a Master of Arts in Leadership. Grant writing for a single organization morphed into consulting to a variety of nonprofits, eventually leading Dawn to focus on helping clients articulate who they are and what they do online. She now specializes in rewriting offline materials for Web publication.

Speaking with Dawn, it’s immediately clear she’s serious about making genuine connections via social media and the small business community; here’s Dawn:

Thanks so much for asking me to contribute to your Momaraderie series.

One of my bigger goals for social media has been to really contribute to community, or find a sense of community with a few people online around me. You kindly reached out to me and that was encouraging. I want to contribute to other people’s blogs and business life in a genuine way — not with a goal to increase my presence, so to speak. I want to make genuine/real connections online; you know, the “social” in social media. (I blogged about it here.)

Participating in your blog is a creative way to get some peer-to-peer support virtually. I am also building offline learning partnerships and working partnerships with women! I meet monthly with two colleagues to discuss new business tools – online or otherwise. I also work closely with 2 colleagues (who are also good friends) on web development (me on the word side) and marketing for start-ups. I try to attend a monthly WP meetup — another place to learn and make connections.

For now, I’ll leave you with a final thought from Dawn, on how she stays centered:

My partner/husband laughed out loud when he saw that question. I’m not really very good at taking care of myself (a downfall of many a woman I am afraid) — but a glass of wine and a hot bath helps sometimes. Mothering keeps me from obsessing on business and vice versa. And friends really help a lot – I have a nice circle of people that I care about and who care for me.

To learn more about Dawn we couldn’t squeeze in here, visit Dawncomber.com. And, please share your suggestions for a Momaraderie feature!