Interview, Part III
On Blogging and Getting Burned
This is a part of a series of interviews on freelancing 101 with Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.
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Thomas: How about setting up a website with clips, etc. as a reference to give with pitches?
Ned: Never done it, but i like freelancers who do. Then people can find you.
T: Would you recommend blogging to make a name, to get self-established?
N: Hmm, it can be dangerous...you need to do it very well if you want to be successful. Be very careful of errors, of saying something that is invalid. ALWAYS fact check yourself
Stating your opinion is OK (but be aware that this could hurt job prospects depending on where you want to go, whom you want to work for, etc.). A blog is you and you are the only one accountable.
T: How about if it's not news or opinion oriented?
N: I guess that could be good. As long as its not racy, your sex life, etc. I think its good.
I just recommend anyone blogging to be weary of writing something that could be misconstrued as a statement on an issue. Someone once wrote (on a blog ironically) that the internet is a big, dark place and you just don't know who is out there. Everyone has a different risk appetite, you just need to know yours.
T: Any examples of getting burned by the net?
N: At one of my old jobs someone blogged about having an interview with us the next day (saying he was surprised he got this interview, didn't really want it but was going anyway), we saw it, and he made a complete fool of himself. It was rather stupid,
because he was a good candidate on paper.
T: So was the interview still held?
N: Yes, we let him wallow and at the end said, "Thank you for coming in--you have a very interesting blog!"
2009年3月29日星期日
2009年3月22日星期日
Experience Interview Series
Interview, Part II
On Necessary Skills and Pitching 101
This is a part of a series of interviews on freelancing 101 with Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.
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Thomas: What are some skills that people starting out might lack?
Ned: What the "right" question to ask in an interview is, how to write an article that "hooks" the reader, what is a good lead, what facts are more important than others (i.e., creating the hierarchy of a story)...they lack experience so that when they write an article it shows a breadth (and lengthy) knowledge on the topic.
A lot is experience based; you can only be taught so much. Others you need to learn on the ground. But you need a critical editor. Be willing to take harsh constructive criticism to improve
T: What recommendations would you have for anyone looking to get into freelancing?
N: Learn the basics first...buy a book on AP style or take an intro to journalism class. Find an editor who is willing to work with you to improve. Make sure your research skills are up to snuff...you will need to research far more than you think!
T: What's the best way to pitch an article?
N: Email editors directly...try not to go through a web portal, find their email somehow.
T: How to find their emails?
N: Google, look at old speeches they may have given, check conferences...a lot of times if an editor has presented in a class at a university or at a conference, they will have presentations with emails available somewhere online. Sometimes you luck out and can find a whole CV.
T: For beginners, would you recommend emailing whole stories or pitches?
N: Email pitches. A pitch that is structured...grab them with an idea, give a solid one or two sentence lead, then say how many words you're ready to do, inquire about rates (do NOT demand a rate if you are just starting out), mention some possible sources you could speak to whom would be applicable to the article. Also mention any relevant experience you may have. Send your CV.
On Necessary Skills and Pitching 101
This is a part of a series of interviews on freelancing 101 with Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.
-----
Thomas: What are some skills that people starting out might lack?
Ned: What the "right" question to ask in an interview is, how to write an article that "hooks" the reader, what is a good lead, what facts are more important than others (i.e., creating the hierarchy of a story)...they lack experience so that when they write an article it shows a breadth (and lengthy) knowledge on the topic.
A lot is experience based; you can only be taught so much. Others you need to learn on the ground. But you need a critical editor. Be willing to take harsh constructive criticism to improve
T: What recommendations would you have for anyone looking to get into freelancing?
N: Learn the basics first...buy a book on AP style or take an intro to journalism class. Find an editor who is willing to work with you to improve. Make sure your research skills are up to snuff...you will need to research far more than you think!
T: What's the best way to pitch an article?
N: Email editors directly...try not to go through a web portal, find their email somehow.
T: How to find their emails?
N: Google, look at old speeches they may have given, check conferences...a lot of times if an editor has presented in a class at a university or at a conference, they will have presentations with emails available somewhere online. Sometimes you luck out and can find a whole CV.
T: For beginners, would you recommend emailing whole stories or pitches?
N: Email pitches. A pitch that is structured...grab them with an idea, give a solid one or two sentence lead, then say how many words you're ready to do, inquire about rates (do NOT demand a rate if you are just starting out), mention some possible sources you could speak to whom would be applicable to the article. Also mention any relevant experience you may have. Send your CV.
2009年3月15日星期日
Experience Interview Series
Interview, Part I
On Freelancing versus Stable Jobs and Finding a Niche
I interviewed Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who played a big part in convincing me that freelancing was a viable option by answering my non-stop, star-struck questions when we first met in Bangkok. He has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.
I asked Ned about his experiences and his advice for fellow freelancers and, in the process, found advice that corroborates mine and points points in new directions.
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Thomas: What's the biggest difference between freelancing and holding a stable writing job? Which do you prefer?
Ned: OK, first freelancing: its advantages include full flexibility, being your own boss, no accountability to anyone but yourself.
Freelancing disadvantages: lacks regular pay which can force one to do other work, lacks health care, lacks a safety net of a steady job, there are also a lot of unforeseen expenses (transport, coffees for interviewees, supplies)
Stable writing job advantages - steady income, healthcare and safety net, comraderie with office mates, an editor whom you have rapport with and who will (hopefully) stand up for you when you anger people. Oh, and free (bad) office coffee.
Stable writing job disadvantages - expectation of certain # of words per day/week/month, could be a worse quality of life, have to deal with office politics, lose control over what you write. In the end, I prefer a stable writing job.
T: Should people look for niches? How?
N: Yes, people should look for niches. Figure out what you like, what is your passion - like Whoopi Goldberg said in Sister Act "If the first thing you think of in the morning is singing, than you're meant to be a singer, girl." That applies to writers, if the first thing you think of in the morning is environmental policy, architecture, pro baseball...then thats what you should write about. If you have a passion for something, can show an editor that, then you can succeed in that field.
On Freelancing versus Stable Jobs and Finding a Niche
I interviewed Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who played a big part in convincing me that freelancing was a viable option by answering my non-stop, star-struck questions when we first met in Bangkok. He has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.
I asked Ned about his experiences and his advice for fellow freelancers and, in the process, found advice that corroborates mine and points points in new directions.
-----
Thomas: What's the biggest difference between freelancing and holding a stable writing job? Which do you prefer?
Ned: OK, first freelancing: its advantages include full flexibility, being your own boss, no accountability to anyone but yourself.
Freelancing disadvantages: lacks regular pay which can force one to do other work, lacks health care, lacks a safety net of a steady job, there are also a lot of unforeseen expenses (transport, coffees for interviewees, supplies)
Stable writing job advantages - steady income, healthcare and safety net, comraderie with office mates, an editor whom you have rapport with and who will (hopefully) stand up for you when you anger people. Oh, and free (bad) office coffee.
Stable writing job disadvantages - expectation of certain # of words per day/week/month, could be a worse quality of life, have to deal with office politics, lose control over what you write. In the end, I prefer a stable writing job.
T: Should people look for niches? How?
N: Yes, people should look for niches. Figure out what you like, what is your passion - like Whoopi Goldberg said in Sister Act "If the first thing you think of in the morning is singing, than you're meant to be a singer, girl." That applies to writers, if the first thing you think of in the morning is environmental policy, architecture, pro baseball...then thats what you should write about. If you have a passion for something, can show an editor that, then you can succeed in that field.
2009年3月7日星期六
On Interviewing in China
China is not a country where people are experienced with dealing with the media. This can make my life harder and more hilarious at the same time, as happened with an email response to an interview request I sent about Beijing's recent Silk Street counterfeiting lawsuit:
The letter is illuminating about the fact that expectations for interviews have a long way to go in China, making talking to people and getting local opinions more difficult. It's surprising to think that anyone would think that they would get compensation for brief comments, even if it appears in "papery edition."
I believe it's important to represent local opinions, and not just those of China-watchers and foreigners living in China--but doing so does mean extra work and occasionally giving a short course on Media 101.
Dear thomas
thanks for your letter.
what you have talked about is really interesting,but i have to make sure the following questions:
1.the case you have pointed is the lawsuit of "the intellecture property dispute with beijing xiushui street" ?pls confirm
2.what is the detais about your magazine?do you publish it in electronic edition or papery edition or both of them?if you publish it in papery magazine,what is the amount of publishing per month or per week?
3.if i give you the comments about the case,what will i or my law firm get?
best regards
******
BEIJING *** LAW FIRM
The letter is illuminating about the fact that expectations for interviews have a long way to go in China, making talking to people and getting local opinions more difficult. It's surprising to think that anyone would think that they would get compensation for brief comments, even if it appears in "papery edition."
I believe it's important to represent local opinions, and not just those of China-watchers and foreigners living in China--but doing so does mean extra work and occasionally giving a short course on Media 101.
2009年3月1日星期日
On Knowing the Language
Part II
Is knowing the local language beneficial to doing freelance abroad?
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To put it simply, no.
Or, to put it more precisely, knowing the local language is not always as beneficial as I thought it would be. A problem I ran into yesterday is illustrative of the problems of knowing the local language.
I was at the Jin Tai coal market near my home in Beijing, researching an article for the China Daily. I was reporting on the replacement of coal heaters in the capital's historic hutongs in favor of electric heaters. The benefits are obvious: removing coal pollution from the center of the city and ridding the hassle of having to tend to the heaters.
At the Jin Tai market, I wanted to find out whether the initiative had affected sales. Yet before I could get past a couple questions, the two clerks I was interviewing steered the conversation to foreigners' perceptions of China as a backward nation. "You guys have coal in your country too!" the middle-aged woman, dressed in a simple, functional winter coat, countered.
"Of course we do," I said. I hadn't implied otherwise. Nor had I suggested anything negative about China, coal, hutongs, puppy dogs or daisies.
"Foreigners," she said, turning to the soft-spoken older man sitting behind the counter, "come here and look at how poor everything is, but they have coal too. Just last week there was a foreigner from--where were they from? Italy?"
"Sure, we have coal too," I said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. "What we don't have in my hometown is anything with as much culture and history as these hutongs."
My praise was sincere--I really like hutongs--but it was also a necessary part of the elaborate game of praise and flattery in China.
The conversation meandered around the various famous historic courtyard homes in the area and where I could go find the most beautiful ones. The whole time I made sure to continue my praise. After I felt it was safe to return, I brought the conversation back to the future of the market and the new initiative. The woman retained a bit of her suspicion and the man behind the counter seemed particularly reticent in front of the woman, but I did get the answers, more or less, for what I had come for.
In the end, knowing the local language can only help me so much. I may be able to read the People's Daily as expertly as the comrade next door, but any attempts to visit places and interview people will be marked by my status as a foreigner. Chinese people are almost neurotically tuned to perceive others as thinking China is a poor, backwards place. Thus, my actions tend to be perceived in terms of pointing out China's poverty. And this obstacle means learning Chinese just isn't quite as useful I thought it might be.
Is knowing the local language beneficial to doing freelance abroad?
----
To put it simply, no.
Or, to put it more precisely, knowing the local language is not always as beneficial as I thought it would be. A problem I ran into yesterday is illustrative of the problems of knowing the local language.
I was at the Jin Tai coal market near my home in Beijing, researching an article for the China Daily. I was reporting on the replacement of coal heaters in the capital's historic hutongs in favor of electric heaters. The benefits are obvious: removing coal pollution from the center of the city and ridding the hassle of having to tend to the heaters.
At the Jin Tai market, I wanted to find out whether the initiative had affected sales. Yet before I could get past a couple questions, the two clerks I was interviewing steered the conversation to foreigners' perceptions of China as a backward nation. "You guys have coal in your country too!" the middle-aged woman, dressed in a simple, functional winter coat, countered.
"Of course we do," I said. I hadn't implied otherwise. Nor had I suggested anything negative about China, coal, hutongs, puppy dogs or daisies.
"Foreigners," she said, turning to the soft-spoken older man sitting behind the counter, "come here and look at how poor everything is, but they have coal too. Just last week there was a foreigner from--where were they from? Italy?"
"Sure, we have coal too," I said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. "What we don't have in my hometown is anything with as much culture and history as these hutongs."
My praise was sincere--I really like hutongs--but it was also a necessary part of the elaborate game of praise and flattery in China.
The conversation meandered around the various famous historic courtyard homes in the area and where I could go find the most beautiful ones. The whole time I made sure to continue my praise. After I felt it was safe to return, I brought the conversation back to the future of the market and the new initiative. The woman retained a bit of her suspicion and the man behind the counter seemed particularly reticent in front of the woman, but I did get the answers, more or less, for what I had come for.
In the end, knowing the local language can only help me so much. I may be able to read the People's Daily as expertly as the comrade next door, but any attempts to visit places and interview people will be marked by my status as a foreigner. Chinese people are almost neurotically tuned to perceive others as thinking China is a poor, backwards place. Thus, my actions tend to be perceived in terms of pointing out China's poverty. And this obstacle means learning Chinese just isn't quite as useful I thought it might be.
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