Welcome to our SPOTLIGHT feature, where we highlight a journalist and ProfNet user to share their personal story and insight with you.

This SPOTLIGHT belongs to Julie Wernau, energy and green technology reporter for The Chicago Tribune.

We hope you find SPOTLIGHT both enjoyable and informative.

Julie, was journalism what you always wanted to do or did you become a journalist by chance?

Until I became a journalist, I’d never considered journalism. In college, I double-majored in English and Psychology, a combination which, if I recall correctly, translated into reading dark poetry in dimly lit coffee shops and spending untold hours entering data for psychological studies, including one that asked people to guess the lengths of various metal objects while blind-folded. I thought I’d be a poet or a clinical psychologist. A wise English professor pulled me aside and bluntly told me that I was a better critic than a poet. As for being a psychologist, an internship working with assault victims convinced me that I wasn’t ready to take on the world’s problems at such an intimate level.

Where was your first journalism job?

Soon after graduation, I landed a job working at The Waterford Standard, a weekly newspaper that covered a town by the same name in Connecticut. The paper defined community news: Nearly every byline in the newspaper was mine, senior citizen commission meetings were legitimate news and no announcement was too small for the front page. The most important lessons I’ve ever learned as a journalist I learned in that job. Big stories start with the little things – chief among them, compassion, a genuine interest in the people you cover and humility.

How did you become an energy reporter?

Waterford, the town I covered at my first journalism job, is home to a nuclear power plant. In covering the town, first for the weekly and later for the area’s daily newspaper, I became a bit of an expert in electricity markets, nuclear waste storage, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and a host of other issues related to the nuclear industry. After spending a couple of years as a police reporter, I moved to Chicago, took on the business beat and found myself, again, drawn to energy issues. The energy beat is where it’s at – politics, business, the environment, the economy … all wrapped into one crazy package. Plus, we all need it. It keeps the lights on. It powers our smart phones. It heats our homes. It cooks our food. It powers our vehicles. It doesn’t get more personal than that.

What type of stories do you usually cover?

Illinois is ripe with energy stories. We have more nuclear plants than any other state, a thriving coal industry, a fierce political scene, a bevy of wind companies competing for wind-rich farmland, pending regulations for massive oil drilling operations (A.K.A. “fracking’) and big plans for electric vehicles. My goal is to boil down this complexity for readers so that they can understand what is happening, how it impacts them and why they should care. A story has layers. It has bite. It matters. It tells me something I didn’t know before. 

What's your favorite part about being a journalist?

I learn something new literally every single day. And, sometimes, when I learn it, I’m inside a coal mine or at the base of a wind turbine or on the roof of a skyscraper or talking to one of the smartest people on the planet. So, that’s not so bad.

Do you work with PR professionals and what advice do you have for them if they want to pitch you a story?

Yes, all the time. If I could give them one piece of advice it would be: Be real. Journalists are real people. Get to know me (or at least Google me) before you pitch me a story. Take the time to figure out what I’m about and I’ll be more likely to take the time to listen to your pitch.

What should they always do and never do?

If you pick up the phone to call me, always ask if it is a good time to talk. Never ask if you can read my story before it goes to print. I’m happy to check facts. But you aren’t my editor.   

What's the best way for someone in public relations to develop a working relationship with you? 

Again, be real. If you aren’t sure what kind of stories I’m into, ask me. Or, better yet, ask me to coffee. Also, honor deadlines. 

What has been the biggest challenge you've experienced? 

When I make a mistake, I make it in front of millions of readers.

Is there a career highlight that sticks out?

When I was a police reporter, I uncovered a predatory lending scheme that was bloating the local real estate market and destroying the credit and lives of dozens of homeowners. The stories gained the attention of the state’s attorney general and the FBI and led to the convictions of several co-conspirators. At one point, the state’s attorney general called me into his office and asked me for help so that he could develop a case against the scheme’s perpetrators. It was the first time I truly realized the power of the printed word.

What's your advice for someone just starting their journalism career?

Rise above. When people tell me journalism is dead, I tell them they obviously aren’t reading. Journalism is a field that is in a constant state of flux. Learning to live in a constant state of change is an art. But it isn’t impossible. Focus on doing good work and don’t get distracted by all the drama happening around you. The rest will follow.

If a young journalist wants to cover the energy industry, how should they prepare?

Read. Read. Read.

Is social media a big part of your job? How so?

I’m particularly hooked in to Twitter. I use it to get a quick gauge on what people are talking about, particularly in the energy sector. With a couple of search tricks, I’ve even used it to find “real people” for stories.

How has ProfNet helped you?

ProfNet has been a great way to find fresh sources for stories on my beat. It’s easy to keep going back to the same sources for quotes or advice. ProfNet has helped me find new angles and insight I hadn’t considered for topics I’m writing about.

What would you be doing if you weren't a journalist?

I’d probably be a career counselor. I love mentoring and giving career advice. I worked at a career center in college and never quite lost the bug. I’m still the one my friends turn to when they need resume advice.

When you're not at the Chicago Tribune working on a story, what do you like to do?

Any excuse to be outside, I’m there – biking, kayaking, hiking, picnics, outdoor concerts. It makes Chicago winters a bit rough.

About Julie Wernau

Julie Wernau is the energy and green technology reporter for the Chicago Tribune’s business section. She covers electric and natural gas utilities, energy markets, green tech start-ups, battery technology, energy legislation, the country’s largest owner of nuclear power plants, the coal, oil, natural gas, wind and solar industries and their associated regulators.

She tends toward stories that explore the impact business and economic trends have on the lives of real people: employees, business owners and consumers.

Before coming to the Tribune in 2009, Wernau enjoyed a stint in media relations at Connecticut College, a private non-profit higher-education institution. Prior to that, Wernau worked at The Day Publishing Company, a daily newspaper covering Southeastern Connecticut, where she was a multi-award-winning police/fire reporter.

Her stories about a local predatory lending scheme led to investigations by the FBI and the state’s attorney general and the convictions of several co-conspirators.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day, which according to UNESCO is "a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession."

On this 20th anniversary, we reflect on the fact that here in the United States we have freedom of the press, freedom of expression, while too many nations around the globe do not have this basic right. Media outlets are censored and journalists are attacked or murdered for exposing the truth or for reporting something unfavorable in regards to a certain person or group.

We often take for granted that we go to work, do a story and return home. The most someone will do is write a negative comment after our story on a website, call and say they did not like or agree with a story, but other than that we do not usually fear going to bed that night or worry every time we dine al fresco at our favorite restaurant. For the most part, journalists are respected. Not to say violence against journalists does not happen here because it does, but not in the same manner as in other countries.

Overseas, many never return home, their next stop being a morgue instead of their living room. It is a sad and terrible situation, but one that cannot be forgotten and ignored. Critics of journalists who place themselves in precarious situations or who work in dangerous countries will often say to simply find another profession or to get out of such a place.

What these people fail to realize is the concept that being a journalist is sometimes not "just" a profession, but a calling. It can be a way for that journalist to stand up for what is right and to report about a violent and corrupt government or to bring awareness to the unthinkable events and atrocities that take place daily. It is not something they just like to do but need to do, the same way one may know from childhood they want to be a surgeon or a performer.

Let us take some time to read the stories of some journalists who never returned home this year, who made it their life's work to speak for those with no voice, to expose the truth, to tell a story that needed to be told:

• Mohamed Ibrahim Rageh (Somalia)

• Rodrigo Neto (Brazil)

• Carlos Manuel Artaza (Paraguay)

• Mikhail Beketov (Russia):

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Media News Highlight shares articles and stories from the worlds of media and journalism that may be of interest to professionals who work in said industries at newsrooms across the country.

We hope these links will help you stay aware of what’s happening in these fields and provide some beneficial information.

Waking Up on the Wrong Side of a Rating War (via The New York Times by Brian Stelter)

"One Wednesday last month, Ann Curry, camouflaged in a hat and trench coat, trudged into the art-deco lobby of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It had been nine months since she was pushed out as co-host of the 'Today' show."

Major breaking news errors giving rise to new responses in Boston coverage (via Poynter by Craig Silverman)

"There is nothing new about the fact that a major breaking news event unleashed a torrent of rumors, hoaxes, reporting errors and misinformation. That some of them still reverberate, and will continue to, is also par for the course."

The Remarkable Decline in the Wall Street Journal's Long-Form Journalism (via The Atlantic by Alexis C. Madrigal)

"I do not have any particular expertise in the inner workings of the Wall Street Journal newsroom, but this chart speaks for itself. It shows the number of stories the Journal published that were over 2,500 words from 2002 to 2011. Dean Starkman of Columbia Journalism Review created the chart and referenced it again today. (He used to work at the publication.)"

Social media and the Boston bombings: When citizens and journalists cover the same story (via Nieman Journalism Lab by Hong Qu)

"In a breaking news situation, journalists get an adrenaline rush. There is a palpable eagerness to get the scoop, to be the first to bring the story to the public. In today’s world of social media, mobile phones, and the real-time 24/7 news cycle, though, journalists face competition from all sides: eyewitness accounts, official sources, and even friends and family are sharing news before mainstream news institutions have 'published' the official news story."

#ConnectChat Recap: Succeed in Freelancing With ASJA (via ProfNet Connect by Maria Perez)

"With the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) holding its annual conference in a few weeks, we thought it would be a good time to catch up with Alexandra Owens, executive director of ASJA, to get the inside scoop on the conference and what’s going on at ASJA. [Full disclosure: ProfNet is a sponsor of this year’s conference. We hope to see you there!]"

Diller: Death Will Come for 'Irrelevant Media' (via NetNewsCheck by Michael Depp)

"Barry Diller has good news and bad news for newspapers, and local TV should listen, too."

Next FCC chairman will impact journalism (via Columbia Journalism Review by Tracie Powell)

"Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski announced last month that he was stepping down, and journalism advocates have since been lining up to voice opinions on what Genachowski’s successor should do differently in dealing with media."

Family of Missing GlobalPost Journalist James Foley to Hold Event on World Press Freedom Day (via press release by Northwestern University)

"The family of missing GlobalPost journalist and Northwestern University graduate James Foley is holding an event to raise awareness on World Press Freedom Day on May 3rd in Boston."

Tumblr's David Karp on The Closing of Storyboard: It 'Didn't Work' (via Capital New York by Joe Pompeo)

"'We gave it a year, and after evaluating it, we decided it wasn't really the right tool in our tool box,' said Karp, speaking at a conference hosted by the website paidContent. 'It was working in some regards. It wasn't working in the ways we intended.'"

Breaking News and Social Media: Stop Fighting It (via 10,000 Words/mediabistro by Karen Fratti)

"Social media and journalism are back in the ring this week. They’re both pretty strong contenders, but not without their weaknesses. In the immortal words of Paulie Pennino, let’s blow these punch-outs."

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

On Tuesday, April. 16, we hosted our latest #ConnectChat, "Using Pinterest for Business," with guest Karen Leland (@KarenLeland), the best-selling author of nine business books and the president of Sterling Marketing Group.

Karen provided advice on how to start using Pinterest if you've never used it, tips on what to 'pin' on boards, creating your own pins, increasing sales and much more.

Please follow @ProfNet and @editorev on Twitter for more information on future chats or check back right here on ProfNet Connect for details.

Welcome & thank you for joining today’s #ConnectChat with Karen Leland.

This is Evelyn Tipacti, taking over @ProfNet for the duration of the chat. Our guest today is Karen Leland, the best-selling author of nine business books and the president of Sterling Marketing Group.

Her latest book is called, "Entreprenuer Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business." Hi, Karen! Thanks for being our guest on today's #ConnectChat.

I'm thrilled to be here. This is my first Twitter party!

Karen, please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

I'm President of Sterling Marketing Group, a branding and strategy implementation firm. I help with personal, team and business brands. I'm an author-- Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Pinterest and 8 other books. I love photography and am a total foodie!

Karen, Pinterest is still a new thing to many people so can you please tell us exactly what it is?

Ever New Years day I sit down and cut and paste from magazines a vision board for the year. Pinterest is a bit like that. Pinterest is an online pinboard organized around topics of your choice by category. It's part of the trend of the visual web.

Are the pins placed on a board things you create or mainly pins created by others?

Most pins statistically are re-pins from other people's images. I think it's very important to curate and create your own. For example you can go to imagechef.com  or shareasimage.com  and make all sorts of fun things to pin such as quotes. These sites let you create for example customized sticky notes, quotes etc., which you can pin. A mix of re-pinning others stuff and your own creates the most vibrant board.

How do you go about creating your own pin(s)?

In the book I mention 10 ways. One way is be like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz & look no further than your own back yard. What logos, diagrams, drawings, pictures, models, videos or other visual content do you use on your website/business you could pin? Photos and videos you have taken yourself are also great. There are some tips to follow, however. Images shot with a smartphone can be fabulous. You don't need to be Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz to shoot a Pinterest-worthy picture. To shoot great pins with a smartphone, fill the frame with the focal point, crop liberally and shoot in HDR, just to mention a few.

What's your policy for giving image credit on Pinterest?

Image credit on Pinterest is simple. It's automatic when you re-pin. Use the ‘Pin It’ button in your browser and source is given. If you pin another way where the credit is not automatic, it's good manners and protocol to always give credit.

How can a business start to use Pinterest? Many use Twitter and Facebook but seem to be excluding this one.

Pinterest is easy to set up, but deciding what boards to create and then curating the images is what takes some time. As with any other social media, Pinterest requires a strategy. What is your main reason for using it? Is your goal with Pinterest driving traffic to your website, boosting your brand awareness, expanding customer engagement? Some Pinterest boards can include video how to, educational, hobbies, passions and interests, new services and products.

Karen, does Pinterest have the potential to be bigger than FB or Twitter from a business perspective?

IMHO Pinterest's future size relative to Facebook & Twitter will largely be dependent on expansion into business-friendly categories.

How much time should one invest in Pinterest to see a difference?

On May 1 when my new Pinterest Book is released, a free chapter called "Pinterest in 15 Minutes A Day" will be available free. You can download at t.co/1sCeuuHkmO, but in the meantime my answer is 15 minutes a day is all it takes to work. One way to manage your Pinterest time is to spend 5 minutes re-pinning, and 5 minutes creating or uploading a fresh pin. Spend 5 minutes doing a search on Pinterest to see what is trending and popular, so you can take advantage and pin.

How can one develop a strategy with Pinterest?

Develop strategy for Pinterest via target market. Age? Income? Gender? 72% users are female, aged 25-54. Think on that, Grasshopper.

Karen, what should your profile include and what type of image should you use?

For your Pinterest profile picture, please no shots of you doing tequila shooters in your bathrobe. Axe the avatars as well. A great Pinterest picture shows you face forward in the camera, and your current image - not the one from a decade ago. Pinterest profile should be free of hats, sunglasses, big earrings and lots of bling. Your face alone is a great brand. If you are doing business on Pinterest as a business and you are a company, use your company logo for your profile picture.

How do use Pinterest to drive traffic to your site?

One great way to drive traffic to your site with Pinterest is to put a live link to your web in pin descriptions.

What about to increase sales and attract clients?

To increase sales on Pinterest rev up anticipation for a new product or service launch by dedicating a board to it. You can attract clients on Pinterest by using keywords in your boards, pins and descriptions. Hashtags, as well.

What type of pins receive the most views?

Pins that have to do with food, fashion, home decor are some of the most popular.

Can you use Pinterest with your other social media sites/pages, a personal blog or website? How so?

Pinterest is great for cross promotion with other social media. You can tweet and Facebook images and pin your posts. The best way to pin your blog posts on Pinterest is to give every, and I mean every post a great picture so it can be pinned.

What is a board and should you have several or is one enough?

A board on Pinterest is a set of pins crated around a specific topic. For example,  I love dark chocolate and have a board around it.

There are no set number of boards you can have on Pinterest. However, one would be like you are not even trying. I think at least eight or 10 boards on Pinterest is a good start and shows you are serious. But these have to have some pins on them!

Karen, what is social proof and how does it tie in to Pinterest?

Social proof is basically the idea that if other people are using your services or products, they must be good! To create social proof on Pinterest, encourage customers to pin pictures of themselves using your product.

Are there any analytical tools available so you can keep track of how many likes and re-pins you're getting?

You can keep track of your analytics on Pinterest by verifying your website in your account and using the new analytics feature.

How can multimedia be used on Pinterest and what are the benefits?

Pinterest is great for multimedia. Videos and podcasts are a wonderful way to spruce up your boards and create more engagement.

Should bloggers use Pinterest? How can Pinterest benefit them?

Bloggers should absolutely use Pinterest! They can pin posts via a good image and get flow through traffic. Bloggers can also place their url in their Pinterest profile to encourage click-throughs.

Karen, please tell us about your latest book. I'm sure many here are interested to learn more about it.

My new book, “Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business” is out May 1 and available for pre-order now! I wrote the book to be a business bible for Pinterest with lot's of A-Z info on how different professions can use Pinterest.

Where can we find it?

“Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business” can be purchased on Amazon at t.co/y7zAob8ktR. Ultimate Guide to Pinterest For Business and bonus items such as additional chapter and cheat sheet go to t.co/1sCeuuHkmO.

Karen, thanks for being our guest and for giving us all of this wonderful information! Unfortunately, we're at the end of today's #ConnectChat.

Thanks for being on the chat. Please connect at t.co/n7sNoyug7A for questions about social media, branding or dark chocolate. :-)

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Pinterest, a social bookmarking site that allows users to create a visual, online pinboard with images they love, is the fastest-growing social media site in history, the third-largest network after Facebook and Twitter, and has over 25 million members and 10 million unique visitors a month.

How can your business take advantage of this popularity to reach new audiences? On our next #ConnectChat, Karen Leland, author of the new book, “Entrepreneur Magazine’s Ultimate Guide to Pinterest for Business,” will share her tips on the top ways businesses can use Pinterest to reach prospects and increase profits.

To participate in the chat with Leland, simply join us on Twitter on Tuesday, April 16, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. EDT, and follow the #ConnectChat hashtag to view all updates from @KarenLeland, @ProfNet and the rest of the chat participants. We'll start off the chat with a few questions to get the conversation going, but feel free to jump in with your own questions at any point.

If you do not have a Twitter account or won’t be able to make it to the chat, you can find a recap on ProfNet Connect the following day. To view past #ConnectChat recaps, click here.

About Karen Leland:

Leland is the best-selling author of nine business books and the president of Sterling Marketing Group, where she has worked with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies around the globe on building stronger personal and business brands and creating more effective organizations. Her clients have included AT&T, American Express, Marriott Hotels, Apple Computer and Johnson & Johnson, among others. 

Leland is a regular speaker for business groups, including the Young Presidents’ Organization, American Management Association and Direct Marketing Association. She is a frequent guest of the media and has been interviewed on the “Today” show, CNN, CNBC and Oprah. She writes a column for Entrepreneur.com and Huffington Post, and has been published in Woman’s Day, Self, Los Angeles Times and more.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Media News Highlight shares articles and stories from the worlds of media and journalism that may be of interest to professionals who work in said industries at newsrooms across the country.

We hope these links will help you stay aware of what’s happening in these fields and provide some beneficial information.

‘Illegal immigrant’ no more (via the AP by Paul Colford)
"The AP Stylebook today is making some changes in how we describe people living in a country illegally."

5 Must-Have Chrome Extensions for Journalists (via 10,000 WORDS/mediabistro by Lauren Hockenson)
"It’s no secret that one of the keys to being a successful journalist these days is mastering the art of combing the Internet. And, a large portion of finding great stuff on the Internet relies on properly and efficiently utilizing clever tools that elevates your online skills from 'great' to 'practically superhuman.'"

MEDIAware: April Media Moves (via ProfNet Connect by Kevin Frey)
"MEDIAware, PR Newswire's Audience Research Department newsletter, features recent media news and job changes in the industry. Here is a sampling of this month's edition."

How text-to-speech technology can help journalists avoid copy errors (via Poynter by Chip Scanlan)
"You’ve run spell-check and closely studied your story. Your editors have done the same and the copy desk — the last line of defense against mistakes — has scrutinized every word and line to ensure error-free copy."

Instagram and Vine Shake Up News Industry (via Mashable by Leslie Meredith)
"News as we know it is poised to change, and it's in the hands of smartphone users. On March 31, the New York Times ran a photo of New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez taken by sports photographer Nick Laham — on his iPhone and edited in Instagram. That was not the first time an Instagram-edited photo has been printed by a news outlet, but it was one of the most visible to date."

36 stories that prove citizen journalism matters (via CNN by Katie Hawkins-Gaar)
"The Internet can get pretty overwhelming sometimes. If you're like me, there are days when it feels like you can't stay on top of the endless stream of media. It seems impossible to discover the best content in all that noise."

The Koch brothers’ media investment (via Columbia Journalism Review by Sasha Chavkin)
"Tribune Company’s moves to sell its newspapers—a string that includes the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune—has reportedly sparked the interest of a number of heavyweight financiers. These include familiar media moguls like Warren Buffett and Rupert Murdoch. But heads turned when another pair of possible bidders emerged early in March: the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch."

America is watching more TV than ever before—just not on TV (via QUARTZ by Leo Mirani)
"It seems like only December 2010 that Americans admitted to spending as much time on the internet as they did in front of their televisions. Less than three years later, one-third of America’s internet users—and more than 80% of the population is an internet user—say they would consider ditching TVs altogether, according to a new report by market research firm eMarketer."

AP's North Korea Bureau Offers Glimpse Inside Country Amid Restrictions (via The Huffington Post by Michael Calderone)
"On Saturday morning, The New York Times ran a front-page photo of a mass rally in Pyongyang, one of few recent images to originate from the North Korean capital as leader Kim Jong Un once again beats the drums of war."

Call for journalist protection amid legal threats (via Yahoo by Alison Caldwell)
"There are fresh calls for a national legislative approach to protect journalists and their sources. One of the basic tenets of journalism - always protect your sources - is being challenged with five Australian journalists facing legal action for refusing to disclose information given in confidence."

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Our next #ConnectChat, "Succeed in Freelancing with the ASJA," is a bonus chat on our calendar that we hope you will find interesting and beneficial.

Alexandra Owens (@ASJAhq), executive director of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), will discuss the world of freelance writing, how freelancers need support, and how ASJA can help freelancers.

The ASJA has been around for decades helping freelancers, so if you're one of them, you cannot miss this #ConnectChat.

The chat will take place Tuesday, April 9, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. EDT. To submit questions for Alexandra in advance, please email profnetconnect@prnewswire.com or tweet your question to @profnet or @editorev.

We'll try to get to as many questions as we can. Of course, you can also ask your question live during the chat. To help you keep track of the conversation, we will use the #connectchat hashtag. Please use that hashtag if you are tweeting a question or participating in the chat.

If you can't make it to the chat, don't worry -- a transcript will be provided on ProfNet Connect the next day.

About Alexandra Owens
Alexandra Cantor Owens is executive director of the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) and the ASJA Educational Foundation. She has been with ASJA since 1985 and loves working with freelance writers day in and day out. She has seen ASJA grow from a New York-centric group of magazine writers to today's national organization of almost 1,500 professional writers of nonfiction for all media. The birth of the ASJA Educational Foundation in 2010 further extended ASJA's reach and allows freelancers at all stages of their careers to learn from the experts.

Having started just two years out of college, Alexandra has devoted almost her entire working life to ASJA. In 2000, she stepped down as executive director to work closer to home and family while her children were small, but continued as the director of ASJA's Writer Referral Service.

Back at ASJA full-time since 2007, technology now allows her to split her time between ASJA's Times Square headquarters and her home in Morris County, N.J. A native Manhattanite, Alexandra received a B.A. from William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y.; she loves the center-of-the-world view from her fourth-floor office, but appreciates the calm of the suburbs, as well.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Media News Highlight shares articles and stories from the worlds of media and journalism that may be of interest to professionals who work in said industries at newsrooms across the country. We hope these links will help you stay aware of what’s happening in these fields and provide some beneficial information.

How newsrooms can create a breaking news plan & why it matters (via Poynter by R.B. Brenner)

"Jessica Parks sounded the alarm, rattling my smartphone as I drove to Stanford University. Before dawn that morning, she said, a worker at a nearby cement plant shot 10 people with a semiautomatic rifle and a handgun. Police were searching for him block by block."

72nd Annual Peabody Awards winners announced (via PR Newswire)

"Thirty-nine recipients of the 72nd Annual Peabody Awards were announced today by the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. The winners, chosen by the Peabody board as the best in electronic media for the year 2012, were named in a ceremony in the Peabody Gallery on the UGA Campus."

Hashtags considered #harmful (via Nieman Journalism Lab by Daniel Victor)

"The noble hashtag is cursed by a problem Yogi Berra could appreciate: Too many people use it, so no one goes there. Presumably, most Twitter users use hashtags intending to add their tweet to a river of similar information and to expose their own thoughts to a wider, interested audience."

How ProPublica Is Redefining The Journalism Industry (via Business Insider by William Wei)

"With newspapers laying off journalists en masse, and with traditional publications switching entirely to digital and depending on pageviews, many fear that good, public service journalism, which takes months to investigate and produce a news report, may become extinct.

Media Start-up Hatched at Columbia, 'The Big Roundtable,' Looks for a New Long-form Business Model  (via Capital New York by Joe Pompeo)

"Anyone who has experience writing for magazines can tell you that pitches tend to be approved or rejected based on the whim of any number of editors on the masthead."

Two-Step Verification: Why It’s Necessary for Journalists (via 10,000 WORDS/mediabistro by Lauren Hockenson)

"This week, Apple finally announced support for two-step verification for both the iCloud and AppleID. Now, users must use a second device to input a special code in order to access account specifics and iTunes purchases. It may seem like a small, or even unnecessary step, but type as fast as you can to implement it now."

The Q&A Team: Creating a Great Journalism Portfolio (via ProfNet Connect by Polina Opelbaum)

"I am a student journalist graduating from college in a couple of months, and I am stressing out because I have not put together my journalism portfolio. Typically, when do student journalists or working journalists put together a portfolio? Also, can you please provide some tips/advice on how to set up a portfolio?"

Nearly 1 in 100 Americans is incarcerated. But how well can journalists cover prisons if they can’t get past the gates? (via Columbia Journalism Review by Beth Schwartzapfel)

"When Rob Wildeboer, a criminal-and-legal-affairs reporter for public radio WBEZ in Chicago, read a report from a local watchdog group about conditions in Illinois state prisons, he was taken aback: 'The stuff that they were saying—if true—was just horrendous.'"

USA Today announces 'two big changes' (via POLITICO by Mackenzie Weinger)

"USA Today is making "big changes" by putting the cover story in the newspaper "on hiatus" and keeping story jumps to a "bare minimum, if at all," editor in chief Dave Callaway announced to staffers in a memo on Tuesday."

Why Publishers Would Miss Cookies (via Digiday by Stephan Noller)

"Mozilla’s announcement that third-party cookies will be blocked in the future is not going to lead to positive effects for publishers or even improve advertising."

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

Photo by Flickr user danielmoyle

Welcome to our SPOTLIGHT feature, where we highlight a journalist and ProfNet user to share their personal story and insight with you. This SPOTLIGHT belongs to Julio Ojeda-Zapata, consumer-technology reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

We hope you find SPOTLIGHT both enjoyable and informative.

Please feel free to leave a comment after the blog entry.

Julio, why did you become a journalist? Is it something you studied or did it happen by accident?

I wanted to be a journalist from a very young age. My career started when I wrote for my grade-school paper, "La Flama," in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I got bummed out at one point in my childhood when I read that journalists had to be outgoing types, and I was very shy and nerdy (I still am). I later learned that journalists can have all sorts of personalities to fit all kinds of press occupations.

What was your first job as a journalist?

See above. My first paying job was at a tiny suburban Twin Cities newspaper called the Circulating Pines in Circle Pines, Minn., where I worked a summer internship. That was my first job not making tacos, and I could not believe how frickin' awesome it was.

How did you get into covering technology news?

I was a metro reporter around the time the Web craziness started, and I began writing stories about the Internet for the paper on the side. I got into trouble doing that, too, because I spent too much time on it and I neglected my official duties. Soon afterward the paper created a tech section, though, and I was one of three guys working on it. I've been doing this in one way or another (reporter, section editor, columnist, etc.) ever since.

What type of stories do you cover?

It's all over the place. I currently am on the business desk, and I've also worked in features. Regardless of my newsroom location, I've tended to write a mix of features, news stories, in-depth enterprise pieces and product reviews, all focused on consumer tech. My M.O. is often coming up with a story, identifying the appropriate section, and approaching the editor of that section to pitch my piece directly. It's unconventional and fun.

What's the best part about what you do?

Being involved with consumer tech, which has always been a personal passion. This means I am always working and always playing – and it's sometimes hard to tell the two apart. My wife gets annoyed sometimes.

Do you work with PR professionals and what advice do you have for them if they want to pitch you a story?

Pitch away, but please know what I cover (consumer technology) and do not pitch enterprise-tech stuff or anything Latino (unless it has to do with consumer tech). I don't automatically write about Latino affairs or culture because I have a Latino surname.

When pitching, be clear and concise regardless of the medium – and tell me why I should flippin' give a damn.

I am OK being pitched by e-mail, Twitter DM or postal mail. I don't mind calls, but there's a high probability you'll reach me at a bad time and be redirected to e-mail. If pitching me about a tech product, include links to images (not image attachments) so I don't have to ask you what the product looks like (which is almost always my first question).

What's the best way for someone in public relations to develop a relationship with you?   

There's no scientific way to develop a "relationship" with me. If that's appropriate and in the cards, it will happen organically. That is, if I deal with you repeatedly and consistently, we'll get to know each other. This can happen by a variety of means. I communicate with my local Verizon PR rep, Karen Smith, almost exclusively via Twitter DM. With Marie Domingo, a crack Silicon Valley PR pro, it is almost always via Google Chat within Gmail. It's a fun time because there are so many ways to interact with PR people.

What has been the biggest challenge you've experienced?   

Hmmm, tough one to answer. I love my job so much, it sometimes feel effortless. I have to work hard at keeping a brisk pace and meeting my self-imposed productivity goals, though. I procrastinate a lot and I'm not the most organized guy in the world, so I have to give myself a kick in the keister sometimes.

Do you have a most memorable moment -- a funny interview perhaps or a gadget that didn't work during a TV segment?

One time, I was part of an impromptu, rapid-fire quiz segment on a public-TV show, and I was asked to name the top Web browsers. Well, of course I know that, but I froze and could not think of a single one. I'd suck on "Jeopardy."

Another time I was on a morning news show demonstrating gadgets. One of the anchors and I got silly with a remote-control helicopter, which crashed. The anchors were talking about that for days. Watch it here.

What's your advice for someone beginning their journalism career?

Try to get a well-rounded education. If enrolling in a journalism program, however, choose wisely. The City University of New York has an "entrepreneurial journalism" emphasis that is cutting-edge, for instance. Sign up for as many internships as you can while you're in school, since you'll get experience and make good contacts. Absolutely write for the school paper and/or the school news site, a lot.

Once you're out of school, you face a challenge. It is a tough job market. I do not have any magic formula, but if you do all of the above, you'll have a head start. From that point on, generate quality content any way you can, freelancing, and writing for blogs. Publish your own blog, and post like a maniac. Create a podcast. Become a "thought leader." That is a cliche, but it contains truth. Prove what you can do, prove that you are passionate and driven, and use it to get the attention of employers.

If they're interested in becoming a technology journalist, what do you suggest?

This probably won't happen at a newspaper. There are lots of tech blogs, but making a career of that is tough (the pay often sucks). Regardless, the correct approach is becoming a tech expert first, and then offering that expertise to a publication or blog. If you know your tech stuff and also know how to write, you could make something happen for yourself (though it might be a side gig while you work a day job). Part-time tech bloggers have been known to parlay their writing into full-time, salaried writing gigs. Lex Friedman of Macworld is one example of that.

What skills are needed today that weren't as important a decade ago when you started?

Writing will always be important, but it also helps to knew multimedia (picture and video editing), design (interactive Web graphics and such), social media (use all the networks and become an expert at them) and data crunching. If you do all of the above to one degree or another, you'll have a leg up. Be a geek.

Is social media a big part of your job? How so?

Heck yeah. I use it privately, for direct communication with sources and PR folks, and publicly to raise my professional profile, promote my work and crowdsource stories. I emphasize Twitter, Facebook and Google+ these days, but I've also dabbled with App.net, Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr. I am not enthused about LinkedIn, for some reason, but I'm told I need to get goin' with that, and I plan to do so.

How do you use ProfNet and how has it helped you?

ProfNet-type services are huge for me. I rarely fail to get story leads with my ProfNet queries, though the quality of leads varies. Off-topic query responses are an annoyance. I query a lot. I cannot imagine doing my work without these kinds of services. They're essential. Just this month, I needed to find BlackBerry users for a story I did to coincide with the release of new BlackBerry handsets, and I dug up most of the ones I needed via queries.

What would you be doing if you weren't a journalist?

Possibly in some other kind of writing occupation (niche fiction, maybe), or serving as the storyteller for a company. By "storyteller," I mean someone who is technically PR but goes beyond that, doing journalism work of a sort, by blogging and other kinds of content creation that tell a company's story in a compelling way. I think that could be fun. I like what I do now, though.

What do you like to do when you're not at The St. Paul Pioneer Press?

Playing with tech gadgets, what else? I am big into sci-fi (books, TV, movies), as well, and I listen to lots of media, culture and tech podcasts.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com 

On Tuesday, March. 19, we hosted our latest #ConnectChat titled "Trading Journalism for Communications" with guest Gina Vergel (@ginavergel7), media relations officer for Fordham University’s office of marketing and communications.

Gina discussed how she transitioned from being a journalist going into PR/communications, her struggles, why she's happy to have made the switch and more.

Please follow @profnet and @editorev on Twitter for more information on future chats or check back right here on ProfNet Connect for details.

ProfNet: Welcome & thank you for joining today’s #ConnectChat with @ginavergel7. This is Evelyn Tipacti, taking over @profnet for the duration of the chat. Our guest today is Gina Vergel, Assistant Director of Communications at Fordham University. Hi, Gina! Thanks for being our guest on today's #connectchat!

ginavergel7: Thanks for having me. I'm excited!

ProfNet: Please tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

ginavergel7: Well, as you mentioned, I work in the communications department of Fordham University's News & Media Relations department. Basically, I do PR for the University. Most of my job consists of getting our faculty experts interviewed by the media and also general university news. Outside of my job at Fordham, I do publicity for a few music artists. So, an independent publicist, if you will.

ProfNet: Gina, can you also please tell us about your previous experience as a journalist?

ginavergel7: I was a newspaper reporter for 7 years before joining Fordham. I worked at The Ridgewood News (part of @NorthJerseybrk) and the Home News Tribune, a Gannet paper. @MyCentralJersey At both papers (weekly & a daily), I won journalism awards. Finally, I worked in radio for 2 years. Sports reporting (high school/some college) and news.

ProfNet: What was the most significant circumstance that made you decide to change careers?

ginavergel7: I loved being a daily news reporter. But I saw the industry was changing, contracting somewhat and I wanted to move up. Salary/benefits were also a factor. The stagnant pay was getting old.

ProfNet:Yes, agreed. A lot of people I know have left for that reason, especially if they were what is known as a full-time freelancer without benefits. After a while it's difficult to make a living that way.

pisarose: Gina: how do you feel about sponsored content? I'm interested to hear a journalist-turned-PR pro's POV.

ginavergel7: Well, it's almost common in today's WRITING world. Not sure if I consider it journalism, or at least objective news. I don't knock when bloggers do it. But I would hope they disclose it.

pisarose: Understood. Some good thought leadership material on @forbesbrandvce, though.

ProfNet: Welcome to #connectchat, @pisarose.

pisarose: Thanks! I worked in academia (college teaching and marketing) in the past, so the topic interested me.

ProfNet: Gina, when did you decide to make the switch? Was it a decision you made or were you pushed out of the industry somehow?

ginavergel7: I started thinking about looking for a job OUTSIDE of a newspaper in early '07. Slowly sent out resumes, then on a daily basis! I landed the job at Fordham in August '07. I was hired as a staff writer (internal communications.) and did that job for 3 years.

pisarose: Was the shift from journalist to corporate communicator (with a marketing angle) difficult?

ginavergel7: It took me nearly 1 year to find a job so I could leave the newspaper. There was some difficulty. Seemed like only financial media outlets were calling me and I didn't want to work in that niche field. By the way, I'm listening to music while I do this. I always have music in one ear while working!

pisarose: Seems like demand for journalism skills is going up as corporations look for writers and researchers (content).

ProfNet: What other difficulties did you encounter in your job search, and how did you overcome them?

ginavergel7: Another difficulty was finding a job in my target area (#NYC.) For a second there, thought I'd have to go further out in #NJ!

ProfNet: Please tell us about the adjustment period.

ginavergel7: There wasn't much of an adjustment. Fordham has a great staff here. Everyone has a journalism background and it’s as mall staff. Working 9-5 was a slight adjustment! Barely any late nights or weekends! :)

ProfNet: That's good to hear! So it wasn't too bad at all. What skills have you noticed are transferable? What skills did you need to make the change from journalism to communications?

ginavergel7: Transferable skills are virtually all of them. Writing, social media and video skills are welcome at university marketing/communications departments. But you have to think like more of a marketer. You're reporting the positive news. Not always the case in regular news, obviously.

ProfNet: Great point, Gina.

DivergingMarket: Gina, can you characterize the most effective tools and/or methods you've found for finding and engaging your target audience?

ginavergel7: Blogging, social media, photos and VIDEOS!!!

ProfNet: Hello, @DivergingMarket!

ProfNet: Were there any skills you needed to brush up on?

ginavergel7: Not much. Fordham style. We basically use a modified AP style. Religious/Catholic terminology and background knowledge.

PragatiVerma: Did you need to acquire new skills to succeed in a communications role?

ginavergel7: Having to write/publicize stories on academic research in a way a general audience would understand/care about.

ProfNet: Welcome, @PragatiVerma!

ProfNet: Gina, have you been satisfied with the results of your decision in making the change?

ginavergel7: I’m absolutely satisfied with my career and having left newspapers. Glad I have 7 years newspaper and 2 years of radio experience in my background.

ProfNet: What advice do you have for other journalists who may be considering a move to communications or another field?

ginavergel7: Don't just rely on job search sites. Seek out organizations/companies you'd like to write for, or do PR for. Often, they don't list openings with job sites.

DivergingMarket: Ok but each of those must have certain things that work vs. not. Or does your audience take anything you give them?

ginavergel7: We try to use all methods for that person who might not be on Facebook, for example. But they'll read our site. Remember, I'm on the news/PR side of the house here. We have an entire marketing dept that markets the university.

ProfNet: What questions should people ask themselves to see if leaving journalism is right for them?

ginavergel7: Biggest question is would you have a problem writing/publicizing mostly positive news.

ProfNet: What did you ask yourself, for example?

ginavergel7: *Giggles.* I asked myself if I'd like to do different work to make more money.

nalts: Give up your integrity and soul but for better money and hours.

ginavergel7: Well, I'm working for a university, not a defense contractor! LOL

pisarose: Having worked with former journalists in corporate communications, I've seen this difficulty as well.

DivergingMarket: Understood. Separate topic: How do you decide prices for your services/expertise outside of your Fordham duties?

ginavergel7: It took me a while to figure out. I did it for next to nothing (in fact, nothing) for the first band I worked with.

ProfNet: So it's safe to say finances are a reason to make a change. Did you feel odd pushing news as opposed to writing it?

ginavergel7: I find the news that comes out of Fordham to be INTERESTING. For instance, this story in today's @nytimes! cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/a-...

So no, I didn't find it odd to be pushing news as opposed to writing it. I’m still getting out there and proud in a different way.

pisarose: I find pitching stories involves solid writing--and a lot of thinking investment up-front.

ProfNet: What other jobs might be good for those with journalism skills?

ginavergel7: Internal writing, like I did here at Fordham. Many organizations/companies need writers/social media persons on their staff. Editors, public relations, marketing and even advertising or copywriting.

PragatiVerma: Pitching stories involves thinking like a journalist too!

ProfNet: Gina, you're still a journalist working for a UK-based publication AND you also do music publicity on an independent basis, all of this while having a communications position at Fordham. How do you do it? That's a lot of work!

ginavergel7: I don't sleep much and work out on my lunch hour. (So-- unhealthy? Healthy?) I'm a pretty good multi-tasker. I have to say loving what I do and pitching subjects I find interesting is 98% of it.

ProfNet: Your experience proves that one can successfully leave journalism and do something else. Gina, thanks so much for being our guest today.

ginavergel7: Thanks so much for having me. It was a pleasure. I should mention @ProfNet alerts are a big key to my success!

ProfNet: A recap for today's #ConnectChat will be posted tomorrow. Thanks to all who joined! Until next time.

Whether you're a reporter, blogger, author or other content creator, ProfNet can help you with your search for expert sources. You can send a query to tens of thousands of experts and PR agents, search the more than 60,000 profiles on ProfNet Connect, or get timely experts and story ideas by email -- all for free! Need help getting started? Email us at profnet@profnet.com