Our next #ConnectChat will take place Tuesday, Sept. 13, and will focus on social media for writers and journalists.

Join us as award-winning investigative reporter Dave Copeland explores how writers can use social media to develop story ideas, report more effectively, and promote their work to a wide cross-section of readers.

The author of "Blood & Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia," Copeland teaches college-level writing and journalism classes with an emphasis on social media and writing for online audiences, as well as ways to improve journalism education and student media production.

Since 2004, Copeland has worked as a freelance writer. He writes regularly about social media for the recently launched Daily Dot, and has contributed regularly to the Boston Globe's business desk since 2008. His work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, London Telegraph and Boston magazine.

For more on Copeland, visit his website at DaveCopeland.com.

To join the chat, just follow the #ConnectChat hashtag to view all updates from @bloodandvolume, @ProfNet and the rest of the chat participants. We'll start off the chat with a few questions for Dave to get the conversation going, but feel free to ask away!

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.

We regularly update our ProfNet Connect calendar to include any PR/media-related events coming up each month. Following is a summary of the events taking place over the next week:

Granta, South Asian Journalists Association, and Voice of Witness present "Islamophobia, the Media and Echoes of 9/11," Wednesday, Sept. 7, at Columbia Journalism School in New York City. Looking back to Sept. 11 and taking stock of where we are today, this discussion will explore Islamophobia, media rhetoric and how we remember Sept. 11. Todd Gitlin, writer, sociologist and communications scholar; Lawrence Joseph, Granta 116 poet and law professor; and Alia Malek, civil rights attorney and author of “Patriot Acts: Narratives of Post-9/11 Injustice,” will join Granta editor John Freeman to explore this topic. Details here.

ASTA's Travel Retailing & Destination Expo is hosting THETRAVELBLOGGERSHOW, Sunday, Sept. 11, in Las Vegas. Travel bloggers will learn from their peers with face-to-face networking, explore new resources within the travel industry to enhance content and gain more followers, and learn technical tips from a lineup of speakers and panels to improve their blogs. Details here.

Mediabistro.com is hosting a cocktail party Tuesday, Sept. 13, at Medjool in San Francisco. RSVPs are required. Details here.

PRSA presents "PR Boot Camp: Key Concepts and Techniques of Effective Public Relations," Sept. 13-14, at the University of Las Vegas. Whether you are a journalist, new graduate, transitioning from another field, new in your position or wanting to learn more about public relations, this overview with Robin Schell, APR, Fellow PRSA, will provide you with the knowledge you need. Gain a clear understanding of public relations and communications concepts and techniques through lectures, case study presentations, discussions and group exercises. Examine the theory and practice of major issues presently facing the public relations profession and participate in hands-on teamwork as you create your own public relations plan based on a case study. Details here.

To view all upcoming events on our calendar, go to our home page and scroll down to the Upcoming Events tab on the right. And if you’ve got a PR/media-related event (such as an IABC meeting, PRSA luncheon, etc.), please send the details to us by email, and we’ll do our best to get it listed.

This week’s Interesting Expert is Natasha Alexenko, a sexual-assault survivor and spokesperson for Natasha's Justice Project, a not-for-profit organization that assists survivors of sexual assault through travel grants to testify at their related trials and end the nation's current rape-kit backlog crisis. Alexenko speaks at colleges and other venues across the country to educate and inspire through her unique story.

Alexenko was recently highlighted in HBO's critically acclaimed documentary, “Sex Crimes Unit.” In 2008, nearly 16 years after she was violently attacked at gunpoint, her perpetrator was found through a DNA match, thanks to the dedication of New York City's Cold Case Unit.

In addition to her appearance in the HBO documentary, Alexenko regularly appears on television and radio, including CNN, WPIX, France Channels 1 and 2, and CBS radio. She has been featured in several press outlets, including the Associated Press, Variety, the New York Times and Newsday.

Alexenko was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.

Natasha, you’ve taken a harrowing, life-changing experience and channeled it into something positive and inspiring. How did you decide to start Natasha’s Justice Project, and what have been some of the challenges?

Natasha’s Justice Project is fortunate enough to have a spectacular team of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly at accomplishing our goal to empower survivors of sexual assault by providing financial support for the processing of DNA samples and have every rape kit tested. I truly believe we can make a difference.

There are so many people that inspired me along my journey. Altruism is contagious. I knew I wanted to take my journey and use it to make a difference. When I learned of the country’s rape-kit backlog, I knew that was the issue I wanted to tackle. A rape kit is the evidence collected from a victim’s body after a sexual assault. It is an invasive, but necessary, process that can eventually lead to finding an assailant through DNA. To discover that an estimated 180,000 kits are sitting on shelves in this country and not being processed is shocking. Every kit represents a human being whose body was essentially a crime scene. My very own kit sat on a shelf for 9-1/2 years before it was finally processed. Thanks to that processing, my rapist was brought to justice. Everyone deserves that justice – I should not be an anomaly.

Since the backlog numbers are currently unknown, our first goal is to uncover this data. This has been quite a challenge, as no municipality wants the finger pointed at them. We are not here to place blame -- we are here to help.

You were recently featured on the HBO documentary, “Sex Crimes Unit.” How did that come about?

I was so very grateful to the prosecutors in New York’s Cold Case Unit for giving me the closure I sought for 16 years. I offered to assist them in any way I could. They asked if I would be willing to speak openly about my case in order to encourage other victims to come forward and report their assaults. Rape is largely underreported, as victims are often afraid they will be put under the microscope and exposed. When filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson approached the unit and asked if there was a victim willing to come forward openly in a documentary, the prosecutors suggested me. I was eager to be part of a project that could change people’s views on rape.

What has the response been like?

The response from the film has been phenomenal. I receive messages regularly from people who have found inspiration through the film. To know I have been a part of something that has changed people’s lives has been life-altering for me. I read and respond to every single email -- these people are that important to me.

You also speak at colleges and other venues across the country to educate and inspire others about sexual assault. What is your message to young people?

Unfortunately, sexual assault is very common in college settings. I think it is so important to speak to young people for this very reason. The message I like to deliver is that being a victim is nothing to be ashamed about. It is not your fault. It is also important for young men to grow up understanding that forcing someone against their will is unacceptable. I often hear from students who fear retaliation from their assailants and decide not to come forward. I would like to change this attitude. You’re stronger than you think, and you are not alone.

We regularly update our ProfNet Connect calendar to include any upcoming industry-related events for PR and media professionals. Following is a summary of events taking place over the next week:

PRSA Cincinnati presents its monthly luncheon on Wednesday, Aug. 31, at The Phoenix in Cincinnati. Kash Shaikh, external-relations leader of developing markets for Global Fabric Care at Procter & Gamble (P&G), will share the largest global brand launch in P&G's 174-year history. Details here.

Social Media Club of Kansas City presents "Breakfast with Scott Monty," Sept. 2, at the Chamber Board Room at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. Scott Monty is on staff with corporate communications for Ford Motoro Company. He heads up the social media function and is strategic adviser on all social media activities across the company, from blogger relations to marketing support, customer service to internal communications, and more. Monty will be speaking about his journey with Ford and the process of pushing the brand into social media. A light breakfast and coffee will be provided. Details here.

To view all upcoming events on our calendar, go to our home page and scroll down to the Upcoming Events tab on the right. And if you’ve got a PR/media-related event (such as an IABC meeting, PRSA luncheon, etc.), please send the details to us by email, and we’ll do our best to get it listed.

The older I get, the more I worry my brain is failing me. Rather than sit idly by, I decided to be proactive and get some tips from our Interesting Expert of the Week, Dr. Cynthia R. Green.

One of America’s foremost memory fitness and brain health experts, Green is founder and president of Memory Arts, a company that provides memory fitness and brain health training to organizations, corporations and individuals. She is also an acclaimed author, respected lecturer, and sought-after spokesperson known for her engaging and personable presentation style. Green has appeared on “Good Morning America,” “The Early Show,” “20/20,” Fox News, CNBC, and National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation,” as well as in the pages of Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The London Standard, Good Housekeeping, Prevention and Parenting.

Green received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from New York University. Since 1990, she has served on the faculty of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she is currently an assistant clinical professor in the department of psychiatry.

Green was kind enough to answer a few questions on how to boost brain health:

Brain health is something most people don’t really think about. Can you explain what it is?

Brain health is a term that has really grown in popularity, but I find many of my audiences don't really know exactly what brain health means.

At its most basic, the term refers literally to the physiological health of the brain as an organ. However, most of us use the term to include the ways in which that underlying physical state is expressed. We "see" our brain's health reflected in how we function day-to-day, including how well we are able to attend, learn and remember.

Finally the term brain health is often used to denote something about our risk for dementia, and what we can do to manage, to the degree that we can, that risk so we maintain vitality and independence.

At what age/stage should people start training their brain?

Well, the truth is that we are never too young to start learning good brain health habits! We can start as kids learning good general health habits, such as how to have a healthy diet, participating in regular exercise, getting enough sleep and other brain-healthy lifestyle choices.

In addition, we can "train" early on for solid organizational strategies to help us organize information we have to remember, and simple strategies we can use to learn and remember things such as dates and names.

Most people, however, don't think about "training" their brains until they begin to worry about forgetting! Certainly by our 40s, we should be pursuing regular challenges to the everyday intellectual skills we use to acquire things we need to remember. Those challenges can best be found in exercises that force us to play against the clock, as they challenge our attention, speed, flexibility and other skills essential to memory.

One final piece of advice: It is never too late -- or too early! -- to start training your brain!

What are some of the steps the average person can take to improve their memory?

When we look to improve our memory, we are really looking to build better every day performance. This is distinguished from looking to improve our overall brain health, as it doesn't focus necessarily on what we can do to lower our risk for dementia.

To rev up our daily recall, we need to improve our overall attention for information, both by learning how to sustain our focus more effectively and by leading a lifestyle that reduces distraction (such as getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, dealing effectively with stress, etc.).

We also need to use strategies to help us learn information more effectively. These strategies work because they fulfill what I call the "A.M. Principle" and wake up our memory! In using a strategy, we: “A”: pay more attention to the information, and “M": give the information meaning in a way that is more personal and makes it more memorable. Strategies can range from ones that are organizational, such as setting up "Forget-Me-Not Spots" for frequently misplaced items such as our keys, glasses, etc., to using a Connection or Movie Technique to make it easier to memorize information such as names.

Anything else you would like people to know?

Being able to share with people the very simple steps we can all take to remember better day-to-day and lower our risk for serious memory problems down the road is one of the best parts of my job. I have spoken with thousands of folks about their memory concerns over the years, and find that many of us simply don't know what we can do to keep our memories healthy and vital. There are a lot of scientifically solid, simple and practical steps we can all take – it’s just a matter of knowing what to do to achieve total brain health!

What do homewreckers, Kanye West and beer have in common? They all made my list of favorite ProfNet queries this week:

Kanye West Compares Himself to Hitler. Just because he’s brilliant, doesn’t mean he’s smart.

Saving at the Gas Pump. There’s one easy way to save at the gas pump: walk.

Promoting Your Product by Driving Around with Samples. See above query.

High-Tech Lunchboxes and Backpacks. Back in my day, we made do with a “Dukes of Hazzard” metal lunchbox, but it did have a cool thermos, so there’s that.

Talking to Kids About the Economy. First order of business: explain to them that they do not need the high-tech lunchbox and backpack.

How to Dumpster Dive. You know, you might not have to if you hadn’t spent so much on Little Johnny’s high-tech lunchbox. Just sayin’.

Political Souvenirs. Why would I want to remember politicians after they’re gone? I don’t even want to remember them while they’re here.

The New Homewrecker: Social Media. And just imagine what would happen if sports were available via social media. Oh, shucks…

Beer. Yes, please.

* Publication names have been omitted to protect the innocent.

What were some of your favorite queries this week? Are they on this list?

With the economy in meltdown mode, many of us are worrying about our financial futures. So I turned to our Interesting Expert of the Week, author and education entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki.

Kiyosaki is creator of the “Cashflow” board game, founder of the financial education-based Rich Dad Company, and author of New York Times bestsellers "Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money," "Unfair Advantage -- The Power of Financial Education" and "Rich Dad Poor Dad," the No. 1 personal finance book of all time. “Rich Dad” titles hold four of the top 10 spots on Nielsen Bookscan List’s Life-to-Date Sales from 2001-2008 alone. Kiyosaki has been featured on shows such as “Larry King Live,” “Oprah” and “The Doctors,” and on Bloomberg International Television and CNN.

We asked Kiyosaki a few questions about financial literacy and education.

What inspired you to write "Rich Dad, Poor Dad"?

When I was growing up, I had a both a rich dad and a poor dad. They were real men whom I’ve used as the inspiration for much of my teachings.

My “poor dad” was my biological father and was successful by many people’s standard. He was a well-educated teacher with advanced degrees who rose to become the head of the Hawaiian school system. I loved my dad, but he spent his life struggling financially and complaining about how he never had enough money.

My “rich dad” was my best friend’s dad. His dad died at a young age and my rich dad was forced to provide for his family by running the family business. He didn’t have a college education but he was street-smart and understood business. He became a hotel mogul and was one of the most successful people in Hawaii.

As I grew up, I reached a crossroads where I had to choose to follow the path of my poor dad or the path of my rich dad. I choose my rich dad’s path and never looked back. I built many companies, faced many failures, and eventually built my fortune and retired.

After a few months of retirement, I became bored and realized my passion was to teach others about money and finances. I knew that simulations were the best way to learn, so I developed my board game “Cashflow” to teach others about money. To help people understand “Cashflow,” I wrote “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” to teach them the fundamentals of finance and to supplement the game. The book was self-published. Eventually, Oprah called, and the rest was history.

What is the biggest mistake people make regarding their finances?

People don’t educate themselves. Rather, they rely on financial advice they learn in school from teachers who don’t know anything about how money works and from bankers who make their money by making sure they have yours in their vaults.

In order to be financially free, people have to first understand that the rules of money have changed and then learn how to play by the new rules of money. In an economy of debt, where the government prints dollars like they’re going out of style, it makes no sense to live by the old rules of money: go to school, get a good job, buy a house, and invest in a diverse portfolio of stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Instead, you need to learn how to invest for and make money by debt, inflation and taxes. This takes a high level of financial intelligence.

It’s not just adults that need to be financially knowledgeable. Can you tell us a little bit about your book "Rich Kid, Smart Kid”?

The reason I wrote that book is because of this issue of financial education. Children learn many valuable things in school, but they don’t learn anything of value when it comes to how money works and how to make money work for them.

Because of this, I’m of the opinion that the only place where kids can get a true financial education in our society is at home. The book is designed to help parents teach sound financial concepts to their kids, as well as help older kids teach themselves. We also developed a version of the board game “Cashflow for Kids.”

Anything else you'd like people to know?

Today, more than ever, it’s important to understand how money works. With the recent financial crisis and the challenges the U.S. and the world are facing, life will get more expensive. Only those with a high financial IQ will prosper while many people struggle.

My research in books like “Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money” led me to believe the lack of financial education in schools was an intentional plan by those who benefit from a financially uneducated people -- the ultra-rich. This led me to write my latest book, “Unfair Advantage,” which shares the lessons I’ve learned about the new rules of money and gives many practical examples of how I use the new rules of money to get rich.

I encourage your audience to begin the journey of their financial education before it’s too late. People can get free information to improve their financial education at RichDad.com.

If you’re a ProfNet member, you know we provide you with multiple ways to make your query feeds more useful to your individual needs. You can choose how often you want to receive queries, what types of queries you want to receive, and query categories you’re interested in seeing.

From time to time, we update the query options to better reflect the types of queries we’re seeing. This week, we added two new query types and a number of subcategories, and I thought it would be helpful to provide you with a list of the new options:

New Query Types

We added filters for Speaker Service requests and product requests from bloggers, allowing you to deselect those options if you are not interested in speaker requests or in product requests from niche blogs. The options appear under all major categories, so if you subscribe to more than one category, make sure to deselect them under all the categories that apply. For more on how to update your query preferences, click here.

New Query Subcategories

Education

Grammar

General Industry

HVAC

Government

FDA

Federal Government

Government Grants

SEC

Health

Electronic Medical Records

Endocrinology

FDA

HIPAA

Hospice

Medical Manufacturing/Products

Occupational Therapy (under Health and Workplace)

Otolaryngology/ENT

Podiatry

Law

Privacy

Living

Nightlife

Preschool/Daycare

Management/Business

Investor Relations

Science

Archaeology

Cartography/Geography

Entomology

Genetics

Oceanography

If you have any questions about these additions, or have suggestions for future additions, please drop me a line.

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been working on putting together a list of experts related to the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11. As I was editing the submissions, I saw that several of the experts had videos on YouTube of themselves discussing their area of expertise.

While it’s not something that hasn’t been done before, it struck me as a great way of getting reporters to remember the expert. After all, you’re more likely to remember someone if you’ve met them face to face, right?

So it got me thinking about the different ways marketers and PR pros are using video to promote their experts.

What are your experiences with using video as a promotional tool? What are your best practices? Have you done something truly unique with video that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Please either leave a comment below or email me on how you’re using video as a promotional tool. I’ll include the best responses in a blog post on the topic.

Thanks!

Since launching in September of last year, we’ve seen more than 1,100 blog posts from contributors across a variety of industries, from real estate to sales, public relations to media. Here is a list of some of the top bloggers on ProfNet Connect, in no particular order:

• Freelance journalist Heidi Rafferty has contributed some very popular posts on the media industry, including “Why is That Reporter Rude?” and “How I Select Sources for My Stories.” You can read her full blog here.

• Beth Monaghan, principal and co-founder of InkHouse PR, has shared a number of blog posts on public relations and social media. Recent posts include “How to Write a Press Release People Will Read,” “Six Reasons PR Has Changed for the Better” and “Should the Embargo Go?” Check out her blog here.

• Steve Vittorioso, associate at InkHouse PR, has written some of my favorite pieces on writing and journalism, including “Twelve Common Mistakes of AP Style,” “AP Stylebook Goes Social with Social Media Guidelines” and “Five News Writing Tips for PR Professionals.” Read more from Steve here.

• Drew Stevens, president of Stevens Consulting Group, has written a number of blog posts on sales, sales management and marketing. Recent posts include “Benefits of Sales Coaching,” “Selling Excuses” and “Seven Things That Frustrate Sales Managers.” View his blog here.

• Eric Bryant, director of Gnosis Arts Media Group, has blogged on ProfNet Connect since pretty much day one. His contributions include “I’m Getting More Exposure. Why Aren’t Sales Up?” and “Why Don’t We Just Say We Screwed Up?” See more from Eric here.

• Robert Eisenstein, president and chairman, HomeRun Homes, blogs regularly on a variety of real estate issues. Recent posts include “Rent to Own: The Good vs. The Ugly,” “Real Estate is Still Our Sweetheart” and “Foreclosure Scam Alert Based on Phony Deeds.” You can view Robert’s blog here.

• David H. Deans, senior partner at Deans & Associates and founder of GeoActive Group USA, has shared some interesting posts on technology, telecom and media, including “The Internet of Things [Infographic],” “Google+ Avoids the Bad Perception of Social Media” and “SXSW 2011: Transmedia Content Marketing.” See more from David here.

• Walter E. Jacobson, M.D., has shared his thoughts on counseling, mentoring and self-help in a series of blog posts, including “Not Thinking Can Be Hazardous to Your Health,” “Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail” (a video blog) and “Are you a Fearist or a Cheerist?” Read more of Walter’s wisdom here.

• Jackie O’Neal, president of O’Neal Media Group, has posted on a wide range of topics, from public and media relations to Latin America’s African roots, including “Poll Reveals 62% of Journalists Use PR Agencies for Sourcing” and “Three Life Lessons Learned from Book Marketing.” View more blog posts from Jackie here.

• Author Marie Newman has shared numerous articles on children and bullying, including “Four Types of Bullies, Four Bully Solutions,” “Back to School: Preventing and Stopping Bullying” and “Addressing Teen/Tween Social Media Group-Think.” Read her blog here.

Want to see yourself on the list of top bloggers on ProfNet Connect? Start sharing your expertise by creating your own blog posts. It’s easy and free! Just log on to ProfNet Connect and click on the Add Post tab, and you’re on your way to getting more exposure for yourself and your organization!