It's Friday! Who's ready for the weekend?

Stretching Your Skill Set

As writers, sure we write. Most days, we write, edit, write, write and then write some more. But as the journalism field changes, it's important to think outside the writing box and develop new skills.

I'm talked about the importance of learning social media before. I still think that's crucial. But the more I think about where we're headed the more I think video is going to be another must for the journalist. Several months ago, one of my clients surprised me with a request to interview a couple sources while being filmed. The video, much to my chagrin, landed on the homepage for an entire day. I avoided the homepage as much as possible.

Truth be told it wasn't so horrible. I supposed it could have been a lot worse. But I couldn't help but think if I had filmed even one YouTube video before that interview, things would have gone a lot more smoothly for me.

My goal this week... I plan on spending the rest of the working week and the weekend filming some videos and then figuring out how to splice them, move parts around and get an acceptable final project. To help me laugh at myself and this project I've decided to wear a goofy hat while doing this. At least it will give me a chuckle if all I end up doing is talking into a camera for a couple hours. And then in the future if a client asks am I comfortable with video I can honestly say yes.

What other things are you doing to expand your skill set and make yourself more marketable as a writer and a freelancer?

Diversifying Your Experience

I've been out of pocket over the last week because of a business trip to Chicago that had me running around like a mad woman most of the week. Tons of fun but totally exhausting. I'm finally caught up on sleep and back in the swing of things.

While on this business trip I had the opportunity to expand my experience base by dabbling in broadcast journalism. I knew about this only ten days before the trip and barely contained my nerves as one 5-minute interview turned into three 15-minute interviews. As I reminded all my interview subjects, I'm a print journalist. The words and I go great together. Set me in front of a computer for days at a time with internet access and it would be hard to pry me away. Put me in front of a video camera and flee becomes the predominate thought.

Anyway, a fellow MU alum suggested I look at the opportunity as a way to expand my experience base. He hit the nail on the head with that advice. I conducted the interviews, suffered through a couple retakes, cringed as the video replayed and realized it wasn't as bad as I expected. In fact with a little practice and the right topic I could possibly do more of these.

You never know till you try. And just like starting that first blog, attempting a YouTube video, reaching out to your first freelance client or pitching your first editor - trying new things is an essential part of professional and personal growth. I'm proud to say I conquered that mountain. Here's to the next one coming up on the horizon.

In case you're in the mood for a good laugh, here's the video.