By Erin Erickson
ASBPE Chicago Chapter Vice President

I recently spoke with Sara Zailskas, Assistant Managing Editor of Housing Giants. The digital magazine recently won a National Gold Digital Azbee award for General Excellence in the digital magazine category.

Sara was able to speak about the process of converting a print magazine into a digital-only magazine. She spoke honestly about overcoming hurdles and the current status of the magazine:

How did you decide which magazine to convert to a digital-only magazine?

Our publisher and editorial director looked at what our audiences wanted and how those wants worked within our needs as a magazine. Going digital also allowed Reed Business Information to test new ways of working with digital publications, which we’d been using for some time in their simplest forms (converting PDFs to a flipbook, for example). It was a natural and exciting step, and other magazines within RBI have made the switch since.

What were the initial steps you took when preparing to convert the print magazine into digital?

We looked at all aspects of the magazine, from the production schedule to design, and asked a lot of questions: how much would our editorial production process have to change to publish a digital magazine? What needed to change about our design to make it reader-friendly on a computer screen? What type of content would we need to make the most of digital journalism capabilities?

And of course, none of this would have been addressed without examining the cost factor, too. If publishing a digital magazine were more expensive than a print publication, we likely wouldn’t have even considered it given the state of the economy at the time and our audience’s wants and needs. The benefits of digital capabilities extended to our advertisers, too. We heard that agencies were thrilled to be able to create multimedia ads.

What were the biggest roadblocks you faced during the conversion process?

Surprisingly, the things we thought would be a huge challenge weren’t: we successfully took our editorial production schedule from six publications a year to 23, and preparing our product for digital production was much easier than we anticipated. We knew the adjustment for our audience would be significant, but our feedback from readers told us we were doing the right thing. Don’t get me wrong; some people hated the conversion, but the majority contacted us in support.

The challenges came when silly, simple technology things wouldn’t work; for example, we’d submit a file in the right format but it wouldn’t play correctly. Those situations always worked out, but it sometimes took a lot more time than we would have liked.

The other main challenge – and I expected this – was to get writers to wrap their heads around digital storytelling. Considering audio and visuals – and Flash illustration possibilities and such – truly is a new approach to planning an article that doesn’t always come naturally if you’ve been doing journalism a certain way for years. My advice would be to help writers brainstorm audio/visual opportunities, then follow up with them to make sure they come in with the final submission. And if they don’t, send ’em back out until audio/visual components are included.

Which processes needed to be changed and how when it came to acquiring and using the digital media?

On the editorial side, we budgeted extra time for planning multimedia components with our writers as well as preparing those components for inclusion. We have an editing department, but it still takes time to select how you want something edited, write up supporting text to accompany it for the publication, etc.

We also had a couple days built into our production schedule to test and review the final product. We essentially had a traditional “to printer” deadline, which is when our files were due to our digital publication vendor, and a “blast” deadline, which is when all the wrinkles had to be worked out of the digital magazine after it was put together by our vendor and then made live.

What is the status of the magazine now?

I like to think of our status as taking Gold in the first Digital Azbees, which our staff is really proud of. But unfortunately we published our last issue in April. Housing Giants, which is for home-building industry executives, launched right when not only builders began going out of business, but a wave of manufacturers – our advertisers – began shuttering. The goal is to relaunch it in better economic conditions.

Labels: Azbee Awards, Design, Digital, Erin Erickson

By Erin Erickson
ASBPE Web Content Committee Chairperson, Chicago Chapter Vice President

When I first joined ASBPE, my first reaction was to find my local chapter (Chicago) and see if I could find a way to work on the website somehow. I was hungry to learn digital media so that I could secure more work.

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, HTML

by Martha Spizziri
ASBPE Web Editor

Even some B2B editors who were initially skeptical about social media sites are finding, to their own surprise, that they can be useful even for niche publications like the ones we serve. The problem is, keeping up with all of them can eat up a lot of time.

Well, here’s a surprise: Social media can actually help you to be a more efficient editor. That’s the view of ASBPE Chicago board member Erin Erickson. Along along with social media expert Lorna Li, she’ll present a webinar for ASBPE May 29 on managing social networks.

As a senior web editor at Putman Media and founder of UBrandMedia.com, Erickson is intimately familiar with social sites. During the webinar, she’ll explain how those media have changed the editor’s daily to-do list. She says she uses social media tools in at least eight different ways — to:

• assess articles.
• contact freelancers.
• research articles.
• write articles.
• find images or video.
• find sources.
• stay relevant on industry topics.
• generate article ideas.
  

Anyone who’s dabbled in social media has discovered that it can be hard to know which sites and what kind of content are giving you the most benefit. With blogs, you can easily get traffic stats. But with social networks, you don't always have hard data on how many viewers you’re drawing. (Sure, you may have 200 followers on Twitter, but how many of them are really reading your tweets regularly?)

Webinar speakers Erin Erickson and Lorna Li say how you use social media depends on your goals.

At the webinar, Lorna Li will have advice on deciding where to concentrate your efforts and how to use social media as efficiently as possible. She says there’s no cookie-cutter approach to social media marketing; your strategy will depend on your goals, your audience, and your resources. In this webinar, Lorna will discuss:

• defining your social media marketing strategy.
• mapping your social media universe.
• identifying relevant social networks.
• promoting content on the social web.
• metrics and social media monitoring.
  
• prioritizing social media engagement.

On her Green Marketing 2.0 blog, Li says: “The best way to look at social media is to view it as one of many Internet marketing channels, one that has the amazing power to go viral.” Li also points out that any site that allows for discussion is a social networking site, even if it’s an old-school discussion forum.

Lorna Li is an online marketer with expertise in social media, search engine marketing, and online reputation management. She is the social SEO manager at Salesforce.com and founder of the LinkedIn Network Search Marketing Salon.

Please join us next Friday at the webinar.

(Update May 26, 2009: Edited to add more details about Lorna Li’s presentation.)

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, Lorna Li, Martha Spizziri, Social Media, Webinars

by Erin Erickson,
Chicago Chapter Vice President

Labels: Erin Erickson, Social Media

by Erin Erickson, Chicago Chapter Vice President;
Creator of Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies

This post is adapted from Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies
“11 Copyblogger Posts That Will Change the Way You Blog”

I've referenced Copyblogger as one of 5 Websites that Taught Me A Lot About Social Media

Not only does Copyblogger have a great blogging business model, but its content is relevant and timely, especially to new bloggers. I often find myself tagging the posts to refer back to later, which is why I'm posting a list of my 11 favorite blog posts. (Why 11? Because 10 is too typical and I hate to be typical.)

The Lazy Blogger’s Guide to Finding Great Post Images. Want a surefire way to capture readers' attention? Include images in your posts. Post writer Sonia Simone explains easy ways to do it.

Five Grammatical Errors That Make You Look Dumb. As a professional editor, this one really hits home to me. I'm guilty of some of these mistakes sometimes although I wish I weren't!

10 Effective Ways to Get More Blog Subscribers. Copyblogger founder Brian Clark offers great ideas including offering 'bribes,' becoming a guest blogger and cross promoting.

How to Be Interesting. Sure we all think we're interesting. I hope I am sometimes. Post writer Jonathan Morrow offers great advice in this post including my favorite: "Unleash your Inner Dork."

How to Change the World Using Social Media. This is a relatively new post, but as an aspiring social media consultant, it resonates with me. Check it and chew on the insights.

Are You Blogging With Purpose? (If Not, 5 Ways to Fix That). When I write, I like to think that I'm being informative and serving a purpose. There's a chance I'm wrong and completely pointless. This post reminds me how to write meaningful posts.

Landing Page Tutorials and Case Studies. This page is helpful not only for what I aspire my blog(s) to be, but also for my job as a digital editor at a publishing company. Many SEO consultants will tell you that landing pages are one of the keys to effective SEO. Truth be told, I'm still working on this one for my own sites.

Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips for Writing Well. I love Ernest Hemingway. His writing was intellectually stimulating and concise, as are the tips in this post.

Six Ways to Instantly Find the Right Words. Regardless of if you blog or not, this post hits home with anyone who depends on good writing for their job. The post starts off with the most poignant question: Do you have a point?

Time Is Not on Your Side: Time Management Tips for Writers. As I've mentioned, I am an editor by day so this post is tremendously helpful to my job. The post offers helpful PDFs you can download to determine if you're a time waster and what you can do about it.

Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog? Another blog post that is even more helpful if you have any sort of digital media job. Includes links and topics such as writing for SEO, writing for a niche and crafting the perfect headline.

Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies (emediaconsulting.blogspot.com) is a how-to blog geared toward teaching nontechnical people how to create, use and manage social media. The blog is written by Erin Erickson, Chicago Chapter vice president and former print editor who taught herself HTML and social media to in order to work in online media. She is a senior web editor at Putman Media.

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, Writing

by Erin Erickson, Chicago Chapter Vice President;
Creator of Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies

This post is adapted from Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies

Create a LinkedIn Group

If you are part of an association or group that is considering creating an online networking community, consider a LinkedIn Group. (Don't forget to check out ASBPE's LinkedIn Group)

A LinkedIn Group is slightly different than a social networking site.

Where as a social networking site will let you customize your content, a LinkedIn Group follows LinkedIn's formula and templates.

A LinkedIn Group is a great option if you don't want to have to deal with back-end coding, widget/badge creation, or too much maintenance. Similar to a social networking site, you can provide multiple people with administrative rights (which allows them to decline or approve requests, additions, etc.).

A LinkedIn Group allows you to post articles, feeds, discussions and events. Similar to a social networking site, you can also set your parameters to allow e-mails to be sent if someone poses a question, joins, etc.

Creating a LinkedIn Group is fairly easy:

• First and foremost, you must be a member of LinkedIn. If you're a professional anything in this day and age, you should be on LinkedIn. There are dozens of critics of LinkedIn and its relevance, but I wouldn't listen to them.


• Consider the current groups available. If there are 17 different groups around kitchen and bath design, do you really want to add another one into the mix? Also consider what your group will provide its members that is different than the other groups.


• Consider your group name. You may think the Mr. Robotos sounds unique, but LinkedIn has a lot of members. You'll want to search the Groups Directory to make sure no one else has used the name.


• Create your Group. Once you've figured out your name, click the "Create a Group."


• Fill in the Required Information. You'll be asked to include a Group Logo, Group Name, Group Type and Summary. When writing your summary, it is best to include a brief synopsis of the goals of the group (i.e., a place for members of the journalism community to connect, share best practices, etc.). You'll need to include your e-mail address or the one of the person who will be the group owner. I am the group owner of several LinkedIn Groups and all that has meant is that I get the requests to join when someone asks. You can also select items such as displaying the group in the groups directory, allowing members to display your group's logo on their own profile page and/or allowing people to join without asking first.

Depending on your group you may want to require everyone who requests to join be approved by you or other group administrators first. If you're concerned about competitors or non-desirables infiltrating your group this is a good option. However, if you want an open-door policy, then you'll want to click on the box to allow anyone to join the group.

Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies (emediaconsulting.blogspot.com) is a how-to blog geared toward teaching non-technical people how to create, use and manage social media. The blog is written by Erin Erickson, Chicago Chapter Vice President and former print editor who taught herself HTML and social media to in order to work in online media. She is a Senior Web Editor at Putman Media.

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, LinkedIn ASBPE

by Erin Erickson, Chicago Chapter Vice President;
Creator of Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies

This post is adapted from Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies

Why you can't afford to not learn social media

File this one under "No Brainer," but the Society for New Communications Research Symposium recently revealed that millenial journalists are leading the way when it comes to new media usage.

None of what they reported comes as a giant shock to me. Call me biased, but I'm a fervent social media user and I'm in my early 30s (technically on the cusp of being a millenial).

According to the findings, of which a full report will be available in Spring 2009:

• 87% of 18-29 year-olds believe bloggers have become important opinion-shapers, versus 60% of 50-64 year-olds


• 87% of 18-29 year-olds confirm that new media and communications enhances the relationship with their audience, versus 42% of 50- to 64-year-olds


• 48% of all respondents use LinkedIn, and 45% use Facebook, to assist in reporting


• 68% of all respondents use blogs to keep up on issues or topics of interest


• 86% of all respondents use company websites, 71% use Wikipedia, and 46% use blogs to research an individual organization

What this data tells me is that those people unwilling to learn social media are going to be out of a job in the near future.

With the current state of the economy, companies are trading in their 20-year I-know-how-to-use-a-computer veterans for two I-have-been-out-college-10-months-but-ran-a-social-media-community-out-of-my-dorm-room "kids."

To put it mildly: these social media-minded millenials are going to start to replace you unless you do something about it.

The Time-Space Continuum

"I don't have the time," "I don't know how," and "My company won't let us do anything with it" are the excuses I hear the most often when I ask people why they haven't started to learn social media.

Then learn it for yourself. In this economy, there is a likelihood that you could be out of a job. Many of the companies that are hiring are looking for candidates with social media experience.

The next time you receive a request to join Twitter or LinkedIn or Facebook, don't roll your eyes and delete. Accept the invitation, set up an account and start training yourself for your next potential job.

Me Media: Social Media for Non-Techies (emediaconsulting.blogspot.com) is a how-to blog geared toward teaching nontechnical people how to create, use and manage social media. The blog is written by Erin Erickson, Chicago Chapter Vice President and former print editor who taught herself HTML and social media to in order to work in online media. She is a Senior Web Editor at Putman Media.

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, Social Media

Erin Erickson,

ASBPE Chicago, Vice President

Last week, the ASBPE National Blog conducted a quick poll on the level of worry B2B editors were feeling about their jobs.



With 2 percentage points separating the Worried but not Stressed and the Terrified, I'd say there's cause for concern amid B2B editors.

Only three percent reported picking up new skills that could help get a new job if necessary.

What are those skills and how can you worry less about your job? The ASBPE blog will help you through it every step of the way. Stick around and keep checking back often.

Labels: Career/Employment, Erin Erickson

By Erin Erickson, ASBPE Chicago Vice President

Time for another post from a social media geek at ASBPE.

This post, compliments of Monster.com, offers seven tips for career-related social media etiquette.

Some of the tips include not joining every social media service there is, understanding the rules or regulations of the site and make sure you "hone your profile."

Read the entire article, Seven Tips for Social Networking Online, on Monster.com now and let us know: what tips would you include?

Labels: Erin Erickson, Social Media

By Erin Erickson, ASBPE Chicago Board Member

Social media. It's what sets apart the old, late-90's dot.com era from what has affectionately become known as Web 2.0.

It is because of social media that we have Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace, etc. Social media, by definition, allows its users to be social without leaving the house or the office. You upload an image and a personal or professional resume and watch the people come to you. It's sort of genius if you think about it.

ASBPE, like many other media industry groups, has hopped on the social media bandwagon. We have a LinkedIn Group, a Facebook page, a Twitter profile, even this blog is a foray into Web 2.0. In each group, we have a network of up to 100 people.

Social media is, however, what you make of it. Its active participants can find best practices, answers and even jobs. You read that right: jobs.

I know several friends who have received freelance work or job offers because they used LinkedIn to its full advantage. They might be in the minority, but their outcome begs the question: How social should social media be?

Would you -- or should you -- accept a "friend request" from a freelancer who may actually turn out to be a great writer? Would you -- or should you -- use LinkedIn's database to find a freelance writer?

You can and you should. Why don't you do it yet?

Labels: Erin Erickson, Social Media

By Erin Erickson
ASBPE Chicago Chapter Board Member

I have just about had it with the journalism dinosaurs that refuse to learn to use the Internet. If I had a nickel for every request I've received to do a Google search I would be as rich as Sergey Brin or Larry Page. Those requests don't even count the numerous times I've had to post something for someone who refused to learn the article uploading software that a five year old could master.

This is the 21st century. If you call yourself a journalist and can't figure out how to do an internal search of your own magazine's website, you need to pack it in and retire or find a new profession. Stop using the "I just don't get the Internet" as an excuse to act like your time is more valuable than mine.

Move over dinosaurs. It's time to let the Internet generation through.

Labels: Erin Erickson, Technology

Received an award letter for the 2008 American Society of Business Publication Awards but not sure what you should do with it? Look no further.

If you're planning to attend your Region's reception, you'll need to RSVP. We've listed each region's banquet information below. You can also click the link and be taken to that chapter's blog:

Midwest Region Chicago
To reserve your space, please fax the following information (or click here to download and print) to Kelly Quigley by July 10 (Fax: 312-329-8811; this is a private and secure PC Fax) or print and mail this information to Kelly Quigley, 430 N. Michigan Ave., 9th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611-4087

Name(s):
Title(s):
Company:
Street Address:
City, State, ZIP:
Daytime phone:
E-mail address:
Number of people attending with your party: ___ Members ___ Non-Members
Payment: $85 for each member (spouse/guest may attend at member rate);$95 for non-members

___ My check, payable to ASBPE Chicago Chapter, is enclosed
-or-
___ Type of credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express)

Full Name, as it appears on card:
Credit card number:Expiration Date:
Signature:_____________________________________________________________________________________________Questions? Questions? Contact Chicago Chapter President Renee Pas at reneepas@ameritech.net or 630/832-8313. Please remember to save a copy of this form as your receipt

***********************************************************

Central-Southeast Region Washington, D.C.

Event details: Thursday, July 17
Cocktail/networking reception: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Dinner, awards, guest speaker: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: Tivoli Restaurant, 1700 N. Moore St., Arlington, VA
(Located directly above the Rosslyn Metro Station; complimentary parking also available.)

Cost: $65 for ASBPE members; $75 for non-members; Buy a whole table (8-9 attendees) and receive the member rate for all!

RSVP by July 3!
Email Katy Tomasulo at asbpedckaty@gmail.com to register.
(Advance payment required; a registration form will be sent upon receipt of email.)
Questions? Contact Katy at asbpedckaty@gmail.com or call 202-736-3303

***********************************************************
Northeastern Region New York

When: Wednesday, July 9th, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Where: Trattoria Dopo Teatro 125 West 44th Street (off 6th Avenue) New York, NY

How to attend: To reserve your place, send payment (credit card or check payable to ASBPE) by July 1 with a completed reservation form (72K Word doc) to the contact listed on the form.

If paid by July 1: $59.00 for ASBPE members; $69.00 for nonmembers. Groups of 5 or more receive a $5 discount per person.

If paid after July 1: $69.00 for ASBPE members and journalism students (with current ID); $79.00 for nonmembers.

***********************************************************
Northeast Region Boston

Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Time:
6:00 p.m. social hour/cocktails
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. dinner, followed by speaker and awards

Location: Papa Razzi, 16 Washington StreetWellesley, MA parking info

Cost: $60.00 for ASBPE members; $65.00 for nonmembers. Tables of 8: $425

How to attend: To reserve your place, send payment (credit card or check payable to ASBPE) by July 10 to ASBPE Chapter President Alan Earls, 222 Pond StreetFranklin, MA, 02038

Questions? Call Alan at (508) 528-6930 or email him at alan[dot]earls[at]comcast[dot]net)

***********************************************************
Western Region Kansas City

The Western Region award winners will be recognized at a banquet on July 23 in Kansas City, Mo., the day before the ASBPE National Conference begins. We’ll enjoy a meal from one of Kansas City’s finest restaurants, see the winning entries, give out awards and hear the story behind one of the award-winning articles.

After the banquet, we invite you to make your way back to the Intercontinental Hotel Kansas City for the launch party for the ASBPE Foundation, which begins at 6 p.m. (You can sign up to attend this reception for free on the registration form for the National Conference.)

When: Wednesday, July 23, at 3:00 p.m.

Where: Plaza III Steakhouse, 4749 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, MO 64112, (From the Intercontinental Hotel Kansas City, walk north on Wornall Road over the bridge. Turn left on to Ward Parkway. The Plaza III is at the corner of Ward Parkway and Pennsylvania Avenue.)

Cost: $50 per person for ASBPE members and their spouses/companions, $60 per person for nonmembers and their spouses/companions, $375 for a table of eight

How to attend: To reserve your place, send payment (credit card or check payable to ASBPE Kansas City Chapter) by July 16 with a completed reservation form (www.asbpe.org/chapters/asbpeks-2008-awards-res.doc) to the contact listed on the form.

For people flying in to Kansas City: When booking your flights, please allow for an hour to get from the Kansas City International Airport to the Intercontinental Hotel. The restaurant is a short five-minute walk from the hotel.

Questions? Call Carrie at (913) 967-1991 or e-mail her at carrie.parsons@penton.com

Labels: Azbee Awards, Erin Erickson

by Erin Erickson
Chicago Board Member

I recently wrote about LinkedIn, its perks and the ASBPE LinkedIn Group that has been established. (You have joined, right?)

Now I bet you're wondering exactly what you can do with LinkedIn other than find old coworkers. One of my favorite bloggers, work expert Penelope Trunk, writes a great blog post about 10 Ways Journalists Can Use LinkedIn. Some excerpts:

2. Build a network without making networking your full-time job. … LinkedIn works best when you connect to your top sources, important industry contacts, coworkers, and people who know you well. …

4. Use a connection to get a great assignment. If you’re a freelancer or looking for a job, perform a search in the “Writing and Editing” industry sorted by “Degrees away from you” to see who might be able to help you in your network.

5. Find an expert fast. The advanced search feature is [one of] the most powerful tools you can use on LinkedIn. You can search for any combination of keywords, job title, company, location, industry, and you can sort by “degrees away from you” to find people close to you in your network. This is a great way to find experts in almost any field or subject matter. You can also track down executives at companies.

I've listed a few of her pointers. For the rest of her list, head over to her blog, Brazen Careerist.

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, Freelancing, Journalism, LinkedIn ASBPE, Social Media, Writing

Erin Erickson,
Chicago Chapter Board member

Your spouse may be doing it; the guy in the next cubicle probably is; even your high school English teacher has probably dabbled in it. It's LinkedIn and it's the "professional version MySpace," as many people have called it.

According to the site, "LinkedIn is an online network of more than 20 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries." It's been responsible for connecting people to new jobs as well as new storylines and sources.

It's also a handy way to keep up with your fellow ASBPE peers.

If you have a LinkedIn profile, click here to access the ASBPE LinkedIn Group where you'll have access to the profiles and networks of other ASBPE'ers. If you've not joined LinkedIn, pop on over to the website and see if you're interested.

Still not convinced? Check back for more blog posts about the advantages of using LinkedIn for your own network as well as your articles and sources. Just click the “Social Media” link below for updates.

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson, Journalism, LinkedIn ASBPE, Social Media

By Erin Erickson ASBPE Chicago Board Member


Judging is currently underway for this year's Azbee Awards. With more than 2300 entries this year, the judges are extremely busy tallying their votes.

According to the folks at ASBPE headquarters, all regional and national finalists will be notified via fax and e-mail in early June.

The notifications specifically state if you have won a regional award or a national award. It is not two separate competitions. If you've been notified as being a national finalist, it means you will receive an award -- Gold, Silver or Bronze. The level of the award is not revealed until the award ceremony.

According to Holly Lundgren, ASBPE award coordinator, "Each finalist will receive an e-mail alerting them to check their fax. They MUST check the faxed notification letter as that is where the information to appear on the plaque is. Each finalist is responsible for 'proofing' their own information for the plaque."

Still have more questions? You can e-mail Holly here.

ASBPE awards page.

Labels: Azbee Awards, Erin Erickson

By Erin Erickson
ASBPE Chicago Board Member

I recently left a print-centric job at a large B2B publisher.

I was good at my job but it was mostly print; I didn't want to become a journalism dinosaur so I started to find as many digital opportunities as I could. The ASBPE blogs were one outlet; digital freelance projects were another.

When I started walking into editorial meetings I wouldn't just think about the head and deck, I would also imagine the online possibilities.

My boss could see I was really eager to do more in the digital forum but unfortunately my workload and my job responsibilities couldn't sustain that of a digital managing editor.

So I shopped my resume around to different publishers. I wasn't blatant about it and often would send my resume to see if I might be wait-listed for any future digital positions.

And then one of the companies I sent my resume to called me back. After what felt like a dozen interviews later, I bid adieu to my print job and started fresh as a digital editor for a smaller B2B publisher.

My first couple of weeks felt like a hazing ritual deemed appropriate for print-to-digital editors -- Please post this with proper coding and image sourcing, please update the front page of the website, please add this multimedia presentation, etc. I knew how to do it but I was a little rusty with my HTML.

Once I started coming into meetings with online ideas that my bosses and bosses' bosses liked, I felt like I'd made a good decision to move to digital. I even remembered how to code and finally started to feel like I was on top of things again. This transition -- from a print role to a digital role -- has prompted me to think of what skills I've found most beneficial. I'm sharing them with anyone who's considering making a similar move:

• Be passionate about digital media. Anyone can critique a website; it's how you consider the possibilities for changing it that will help you past muster in the interview chair.
  
  
• Learn enough HTML to be a little dangerous. I'm not talking programming an entire site yourself, but at least know what an "a href=" tag means and what you can do with it.
  
  
• Be a part of at least one social networking site. I've jumped on the bandwagon of Facebook and LinkedIn. I've caught up with old friends on both and have helped some folks get interviews just by clicking "accept" to an invitation. The fact of the matter is if you can't see the relevance in online social networking, then you're not likely to do well in the digital foray.
  
  
• Load up on your digital projects. If you're trying to turn a print job into a digital one but are not sure where to get digital experience, start small on on free projects. Offer to be the blog keeper or webmaster for your hobbyist group's blog or for your local ASBPE chapter.
  
  
• Get an RSS feed for as many web-improvement sites and blogs as you can stand. For me, I subscribe to The Blog Herald, Copyblogger, ProBlogger, just to name a few. While the content is repetitve at times, you'll get a gem of a post on SEO or analytics that will change the way you look at incoming web traffic.
  

These are just a few of the things I did but many who have walked the road ahead of me can probably offer even better ideas. Please post your suggestions in the comments below.

(This article was previously published on the ASBPE Chicago blog)

Labels: Career/Employment, Erin Erickson

Erin Erickson
ASBPE Chicago Chapter

As a follow-up to this post about blog and website style guides, you should also be thinking about how you can update your style guide in a more timely manner.

You may want to consider transferring your print style guide to an electronic one. Here's how:

• Take blogging software. Platforms like Blogger and WordPress offer easy-to-use software at absolutely no cost.


• Both platforms offer a privacy setting so you grant access only to those staff writers and contributors who write for your publication.

• Begin uploading your style guide. For each section, create a new post, a new post headline, etc., and a label (Numbers, Tone, Audience, Contributor Requirements).

• Consider adding links to commonly used resources (both within the body of the entry and in a link list on the side of the page). For example, if you use an ftp site for uploading images, place a link on the blog that directs users to the ftp site. You can make your style guide as elaborate or as simple as your needs require.

• What also makes this kind of style guide more efficient is the ability to apply an RSS feed to it. Rather than resend a print version to your writers every time you would like to update, include a feed and the new information will populate your user's readers instantly.

Labels: Digital, Editing, Electronic Style Guide, Erin Erickson, Productivity

Erin Erickson
ASBPE Chicago Chapter

Does your website or blog have a style guide? Should it?

Jonathan Bailey's post on BlogHerald raises a great point about the importance of an online style guide.

I have seen style guides for print magazines become so elaborate that they have subsections of subsections. Yet when discussing resources and writing styles for online, these mammoth guides only devote a page to acceptable and non-acceptable sources or how to write web-related words.

If we're striving for brand recognition both in both print and online, shouldn't we devote the same thought to our web style as we do our print style?

It is worthy to note that this post is geared mainly toward bloggers and not necessarily j-school trained writers; however, it offers a few bulleted items to consider for your own website/blog style guide. Notice the similarities between this and what your print style guide suggests (see the post for the entire list):

• What is your post frequency?
• Do you standardize your post titles? (capitalization, punctuation)
• Attribution
• Artistic contributions

Once you have decided on your web style, how do you deliver it to your writers? We'll cover that in the next installment of "Does your website or blog have a style guide?"

Labels: Digital, Editing, Electronic Style Guide, Erin Erickson

Labels: Digital, Erin Erickson

Article written. Check
Sources confirmed. Check
Headline and dek written. Check.
Online hed crafted. Check
SEO keywords listed. Check
Link list included. Check.

Remember when you used to be able to just write a story and submit it? Those days are over if you’re one of the tens of thousands of writers or editors that has entered the arena of online journalism.

Gone are the days when the technological extent of your career was using the Internet to check a source’s telephone number. You’re probably writing a few extra web-friendly components so you can be found by the billions of people that use the Internet.

The impact of the Internet on journalists has been felt throughout the world. From Journalism schools realigning their curriculum to a Forbes.com Jobs Report citing that Journalism is a dying career, it won’t be too long before we pack up our laptops and head home to rethink that dream that one day we’d be the next Woodward or Bernstein.

But wait! There is one way you can hold on to your job: Write for online as well as for print. Embrace the new media; learn what a wiki is, pen a blog, write daily articles online for your monthly magazine.

And the pay increase for this additional work? Usually nothing but a pat on the back and the hope that you’ll be more employable if you know how to navigate the Internet.

This is a cynical, but somewhat realistic point-of-view of the new approach to journalism. Some embrace it. Some decide to take a different path.

It’s a common debate among journalists these days: do we insist on more dollars to compensate our increased workloads or do you acknowledge that this is journalism redefined.

Posted by Erin Erickson, board member of Chicago ASBPE chapter and national website committee co-chair.

Labels: Career/Employment, Digital, Erin Erickson, Journalism, Salary, Work Life