SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008 SUNOASIS JOBLOG

A guy in Canada has some thoughts about a freelance writer's union. Even though it has a Canadian spin to it the article reveals some ideas that are worth looking at. I like the idea of ending the "per word" rate and going with "the value of the writer's time."

"What we're going to do is negotiate and base our rates on the project, who the writer is, what skills they bring to the table, and how much time of theirs this is going to take up."

Is technology making the job of journalism more difficult for journalists? Are they burning out with new gadgets they are expected to use on stories they prepare?

It's the tale they are telling at a National Press Club forum at the University of Missouri. "If you want to be a journalist today, you just have to work harder and more efficiently. You aim for perfection until your deadline, and then you aim for doneness. You just gut it out."

An interview with a freelance writer/publisher who started humbly but grew a self-sustaining business. I've been approached a great deal lately by people who question whether writers can make any money writing. You can but you need to plan and know some stuff before you jump in feet first. The answer is, "yes, you can make money, even a living, through writing. You start somewhere and then work very hard to keep it going."

Chief Executive John Koten of Mansueto Ventures has some telling things to say about journalism in the future. The interview comes from Forbes and starts to get interesting when he says, "If I'm a journalist, I need to be able to do online, print, video, audio--whatever the heck is out there."

"I think people with strong intelligent voices will find a way to monetize those voices in the future, but I don't know that people who are just following the traditional journalistic approach of gathering information and then presenting it in a stylistically pleasing way [are] going to survive. It's too dull."

In certain markets this may be the case. Mansueto Ventures publishes Fast Company among other titles and prides itself that it rides on the crest of the wave.

How are young journalists coping with an uncertain future? From Editor and Publisher's Maegen Carberry.

A freelance writer gives some tips on how to survive a bad economy.

In the face of continuing struggles in the newspaper business and general economy there is a renewed call to "outsource" jobs. This comes from the CEO of MediaNews, Dean Singleton. According to the USA Today, "Singleton said sending copyediting and design jobs overseas may even be called for."

"If you need to offshore it, offshore it," he said.

Interested in a marketing communications career? Read this interview with Becky Sheetz-Runkle, Vice President, Client Services for Q2 Marketing.

Many college graduates are gearing up for a tough job market. "Adolfo Laurenti, a senior economist with Chicago-based Mesirow Financial Holdings Inc., said that young people would be under the most duress during this time of job instability. “This is not a good economy to look for your first job,” Laurenti said.

Students should look at whatever competitive advantage they can get in this job market. Web skills would be one, especially in things like podcasting or blogging. If you come into the media marketplace with a better understanding of the emerging digital media you will have that competititve advantage.

Speaking of which here is good advice for medical/science journalism students.

Jump-starting second careers for the boomer set.

Does professional independence trump job instabilities?

An intern's view of a newspaper and the trouble it's in. It's pretty eye-opening to the reality of the newspaper business these days. Yet, for the young there is always hope.

The NY Times has an update on searching for jobs online. Social networks are in and job boards are out. In other words, the level of sophistication has risen in the online job marketplace.

Is it truly "digital or die?"

Internet vet Amy Gahran has some precise advice about blogging and explains why it is good for you.

It doesn't always work but I've heard more than a few stories where blogs became the entryway to a writing career. In this case a woman with no writing experience started a food blog and "the exposure has earned Wizenberg a monthly column in Bon Appetit magazine and a book deal through Simon & Schuster." Sounds pretty savvy to me.

Sunoasis.com gets questions about internships at magazines. This new intern at Redbook Magazine tells some of her story. She puts out a significant piece of information, "if you're interested in writing for a magazine, just go to their website and check out the career section..."

As this column points out, the cuts in journalism are personal, "staggering and historic." The question is, will the talent lost in all this downsizing be regained elsewhere?

In this interview with economic journalist Greg Ip he points to the necessity to work hard to get substantial sources.. He says, "The key to developing sources is to cover the institution thoroughly and for a long time, and to show in your reporting that you care about the subject. You strive to be fair and accurate and you understand the issues."

In other words, it takes time, money, and commitment to do what a journalist is supposed to do. It's not a matter of hacking off headlines and commenting on them. And it doesn't help with the downsizing of journalists since a new generation of reporters has to regain the credibility of sources.

This article follows a classroom devoted to "visual journalism," to prepare students for the journalism of the 21st century. It reminds me that while writing blogs and online journalism rates are average at best, there is a real spike for writers who can write and execute podcasts.

A tale of plagiarism that might alert writers of the dangers of being online. Plagiarists are dependent on igornace and the feeling that "in this big old world no one will notice." I would not accuse this particular editor of anything but any editor is the enemy of the writing class who uses plagiarized material to fill up his or her publication.

Have you ever stumbled over how to set freelance rates? Here are some good tips.

Enjoy these tips on running a copywriting business from 3X24 The News Magazine.

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David

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