BeChicMag.com

By Mercedes Sanchez

Mercedes while walking the Nike Women’s
Half Marathon in San Francisco

This weekend was extraordinary to say the least. I joined 20,000 women at the 2011 Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco.

I won’t pretend to impress you with my athletic abilities because the truth is I’m no athlete. While I may have jogged for five minutes out of the 4.5 hours, I walked most of the 13.1 miles with other bloggers from our group.

The morning after the Run the Runway Fashion Show in San Francisco’s Union Square, our group joined an exclusive morning party at Niketown for the unveiling of the Tiffany and Co. Finishers Necklace which was given to runners/walkers who completed the marathon within six hours.

Visiting San Francisco for the first time was awesome! The only thing I knew about San Fran was whatever I saw in Full House. So I just had to stop by Alamo Square where the intro of the show was shot. (I didn’t make it to actual house).

Here are some pictures of my trip to San Francisco and the marathon

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With my Blackberry, I documented each time I accomplished a mile. Take look at the time codes below:

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Disclaimer: This was an all-expenses paid trip sponsored by Nike.

By Mercedes Sanchez

When it comes to college, many of us are familiar with loans which often take years to pay off after graduation. Then of course there are scholarships. If you’re in college and in need of some extra funds, I’m here to tell you about the Latina Smart Fund Scholarship by Kmart!

How to Apply

Between Sept. 15 and Oct. 31, eligible candidates can apply for the Latina Smart Fund scholarship by either submitting a 750-1,000 word essay or uploading a two minute video of themselves answering a topical question to Latina Smart Fund Scholarship App on their facebook page.

The top 50 contestants, or most “Liked” entries, will be rated by the Latina Smart Ambassadors (such as myself) based on criteria such as originality, style and enthusiasm.

The top 20 selections will then advance to the final round where a panel of experts in the areas of business and education will choose one $10,000 scholarship recipient and three $5,000 runner-up awards.

You can find the application app on the Facebook community page. The link to the application is on the left side of the Facebook page and titled Latina Smart Scholarship.

How do you think this new initiative will benefit Latina students?

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Disclaimer: Although this is a sponsored post from the Latina Smart campaign, all opinions are my own.

By Delaila C.

Josana Tonda, National Coordinator Ventanillas de Salud Program at Consulate General of Mexico in New York

Sure we love all things fashion and beauty, but it’s not all about the glitz and glam. When I was invited to a press conference with the Mexican Consulate and Sanofi Mexico to discuss diabetes prevention, I immediately thought of my good friend Dalma S. who is  living with diabetes.

“Finding out I had diabetes has been one of the most life altering circumstances,” says Dalma, 26, of New York.   “Although I am hypoglycemic, it is important for me to follow a diet and exercise regularly just to maintain my health.   On a daily basis, I eat about every three hours, exercise at least every other day and keep track of nutritional information on the foods I love.  Although it may seem like a hassle to many, to me it’s just another day and a way to keep my body healthy and stay alive.”

Tips for exercising with Pilates

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At Casa Puebla, The Mexican Consulate of New York with the Mexican Ministry of Health, The World Economic Forum, The Pan-American Health Organization and Sanofi Mexico, introduced  the 5 Steps for Good Health Program-- an initiative that reinforces the importance of healthy habits and promoting an active lifestyle for families by following this simple plan:

1. Move: Try to do 30 minutes of exercise each day

2. Drink Water: Drink three glasses of water a day

3. Eat fruits and vegetable: Incorporate two vegetables a day throughout your meals

4. Take note of your measurements: Keep note of your progress in a journal

5. Share with friends and family: Spread the word and share your progress to encourage healthy habits

With just the sharing of information and this simple program we can help each other on the path to wellness. So go ahead and share this blog post! -Delaila.

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Disclaimer: Though this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own.

By Mercedes Sanchez

My Story

As the title says, I was once unemployed, uninsured but never uninspired.

My blogging story goes back to 2006 when I left the New York Post to handle publicity for a politician. I soon realized that I missed the writing, discovering new trends before they hit the pages of magazines and talking to upcoming and A-list stars. That’s when I launched a site (not realizing it was a blog) where I posted my informal opinions on pop culture, beauty, fashion and my neighborhood.

Seven months within the new job at the politician’s office I got a call from WNBC-TV,  three years after I originally applied for a production assistant/segment producer position. Nevertheless, I took their offer. It was an awesome experience but when the recession hit, my one-year-contract wasn’t renewed.

Looking for another full-time position was challenging and at times depressing. I had to remind myself that there was nothing wrong with me. More than half the team from the morning show was let go. However, when I couldn’t find another lifestyle producing position I ‘simply’ made one.

Creating My Own Opportunities

“If I can’t find the job of my dreams, I’ll just do what I love for myself.”

And that’s exactly what I did by deciding to focus all my energy into BeChicMag.com. I updated the look of the site, got serious about posting daily instead of bi-weekly articles on fashion and beauty. I also launched my very own lifestyle channel BeChicTV where I held on-camera interviews with notable experts such as Anna Wintour, Nina Garcia, Vera Wang, Beyonce’s Makeup Artist Jackie Gomez, Nigel Barker, Julissa Bermudez, John Leguizamo and many others!

Passion and Persistence

Sure there were times when I questioned my own ROI, but the time, work and not to mention money that I’ve put into BeChicMag.com are finally paying off. Two years after writing on the latest fashion, beauty and entertainment, reviewing products, covering fashion week and editing videos I realized that my little old blog was becoming a business of its own. And that’s where I am today.

My passion for blogging, my love for informing my readers of upcoming beauty products, sharing my personal style and asking them about theirs in my BeChic Tuesday series and building a community with other bloggers has led to many great opportunities this past year alone such as working with brands and:

*being interviewed by AOL Latino about BeChicMag.com
*asked to be a panelist at the Hispanicize conference in Los Angeles
*becoming a blog ambassador for Kmart and Neutrogena
*making Mashable.com’s “Best Local Blog” finalist list
*named “Best New York Latina Blogger” by Latism.org

Blogalicious

I remember the first time I heard about Blogalicious. I was at home on Twitter and I swore I wouldn’t miss the next one in Miami. Then my cousin planned her wedding for that same weekend and I had to miss it— again! With the upcoming conference taking place in Washington, D.C. — during my birthday weekend—it only makes sense that I hop on Amtrak and make it.

As much as I love it, blogging can sometimes get pretty lonely. Think about it. For the most part it’s just you and the computer. That’s why building a community is essential to survive. I like to think I’m involved with a great group of women but expanding my network and meeting new bloggers of diverse backgrounds who write about various topics is what I’m looking forward to at the Blogalicious conference.

I love creating content and engaging with my readers through comments, Facebook and Twitter but the truth is I have lots to learn on the business side of blogging, and I know that a weekend at Blogalicious will guide me in the right direction.

Keeping my fingers crossed! - Mercedes

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Disclaimer: This blog post is an entry to win a conference pass to Blogalicious.

By Camlyn V.

Did you know that in July Nissan launched what they refer to as their Hispanic Facebook page?

We held a Q&A via phone with Nissan’s Director of Interactive & Social Media Marketing Erich Marx and the woman behind the Nissan Workshop at the National Council of La Raza Annual Conference Victoria Negrete.

When did Nissan start thinking of branching out and launching this new Facebook page? Is the page only in Spanish?
Erich: I’ve been thinking about this project for about a year and it hit home while talking to Victoria. I noticed that this was an overwhelming opportunity in the Hispanic market and social media seems like a natural fit.

Although the page is in Spanish, Marx told us that they want to focus on the Hispanic culture and encourage their audience to post in whichever language they choose — whether it be English or Spanish.

Who are you targeting?

“We realize that social media is growing across all demographic, mainly 18 to 29-year-olds as well as 29 to 34-year-olds,” says Marx.

According to their research, women are much more Internet savvy than men. Marx tells us that they aren’t targeting a certain age demographic; however, as a car company with a motive, they are reaching people who are clearly interested in Nissan cars or sports cars.

What does Nissan anticipate from this new facebook page?

In Mexico, Nissan is the number one car brand, and we are not in the United States. Our goal is to expand and gain that loyalty that we have in Mexico, in the US. We want to build a strong brand among the Hispanic community through social media and build loyalty by engaging in a strong connection.

We are excited about this new project because for the first time in three years there is a unique, original, Nissan Hispanic page along with a new television commercial with its original song.

You can find Nissan’s new page at Facebook.com/NissanEspanol

We want to know: What was the brand of your first car? Tell us below :)

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Disclaimer: We were not compensated for this post. This is an informative blog post for our readers.