Networking is a term that is supposed to be the magic dust that solves all problems. As this fine writer says, "Networking is about being nice." Nice and smart one might add in knowing how you can help others achieve their goals. A network is built to add value to every point on it. Simple understanding of this goes a long way in making the concept work for you.

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Do you know the 10 biggest mistakes that freelancers make and how to avoid them? This article from FreelanceSwitch will clue you in.

In this terrific meditation on newspapers, journalism, and the changes taking place Rachel Buchanan, an Australian journalist and media professor, looks at her decades of experience in Australian newspapers and how things have changed.

She mentions the Daily Me, a term I had never heard but certainly sums up one of the dilemma's of the new media. On the one hand citizens can get exactly what they want but on the other hand they only get what they want.

Advice: When an older person gets exasperated at the stage of change take that as a signal to look at the heart of the problem but don't get bowled over by the despair.

This is an excellent analysis of the job situation in the media. On the one hand traditional jobs are being cut, yet, underneath that trend is the need to build up the digital side of things, something that takes patience on the part of management. Students! The path to the future is through this medium.

“Students who are well versed in digital media often find themselves being placed in key positions in news organizations that are trying to ramp up their multimedia or online operations,” Grabowicz said. “So it’s not just that it’s becoming a requirement for a job; for many students it’s an opportunity to help lead a news organization in the transition to digital media. Which is pretty exciting.”

Sunoasis is seeing a lot of freelance blogging jobs. If you are a writer can you make money writing blogs? This blogger has a common sense approach.

• Get involved in something you, personally, know a lot about and want to know more.
• Grow and develop the blog along the learning curve you have developed for yourself.
• Be patient and integrate the blog into other facets of your daily life.
• Cut out two hours of TV watching for blog time.

If it's meant to be, you'll know it at some point.

Students of journalism and communications, along with teachers, should read this analysis of "encouraging entrepreneurship in the newsroom." It's by Robert Niles of the Online Journalism Review. It encourages some basic things that can be done and intiated by students on their school publications. Oh, that's right, most student publications are doing these things. It's the old guys that have to catch up!

One point that is important to note, especially by management. Change is good. It stimulates and gets staff involved. It re-moralises the newsroom.

More on the editorial outsourcing front. According to the European Journalism Centre, the New Zealand Herald plans to outsource editorial and production jobs. ‘Cutting jobs, breaking up the professional chain of journalism and moving editors away from the reporters’ room is no answer to circulation decline,’ said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

He is correct but it can only be stopped by the consumers of journalism. If they can't tell the difference or, for many stories, it doesn't matter then see this as a growing trend.

It's always good to review the infamous "resume." This writer does so with emphasis on "write one that works for you." Wise words. And remember that the resume isn't made of stone.

The story of Media News Group consolidating union and non-union newsrooms in the East Bay Area of San Francisco is a telling tale of the times.

Should freelance writers do the deed for free? When Sunoasis Jobs first started a lot of people would write in, "hey, this company is offering stock options in lieu of pay, is that fair?" I told them they shouldn't trust any dot.coms until the economy has gone through one recession. At any rate, this freelance writer suggests that writing ads on Google resemble slave labor except for the fact that "slaves at least get a straw mat and a bowl of gruel once in a while."

In posting links to ads Sunoasis looks at them very carefully and will not post "write for free" gigs. However, a young writer just starting out might want to shore up his or her portfolio and a knock-off freebie might be the ticket. The idea, though, is to get to a point in your career where you only do the free gig because you believe in a cause or it will lead to a speaking engagement or you take a chance at a new business relationship.

Always approach a free ad with due diligence!

I'm a magazine aficionado. I love to subscribe to them, I look forward to getting them in the mail, I love to scan them, rip out and staple articles and the rest of it. And, of course, the magazine industry is going through tumultuous times as they like to put it. There is even a Grim Reaper out there watching with black, eternal gaze over the impending demise of famous titles. It's a great insider's read on the industry. The dark side of, say, Mr. Magazine.

An internship is an important first step in finding work. What do you do before the internship ends and you return to school? WallStJobs.com has four tips.

You have to be prudent when thinking of changing jobs while still working at a place you, presumably, don't like. This CareerJournal.com article will give you some things to look out for.

Marshall Loeb, of Marketwatch.com, outlines the changing nature of work and retirement. "Fully 70% of the baby boomers expect to stay in the labor force after 65. Older workers are growing faster than any other group in the labor force. And they are in high demand."

This is a good idea: Have your employer pay for the tuition of classes that will upgrade your skills. It's now a recommended practice according to this story on Philly.com.

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David

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