So, You Want to be a Journalist? Read On...

So you want to be a journalist? Great, welcome aboard. Nice to have you with us. But I'd like to take this opportunity to give you some advice.

Some of this I've learned from personal experience. Some of it I've been fortunate to have been warned about – and thus far avoided having to learn it the hard way. My purpose here is not to scare you, but rather to prepare you. If you really want to do this then you'll read the below, shrug your shoulders, and dive right in.

Welcome to your adventure...

1. Journalism is not Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 – Get used to this now. You will have to make sacrifices. Lots of them. The world works on its own schedule. Your job is document events that happen... and plenty happens after business hours and on weekends. You will miss that dinner party sometimes. You will have to cover an event or a story while your friends are at the beach. You chose this. Don't complain.
   
   
2. You're not as good as you think you are – You may have a way with words. You might be great at poetry or fiction. But journalism is an entirely new craft. There is a formula – a way to do it, and you don't know it yet. This point is easily fixed by learning from an established journalist or as I have done, enrolling in an appropriate course of study. Even then however, you're going to have to practise, practise, and practise – like anything practice makes perfect (or in this case, better).
   
   
3. You're not going to walk into your dream role – you may dream of interviewing movie stars on the red carpet or your favourite football players in the dressing sheds after a game. And maybe you will one day. Before that though you're going to have to "do your time" at the grassroots level. Be prepared to do a lot of local reporting about community events, residents opposing developments and other issues of this nature. And be grateful as hell to be given the opportunity to do so.
   
   
4. You will work hard for little to no pay in the beginning – this follows on from the previous point. Local papers don't have a lot of money to pay you. But if you don't start somewhere you'll never get the experience. So you should be prepared to sacrifice a few comforts in the short term. I've cancelled my regular wine deliveries and am about to say sayonara to Foxtel. I've kept a second job that I dislike in order to stay afloat. And I'm about to flog off some unused belongings on eBay to pay for an overseas trip I had no business booking on my current income.
   
   
5. Your sources don't work to your schedule – once you start researching and writing articles you will be dealing with sources. They are important to you. But you may not be all that important to them. Sources have their own lives and jobs, their own problems and their own schedules. Don't expect them to fit into your schedule. Organise interviews in plenty of time. Have backup sources ready in case your preferred source isn't able to coordinate with you. Always talk to more people than you need – better to have too many quotes than not enough.
   
   
6. Forget your own opinion – when you are starting out as a reporter you don't have one. You may dream of being the next Annabel Crabb or Piers Akerman but until people know who you are they won't give a damn what you think. Your job right now is to 100% objectively report news. Take out your creative expression, your tone and your clever language. Keep it simple and to the events of the story. Never take sides. Read your articles over several times once you've written them to make sure that you're not.
   
   
7. You will be edited: swallow your pride and get used to it – Your joy at seeing your first by-line may well be soured once you read what you wrote and find it's not exactly what you wrote after all. This is going to happen. It's up to the editors to decide how the articles that go into their papers read. If that means changing quotes to paraphrasing, rearranging your paragraphs or deleting some of your piece altogether, they're going to do it. Suck it up.
   
   
8. Be prepared to be beaten to the punch: it will happen – the reality is that there are other journalists out there trying to make a name for themselves too. You do not have a monopoly on any story. Particularly if you are chasing a really hot story, you can bet there will be other journalists on the case. The best you can do is try and file first... and hopefully you will, but be prepared that sometimes you won't. All your hard work and you were beaten. Don't feel sorry for yourself. Move on to your next story.
   
   
9. You can be sued – this is the fun bit (not). You are writing about people, groups and organisations. And people, groups and organisations can all sue. The best way to avoid this is to get a copy of the MEAA's code of conduct and follow it religiously. Check your facts. Make sure you have permission for every quote you use and document this permission. Don't defame anyone. Stay objective.
   
   So... by now you're probably wondering what you've gotten yourself into. This is why I've covered all the "scary stuff" first. Here's something to keep you inspired. And that is...
   
   
10. You can make a difference – I've left the best for last. If you give this your all and do it right, you can truly make a difference. One of my university tutors told us a story about a news piece that covered a fatal car crash involving some teenagers. The reporter interviewed the father of one of the victims, and his words resulted in major changes being made to driving laws which have resulted in less teenage fatalities on our roads. I can't claim yet to have achieved such a feat, however my constant hounding of a pub owner whose establishment was ignoring a court judgement to meet with concerned residents led to him agreeing and attending said meeting.
    

So there you have it... now throw yourself into it, get out there and start making a difference!

Where have I been?

Greetings Blog-land. You may be wondering where I have been since July, or if I had given up on this blog. I can assure you wholeheartedly that I have not, and this post is just the beginning of more exciting things to come.

The reason for my absence has been lack of time due to my commencing postgraduate studies in a Master of Arts in Journalism. I have taken the plunge to learn the craft of something that has interested me ever since I was a child writing fictional newspapers about a fictional place for my family to read.

So of course in order to do my best to excel in my studies I had to devote much of my time to them. All three of my blogs have gone unloved during this time. But no more.

I am pleased to report that the time I devoted so far to my studies has been worth it. Not only am I enjoying and achieving (yeah I'm modest) at university, but through my studies I've picked up a reporting role for "The City News" and its sister newspapers "The Inner West Independent" and "The Bondi View".

This is a fanstastic opportunity that I'm grabbing with both hands, to expand my skill set and build practical knowledge on top of what I've learned in the classroom.

Naturally then, you can look forward to this blog covering a lot more about journalism. I still intend to talk about social media and copywriting, however the blog will be enriched with posts about journalism and reporting as well. And as social media and journalism are becoming more and more inter-related (refer to my post "Welcome to Twitter World News") the implications of social networking on news and journalism will also feature.

Think of it (in sporting terms) that this blog has been in the off-season for the last few months, and now the regular season is kicking off again. But don't forget that with an expanded playing roster and rule changes designed to make the game more interesting, this season promises to be the most exciting yet.

Welcome back to Doing All Write!

Welcome to Twitter World News...

Regardless of where in the world we are, the way we are getting our news is changing. Traditional news media such as television, radio and print still exist - but exist more as a means of providing more of the story, rather than as a means of breaking it.

As an example, the recent tragic bombings in Jakarta were first reported to the world via social media tool Twitter. Within seconds, tweets about the tragedy were flying through cyberspace - first hand accounts of people who were there. Photos from camera phones were already up on the Internet before most news crews even arrived on the scene.

Twitter also broke the news of the Mumbai terror attacks last year, and played a major role in spreading the news of pop star Michael Jackson's death around the world, along with fellow social networking sites Facebook and MySpace.

This changing nature of the way we receive our news has many implications. The catchphrase "News as it happens" has never been more true. We no longer need to wait for radio or television bulletins to find out the latest headlines. Even Internet based news sites, while constantly being updated, cannot match the viral power of a site like Twitter in terms of speed when breaking a story. This is because Twitter is updated by everyday people, who naturally are already everywhere while news crews can only respond after an event has occurred.

Another implication is that everyday people who break news stories via social media do so free of traditional media angles. Savvy people who are after the whole story are hence going to be more likely to increase their reliance on these alternative news services rather than take what the networks or newspapers say is gospel.

This is not to say social media cannot be and isn't abused - as anyone can post a message there is a huge risk of incorrect information, intentionally misleading messages or false rumours being circulated. It is up to everyone who uses social media to take the moral responsibility and do the right thing. At the same time we should also check the sources we read from, and consult others to ensure we are indeed getting the true and full picture.

One thing however is clear. The way we receive breaking news has forever changed, and traditional media sources have some work to do if they are to figure out how they are going to fit into this new order.

Great Aldi Advertising!

With so much boring, formualic and just plain dumb advertising out there it is refeshing to once in a while come across a message that is innovative yet simple, "out of the box" yet easy to produce via the usual media.

The back of supermarket chain Aldi's latest brochure is such an example. The headline "$2 Meal Deals" instantly conveys value, encouraging the reader to read on. What follows are actual recipes one can make from Aldi products on a budget - complete with an average cost per serving.

In these difficult, budget conscious times, Aldi has found a way of communicating the direct benefit of shopping there. The inclusion of recipes not only conveys exactly how the shopper can save while making the family dinner, but also makes for much more interesting reading than run of the mill supermarket specials advertising.

Well done on a simple yet innovative message.

"Catch of the Day" targets Social Media

Online shopping site "Catch of the Day" is aiming to harness the viral power of Twitter by offering a free gift to users who re-tweet its specials.

Users who re-tweet must have at least 150 followers and the tweet must contain "@TodaysCatch". The aim is hence to not only advertise specials but increase its own following.

It's a great use of social media in the marketing mix and fits well with Catch of the Day. As an online business the foray into social media is a natural one. Because they sell one product per day it's easy for users to re-tweet as there are no complicated messages - just a great deal that some of their followers may be interested in.

Most importantly as there is a culture of trust on Twitter - users value the opinions and advice of their fellow "Twitterers" - Catch of the Day can enjoy instant credibility.

It's a great use of Twitter and social media in marketing.

In a Short-Lived Twitter...

According the the following article in the Sydney Morning Herald, more than 60 percent of new Twitter signups do not return after a month of using the site.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/twitter-users-not-sticking-around-20090429-amhm.html

The question is, what does this say about the usefulness of Twitter as a marketing tool for business? The article does say that Twitter has enjoyed exponential growth in 2009, due in part to celebrity endorsement of the site.

My opinion about all this centres around quality. Who do you want to follow on Twitter, and who do you want to follow you? Personally I don't want trend-governed celebrity followers. I seek out fellow writers, fellow social media enthhusiasts, people I can learn from and people I can bounce ideas off. The people who use Twitter properly know of its advantages. There's a bona-fide community comprised of like-minded people who are reaping the benefits of Twitter membership right now.

For business this is great news. Any organisation seeks to enhance its image and build awareness of its brand and product/service by targeting specific markets and demographics. Twitter provides one avenue by which to do this. It doesn't matter if 60 percent of users are gone after the first month - they are probably not the people you are trying to talk to anyway.

Welcome to Doing All Write!

Welcome!

So you're wondering, what is "Doing All Write"? Or rather who? Well let me introduce myself.

My name is Gareth, and after many years in the Corporate sector I have decided that what I love to do, and what I fortunately do quite well, is write.

Ever looked at a blank screen, frustrated that you're not sure how to begin? Racked your brain thinking of that perfect adjective that eludes you? Had difficulty explaining knowledge that makes perfect sense to you, in written form for others to read? I am very thankful that these experiences for me are few and far between.

So the purpose of this blog is two-fold. One, as a writer it is to share thoughts and resources about the world of writing. Secondly and shamelessly, it is to promote my writing services. Be it web site copy, brochure copy, blogs or even Twitter, I have the skills, knowledge and style to match any requirement.

Email me at doingallwrite@gmail.com for more information!

I look forward to chatting and interacting with you.

Cheers
Gareth