Updates

Hello, all.

I really need to get into a rhythm and start updating this thing semi-regularly. If I nail down a routine it should make things easier for me and give me an opportunity to find some purpose.

Anyway, things are humming along at Patch. I guest edited a few weeks ago, which was my third such gig in five months. I believe I am being groomed for my own Patch; it's just a matter of time before they add more sites and are looking for new editors. I am excited and kind of anxious to see if I can hack it,. It will be a challenge having to hire the freelancers and make the monthly planners instead of following them.

I wrote an article for a Blackhawks blog a few weeks ago, as well. I think sports writing helps me expand my scope and makes my resume look better. Please check it out here and tell me what you think.

I'm also trying to figure out ways to become a cottage industry of sorts, to draw more traffic here and on my Twitter and develop a following. Of course, that would necessitate me doing things that people would follow. How do you out there on the intertubes suggest I do this?

Thanks,
Justin

A Shot in the Arm for War Correspondance: Kevin Dawes in Libya

This always happens on mainstream news channels when they send a reporter to a war zone: every hand-held weapon is an 'assault rifle.' Every shoulder-fired weapons system is an 'RPG.' Every soldier has a machine gun. As a fervent student of modern military systems (and playing Call of Duty for hours and hours and hours on end), I've gotten a little frustrated and bemused with the 'establishment's' war reporting.

Enter Kevin Dawes (well, don't ACTUALLY enter him, or if you do, ask for permission first.)

From what I gather about the man, he's from San Diego, knows a fair bit about military hardware, is a wiseass of the highest order (this is a compliment) and by fair means or foul, made his way into Libya to document the situation on the ground. His conclusion, which seems to be shared by some of the Libyan resistance fighters he encounters, is that NATO is playing both sides of the conflict off of each other until someone secures the country's vital oil resources. I do not know if I necessarily believe this conclusion, but by virtue of him being on the ground he probably has more evidence for his opinions than I do for mine.

The real thing that stuck out for me, besides the fact that he somehow smuggled himself into Libya willingly, is his extensive knowledge and familiarity with weapons systems involved in the conflict. I watched a YouTube video of his where he is walking through a field looking for unexploded ordinance. He comes across a Grad rocket, part of a truck-borne rocket launch system. I was actually nervous when he bent down and touched the thing, and so was he.

"Good UXO (unexploded ordinance), Gooood UXO. Don't blow up!"

By the by, in Dawes' travels he comes across a bulldozer retrofitted with armor plate as a makeshift tank. He called it "Killdozer," and I don't think there's another bulldozer on earth I'd actually want to drive.

In this age of iReporting and individuals performing "guerrilla journalism" (I guess that's the proper term for that), it's nice to see the field of war reporting is getting some educated boots on the ground.

Here is Dawes' YouTube channel: His numbering system is a little confusing to me and I don't know the proper chronological order of his videos, but his account is priceless in documenting the conditions on the ground in a small section of the War in Libya.

I hope you find these videos as interesting and revealing as I did.

-J

PS: Kudos to Joshua Stanton at One Free Korea for first turning me on to this guy's videos.

Branching Out

I have been in discussions with a friend of mine today about setting up a full service copy writing/editing company. I would edit and write ad copy, write boilerplate letters, and do other scrivener tasks.

I like Patch and I am excited about the possibility of being an editor for them in the near future, but I am not sure if I want to be a reporter for the rest of my life. I enjoy writing more creatively than journalism allows (with good reason). I'm at loggerheads now; if they offer me an editorship, but I get this copy writing business off the ground, what do I do?

I'd appreciate any feedback you can give me.

Thanks,

-J

Getting Linked In

As an underemployed (I think) writer, I decided to finally get off my duff and network some more. Maybe I will get a couple interviews out of it. Anyway, I've joined LinkedIn (probably two years too late) and I'm starting to reconnect with school buddies and making some professional contacts in the writing fields.

Additionally, I'm sending out resumes to not only newspapers, but PR firms and any other sort of agency that is in need of writers or editors. I got an e-mail the other day from a recruiter about advertising copy editing jobs, so there's another avenue for me.

This all sounds like I'm about to give Patch my two weeks notice, but that's not true. I have been informed that eventually an editorship will open up for me, and the window for that seems to be opening in the "second half of this year," which hopefully means "once I get back from Barbados." I do feel bad scouring other opportunities while on the Patch payroll, but I want to keep as many avenues open to me as possible. If/when I get the editorship and am working regularly, I'll probably feel a lot better about myself and be content that my talent is being utilized to its utmost.

With that being said, if anyone has any other advice on how I can increase my visibility and interwebs footprint (so I can become writing's 'most eligible bachelor' of sorts), please let me know. There may be kickbacks of any future salary I earn involved.

Sowing my Oats

As I sit here on my bed watching the Cubs game ("Christ, they're worse than they were last year," apologies to Bill Cosby), I realize I have some time to kill and decided to let all of you (*crickets*) know that I'm expanding my online presence by getting a LinkedIn account and a monster.com profile.

This may seem like I'm actively looking for a new job and, well, I am. I love Patch for the opportunity it gave me to get my foot in the door and do some "big boy" journalism, but I don't even know if I want to be a journalist for the rest of my career. I know I write well, and I think basic written communications are a valuable asset to any organization; I don't want to come off as a pompous ass, but after proofreading dozens and dozens of papers in all levels of school the low technical quality of most peoples' writing. Oh well, I shan't belabor the point.

Anyway, the story I was complaining about starting the other day actually came together swimmingly after a few more days of phone tag. Once my editor posts it on the site I'll encourage all of you to stop by and read it and tell me what you think. In the meantime, check out my LinkedIn and show it to all your hiring managers and HR people.

Oh, and help me figure out what I want to do with my life.

A Little Update

Hello, world.

Contrary to nobody's belief, I am not dead. In fact, I am still working at Acworth Patch. It's been a wonderful experience and a great way to get my feet wet in the "real world" of journalism. Additionally, I've gotten to meet and work with some wonderful people like my Local Editor Angela Chao and my Regional Editor Michael Jacobs.

I've updated the sidebar on the right of the blog with a link to all the stories I've written so far. Please check them out! I'd love to have your feedback.

Right now, I'm working on a story that's got me a little frazzled. I've made four phone calls to the place with little or no headway made on setting up an interview, but I'm confident I'll get one soon. The joys of being a journalist!

The other story I'm rolling around in my head is a little romp through history explaining all the little known facts about Independence Day and the heady times this country had back in the 1770s. I'm trying to keep busy, but I need to be busier!

Thanks everyone,

-J

It seems as though I need to change my Twitter handle

You're now looking at the newest freelancer for patch.com!

Actually, if you're looking at me and I don't have pants on I am kind of scared. Please don't hurt me.

If you're wondering why I haven't been posting recently, it's because I tried out for the regional editor job at patch.com. Unfortunately, I wasn't experienced enough to get that job, but they liked my writing enough to hire me as a freelancer for Acworth, GA. For the meantime, there aren't a lot of stories to do because the site isn't ready, but once it is I will probably be rather busy writing and hopefully making some dough.

Thank you for all the well wishes and look forward to hearing more from me in the future.