Talkin' 'bout your generation

In her WorkinProgress blog, Bridget Nelson writes about Millennials and asks what changes I have seen in students through the years. I posted a comment there, but also thought I would continue the discussion here.

Some thoughts on students through the years:

Students as a group have always had strengths and weaknesses and I frankly spent little time wondering how to group them. Sociologists make their living doing that and ad people love those demographics. The rest of us, though, see people with broader strokes. My students were generally hard-working, smart, funny, creative, concerned about broader issues, respectful yet spunky, and just nice people. Yes, there were exceptions, but I didn’t worry too much about those folks.

I wonder if the Drake SJMC attracts its own breed, and that does not include the lazy louts and ego-driven brats we read about. We have always expected a great deal out of our students, so people who do not want to commit to that amount of effort and can’t play well with others probably don’t apply to the program or leave early on. Some do stay and are miserable, making the rest of us miserable, but that applies to Boomers as well as Millennials.

The SJMC is big enough for opportunities but small enough that students have to work together, which means some of the crazy Millennial—or Gen X or Gen Y or whatever—traits are smoothed out by rubbing against other students’ personalities.

As many of you may have noticed, I don’t suffer fools gladly, so students who are not up to snuff would probably have stayed away from me, no matter their generation.

When I first started teaching in the 1980s and early 1990s, students were more into following the system than students of the 2000s were. I am not at all sure that is a bad thing, largely because the system has changed so much.

As director and as a professor in recent years, I did get complaints about how students dress, and I think that might be something to take seriously. I got a lot of comments about women’s blouses being too tight or too low cut. I also heard complaints about too casual dress—such as flip-flops in the office. I always hated to pass these comments on to students, but I did, so if I didn’t tell you to keep your breasts from being a focal point, you were fine.

I have lived my entire life with the Boomer stereotype. I wonder if the Millennial generalization will be as enduring.   It gets old, I tell you.  And so have the boomers.

PEP

Sending samples to editors

So, let’s continue the discussion about online portfolios. I chatted with four Drake alums, who provided some great perspective on how to manage samples and queries online.

This discussion is with:
• Amanda Repine (’02), senior producer, BHG.com.
• Samantha Thorpe (’95), editor, Country Gardens magazine.
• Lou Rocco Centrella (’00), designer and writer.
• Catherine Staub (MA '97), founder of Lexicon Consulting.


PEP: If a writer or designer does not have a Web site and wants to approach an editor electronically, how best to do that? Send a representative attachment or two? How many attachments are too many?

AMANDA: I would send a file or two (keep it small or zip it so you don’t clog the person’s inbox) with a note that she can send more samples upon request.

SAM: I request 2–3 clips to be sent as attachments in an e-mail from an editor. I prefer to see one long piece and one short to get a sense of their writing style. That leaves me the option to ask for more. Of course, attaching a resume as well is a good idea. The clips should relate as close as possible to home/garden content in my case.

LOU: Quick advice:
~Keep attachments to a minimum.
~Use a low DPI for email attachments unless printing is a necessity.
~Don't send attachments over 5 megabyte. Under 1 megabyte is ideal to
people you do not know.
~Technical mumbo jumbo: GMail (Google) allows attachments up to 20
megabytes but they're one of the least restrictive. Some email
providers won't allow attachments over 1 megabyte. In these case you
can compress files with a ZIP program and split attachments across
emails, but this means the recipient would have to piece it back
together (not ideal).

CATHERINE: My preference is looking at a Web site. If someone doesn’t have a Web site and approaches me electronically the most I’ll look at is 2 attachments with an initial inquiry. If I like what I see, I may request to see more. But I don’t want unsolicited inquiries with a bunch of attachments.



PEP: Is it time for me to tell folks to get a Web site? New grads, of course, have all kinds of Web goodies. Even people who graduated 6-7 years ago, though, are behind in Web skills. They’re still doing fine in a print world, but who knows if that will continue. (The future of the media, however, is not what I would like to discuss right now.)

AMANDA: While I think it’s very beneficial to have a Web site for potential employers or clients to access (esp. if you’re aiming for potential clients) it could also harm you more to have a poorly constructed web site than to not have a web site at all. If you’re in doubt of your web skills and really want a web site, hire out your professional site. If you want to gain new skills in web design, keep another site where you can play and develop pages.

LOU: I would say yes, a Web site is ideal for everyone. When I send a resume or a sample, people want to know more information about me. I would prefer to point them to my website where I control the content instead of them searching the web for God knows what they'll find. On the website you can put up previous articles, samples and other information about yourself.

SAM:: I think a Web site is a great idea. I need one myself. But I think when you contact an editor, it’s still a good idea to attach one clip and then give the Web address. That way I know the person is trying to make it as easy as possible for me to check them out. The Web site should be easy to use and simple to navigate. The “clips” section should be simple to find.

PEP: Those of you with Web savvy, is there anything on the Internet that is an easy first step for less savvy people who want at least a basic page with some simple samples? Where do these people start?

AMANDA: There are hundreds of sites that will tell you how to create Web pages – do a Google search, find a free place to learn (freewebs.com) and just start playing around. A blog is another great way to learn new technology.

If you’re serious about creating a professional site, surf the web for sites you admire and compile a list or urls. Talk to a web-savvy person and find out what kinds of technology are being utilized for the sites. There may be a basic components you could pull onto your own site with little effort or skill. More complicated code could require hiring a professional developer to create the features you want.

LOU: I recommend Google Pages . It's free and the page builder is easy to use. There are pre-built templates (Think PowerPoint) but it's also flexible enough to get more advanced with HTML code. You get a lot of space (100 megabytes) to post all the documents and photos you desire.

How to post samples online

Tracey (Doyle) Gorrell (’96), asks:

I've noticed more demand in the marketplace for an electronic or online portfolio to show and attract potential employers. Do you (or any other alums) have any suggestions or advice in this area? I work primarily in print, have never been a web designer (and never wanted to be one). Surely, there's a better solution than attaching a bunch of loose and random PDFs to an e-mail.

I asked alums, and their answers are in the next post. Tracey, though, answered her own question pretty well. That’s what I love about Drake grads!  (Tracey is a graphic designer/marketing coordinator for Syngenta Flowers in Lisle, Illinois.)  Her answer:

I did some poking around, stumbling upon coroflot.com and Creativehotlist. I was familiar with Creativehotlist as a job board, but didn't realize designers could post their portfolios there.

Between those two sites, I'm leaning toward Coroflot because I think the site looks a bit more professional and better organized. I posted a question to LinkedIn Answers and got a couple of responses from designers who recommended Coroflot, but I would also be interested to hear from any Drake alums who've used it.

PEP asks: So, has anybody out there used Coroflot? What do you think?

Berit's Pony: A Web site that works

Berit Thorkelson (’95) has ridden her TrustyPony all the way to a cool gig with Budget Living magazine. The pony is Berit’s Web site—trustypony.com, with the tag line “cool stuff for travelers.” It’s a fun and savvy concept—Berit finds travel goods that appeal to her, tries them out, and features those that pass the test on her site. She gives the goods on lots of goods, but my favorite remains this tiny Airstream trailer.
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The genius of Berit’s site—and where Budget Travel comes in—is in the “For Editors” section. Here, editors can see samples of Berit’s travel-goods columns and order their own package of art and editorial. Berit’s already done the work; the editor just gets to shop.

Budget Travel found TrustyPony and contacted Berit about writing gear-related columns for them. Her first appears in May.

This is a nice example of how to use a Web site to have fun with your own interests and get cool writing assignments to boot. Berit developed the idea based on her travel writing experience for publications like Midwest Living, the Minneappolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, and the Chicago Tribune, She’s the author of “You Know You’re In Minnesota When…: 101 Quintessential Places, People, Events, Customs, Lingo, and Eats of the North Star State.”

How to ask for a raise

The Time Inc blog, “Work In Progress: A Daily look at life on the job,” which I wrote about in my last post, has an excellent piece on how to ask for a raise.

Check it out. Lisa Takeuchi Cullen has some sensible advice for those of us who are clumsy in the give-me-more-money category.

Ask PEP: Paranoid About Blogging

This is a new feature in which PEP answers questions from students and alums. Or anybody who actually asks her.

Tonight I stumbled across an excellent blog. I love everything about it, even this entry on her Aeron chair. (We have one in our office that's been orphaned -- quite the anomaly for an office of seasoned scavengers!) But probably my favorite reads were entries where she actually talked about her own job/employer [Time Inc].  But now I'm perplexed. Since when did blogging about work become an act a journalist need not fear getting fired for? And even more perplexing, when did employers begin not only sanctioning, but also actually sponsoring this type of activity?  As much as I would love to blog about my job, I wouldn't dare. I don't think I'm being overly paranoid, or am I? —Missouri Alum


PEP SAYS:  You are not being paranoid. People have been fired for blogging about their employers. The blog you mention, though, is in its own safe category for a few reasons.

First, The writer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, writes about workplace and business issues for Time magazine and Time.com, so her blog is a logical extension of her job. The sassy attitude and tone of the blog appeals to the younger readers Time so desperately needs.

Second, and most important, Cullen doesn’t write about Time Inc. all that often, but when she does, she's pretty soft on the company.  Yes, she criticized the SI swimsuit issue, but that is hardly a new complaint.  And in one of her first posts, she wrote about getting sick and having great insurance, then contrasted her experience with that of a friend who didn’t have coverage. Made Time look quite appealing. When she is critical, she usually refers to past jobs.

Employees get into trouble with blogs for the same reason they get into trouble elsewhere on the job: poor judgment and being at odds with the corporate culture. Employer-sanctioned blogs are seldom a problem because the standards and expectations are usually clear on those beforehand. Things can get dicey with a personal blog if you’re not careful, though. Some suggestions for keeping your professional self safe:

• Learn company policy. Blogging is getting common enough that those HR folks are often already there with a handy set of guidelines. If not, by asking about policy, you’re already out in the open, which gives you an edge in the honesty department. HR may try to discourage you, just out of their own sense or corporate conservatism, but assure them that you’ll be the professional online that you are in the office. If that causes them to shudder, you have bigger problems than a blog.

• Do it on your own time. Blogging while you’re supposed to be page editing the issue that closes tomorrow is just not wise, no matter how profound your blog might be. Blog it at home.

• Be professional. Don’t air company dirty laundry, and be careful about the clean stuff. Don’t mock people or policies—in blogs or elsewhere.

• Think twice—at least—before you mention the company name in a blog. Is it really necessary to your point?

• Remember that a blog is a public conversation. You may be sitting in your apartment with the cat on your lap, but folks around the world—and in the corporate suite—can read your words once you hit that “publish” button.

Alumni News: Liz Muhler

Ragan.com, a public relations site, just highlighted Liz Muhler in a story on how she used her magazine experience to make Walgreen World magazine—the Walgreens corporate publication—read like a consumer mag. I’d like to give you a link, but the article is for members only—harumpth.

Liz, a 1998 Drake magazine graduate, was editor of Walgreen World magazine from 2000 to 2006. She left the magazine when husband Abe got a university teaching gig in Brooklyn, where they now live with toddler Daniel. Ragan quotes Liz:

“My background was in magazine journalism, and I brought a lot of consumer magazine experience with me when I came to Walgreens, Knowing what sells on the newsstand helped me tweak Walgreen World so it would be more like a consumer magazine than an internal publication.”

Here’s why Ragan says the magazine works (in a list that lacks parallel construction):

• A concise but conversational tone keeps readers informed and interested.

• Bring readers into the pub through multiple feedback channels and by featuring their editorial talents occasionally.

• Achievement-oriented stories boost support from the front line and the C-suite.

Liz continues to freelance with Walgreens, most recently on their first-ever social responsibility report.

Alumni News: Eric Dahl

On the first day at his new job, Eric Dahl learned that the startup Web site he just joined as editor had been acquired by Monster.com. Affinity Labs, which runs career-oriented sites like GovCentral and ArtBistro, became part of the Monster umbrella on January 4.

Eric’s home is TechCommunity, aimed at…well…the tech community. Eric acknowledges that the name does not exactly sing but he hopes to “do something about that.” His job is to give the site focus: “I'll be generating as much content as I can on my own, making deals to share stories with other sites, highlighting good contributions from community members, and moderating member discussions.”

One appeal of the new position was following a stellar boss, Steve Fox, formerly of Omni, PC World and InfoWorld, who recruited Eric. Since graduating from Drake in 1999, Eric had been at PC World, ending up as senior editor.

“After eight years at my first job out of school, it was probably four years or so past time for a change,” Eric says.

The moral of this story:
• A good boss is well worth following.
• Your career will take you in directions you may never have considered, so be open to new ideas and, especially, new media.
• It pays to be an expert in a content area.