MyWestworld

Traditional Writing Goes the Way of the Dodo

Posted on 12. May, 2009 by Sonu Purhar in Living

Julie Ferguson

Last week’s 2009 B.C. Association of Travel Writers’ Symposium included a 45-minute crash course on what freelancers need to master to survive today’s “cold climate – the rapid onslaught of new media in a rapidly cooling print market.

The somewhat harsh reality, according to Julie Ferguson (author of six books on writing ), is that electronic media is slowly but surely overtaking its print partners. Thanks to an explosion of social networking sites, fast-and- furious blogging and easy-to-access podcasts, the Web is the central command post from which anyone who’s got a message can be heard. With heavy-duty news media such as the Washington Post and CNN maintaining a steady course of Twitter posts et al, folks are still sipping their morning coffee while surfing seconds-old news streams. And many of these posts – dubbed “hyperlocal media” – feature the grab-and-go journalism tailored to today’s fast-paced lifestyle that’s a breed apart from traditional media fare.

Is there a business case for social media?

The social media stampede is captured eloquently and succinctly in Paul Gillin’s Secrets of Social Media Marketing (Linden Publishing, 2008; $17.95). Complex yet user-friendly, this how-to manual presents a bullet-proof case for the speed with which companies and individuals need to pull up to a modem and start surfing.

“Researchers are predicting that more than one billion forward thinkers will publish online by 2012.”

Online media, argues Gillin, is the “next wave of marketing innovation” for both multinational corporations and self-employed entrepreneurs running solo. In fact, he urges, a company’s viability hinges on it being up-to-speed on social networking and online promotion – like, yesterday. And if they don’t? Be prepared to be stranded in a barren wasteland: according to Gillin, researchers are predicting that more than one billion forward thinkers will publish online by 2012. And with more than 75 per cent of Americans alone part of this online community, that’s a market no business wants to miss.

The Secrets of Social Media Marketing

“A company’s viability hinges on it being up-to-speed on social networking and online promotion – like, yesterday. -Paul Gillin”

Getting a leg up on the new-media phenom

For those wary of wading through tech-heavy guides, rest assured: Gillin’s book dispels with the jargon and makes the labyrinthine world of the Internet – and its billions of corners and niches – not only navigable but downright straightforward. Guaranteed, even the most tech-phobic will soon be checking their Ning status post-read. As for writers keen to expand on Gillin’s tutorial, one website in particular is worth exploring for  suggestions and tips on keeping afloat in the new digital media age.

Meanwhile, Ferguson advises that the single most important step writers can take to stay ahead of the curve is to provide added value. i.e.: make it difficult for editors to say “No” by offering an array of online content to supplement their print work. This includes:

• podcasts
• digital photographs
• links to Web content
• online articles that complement each print article

And Ferguson’s top tips for packaging those efforts?

• animoto.com – gives standard photos video-like impact (users select from various music categories)
• audacity.com – tools for editing and adding sound to podcasts (includes free tutorial)
• Build your own website – “Essential for ‘branding and marketing yourself’ “

Tags: Books, new media, Travel Writing