Four of five "senior-level" editors who answered the recent ASBPE/Medill Survey on Digital Skills & Strategies had one day or less of corporate-sponsored digital training in 2009.

What are the implications? How can we overcome the problem?

Join ASBPE's next webinar on Thursday, June 3, to learn about the research and about what you can do to diminish the gap.

The program:

What the research shows

1. The training gap
2. The leadership gap
3. Which skills are necessary/most important.

What you can do about it

1. How to sell your company on training.
2. How can you get training at your organization with little help from management.
3. Where to get training on your own.
4. Mini case studies

About the speakers:

Abe Peck is director of business-to-business communication and professor emeritus in service at the Medill School and senior director of the Media Management Center, Northwestern University. He is also a consultant in the B2B space.

Robin Sherman is associate director of the American Society of Business Publication Editors; a principal of Editorial & Design Services; and a former corporate director of editorial development.

Mary Slepicka is group content director of Advanstar Communications Powersport Group; and editorial director of Dealernews Magazine.

Rita Jane Gabbett is executive editor of Meatingplace.com, and on-line community for red meat and poultry processors in North America.

Event details:

Date: Thursday, June 3

Time: 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. EDT

Location: Your desktop computer.

Cost: $20 for members, $45 for non-members

To register:

Option 1: Pay online. Use the web form below to pay online via credit card or PayPal. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Member Status

ASBPE Member $20.00 Nonmember $45.00

Option 2: Use PayPal via email. Go to PayPal and use the Send Money tab to send the proper amount to asbpe.info@asbpe.org. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Option 3: Pay by check, pay by credit card offline or pay for multiple registrations at one time (regardless of payment method). Fill out this registration form (78K Word doc) and return it to Holly Lundgren with your payment by June 1. Webinar access info will be provided once you have registered.

Questions? Contact Steven Roll at b2beditor@gmail.com.

Labels: Digital, Webinars

By Howard Rauch

Discussions about today’s editorial workload dilemma usually focus on how we split our time percentagewise between online and print. I followed the same line of thinking while creating an editorial performance survey for an upcoming ASBPE webinar. But early input via initial telephone brainstorming sessions with survey respondents suggests the need for another mind set.

For instance, consider the point raised by a group editorial director who has embraced “web first” content creation. He believes online and print activities must be blended into one fluid process. “We have not changed the way we gather information, write it for the web and then repurpose it for print,” he said. However, significant changes have been made in production procedures, especially how deadlines are organized.

Another brainstorming conversation mulled pros and cons of expedience as the answer to making job ends meet. For instance, I’ve noticed some sites relying moreso on straight reruns of press releases. The editors don’t try to hide the fact that content is far from original. “We select only the most relevant stuff for rerun,” says one online editor. “It doesn’t matter if we’re not the source in every case.” My view? WRONG!!! Our content-creation emphasis must be on exclusivity and enterprise. Does anyone not understand why that approach is mandated?

Labels: Digital, Howard Rauch, Webinars

By Howard Rauch

How to deal more effectively with mounting print/digital workloads will be my focus during an ASBPE June 17 webinar.

In advance, I invited all concerned editors to complete a questionnaire outlining their current responsibilities. Respondents were asked to focus primarily on their online workloads. They were challenged to identify their most time-consuming tasks.

During follow-up phone calls starting May 15, I’ll consult with each participant about possible ways to simplify workloads. An extra benefit: all respondents receive an analysis of e-newsletter content based on the eight-factor scoring system I outlined in a recent Editor’s Notes article (556K PDF; available to ASBPE members only).

Early returns reflect some significant patterns. Here are a few:

1. Production responsibilities are major time consumers. In several past editorial performance projects focusing on print, I often found production processes were hampered by burdensome practices. There is every indication that the same holds true for online. Of course, that depends on how you define “production.” I include assorted posting functions — coding, sizing photos, proofreading — anything else that’s distinct from original writing/editing tasks.

2. There is agreement that job overload has impaired editing quality. This is especially true in those cases where e-newsletter workload has doubled or tripled in the past three years.

3. Publishers not yet committed to dedicated digital staffs will never exploit online marketing potential to the fullest. Descriptions of current workloads make that clear. For instance, developing a strong package of high-value webinars and white papers requires several days a month of focus. Furthermore, it seems farfetched to expect besieged staffs can deliver a continuous flow of exclusive, high-enterprise content.

We’ll discuss all of the above and much more on June 17. Meanwhile, there’s still time for you to benefit from advance participation. Just complete a performance questionnaire and return it to me before May 15. For more information or to obtain a copy of the questionnaire, contact me via email (howard@editsol.com) or call (201) 569-7714.

Labels: Digital, Howard Rauch, Productivity, Webinars, Work Life

Today's editors are in a rare position: We have the chance to help shape a new media platform. Among other things, that means we ll have to work to retain journalistic standards, even as we create a new type of media presence. And of course, we ll have to learn to put aside our assumptions and make use of multiplatform communication and interaction.

Join ASBPE's next webinar on Thursday, April 29, to hear Jim Sulecki, director of e-media at Meister Media Worldwide, describe 10 trends that could make or break our editorial careers. In this webcast, he ll have advice on how to make sure these trends do the former.

Among the 10 trends to be covered:

1. We and our publications will be measured.
2. Our content will become co-creative with our audiences.
3. Editorial content will focus predominantly on analysis and exclusives.
4. We are in the entertainment (and information) business.
5. We (not publishers) will be the primary marketers of our content.
6. No one will pay us or our publishers directly for our content.
7. The fading bright line between editorial and sales may grow dimmer.
8. Content will be read on mobile devices as often as on computer screens.
9. Print content will go the premium route.
10. The Millennials will want our content, but in different packages.

Event details:
Date: Thursday, April 29th, 2010
Time: 12:30 to 1:30 pm EST
Location: Your desktop computer.
Cost: $20 for members, $45 for non-members

To register:

Option 1: Pay online. Use the web form at www.asbpe.org/webinars to pay online via credit card or PayPal. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Option 2: Use PayPal via email. Go to PayPal and use the Send Money tab to send the proper amount to asbpe.info@asbpe.org. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Option 3: Pay by check or pay for multiple registrations at one time (regardless of payment method). Fill out the registration form posted at www.asbpe.org/webinars and return it to Holly Lundgren with your payment by April 28. Webinar access info will be provided once you have registered.

Questions? Contact Steven Roll at b2beditor@gmail.com.

About Jim Sulecki
Jim Sulecki has more than 25 years of editorial, publishing management and sales/marketing experience in business-to-business and consumer media. Currently he manages Meister Media Worldwide s 20 brand and custom websites, 12 branded e-newsletters, custom e-media, webinars, and online video/audio, crafting sales and marketing strategies and developing online content and search engine optimization programs. He was named Innovator in Business Media: Online Executives by BtoB Media Business magazine in June 2009.

Labels: Management, Webinars, Writing

ASBPE has an exciting slate of webinars scheduled for the first half of 2010.

TODAY: March 29 @ 12:30 to 1:30 EST: Why B2B Publications Are So Bad at Marketing (and how to fix it). Speaker: Joe Pulizzi of Junta42.

April 29 @ 12:30 to 1:30 EST: Ten Trends that Could Make (Or Break) Our Editorial Careers. Speaker: Jim Sulecki of Meister Media. (For a preview, see Sulecki’s blog post on this topic.)

May 20 @ 12:30 to 1:30 EST: Managing Online Communities.

June 17 @ 12:30 to 1:30 EST: Managing Your Career in the B2B Press: How to Transform Yourself Into an Indispensable Asset in Today's Turbulent Economy. Speakers: Howard Rauch of Editorial Solutions, Inc. and John Bethune, writer, editor, and online entrepreneur.

Labels: Steven Roll, Webinars

Why B2B Publishers Are So Bad at Marketing (and how to fix it)

In the past, B2B publishers relied on a fairly reliable marketing arsenal to attract readers and advertisers:

• online resource center
• sales sheets
• promo e-mails
• house ads
  

But many are finding that these methods aren't working anymore.

To standout from the crowd, it's more important than ever to position your publication as a trusted authority for both readers and advertisers.

In this 60-90 minute Webinar, attendees will learn how to: craft marketing messages with relevant content aimed at solving some of the toughest problems your prospects are facing

• position your publication as a trusted solutions provider for your industry
• weigh the pros and cons of marketing initiatives such as electronic and print newsletters as well as blogging and other social media platforms
• The Webinar will also cover unconventional marketing methods such as holding a conference or publishing a book on a topic you cover.

Event Details

Date: Monday, March 29th, 2010
Time: 12:30 to 2:00 pm EST
Location: Your desktop computer
Cost: $20 for members, $45 for nonmembers

To register:

Option 1: Pay online. Use the web form below to pay online via credit card or PayPal. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Member Status

Member $20.00 Nonmember $45.00

Option 2: Use PayPal via email. Go to PayPal and use the Send Money tab to send the proper amount to asbpe.info@asbpe.org. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Option 3: Pay by check or pay for multiple registrations at one time (regardless of payment method). Fill out this registration form (72K Word doc) and return it to Holly Lundgren with your payment by March 26. Webinar access information will be provided once you have registered.

Questions? Contact Steven Roll at b2beditor@gmail.com.

About Joe Pulizzi

Labels: Webinars

B2B editors are increasingly getting into Web video. Here's a detailed, step-by-step walk-through to help you get a vivid picture of the editing process from a fellow B2B editor who today produces and edits some 40 videos a year. Other aspects of the video process will be covered but the focus is on editing with the standard editing platform: Final Cut Express. We will walk through the actual editing process of a short video.

We will show you how to:

• transfer video from your camera to the editing platform.
• edit video to create a sequence (Final Cut's term for the edited video).
• add transitions.
• add music.
• add voiceovers.
• enhance badly shot or lighted footage.
• export to a playable file.

Rob Freedman, senior editor of Realtor Magazine, has recently made the crossover to multimedia journalism and will offer his "been there, lived through that" experience so you can learn his lessons--and avoid his mistakes.

Event Details

Date: Friday, February 26, 2009

Time: 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. EST

Location: Your computer

Cost: $20 for members, $45 for non-members

To register:

Option 1: Pay online. Use the web form below to pay online via credit card or PayPal. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Member Status

Member $20.00 Non-Member $45.00

Option 2: Pay by check or pay for multiple registrations at one time (regardless of payment method). Fill out this registration form (76K Word doc) and return it to Christina Pellett with your payment by February 25. Webinar access information will be provided once you have registered.

Questions? Contact Steven Roll at b2beditor@gmail.com.

About Rob Freedman

Robert Freedman is Senior Editor of Realtor Magazine, published by the National Association of Realtors in Washington, D.C., and past president of ASBPE and the ASBPE Educational Foundation. He is involved in all aspects of multimedia publishing and produces weekly Realtor Magazine news videos. Robert is the author or editor of several books on business communications, including Journalism That Matters (Marion Street Press) and Best Practices of the Business Press (Kendall-Hunt).

Labels: Digital, Education, Technology, Webinars

Learn how to use online communities, social networks, and search engine optimization to increase readership, in print as well as online.

Save the date Thursday, Sept. 24 to join ASBPE and explore how to harness Web 2.0 to spread the word about your brand and content. Hear from a panel of digital content experts who will reveal how to effectively integrate social media and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies into a publication's reader-engagement activities.

You'll learn how to use Web 2.0 to...

• build reader interaction and grow circulation.
• boost brand recognition.
• facilitate networking among readers.
• recharge existing e-products and print products.

And find out how to...

• select which social media and SEO strategies will be most effective for your organization.
• involve the entire editorial staff in social media and SEO activities.
• plan, launch, and integrate a social media and SEO strategy into your editorial operations and reader-interaction strategies.

Date: Sept. 24, 2009

Time: 1-2 p.m. Eastern

Price: ASBPE members: $10; nonmembers: $35.

To register:

Option 1: Pay online. Use the web form directly below to pay online via credit card or PayPal. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.Option 1: Pay online. Use the web form directly below to pay online via credit card or PayPal. Instructions for obtaining webinar access will be emailed to you once you have paid.

Select: Member or nonmember

Member $10.00 Nonmember $35.00

Option 2: Pay by check or pay for multiple registrations at one time (regardless of payment method). Fill out this registration form (76K Word doc) and return it to Christina Pellett with your payment by Sept. 23. Webinar access information will be provided once you have registered.

About the Panelists

Labels: Digital, Webinars

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

Date: Friday, March 27
Time: 1:00 p.m. Eastern time
Duration: 60 minutes

Webinar Overview

Business-to-business editors generally are skilled at covering day-to-day happenings in their industries. But their reporting often falls short when exploring the effects of an economic downturn and the measures that business undertake to deal with the resulting squeeze on their balance sheets. In this webinar, panelists Roy Harris, senior editor, CFO, and Steve Ross, editor, Broadband Properties, will examine how editors can cover the current economy in their publications. Attendees will learn what questions to ask of sources, how to analyze their markets, and what tools editors can use to find additional information.

What You'll Learn...

• What questions to ask sources who work in the markets you cover.
  
  
• Which tools, third-parties and online resources to consult when pursuing your story.
  
  
• How an understanding of key accounting ratios, among other considerations, will help you to judge whether a company can survive bankruptcy.
  
  
• How to analyze and interpret the answers you get about the companies and industries you're researching.
  
  
• What actions companies might take because of the contracting economy or their own deteriorating financial situation.
  
  
• What your readers most want to know and how to convey your findings for maximum impact.
  

Webinar Details

Where: Your computer. You will need a dial-in number, URL and access codes to participate.

How to register: To reserve your place, you must complete two steps:

1. submit payment; and
   
2. visit the web page where you will actually register.
   

Payment (credit card or check payable to ASBPE) should be submitted to the contact listed on this form (72K Word doc). Upon receipt of payment, you will receive an e-mail with the online registration link. A second e-mail will follow identifying the dial-in number, URL and access codes needed to join the webinar.

Charge: This Webinar is $10.00 for all ASBPE members and $35.00 for non-members.

About the Panelists

Roy J. Harris Jr., a senior editor for The Economist Group's CFO magazine, has been a journalist for some of the nation's most respected news publications for four decades. From 1971 to 1994 he served as a reporter and editor for the Wall Street Journal, including six years as deputy chief of its fourteen-member Los Angeles bureau. During his 12 years in Boston with CFO, he served from 2006 to 2007 as national president of the American Society of Business Publication Editors. He also serves as vice president of the ASBPE Foundation. But he has retained his passion for the newspaper business, regularly contributing articles on the Pulitzer Prizes to the web site of the St. Petersburg, Florida-based Poynter Institute. He has also taught journalism as an adjunct professor at Emerson College. He is additionally the author of Pulitzer's Gold, the first book to trace the ninety-year history of the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.

Steve Ross has combined a career in teaching, writing, consulting, and technology. He now edits a trade/professional magazine (Broadband Properties) and teaches business writing at the Harvard Extension. From 1985 until mid-2004, Ross taught full-time at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, where he was an associate professor of professional practice, teaching new media, national, and computer-assisted reporting. Since 1994, Ross has been conducting the nation's largest surveys of journalists' use of online services including (but not limited to) the World Wide Web. Among his 19 books are works on business, the environment and planning, multimedia, finance, statistics, product safety, and toxic substances. He is now under contract with The McGraw-Hill Companies to produce textbooks for analytic journalism and new media.

Labels: Digital, Webinars

WHAT: Getting Your Market's Economic Scoop in Tough Times

WHEN: Friday, March 27, 1:00 p.m., 60 minutes

WHO: Panelists Roy Harris, senior editor, CFO, and Steve Ross, editor, Broadband Properties, will examine how editors can cover the current economy in their publications. Attendees will learn:

• what questions ought to be asked of sources,
  
• how to analyze their market,
  
• what tools editors can use to find additional information,
  
• and more.

Charge: This webinar is $10.00 for all ASBPE members and $35.00 for nonmembers.

Update: Detais on the event and registration information are now available.

Labels: Journalism, Webinars

By Martha Spizziri
ASBPE Web Editor

"Anyone can launch a media brand. The time is right now, especially because buying behavior has changed." That's the judgment of Joe Pulizzi, who copresented the ASBPE webinar "A B2B Journalist’s Guide to Creating the Next New-Media Resource" on Monday.

Pulizzi is founder and chief content officer of the content-marketing community Junta42. He also launched Junta42Match, a service for matching up buyers and sellers of custom publishing services. Presenting with Pulizzi was Harry McCracken, the former editor-in-chief of PC World, who left that publication to start the personal technology blog Technologizer. The site launched this year with zero traffic, but was getting 950,000 monthly page views and 400,000 unique visitors per month by its second full month of operation.

Although both presenters offered advice for editors who want to start their own ventures, most of their suggestions would be just as helpful to existing media companies planning to introduce a new-media property. Pulizzi explained how buying behavior has changed, and what that means for those who want to provide B2B information online. "More than 90% of business purchases begin online. So you have to find out how they’re using that information and become part of that process." Here are some of the other tips he and McCracken shared during the webcast:

Know where the money will be coming from before you start. Joe Pulizzi says a three-tier revenue model works in any market - that is, a new enterprise should be able to get revenue from at least three groups of people. Usually there are a main group or audience and a few ancillary groups.

Copy a model from another industry. Pulizzi used Digg as a model in starting Junta42. eHarmony and AgencyFinder were the models for Junta42Match.

Leave your job with a job. If you're striking out on your own, Pulizzi advised, continue to write or consult for their old companies while getting a new project started. Harry McCracken seconded this advice, noting that he's still a contributor to PC World. The writing he's done for that publishing franchise not only helped keep money coming in as the site ramped up, but it's great publicity for Technologizer.

Partner with other companies. You can't do it all yourself, Pulizzi stressed. In getting Junta42 started, Pulizzi partnered with American Business Media, BtoB Magazine, and the Custom Publishing Council. Working with established companies adds credibility to a new venture, and many of those companies will be willing to work with you because they need help figuring out how to build online products.

Treat your audience like editorial staff. Your audience contributes to your site in the form of blog comments and discussion forum posts, McCracken notes, and many of those participants may know more than you do about certain topics. What's more, based on their input to your site, you might even get to know users you'll want to hire to write for you. "Don’t think of your community as a database that you can sell to people. Do lots of polls and surveys. Find the best people and highlight their work – and even pay them," McCracken said.

Use free tools, even if you're a big media company. Big companies often bog themselves down in processes or tools. McCracken noted that there are many free tools now that are easy to use and comparable to products companies used to pay tens of thousands of dollars for. (For how to avoid getting burned when dealing with free web services, see this post from Technologizer.)

Don't bother with traditional search engine optimization. That's Harry McCracken's advice, and he admits it's unorthodox. But in his opinion, if you write good content and promote it via the social web, you'll rank high on Google. (For more, see this post from the blog McCracken on Media.)

McCracken and Pulizzi also discussed specific tools and marketing strategies they used, how to find writers when you're on a tight budget, and revenue streams beyond advertising. An archived version of this webcast will be available to attendees. Watch ASBPE's webinar page for updates on availability of the archived version, as well as updates on upcoming webinars.

Labels: Digital, Harry McCracken, Joe Pulizzi, Martha Spizziri, Media Business, Social Media, Technology, Webinars

On Nov. 17, Harry McCracken and Joe Pulizzi will give advice on launching a successful new-media venture. Read posts by and about McCracken and Pulizzi on the ASBPE National Blog.

Date: Monday, Nov. 17
Time: 1 pm Eastern time
Duration: 60 minutes

The advent of the Internet has made it easier and less costly than ever for writers and editors to connect with a niche audience. It also has dramatically increased the value of their skills, enabling smart writers and editors to reach millions of people, as well as make money doing so, without the backing of a large media company.

During a 60-minute Webinar brought to you by ASBPE, you'll learn from Harry McCracken, the former editor-in-chief of PC World who has since founded the personal technology blog Technologizer, and Joe Pulizzi, founder and chief content officer of the search community site Junta42, how to:

• develop an effective marketing strategy to promote your content;
• identify, and participate in, online conversations that can help draw audiences to your work;
• use social networking Web sites to reach out to online communities who are likely to value your expertise;
  
• leverage the power of "free";
• and build successful permission-based marketing initiatives.

If you aim to learn how you can create a compelling B2B editorial brand on your own, then we invite you to set aside time for our Webinar on Monday, November 17th, which will take place from 1 pm to 2 pm Eastern time. Stay tuned for further details from ASBPE.

Update, Nov. 4, 2008: Registration is now open. Get details and register here.

Charge: This Webinar is $10.00 for all ASBPE members and $35.00 for nonmembers.

About the Moderator

JOE FLEISCHER has more than 12 years of experience as a writer and editor covering a wide range of topics related to customer care. He is a sought-after speaker and moderator at leading customer care events. He has developed and moderated numerous conference sessions, workshops and Webcasts, with the aim of helping companies to improve their communication with customers.

With Brendan Read, Mr. Fleischer is the coauthor of the book The Complete Guide to Customer Support.

About the Presenters

HARRY MCCRACKEN is the founder and editor of Technologizer, a Web site and community about personal technology that reaches 400,000 unique visitors a month. Prior to launching Technologizer in July 2008, he served as editor-in-chief of PC World, the world's largest computing magazine, and its Web site, from 2003 to 2008. McCracken earned American Business Media's Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity in 2008. He was named to Folio: magazine's Folio:40 list of media movers and shakers in 2008, and was one of min Magazine's 21 Most Intriguing People in 2008. McCracken's PC World editorials won American Business Media's Jesse H. Neal award in 2008.He has appeared as a technology expert on ABC, the BBC, CBS, NBC, the History Channel, and many other TV and radio outlets, and has written for Family Circle, Popular Science, Slate, USA Today and other publications.

JOE PULIZZI, a thought leader, speaker, writer and evangelist for content marketing and custom publishing, is founder and chief content officer for Junta42, a content marketing and custom publishing on-line resource, helping businesses of all sizes learn how to create valuable, relevant and compelling content. Voted American Business Media's "Custom Media Innovator of the Year," Joe is also president of Z Squared Media LLC, a content marketing consulting firm for marketers and publishers. In addition, Joe is coauthor of the book Get Content. Get Customers, which helps teach businesses why and how to create their own compelling content to drive their businesses.

Labels: Webinars

Chances are your readers are rethinking how they do business to minimize their industry’s environmental impact. Companies' heightened awareness of environmental issues — especially climate change — is impacting editorial coverage and priorities, including the allocation of staff resources.

You'll get some good ideas about how to cover these issues by attending ASBPE's next webinar, The Disruptive Power of Green. Specifically, you'll find out:

• how other B2B reporters are creatively seeking out stories on the environment, sometimes producing reforms that make business more environmentally friendly.
  
  
• how to help your audience navigate new environmental laws.
  
  
• how to help them respond to demand from consumers and business partners for green initiatives.

The discussion will be led by editors at two leading B2B publications — ChemicalWeek’s Robert Westervelt and Ward’s David Zoia — who are breaking new ground in this area.

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday, June 26, 2008

Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern time

Where: Your computer. You will need a dial-in number and access code to participate. You will receive the dial-in number and access code in a subsequent e-mail message after you register for this Webinar.

How to register: You can register online for this Webinar at eventcallregistration.com/reg?cid=2927t11. Shortly after you register, you will receive a confirmation of your registration by e-mail that will include the dial-in number and access code.

Charge: $15.00 for all ASBPE members; $35.00 for nonmembers.

Labels: Journalism, Training, Webinars

By Martha Spizziri
ASBPE Web Editor

It's right around the corner, but there's still time to register for Media Bistro's online course Reinventing Print Content for the Web. The class, which starts Monday, June 2, is aimed specifically at magazine writers and editors. You may be able to register even after the official start date; you'll have access to all lectures and transcripts of any class chats you might miss by signing up late. According to the Media Bistro web site, taking the course will teach you:

• what skills you need succeed as a writer or editor for a magazine Web site.
• where the role of editor ends and that of Web producer begins.
• pitfalls to avoid in reworking content for the Web.
  
• which new Web technologies are essential and how to develop them.
• when, how, and why to incorporate user-generated content and how to encourage it.
• how to identify, evaluate, and manage potential content partnerships.
  

A similar Media Bistro class is Writing and Editing for the Web, starting June 10. This course covers a diverse range of material, including how to:

• write great copy for the Web (and why Web writing is different from writing for print).
  
• use Web technology to tell a story.
• avoid common mistakes.
• find reliable information online.
• use bulletin boards and online communities to find story sources and subjects.
• the pros and cons of blogging, and whether you should do it.
• selling yourself and your work on the Web.
  

And if you're in the New York City area, don't miss the June 6 ASBPE New York chapter panel discussion Make Your Job Indispensable: Tales from Four “Survivors.” This event aims to help you develop the multitasking skills you need to keep working as a B2B editor, writer, or freelancer. You’ll learn how:

• B2B editors are managing print, web news, e-newsletters, live events, webinars, and other products.
• enterprising freelance editors and writers are enhancing their multimedia skills and nabbing opportunities to do online slide shows, podcasts, video, blogs, and more.
• editors can manage their time more efficiently and balance priorities using quantitative analysis techniques.
• publishers can develop in-house training programs to provide both staffers and freelancers with the expertise they need.

RSVP deadline is May 30.

Journalistic Skills

The Poynter Institute's NewsU offers Introduction to Ethical Decision-Making, a free on-demand web course that teaches processes and principles you can use to analyze difficult ethical questions you may face as a journalist. A library of case studies and other resources are also available.

Media Bistro's online Interviewing Skills course starts June 3. The class promises to teach journalists conducting story interviews how to:

• ask succinct questions.
• ask the right question at the right time.
• get compelling sound bites.
• relax and let the interview flow.
• handle difficult interviewees.
• land a hard-to-get interview.

Beyond the Inverted Pyramid: Creating Alternative Story Forms is a free on-demand class offered by NewsU that introduces students to nontraditional, more accessible storytelling styles. This line from the course description particularly caught my eye: "You’ll learn to break down information by theme and organize stories to make them snappy and more useful to time-crunched readers [my italics]." B2B editors have been dealing with readers who have no time to read at least since I started my career, long before the advent of the Internet.

Another free on-demand NewsU program, Math for Journalists, consists of six 30-minute modules. The course covers material ranging from math essentials (reducing fractions, for instance) to topics specifically for journalists (calculating costs of living, estimating crowd sizes). NewsU also provides supplementary learning tools, including quizzes, games, and interactive charts and tables.

Finally, NewsU offers two ways to learn about headline writing: Writing Better Print Headlines, a four-week online class next offered on Sept. 8, and Writing Headlines for the Web, a replay of a 2007 webinar that you can access at your leisure.

Copy Editing and Grammar

Media Bistro has a trio of online copy editing courses coming up. In chronological order, they are:

Advanced Copy Editing, starting Sunday, June 1, teaches the finer points of grammar, how to create an in-house style guide, dealing with office politics, and how to know when you've overstepped the bounds with a piece of copy, among other topics.

Intro to Copy Editing starts June 2 and covers common copy editing marks and proofreading symbols, reference materials, preparing for copy-editing tests, and more.

Intermediate Copy Editing starts June 17 and deals with topics such as the relative merits of the popular style guides, how to recast sentences, and the role and responsibilities of the copy editor.

For a general refresher on grammar issues, you might sign up for Grammar, Punctuation, and Meaning, a four-week web course that starts June 23. Or try out the free self-directed on-demand program Cleaning Your Copy from NewsU.

For Freelancers

The Whole Freelancer, starting June 12, is a multiweek online course for those considering a full-time freelance career. It will cover basic skills such as effectively pitching ideas, managing your career, and building relationships with editors.

Advanced Freelancing starts June 18. It's designed for writers who've already had articles published and will cover strategies for selling more articles, getting more money for the articles you write, expanding your stable of publishing venues, breaking into new subject areas, renegotiating when necessary, and other skills.

Labels: Career/Employment, Digital, Editing, Freelancing, Journalism, Martha Spizziri, Training, Webinars, Writing

Webcasts can boost readership and ad dollars and raise brand awareness, learn how B2B publications are gaining a competitive edge through webinars.

Find out what it takes to successfully produce compelling — and profitable — webinars for your trade magazine. Join the American Society of Business Publication Editors for a webinar on Friday, March 21, to get the inside scoop from top experts at Nielsen Business Media and InXpo.

Learn how to:

• pick a compelling topic and present it for maximum impact.
  
  
• involve print and online staff editors in content development and presentation of webinars.
  
  
• manage the "church-state" divide and address common ethical issues when conducting webinars.
  
  
• package and market online events for potential viewers and sponsors.
  
  
• leverage webinars for related editorial content, including virtual trade shows, podcasts and e-newsletters.

Meeting Details

When: Friday, March 21, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EDT.

Where: Your computer. A web conference dial-in number and access code is required, and will be provided to registrants in a subsequent e-mail.

How to attend: To reserve your place, submit a completed reservation form (80K) by March 17th to b2beditor@gmail.com or 201-221-8655 (fax). Questions may be directed to Steve Roll at 703-341-5926.

Charge: This webinar is $10.00 for all ASBPE members and $35.00 for nonmembers.

About the Presenters

Kristin Beaulieu is the Vice President of Client Services at InXpo, a leading provider of virtual online communities and tradeshows. She works with leading publishers such as Nielsen, The Wall Street Journal, CMP, IDG, Ziff Davis Enterprise and others to strategize their event businesses.

Kristin was formerly the Vice President of Digital Events for the Consumer Small Business Division of Ziff Davis Media. She managed two online event divisions for Ziff Davis: eSeminars and PCMagCast. eSeminars was launched in 2000 and grew steadily to become a highly profitable division of Ziff Davis with year-over-year exponential growth in revenue and events. In January 2006, PCMagCast was launched as the dedicated online event division of PCMagazine.

PCMagCast received both Gold and Bronze 2006 Folio: Fame Awards for "Best Online Events of the Year" for its "Security and Mobility Virtual Tradeshow" and the webcast, "Selecting and Setting up an HDTV Set". Additionally eSeminars received the 2005 Folio Fame Gold Award for "Best Online Event" for its Security Solutions Tradeshow "Protect Yourself Against Attacks."

Elliot Markowitz is Editorial Director of Nielsen Business Media Webcasts and Virtual Events and is responsible for the content of all web seminars across Nielsen's publications and brands. He is also Editorial Director of Nielsen's Small Business Resource Center and Mediajobmarket.com.

Previously, Markowitz was Editorial Director of Ziff Davis Media eSeminars, where he helped build the company's eSeminar business and launched its award-winning Virtual Tradeshow concept. Markowitz is an 18-year publishing veteran and before Ziff Davis, he was Editor of Hotel Business magazine and HotelJournal. Before that he was Editor-in-Chief of CRM Magazine and the destinationCRM.com website and related live events. Before CRM Magazine, he was Business Editor at TechTV, responsible for helping to manage the TV station's website as well as conducting live on-air interviews with key industry executives.

Markowitz also spent 11 years with CMP Media's award-winning weekly newspaper Computer Reseller News (CRN), where he held many key editorial positions including News Editor, Business Editor, and Senior Executive Editor. In 1999 he was named Editor of CRN, responsible for the entire editorial operation of the newspaper and in charge of coordinating its redesign and re-launch in June 2000. While at CRN Markowitz initiated many key alliances including the Industry Hall of Fame event in Las Vegas and the annual CRN/Raymond James Conference. Early in his career Markowitz was a news reporter on Long Island for the Massapequa Post.

He holds a B.A. in Journalism from Hofstra University and is a graduate of the Stanford Professional Publishing Course.

Labels: Digital, Media Business, Technology, Training, Webinars

Learn How to Save Time and Money by Submitting Your Competition Entries Online!

The deadline for the 2008 Azbee Awards is Feb. 15, 2008. The 2008 competition is for material published in 2007. This year, ASBPE created the ability to submit your entries online, meaning not having to spend time packaging three copies of each entry in plastic acetate sheets, printing out letters, and sending the whole package out via snail mail.

Join the American Society of Business Publication Editors for a webinar on Friday, January 18 to learn the basics about our new entry system.

What You'll Learn

In this half-hour session, find out:

• how and where to register for the competition
• where to submit your statement describing the mission, readership, and enterprising work for each entry
• how upload editorial entries
• how to submit and receive confirmation of payment

When: Friday, January 18, from 1 to 1:30 p.m. EST

Where: Your computer. A web conference dial-in number and access code is required, and will be provided to registrants in a subsequent e-mail.

How to attend: To reserve your place, submit a completed reservation form to b2beditor@gmail.com. You may get more information on the awards here.

Questions may be directed to Steve Roll at 703-341-5926.

Charge: This webinar is FREE for all ASBPE members and nonmembers.

Labels: Azbee Awards, Webinars