Speaking at the Florida Chapter of Asian American Journalist Association

So a few weeks ago I was asked to speak at the Florida Chapter of Asian American Journalists Association meeting here in Tampa. My topic was, "Alternative Careers for Journalists" with my area of expertise (I use this term loosely) being on jobs in web and internet technology. In addition to myself, there was a panel of speakers whom all spoke for ten minutes across a few different disciplines within the marketing/pr/news realm regarding ways in which journalism professionals can find alternative/supplementary careers in other disciplines. The panel consisted of the following:

• John Heagney - John Heagney Public Relations
  
• Deborah Tamargo - Emotional Connections Marketing
• Kate Sullivan - WordSmitten Quarterly Journal (Gateway to Publishing)
• Eric Deggans - St. Petersburg Times
  
• Debbie Lundberg - Debbie Lundberg, inc.

The event was last night at 6:45 p.m. and at first I wasn't even sure if I was going to make it due to the awful weather that welcomed me on to the road, in addition to the fact that I went to the wrong location at first, and should consider myself fortunate to have even made it on time. Note to self, when you have a speaking engagement or anything of the sort, be sure to pay attention to the address that you are given. In this case, I originally traveled to the John F. Germany Library, only to realize that the event was at the Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, and if you live in Tampa, you know that South Manhattan street is a decent drive from N. Ashley drive in downtown.

All across the country, newspapers and other traditional media outlets & organizations are falling upon hard times in this tough economic situation that we find ourselves in, and there have been in recent months, large scale lay-offs for journalists. The purpose of this seminar was to provide some insight as to what other careers/opportunities exists outside of the traditional media outlets, and how today's journalists can capitalize on these opportunities using their current skill sets and expertise. It was my job to give the internet/web perspective.

I have done a few similar speaking engagements before, but usually in front of graduate and undergraduate students at USF and UT respectively so the prospect of standing in front of a room full of journalists was a bit intimidating at first, but I eventually settled in.

I really tried to focus my content around two key principles that have always worked well for me and others that I speak to about this subject:

• Don't Be Afraid of Technology: I have people tell me all of the time that they could never do my job because its just too technical with the belief that it requires an extensive IT background. That's not really the case at all. For the most part everything that I do in my job is through the use of web-based software programs that are so simple and easy to use that anyone can pick it up. There are tons of easy to use software that make it easy for you to create and manage your own blogs/websites or just interact with technology fairly simple in general. As a matter of fact I am using one now. Within the past hour and a half I have been able to sign up for a Google account, start a blog, purchase a domain name, setup a Google Analytics profile and write two blog posts. Pretty simple huh? Just don't think that you could never pick it up, because believe me, if I can do it so can you.

• Content Is King: I know a few developers that would kill me for saying this, but in my opinion when it comes to the web, content is king! Computer Programmers, Software Developers, Network Engineers provide the tools to power the web, but what good is it to build all of that stuff if there is no content, and guess what you guys know how to do well...WRITE CONTENT! You have spent the better part of your careers writing and communicating messages to mass audiences of people, and its no different on the web. You can use these tools i mentioned before, plus your writing skills to start your own personal blogs and monetize them (this may take time so don't expect to get rich quick), or you can search the internet for freelance or full time jobs as a blogger, interactive account managers, social media managers, SEO and PPC specialists, just to name a few. All are jobs that require you to be able to write well and communicate a message.
  

That was the bulk of my contributuion in my ten minutes, so I hope everyone took some insight from my words, and that I didn't bore you to death! I am by no means an expert, but my opinion is based on seeing first hand journalism and PR professionals make successful transitions into web related jobs. The content from all of the speakers was very insightful, as they are all extremely knowledgeable in their fields of expertise, and I even learned a few things as a result. Thanks to the AAJA and Chapter President, Valerie Boey for inviting me!