Friday Fast Five

By Benét J. Wilson, chair, NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force & social media/newsletters editor, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

Editor’s note: before we get into this week’s Fast Five, I have two housekeeping items.  One, today is the deadline to vote on panels for next year’s South By Southwest Interactive conference, and I’m asking for your support on two.  Leveraging Diversity For Your Business Portfolio, submitted by Dori Maynard of the Maynard Institute and  The Race Card Project  panel on digital storytelling, submitted by NPR’s Michele Norris.  Second, please register for the Digital Journalism Task Force’s free webinar, “Social Media As A Reporting Tool,” with Niketa Patel of CNNMoney.com  Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. EDT. For more details, click here.

1. Apple iBooks store – Mobile Reporting Field Guide. This FREE eBook is your personal teacher on everything you need to know about using your iPhone as a reporting tool, including videos.
2. Mashable – App Tells Freelancers How Much to Charge. When I fell into freelancing, I had NO idea what to charge. I got great advice from the NABJ Arts &Entertainment Task Force, but this app is a pretty good substitute.
3. SPJ Networked blog – GlowTrend joins growing list of social networking sites. The blog reviews GlowTrend, which appears to be the love child of Facebook, iTunes, Google+ Hangouts and Craigslist.
4. SimplyZesty – 40 Tips To Help Journalists Turn Facebook Into The Ultimate News Portal.  There are some great tips in here for those of us still trying to fit journalism into our Facebook accounts.  I’ve started using polls with great success on my company’s Facebook page.
5. Appadvice – Call Recording Apps.  I use Google Voice, but there are others out there, as outlined on this blog,

Time To Start Thinking About #NABJ13 Workshop Proposals!

                                                                                                                                        By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF chair & freelance aviation/travel journalist and blogger

I am thrilled to be named NABJ convention program chair for a second year. I’m even more thrilled that our president, Greg Lee, has named Carol Ash as convention chair.  We are already working hard to make Orlando — only 337 days away — even better than New Orleans.

My job is to ensure that the workshops and Learning Labs bring our members the latest in journalism tools, tricks and techniques.  But I can’t do that without your help.  We depend on our members to offer their wisdom and knowledge on our programming.

I was gratified that so many of you came up and complimented me and the program committee on the workshops in New Orleans.  But I also heard complaints about what programming was not there,

To those critics, I say to you — if you don’t propose workshops, they won’t be there.  You can’t assume that they’ll just be there because they were there in the past.  You can’t assume that someone will step up to the plate and do the exact workshop you want.

The only way to get the workshops you want is to propose them — or reach out to someone and ask them to propose one.

The proposal submission process will begin soon.  So start thinking now about what type of programming you want to see in Orlando. Reach out to people now to start getting your proposals together.  And watch this space for guidance on how to submit a proposal.  Here’s to a great convention in Orlando!!

Calendar of Multimedia Training and Events

Webbmedia Group has a great mega calendar of events that catches things not covered below.  If you want to subscribe to the calendar, click here.  You can also subscribe to this calendar so the information appears on your personal Google Calendar. Just go to the Webbmedia Google calendar, click the “+Google Calendar” icon at the bottom right, and then click “Yes, add this calendar” in the dialog box).  The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism has its training calendar posted for courses through January 2013.

AUGUST

• The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is holding a webinar, “Finding Local Economic Stories in Census Data,” Aug. 28. The webinar, taught by USA Today database editor Paul Overberg, will teach listeners how to find great stories on your local economy lurking in the 2010 County Business Patterns data from the U.S. Census.  The cost is free.

SEPTEMBER

• The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is taking applications for the Reynolds Visiting Business Journalism Professors for spring 2014. The visting professors program will assign professors to two campuses for the spring semester 2014. Those selected will teach business journalism coursework during a semester in residence.
• Media Bistro is holding a four-week online course “Bootcamp for Journalists,” Thursdays from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EDT. This intensive course is designed for writers, editors, bloggers, and any content producer wanting to produce attention-getting clips that get noticed — and sold.  The cost is $499.
• The National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture is holding its “Leading Creatively” conference in Minneapolis Sept. 6-8.  The event convenes organizations and individuals from across the country to examine the state-of-the-field amidst the vibrant and flourishing arts communities in Minneapolis.  Registration is $295 for NAMAC members and $325 for non-members.
• janetdrobinson@gmail.com
• The South Asian Journalists Association and Knowledge@Wharton are now taking aplications for the 2012 Knowledge@Wharton Scholarship for Business Journalism. The program is designed to enhance the quality of minority business journalism. It provides one member each from  NABJ AAJA, SAJA, NAHJ and NAJA with a scholarship to attend Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists in Philadelphia. Each scholarship (which covers cost of tuition, course materials and most meals) is worth about $1,995 and is furnished by Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The award does NOT cover travel to and from Philadelphia or lodging. Applicants must be a reporter, editor or producer (including freelancers) currently living in the United States or Canada and working in business journalism or a field that overlaps, such as healthcare or technology. The deadline to apply is September 7, 2012. Winners will be informed September 14, 2012.
• The Newswomen’s Club of New York has put out a call for submissions for its Front Page Awards. The organization is calling for entries from newswomen in the New York metropolitan area working in print, television, radio, wires, and online media as reporters, photographers, columnists, producers, and videographers. The Front Page Awards also recognize Reporter of the Year and Lifetime Achievement. All 2012 contest entries must have been published, issued, broadcast or e-published between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012. Entries must be postmarked no later than September 7, 2012. The fee is $100 per entry.
• The National Association of Black Journalists’ Digital Journalism Task Force is holding a free webinar, “Social Media As A Reporting Tool,” with Niketa Patel of CNNMoney.com. The webinar will be held Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. EDT. For more details, click here.
• Media Bistro is holding a four-week online course, “Online production for Writers and Editors,” Wednesdays, Sept. 12 through Oct. 24 9-10:00 p.m. EDT. Through assignments and discussions, you will learn how to think past the written word and create content that is multi-dimensional and editorially relevant, uses the web to its full potential, and increases your value as an employee.  The cost is $425.
• The Block by Block: Community News Summit 2012 will be held Sept. 13-15 at Loyola University in Chicago.  This event brings together local news entrepreneurs and others interested in the emerging local news ecosystem for two days of presentations of key challenges and solutions around technology, business and revenue. Registration is $75.
• The Poynter Institute’s NewsU is holding a webinar, “The Craft of Multimedia Journalism,” Sept. 13 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Which digital platform is best for the story you want to tell? In this one-hour Webinar with Poynter’s multimedia specialist, Regina McCombs, you’ll learn the strengths and limits of various digital forms and how to pick the best medium for your story.  The cost is $29.95.
• The Poynter Institute’s NewsU is holding a webinar, “Developing Your Social Media Voice,” Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. EDT. The Chicago Tribune’s James Janega will teach participants how to find the right tone in–and how to get the most out of–social media. The cost is $34.95.
• DataGotham will be held on Friday, Sept. 14 at NYU Stern School of Business’s Paulson Auditorium.  The event is a celebration of New York City’s data community that will bring together professionals from finance to fashion and from startups to the Fortune 500.  This day-and-a-half event will consist of intense discussion, networking, and sharing of wisdom. The cost is $499.
• Applications are now being taken for the Abe Fellowship for Journalists.  The fellowship is designed to encourage in-depth coverage of topics of pressing concern to the United States and Japan through individual short-term policy-related projects. Fellows are expected to produce an analytical article or feature story that will inform public debate or a policy community. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2012.
• The Associated Press Media Editors Annual Conference will be held Sept. 19-21, 2012 at the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. The APME conference is an event that allows editors to recharge their batteries, network and learn the latest in the industry. Pulitzer Prize winners from Seattle, Pennsylvania and Alabama will talk about their award-winning work. Great ideas will be celebrated and shared. Those who covered the Colorado theater shootings will talk about how to cover such tragedies. And APME has entire day devoted to best practices in social media.
• The Online News Association is holding its annual convention Sept. 20-22 in San Francisco. Dick Costolo, Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, will be the keynote speaker. Registration is $599 for members and $899 for non-members.
• J-Lab will be holding a half-day workshop, “News Entrepreneuring 4.0,”  at the Online News Association’s annual convention Sept. 20. The event will cover the nitty-gritty of how to sell ads, audience-engagement strategies, collaboration models and university-news entrepreneurship models. Registration is $60.
• Excellence In Journalism will be held Sept. 20-22 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The event is jointly held by the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Pre-registration (by Sept. 9) is $295 for members and $495 for non-members.

OCTOBER

• The Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists Flagship Program is now accepting applications. The flagship program will be held Oct. 21-24 with new faculty and several financial aid options. For over four decades the Seminars have helped journalists gain a better understanding of key business and economic issues via intensive lectures conducted by senior Wharton School faculty.  It will feature sessions on financial statement analysis, executive compensation, innovation and global markets.  The deadline to apply is Oct. 1, 2012.

• The Poynter Institute’s NewsU is taking applications for a seminar, “Writing and Selling Your Freelance Stories,” Oct. 1-3. This seminar will help writers, primarily those in the freelance market, to tell better stories — and to sell them.  The presenters are: Tom Huang of the Dallas Morning News; Butch Ward, managing editor and distinguished Poynter Fellow; and Terry Greene Sterling, Writer-in-Residence, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.  The cost is $750, and applications are due by Sept. 7.
• The Poynter Institute’s NewsU is taking applications for an online group seminar, “Reporters Without Editors: How to Edit Your Own Writing,” Oct. 8 through Nov. 2.  In this course, you’ll gain the skills you need to polish your own prose. The cost is $399 and applications are due by Sept. 10.

NOVEMBER

• The University of California-Berkeley is holding East Meets West, A Gathering of Literary Journalists on Nov. 10.  The all-day event will be one long conversation about the tradition and the edges of narrative journalism, and will explore how to research and write great stories, where to publish them, and how to collaborate with agents and editors. There will be keynotes, lectures, and practical workshops.  The cost is $250.

If you have items you wish to include, please email them to me at benet AT aviationqueen DOT COM. Thanks!!

Friday Fast Five

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF chair & freelance aviation/travel journalist and blogger

This column is back! Every Friday, I’ll list five things for your consideration as you continue your journey on the road to digital journalism. Enjoy!

1. Nieman Journalism Lab — Metrics, metrics everywhere: How do we measure the impact of journalism?  The Associated Press’s Jonathan Stray writes a thoughtful piece on a not-so-new topic.
2. 10000 Words — What Are Basic Social Media Skills Journalists Need? The debate rages on,  but I do agree with this basic list.
3. Mashable — Ethics Basics for Bloggers. As a journalist, I learned the rules in college. But blogging is the wild west for many, so this guide comes in handy.
4. Journalism.co.uk — #Podcast – Lessons in long-form video journalism from the Guardian and Vice. As the conversation about the future of long-form journalism continues, this podcast discusses how the Guardian is making it work.
5. BlogHer — Blogger Beware: You CAN Get
Sued For Using Photos You
Don’t Own on Your Blog. When I do website portfolio reviews for NABJ students and young journalists, 99% of the have nice photos. And most of them are used without permission.  This post explains what can happen if you’re caught.

From Journalism.co.uk: 22 Tools And Apps Every Journalism Student Should Know About

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF chair & freelance aviation/travel journalist and blogger

The Journalism.co.uk is among the websites that are on my must-read list.  I’m a big fan of journalism tool lists, because they not only let me know if I’m keeping up, but they almost always teach this old dog some new tricks.

They’ve done it again with this list. I looked at the list, and discovered I’m using 15 of the 22 tools with varying degrees of success.  And below are another five you can add to your own toolbox.

1. Camera+ — this iPhone camera app takes it to the next level, allowing you to zoom in and out, adjust picture quality, use a timer, add a stabilizer, save to your camera roll and instantly share on social media platforms.
2. Video+ — This takes the video camera to the next level, allowing you to do cool stuff like add special effects and lighting.
3. iPromptPro — turn your iPhone or iPad into an instant teleprompter with this app.
4. AP Stylebook — yes, it’s pricey at $24.99, but it’s great to have this journalists bible right on your iPhone. Plus you can save things you look up regularly (like datelines for me).
5. Hours Keeper — this is a great app for all my freelancers to keep track of projects, including time spent and invoicing.

FREE DJTF Webinar: Social Media As A Reporting Tool, With Niketa Patel of CNNMoney.com

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF chair & freelance aviation/travel journalist and blogger

I was thrilled when the Online News Association (ONA) brought its ONA Camp to the NABJ convention in June.  For the uninitiated, ONA Camp offers free intensive digital journalism training sessions, tailored specifically to the needs of independent, community, non-profit, displaced and employed journalists, bloggers and entrepreneurs.

Trainers include leaders in their fields, covering the latest in multimedia, blogging, mobile, legal and business issues, free web tools, marketing through social networks and finding a niche on the web.  Check out a blog post we did on the training received by the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists here. 

Niketa Patel

One of the presenters at NABJ ONA Camp was Niketa Patel.  Niketa is the social media product manager at CNNMoney.com. She was previously Social Media Editor for ABC News.  She’s a respected digital journalism strategist and a co-organizer of the ONA New York chapter.  You can see my Storify of her NABJ ONA Camp session here.

So for those of you who couldn’t make it to New Orleans or Niketa’s presentation (which was great), I’m delighted to announce that she will be doing it for the Digital Journalism Task Force as a free webinar on Monday, Sept. 10, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. EDT.  To register, click here. 

And we are working on webinars and TweetChats through next spring.  If there are any people or topics you’d like to see, let us know.  Email me at regaviationqueen AT yahoo DOT com. Thanks!!

NABJ DJTF TweetChat: Saving For The #NABJ13 Convention

The National Association of Black Journalists’ Digital Journalism Task Force held a TweetChat on how members can start saving now to pay for the NABJ 2013 convention in Orlando. Panelists Natalie McNeal (thefrugalista.com) and student Ashleigh Atwell offered tips and tricks for funding the trip.  You can read the Storify of the TweetChat here.

Calendar of Multimedia Training and Events

Webbmedia Group has a great mega calendar of events that catches things not covered below.  If you want to subscribe to the calendar, click here.  You can also subscribe to this calendar so the information appears on your personal Google Calendar. Just go to the Webbmedia Google calendar, click the “+Google Calendar” icon at the bottom right, and then click “Yes, add this calendar” in the dialog box).  The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism has its training calendar posted for courses through January 2013.

AUGUST

• The National Association of Black Journalists is holding a TweetChat Aug. 20 at 8:00 p.m. on how to start saving now to attend NABJ’s 2013 convention in Orlando. Our panelists are Natalie McNeal (thefrugalista.com), NABJ Treasurer and finance blogger Keith Reed and student Ashleigh Atwell, who has bootstrapped her way to the last two conventions.  ALL are welcome! The hashtag is #nabj13prep!
• The Asian American Journalists Association is holding the V3con Digital Media Conference and awards event Aug. 24-25 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. V3Con will highlight and expand multiplatform Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communications by gathering thought-provoking AAPI online journalists, creative social media communicators, seasoned bloggers and those interested in engaging on digital platforms, in this unique, one-day conference setting where all are invited to share their experiences, knowledge, endeavors, and visions with others during interactive panels and workshops.
• The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism is holding a webinar, “Finding Local Economic Stories in Census Data,” Aug. 28. The webinar, taught by USA Today database editor Paul Overberg, will teach listeners how to find great stories on your local economy lurking in the 2010 County Business Patterns data from the U.S. Census.  The cost is free.

SEPTEMBER

• Media Bistro is holding a four-week online course “Bootcamp for Journalists,” Thursdays from Sept. 1 to Nov. 1 from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. EDT. This intensive course is designed for writers, editors, bloggers, and any content producer wanting to produce attention-getting clips that get noticed — and sold.  The cost is $499.
• Media Bistro is holding a four-week online course, “Online production for Writers and Editors,” Wednesdays, Sept. 12 through Oct. 24 9-10:00 p.m. EDT. Through assignments and discussions, you will learn how to think past the written word and create content that is multi-dimensional and editorially relevant, uses the web to its full potential, and increases your value as an employee.  The cost is $425.
• The Block by Block: Community News Summit 2012 will be held Sept. 13-15 at Loyola University in Chicago.  This event brings together local news entrepreneurs and others interested in the emerging local news ecosystem for two days of presentations of key challenges and solutions around technology, business and revenue. Registration is $75.
• The Poynter Institute’s NewsU is holding a webinar, “The Craft of Multimedia Journalism,” Sept. 13 at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Which digital platform is best for the story you want to tell? In this one-hour Webinar with Poynter’s multimedia specialist, Regina McCombs, you’ll learn the strengths and limits of various digital forms and how to pick the best medium for your story.  The cost is $29.95.
• The Poynter Institute’s NewsU is holding a webinar, “Developing Your Social Media Voice,” Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. EDT. The Chicago Tribune’s James Janega will teach participants how to find the right tone in–and how to get the most out of–social media. The cost is $34.95.
• DataGotham will be held on Friday, Sept. 14 at NYU Stern School of Business’s Paulson Auditorium.  The event is a celebration of New York City’s data community that will bring together professionals from finance to fashion and from startups to the Fortune 500.  This day-and-a-half event will consist of intense discussion, networking, and sharing of wisdom. The cost is $499.  The Online News Association is holding its annual convention Sept. 20-22 in San Francisco. Dick Costolo, Chief Executive Officer of Twitter, will be the keynote speaker. Registration is $599 for members and $899 for non-members.
• Excellence In Journalism will be held Sept. 20-22 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The event is jointly held by the Radio Television Digital News Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. Pre-registration (by Sept. 9) is $295 for members and $495 for non-members.

NOVEMBER

• The University of California-Berkeley is holding East Meets West, A Gathering of Literary Journalists on Nov. 10.  The all-day event will be one long conversation about the tradition and the edges of narrative journalism, and will explore how to research and write great stories, where to publish them, and how to collaborate with agents and editors. There will be keynotes, lectures, and practical workshops.  The cost is $250.

If you have items you wish to include, please email them to me at regaviationqueen AT yahoo DOT COM. Thanks!!

Five Ways To Keep Your Online Presence Tight – After You Take the “Google Yourself” Challenge

By Benét J. Wilson, DJTF chair & freelance aviation/travel journalist and blogger

Students and young folks who are NABJ members know that I do resume reviews for free.  of course, the word got out and I do them when I can.  A young journalist recently asked me to review her resume.  At first glance it looks great.  She went to a good school, had great internships, graduated with the right degree and was doing well in her current job.

When I do these reviews, I always Google the name of the reviewee just to check how they look to the outside world. Needless to say, her profile — mostly Twitter — was a mess.  She was very active and there were tweets on there that made me blush.  She also had some questionable photos on her Facebook account.

When we did the resume review, I asked her when was the last time she Googled herself; she replied she hadn’t done it in at least a year.  When she did, she was horrified.

And she had every right to be.  This post on BackgroundCheck.org has a great infographic on exactly how much of your information is public and that information can affect your job prospects and even your safety. Below I offer my tips to keep your profile clean and professional.

1. Create separate Twitter handles. I have accounts for my aviation and journalism professional worlds, plus I have a personal account.
2. Think before you post on social media.  It seems obvious, but I still see folks posting crazy things that don’t enhance their reputations.
3. Go through your Facebook timeline. Remove questionable items and photos.  And create separate lists to divide who sees what.  This article (ignore all the annoying ads) shows you how to do it.
4. Complete your LinkedIn profile to 100 percent. More and more employers are using this site to look for potential employees, so you want to put your best foot forward.
5. Be tough with friends, family and acquaintances. I have a cousin who I love dearly, but I had to cut him off my Facebook account because of his excessive cursing and obsession with Farmville.  You can’t regulate the behavior of others, but you can cut them out of your profile.

If you have bigger issues, you may need to hire a company to clean up your online reputation.  Some out there include Reputation.com or Veribo.  And even if things are pretty clean, you still need to Google your name regularly to ensure that nothing bad shows up.

Join The #30In30 Blog Post Challenge!

By Ameena Rasheed, multimedia journalist and student, Texas Southern University

Every Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern, I tune into book author and writer Aliya S. King’s Twitter stream. King hosts an #AskAliya Twitter chat where she fields various questions from aspiring writers who are in need of advice about freelancing for magazines, becoming better storytellers and much more. Last week’s chat was no different.  

Well, except for one thing. At the end of her #AskAliya chat, she mentioned a writing challenge called “#30In30” that was created by journalist Erik Parker. The #30In30 challenge encompasses writing 30 blog posts in 30 days during the month of August. There are not any specific topic or length guidelines that you must follow and you can start at any time. King accepted and opened it up to her Twitter followers.

As I watched the blog URLs and #30In30 tweets flood in, I wondered if I should join in as well. I enjoy writing; however, at times it gives me a bit of anxiety. When I finish a story, I’m always questioning myself. Is my article structured well? Does this even make sense? Is the writing strong enough? The questions never end.

I, like many others, am my own worst critic. I almost brushed it off until I read Aliya’s initial #30In30 post where she quoted Eleanor Roosevelt, “Do something everyday that scares you.” Instead of passing up this opportunity because of me being scared, I dusted off my Tumblr and gave it a try. After a week,   I am still going strong and I have gotten some positive feedback about my writing.

 

Now, I did not want to do this by myself, so I asked my Twitter followers if they wanted to join me. In a matter of minutes, several hopped  on board. Marissa Evans had the great idea of creating a Twitter list of NABJ members who will be joining in on the blogging fun. You can view that list here. 

Here are a few of my favorite blog posts published within the NABJ family:

“Still Searching for Our Mother’s Gardens” by Evette Dionne

“Writing Your Online Obituary, Starting Now” by Marissa Evans

If the spirit moves you, come join us. It is never too late. Let the blogging commence.