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. 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.

Labels: ASBPE Chicago chapter, online journalism

I bookmarked the article "When Journalists Aren't Happy, the Industry Isn't Happy," on Editor & Publisher's Web site when I first saw it, and I'm just now looking at the Web site it is about, AngryJournalist.com.

Was I surprised that there were that many angry journalists out there? Not at all, having been in this busy upwards of 10 years. What shocked me most is that a lot of the posts could have been written by the same person, as so many of them are similar. There's a lot of anger about the amount of work having to be done and the lack of resources in which to do it. There's also a lot of anger about the fact that the fate of their jobs rests on the people in positions higher than theirs, and many view those higher ups to be incompetent.

What's also interesting was something raised in the E&P article: There still seems to be a disconnect between the roles of the new media department and the editorial staffs, as evidenced by this comment: "The reporters don’t understand the Internet department and the Internet department doesn’t understand reporters. The worst part -- some of them aren’t even trying. These debates are important; no one has the answers yet. Let’s recognize that. Let’s be frank about that. Let’s talk honestly with our newsroom about the pressures of the online media landscape."

Thoughts on how we can bridge this gap?

Labels: angry journalists, Editor and Publisher, new media, online journalism

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: online journalism, webinar

The Chicago Chapter of ASBPE will be hosting its half-day winter workshop ‘Down & Dirty in the Digital World’ Friday February 29, 2008 8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. 2000 Clearwater Drive, Oak Brook, IL 60523 (Reed Business Information Offices).

Update your digital media skills and learn how your fellow business press editors are making the most of e-media at ASBPE’s Half-Day Winter Workshop. We’ll hear case studies on moving from print to digital formats, how-to tips for aligning electronic media with your brand, and examples of using online media to expand editorial and revenue opportunities — even turning your subject expertise into a book.

For those interested in some extra networking time, there also will be an optional lunch at Houlihan’s (56 Oak Brook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523) following the workshop. Please RSVP by faxing or mailing the following information to Nikki Golden by Friday, February 22.

Please send your check or credit-card payment with this reservation form by Friday, February 22.

Name __________________________________________

Job title ________________________________________

Publication/company name ___________________________________

Street address ________________________________

City, State, ZIP ________________________________

E-mail (will be included in attendee networking list) ___________________­____

Daytime phone number ________________________________________

Payment $20 for members, $25 for non-members
____ My check, payable to ASBPE Chicago Chapter, is enclosed.

Type of credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express) _________________

Name as it appears on card __________________________________

Dollar amount _______________________________________

Credit card number _____________________________
Expiration date __________________

Signature __________________________________

Send this completed form and payment (checks payable to ASBPE Chicago Chapter) by February 22 to: Nikki Golden, 607 W. Campbell Ct., Arlington Heights, IL 60005, or fax to: (847) 298-9225

Questions? Contact Mary Boltz Chapman at mchapman@reedbusiness.com.

Labels: ASBPE Chicago chapter, digital media, online journalism

As many of you know, Paul Conley is really concerned about where B2B publishing will be in 2008. I think he has every right to be, as should we all. And to that end, he's been writing a three-part entry, called "Fighting Hole Tactics" on his blog, paulconley, about how editors need to "build some fighting holes--defensive positions from where they could ride out the coming onslaught of bad economic news."

And I wholeheartedly agree with him on that. As many of us who rode the wave of layoffs in the late '90s, early 2000s know, when the going get tough in the industry, the ones who tend to survive are the ones willing to take on additional responsibilities and transition to whatever comes next.

The crux of what he wrote--on which I'm interested in hearing other views on--is this: Whose responsibility is it to ensure that journalists are trained for the transition to the Web? In Paul's blog, he urges employers to not offer training for journalism on the Web because 1) you cannot train someone to be part of a culture and 2) when the fighting begins, the training must end.

I have some pretty strong thoughts on this subject, but I thought maybe others would want to jump in and comment first.

Labels: online journalism, Paul Conley, training, Web journalism