But here's a recap of my platform thus far:
- Releasing the workshops before the earlybird registration deadline: The organization has to think more practically when asking members to shell out their hard earned cash for the convention, regional conferences and other special events. I think it is extremely unfair to ask our members to commit to the convention before the workshops are released. In the future, this process must change. The pre-registration deadline shouldn't come before the full slate of workshops are released. If that means moving the announcement of the workshops up or moving the pre-registration deadline back, I'm in favor of either motion. Every decision that NABJ makes from this day forward has to be fair to our members and truthfully make sense.
- Think Web First: That's the first thing I would tell any student member now and any journalist currently in the business or that was recently laid off. The web is the new way of journalism and you should know as much about the web as possible because it will affect your career and most likely your paycheck. When I say web, what am I talking about? 1) Blogs. Know the popular blog software and know how to use and navigate it. Just about every reporter/editor is asked to blog these days and you should already know what a blog is before your employer asks you to do it. 2) Know how to shoot and edit video. Employers use the word "multimedia journalist" now and that term usually incorporates shooting and editing video. The shooting video part is the easiest of the two but the editing part will make you more valuable to your employer and more marketable if you are searching for work. 3) Know how to take and edit photos. 4) HTML. If you really want to get serious about the web than learning html coding is the way to go. If you know html coding and can create and design websites, you can work for anyone and probably name your price as far as a salary goes. I would strongly recommend any student or journalist seek out opportunities to learn this skill either at their school or within their place of employment or at a local community college or through any service that NABJ offers. I will fully support any program (like the NABJ Media Institute) or training session (like the NABJ Region 1 Conference: Online Tool for Digital Journalists, Part 2").
- Lowering Convention Costs I've paid my own way to the NABJ convention in 2001, 2002, 2005-2007 and the Unity Convention in 2008. I didn't attend in 2003 or to the UNITY convention in 2004 because I just started new jobs that year. In 2002 while I was still a student member on a small budget, I paid the registration fee for three students at Northeastern University that couldn't afford it. I wanted them there and dug deep into my pocket to make sure they could experience an NABJ convention. I know the sacrifice that NABJ members make every year because I'm one of them and when it comes to cost I'm always mindful of that aspect. I'm not in favor of raising convention prices or membership dues. In regards to the convention model as our source of income, we currently rely on 62 percent of our income from the Convention. We can't go cold turkey and not use the convention as a primary source of income because 1) we can't generate that type of cash the convention brings in right now from any other source and 2) media companies have cut back on what they can/will spend to come to our convention or support our initiatives. 3) We can be better at saving money, spending money and raising money (like the few ideas I proposed below). I would like to lower that percentage to 50 percent and have the "new money" make up the 12 percent difference.
- Going After New Money: To my knowledge, we don't make any money or very little off our website, which baffles me as I type this response. Our website, in a web-based world, should be a better source of income to NABJ. Should we have advertising on our website? Yeah. What type of ads and where they will be placed...would require some more thought. I'm not sure what we charge for jobs in our NABJobs Online section (and that probably needs a better placement on our website anyways) but maybe offer prospective employers a package deal that we'll feature their job in a prominent spot on the website for a slightly higher fee. Do we have a membership referral service? If not, for every new membership (someone that has never been an NABJ member) that a current nabj member solicits on behalf of NABJ, I say offer a $10 discount to that current member's renewal the following year. This would probably only be done online. As the deputy chair of the membership committee, I've proposed an idea that we create a marketing video something in the 2-3 minute range that can be sent as a DVD or even through e-mail on what it is like to be an NABJ member and attend one of our conventions or regional conferences. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any college or university that we get a "new student nabj membership." My thinking if there is one...there has to be more. I think the video/e-mail should be sent to any employer that we get a "new professional nabj membership" Once again, my thinking is if there is one...there has to be more.
- More two-way communication from NABJ to its members: I mentioned in an e-mail to the NABJ forum on Friday, April 10 about a live chat/blog software called "Coveritlive." My paper started using Coveritlive in January 2009 to enhance our sports coverage in the Jersey Shore area. In just three short months, the live chat and live blog sessions are a huge hit with our basketball and lacrosse fans. I tell myself every morning to "Think Web First" and that is how I approach my sports coverage. The live chats and live blogs sessions give readers more access, instant feedback and it shows them that you care about their opinions. It also helps to grow your web visitors and also your web page views. I posted all of this to say there is new technology out there, like Coveritlive, that you can use in your newsrooms to better communicate with your readers/viewers (no matter what speciality you cover) and that NABJ can use in a way to increase interaction with its members. For example, I would love to see a bi-monthly or at least a monthly live chat with the NABJ President moderated by the NABJ Secretary. I would love to see a live chat or even a live blog on how to fill out the NABJ chapter audits and the NABJ chapter applications properly. If visual evidence is needed for the demonstration, an NABJ webinar would probably be more appropriate. If someone has a questions about the NABJ Chapter audits or NABJ chapter applications, they can get an answer on the spot. I'm sure the NABJ staff would appreciate its local professional and student chapters doing the audits and chapter applications, the correct way, the first time. This scenario can happen right now. It takes a minute to create a Coveritlive account and once Coveritlive generates the html coding all you have to do is cut and paste the coding into a blog entry. All the readers/viewers have to do is come to the blog and click on the start button to interact with the moderator and the featured panelist of the day/night. If you missed the chat, you can always catch it on replay at your own convenience. Speaking of blogs, I would love to see the NABJ President's Corner transformed into a blog. Once that is done, you can have live chats on the NABJ President's Corner blog with ease. I would also like to see the NABJ President's Corner blog updated with regularity on what the NABJ President is doing on behalf of NABJ members. A monthly NABJ President's agenda would be nice and of course updates on important deadlines would be better
The decision we make this year will go a long way in shaping NABJ's future. I want to be a part of that future with your help.
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