ONA Austin June 2012: Tolly Moseley and Omar L. Gallaga Share Secrets to Online Writing

Omar L. Gallaga News and social media 15 years as a Statesman tech, business and entertainment writer / editor. Founding editor of ¡ahora sí! Former on-air contributor and blogger, NPR‟s „All Tech Considered‟

Tolly Moseley Blogger + freelance writerCreator of AustinEavesdropper.comCo-creator of AETV, a localwebisode seriesWinner, Austin American-StatesmanTexas Social Media Award (2010)Winner, Austin Chronicle‟s Best LocalBlog (2011)Co-host on YouTube.com/Hungry

What do you write?

Omar L. Gallaga Freelance • My own site, Terribly-Happy.com • A few magazines, mostly online publications • Kirkus Reviews, online comics

Television / TrailersWithout Pity

Statesman / Austin360.com

Tolly Moseley FreelanceLocal + regional:• Sactown Magazine• Rare Magazine• Austin Monthly• Austin Insider Mag• Austinist• CultureMap• Texas Parks & Wildlife• KUTNews.org

National:• Salon.com• PlanetGreen.com• TreeHugger.com• FreePeople.com

Local = National(Writing online for videos)

What’s my “platform?”

BE YOUR OWN PLATFORM(Note: Your platform should be nicer than this)

STANDING OUT Competition is stiff. Be the stiffiest.• Having a special skillset or freakishly complete recall of arcane knowledge in areas others don‟t• Developing a unique voice• Being reliable and earning a reputation for good work• Saying “Yes” to scary, sink-or- swim opportunities

SERIOUSLY, START A BLOG It won’t be good at first. That’s ok.• Starting a blog shows YOU what you’re interested in. Your city? Tech? Food? Mad Men?• Just like Omar said – you’ll slowly begin to develop your voice.• Networking: Austin is a hugely blog-friendly town• Best advice I ever heard: Don’t focus on being a perfect blogger, focus on being interesting & original.• Weird, random, utterly wonderful blogs: My Milk Toof, The Fabulous Geezersisters, Res Obscura

What’s my brand?

EW, “BRAND” How to embrace your calling card• Being a specialist > being a generalist• Go offline to strengthen your online relationships• Read A LOT. Especially writing that you’d like to emulate (for me, it’s The Fabulous Geezersisters)• Pitch yourself for writing ops

SELF-BRANDING GONE WRONG ‘And THAT’S why you got fired.’ • Be up-front with your employers about freelancing / outside work (The tale of Señor Sex) • Apply the same standards to social media / blogging as you would in print or at work • Set personal/professional boundaries

Tolly and Omar‟s Online 15 writing Commandments

1. Thou shalt write every day, whetherthou wants to or not.

2. Thou shalt never, ever, ever, EVE R plagiarize. Instead, be generous when linking andciting information from another source. Yes, even on Twitter.

3. Goest where otheronline writers go not. Stand out from the flock.

4. When in doubt, consultethStrunk & White or the AP Stylebook.

5. Thou shalt not write for free unless ownership of the writing is thine.

6. Thou shalt not covetthy neighbor‟s blog-to- book deal.

7. Honor thy editor.

8. Thou shalt meet deadlines, developgood work habits and keep thine‟s shit together.

9. Thou shalt comment on thy neighbor‟s blog.

10. Thou shalt spend copious time OFFline.

11. Thou shalt readevery day. (Doesn‟t have to be the Bible.)

12. Go forth and multiply: Pitchthyself to several different writing homes.

13. Now I say verily unto you: writeth pieces not meant forimmediate public consumption.

14. DO writeth for free, selectively and strategically!

15. Seek not to make thy writing / blogpopular. Seek instead to make it special.

Further reading and how to reach me Where you can find me: @omarg on Twitter ogallaga@statesman.com Facebook, Linked In, Pinterest, G+

And me!Where you can find me:@tollym on Twitteraustineavesdropper@gmail.comFacebook.com/austineavesdropperLinked In,Pinterest, YouTube.com/Hungry

ONA Austin June 2012: Tolly Moseley and Omar L. Gallaga Share Secrets to Online Writing

by Omar Gallaga on Jun 26, 2012

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

1 Embed 2

Statistics

ONA Austin June 2012: Tolly Moseley and Omar L. Gallaga Share Secrets to Online Writing Presentation Transcript