Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Networx Seeking Production Artist

Robstan Group, Inc.

Job Title: Production Artist

Reports to: Art Director

Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Contract to Fulltime Hire; 30 hours; Monday-Friday
Job Summary
The Production Artist collaborates with the Art Director to design and produce magazines, brochures, newsletters, programs and other print marketing B2B collateral in a fast paced but fun environment.


Responsibilities:

Assist in design and production of a variety of print projects
Flight check files to vendor determined print specifications
Education, experience and skills:
Ability to handle multiple tasks / projects
Ability to meet deadlines
Proven print/design layout skills
Ability to turn around revisions to files quickly
Excellent organization skills
Strong interpersonal and communication (spoken & written) skills
Highly proficient in Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop on a PC.
Familiar with Microsoft Outlook / E-mail
Familiar with Microsoft Word
Self-motivated
Team oriented
Outstanding relationship building skills and ability to collaborate with other marketing professionals
Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related experience.
minimum 3 years experience working in an ad agency, print shop, or in-house design department.

Compensation: Hourly, Commensurate with experience

Forward resume and cover letter to aaron@robstan.com. Must show portfolio if interview is requested and ability to pass an Adobe Creative Suite test.

Social Media Workshop: Hear Tips on Twitter, LinkedIn Lessons and Ways to Find Facebook Friends”

By Jeff Gelski

The ideal social media tool for business-to-business publications may differ by publication. Twitter has proven valuable in gathering contacts and story leads for The Packer, a weekly newspaper and Web site that reports on the marketing of fresh produce, said Fred Wilkinson, managing editor. While using Twitter, Courier Magazine has made more use of its Facebook page, said Jody Becker, editor.

Both Mr. Wilkinson and Ms. Becker spoke at the “Social Media Workshop: Hear Tips on Twitter, LinkedIn Lessons and Ways to Find Facebook Friends,” which was held Oct. 20 at the Sylvester Powell Community Center in Mission, Kan. The Kansas City chapter of the American Society of Business Publication Editors produced the event.

Both speakers said using social media tools may not take all that much time. Ms. Becker works at Networx Communication Corp. in Kansas City, Mo., and serves as editor of not only Courier but also three other magazines – Applicator, Professional Window Cleaner and Scaffold Industry Magazine. She does not want to hear other editors say they’re too busy for social media tools.

“I have to tell you, you’re not,” she said.

Mr. Wilkinson checks Twitter a few times a day and estimates he spends an hour a day on it. A few times a week The Packer editors and writers find a story lead through Twitter.

About 700 people follow The Packer, based in Lenexa, Kan., and owned by Vance Publishing, on Twitter. The Packer follows close to 600 individuals or organizations, including government agencies, reader companies and advertisers, on Twitter.

“If you follow somebody on Twitter, they generally follow you, too,” Mr. Wilkinson said.

When covering a convention, The Packer editors and writers have sent out tweets about new product launches from produce companies along with a note that a full story will appear later. Mr. Wilkinson said a key benefit of Twitter is that it costs practically nothing to join.

The degree of technological knowledge runs a wide gamut in the agriculture industry, Mr. Wilkinson said. Executives for Chiquita can be as up to date as anybody, but farmers in Idaho might not be all that tech-savvy, he said.

The Packer uses owl.ly to shorten web site links. HootSuite tracks statistics on social medial tools. The Packer has a Facebook page but does little with it. Mr. Wilkinson finds LinkedIn offers a way to keep in touch with co-workers, friends and colleagues.

Ms. Becker uses Facebook often, primarily with Courier Magazine, which now has 50 Facebook fans. She updates the magazine’s Facebook page at least once a day, which takes about 10 minutes a day. Facebook updates immediately go out on Twitter.

“It’s not a huge time investment,” she said.

On the Facebook page, she posts articles, comments on industry issues or seeks out story ideas or sources for stories. She also posts her blog entries to the Facebook page, where she has found people may feel more comfortable commenting on the entries.

Ms. Becker has joined Facebook pages run by advertisers in her magazines. She will request permission to add a link from her magazines to the advertisers’ Facebook pages although sometimes the request is denied.

Facebook has yet to make a lot of money for her company, but it has played a role in picking up several subscriptions.

Ms. Becker also has sent out Twitters from events. She said the first time she felt a little guilty doing that while the event was going on, but the web sites did see a spike in activity during the event.

Ms. Becker also mentioned Ning, a social network that is similar to Facebook. Ning lets users set up programs tailored to their industry.

Mr. Wilkinson urged editors to keep an open mind to any new social media tools that may appear in the future.

“Who’s to say in six months or three years what new thing in social media will come along,” he said. “Be ready to adjust and embrace new things. See what works for you.”

Monday, October 26, 2009

Networx Seeking Assistant Editor

Networx Communication

Job Title: Assistant Editor

Reports to: Editor

Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Full Time; 37.5 hours; Monday-Friday

Job Summary
The Assistant Editor collaborates with the Editor to write and edit articles and news stories that appear in the print editions, e-newsletters and other e-media related content for four B2B and association magazines.

Responsibilities:

  • Assist in editing, proofing and writing short departments
  • Write features that appear in the news and features sections of the print editions by conducting interviews and acquiring art.
  • Help coordinate the art/production stage of the print edition, including tracking assigned articles, editing and proof-reading pages.
  • Assist editor by providing material for web, including but not limited to, news items, articles, tradeshow reviews and photo galleries.
  • Follow up on requests from readers and vendors for PDFs or extra issues
  • Assist with marketing, circulation, webinars and special issues
  • Assist with tracking materials for production, including ads, photographs and copy

Education, experience and skills:

  • Ability to handle multiple tasks / projects
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Proven proofing, editing, and writing skills
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Strong interpersonal and communication (spoken & written) skills
  • Advanced skills in Microsoft Word
  • Familiar with Microsoft Outlook / E-mail
  • Familiar with Microsoft Excel
  • Familiar with database and content management systems
  • Familiar with social networking initiatives
  • Self-motivated and team-oriented
  • Outstanding relationship building and ability to interview sources, organize and write feature articles, news stories and execute good note-taking skills.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, English or related field of study
  • 1-2 years experience working in a similar capacity; project management, writing and editing a plus

Salary: Commensurate with experience
Forward resume and cover letter to jody@robstan.com or fax to 816.472.7765.



Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Social Media Workshop



Upcoming event on Oct. 20

Presented by the Kansas City chapter

Social Media Workshop
Hear tips on Twitter, LinkedIn lessons
and ways to find Facebook friends

speakers
Jody Becker
Editor of Professional Window Cleaner,
Courier Magazine and Applicator
and secretary of the Kansas City
chapter of the ASBPE
Fred Wilkinson
Managing editor of The Packer

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Sylvester Powell Community Center
5200 Martway
Mission, KS 66202

$15 for ASBPE members
$20 for non-members
Includes lunch

Registration deadline:
Friday, Oct. 16

To register, contact Jeff Gelski, president of the Kansas City
Chapter, at jgelski@sosland.com or (816) 756-1000, ext. 867.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Western Region Azbee Awards Ceremony Is July 9

Want to hear how some regional ASBPE award winners created their winning pieces? Then come to this awards ceremony and educational session!

Confirmed award-winning speakers:
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2009

Time: Noon to 2:00 p.m.

Location:
JJ’s Restaurant,
910 W. 48th St. (2 blocks west of The Plaza)
Kansas City, Mo 64112
Map
Cost: $50 per person; $375 for a table of eight

For more information or to RSVP: Jeff Gelski, Kansas City chapter president, at (816) 756-1000, ext. 867, or email him at jgelski@sosland.com.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

State of the Industry? Not All That Clear

The American Society for Business Publication Editors’ Kansas City chapter hosted a panel discussion April 7, The State of the B2B Industry, in which three key Kansas City-area B2B executives shared their opinions about the challenges facing trade magazines in 2009.

The speakers included:

  • Donna Sanford, the publisher of EXPO Magazine
  • Lisa Parks, senior vice president of digital operations at Penton Media
  • Becky Turner Chapman, vice president and general manager of Advanstar Communications’ Veterinary Group.

The consensus? Well, unfortunately, there wasn’t a consensus on the state of the B2B industry; opinions varied greatly among this panel.

“The state of the publishing industry sucks,” said Sanford. And she sees the profession from three sides: as the publisher, editor, and sales person. “It’s changing in a dramatic way—we’re experiencing a seismic shift, especially in advertising. Print advertising is falling out of favor because advertisers want to see ROI and metrics.”

At EXPO Magazine, Sanford sells lead generation through downloadable white papers, Webinars, and sponsored online content—not traditional print advertising.

And Parks agreed. “We need to deliver information to our audience in ways that are not dependent on print advertising.”

Parks was optimistic about the current state of the industry. “There is good news for B2B publishers: we can provide what readers want, we offer a trusted source of information, and we don’t own the capital equipment required for print publishing, which makes this economy less risky for us.”

Parks is also optimistic about the future. “We’re using technology in ways we haven’t before—it’s an opportunity for us to succeed above others.” But she warns that her company is now being faced with competing against businesses developed specifically for online media, which has prompted her to consider Web-first thinking.

And Turner Chapman welcomed this transformational time for the industry. “There’s a lot of fun ahead!” she exclaimed. She explained that for B2B publishers, the fundamentals have not changed. The audiences’ needs have not changed, and advertisers still need to reach those audiences. The only thing that has shifted is the publishers’ ability to reach their audiences in different places.

For example, Turner Chapman described a print article idea her company generated in the early 1960s: teaching veterinarians how to design a veterinary hospital. By 1965, the company had launched a hospital design conference so its audience could learn directly from design experts. Throughout the next few decades, the company printed books and continued expanding its magazine coverage of this subject. Today, it’s covered online through web-only articles, interactive elements, message boards, and photo galleries at dvm360.com, the company’s web portal.

“It all started with a print idea and it grew up,” Turner Chapman said. And now if the editors publish a print article about the subject, they marry it with an online-only piece, which promotes a message board, and that message board refers back to a different print article. It’s this never-ending circle of content that allows the editors to reach their audience across all media.

What did these executives say was the most profitable part of their online business?

Sanford said it was webinars due to the high price point. Parks said e-newsletters and online advertising. And Turner Chapman mentioned dvm360.com and custom projects for advertisers; however, print publishing still represents the largest chunk of revenue overall.

So although none of these executives could see clearly in their crystal balls, they all agreed that the economy and other factors are presenting some real challenges to B2B publishers. But it’s up to us—the editors—to help identify creative ways to deliver our trusted content across all media.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Feb. 4 Happy Hour

K.C.-area B2B editors are encouraged to come take a break, relax, socialize and eat some FREE PIZZA on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at The Other Place in Old Overland Park (map) from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

What's the catch?
There isn't one. We want to give you a chance to unwind a bit and to socialize with your B2B colleagues.

What if your not an ASBPE member?
This event is open to all past meeting attendees and to those who haven't yet attended a meeting but are interested in learning more about the best B2B editors community in Kansas City.

Details
Pizza will be provided. All other food and drinks will be your responsibility. If you plan on attending, e-mail Spring Suptic at spring-dot-suptic-at-penton-dot-com or call 913-967-1644.