It's all about the STORY!

Posts tagged ‘blogging’

Links to Published Works

Updated: February 2014

Links to Published Works

 

Contact:Daphne Taylor Street

Phone: 727-565-5343 ▪ Email: daphne.streetmedia@gmail.com

Virtual Writing Portfolio

daphnepictureDaphne has been published in professional blogs, news sites and national magazines. She was contracted to write a syndicated weekly column that was increasing in reach until Patch.com put a halt on paying freelancers. Since then, she has written on retainer for several professional blogs, including Saint PetersBlog, which focuses on local and statewide politics; iLovetheBurg, writing about everything that’s awesome about St. Petersburg Fl and Patch.com where Daphne had a paid syndicated weekly column. Daphne also has written, ghost written and co-authored works in national magazines and professional journals. Daphne currently has three books under development, co-authored with a client. Links to many of Daphne’s published works are below.

 

Links to published works:

Most of the links below go directly to Daphne Street’s Blog, Saint PetersBlog or Forbes Riley’s Member Site, which may include a brief synopsis of the articles along with links directly to the published works.

Links to press releases:

Daphne has written countless press releases for myriad industries and events. Strategies for press release composition along with distribution strategies are integrated to foster the highest pick-ups from web and traditional new sources and to build SEO ranking. Daphne’s press release reach varies greatly depending on the popularity of the subject within media markets. For a national release, typical pick-ups range from 200 – 3,000+ while local releases tend to have a specialized distribution strategy and therefore may only receive 5-15 pick-ups in a mid-sized to large local media market. A small sampling of published press releases is listed here:

Category:

About Writing, Articles (most published, some not), Communications/Media, Marketing, Nonfiction, RESUME

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Links to my former Patch.com weekly column

The weekly Patch.com column that I was assigned to was on “caregivers,” and the editor and I chose to use that term very broadly. Here are the articles I wrote for that column…

[This column was syndicated throughout several communities in Florida]

Category:

Articles (most published, some not), Nonfiction

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Roundup of recent published articles

Let’s start with politics…

Now for some other stuff – stuff about my hometown, St. Petersburg!

[Note: I do not control editing of my work – some are edited with a heavier hand than others. Some are unedited. It’s a mixed bag, but sometimes the editing can leave choppy copy, so I apologize for that.]

Category:

Articles (most published, some not), Nonfiction

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Melancholy in less than 500 words

(Photo credit: http://anxious-creative.blogspot.com/)

As a writer, I am concerned about words. They mean something to me. Also, I am concerned about stories. They mean something to me, too. 

I am concerned that contemporary culture may lack a love for words and written stories–that it is a love affair that is becoming more rare. Sometimes things that are rare are special, but in this case, I find it melancholy.

I am concerned that our culture is too distracted to have a love affair with words and stories any longer. They want one night stands and speed dating versus the relationship filled with deep attraction, love notes, commitment, harsh words, broken hearts and promises, redemption and the bliss of kindness, thoughtfulness and quirks that make these love affairs beautiful and worth living for.

More and more, 500 words or less is the formula for success in modern media, and I have no choice but to succumb to stay relevant. So, I promise to rise to the occasion and challenge myself to engage you in a deep love affair confined to brevity–to sweep you off your feet and enchant you into a friendship or more that hopefully will fill you until the next story, the next encounter, the next night in our favorite hotel above the busy street where words will take you onward to the next chapter in our relationship.

Maybe then you will be willing to take on more than 500 words. Maybe then you’ll long for the whole story not just the soundbite. If so, imagine this story (link below), of this life slashed into 500 words? What a tragedy that would be, indeed!

[Total: 270 words]

Not authored by me, though I wish it were: Shelagh Was Here: an ordinary magical life 

Category:

About Writing, Articles (most published, some not), Daphne's OpEd Corner, Essays, Nonfiction

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Another sampling of freelance articles

I have two primary publications where my work can be found regularly, beginning with SaintPetersBlog, which is a first-rate St. Petersburg-based blog that covers government and politics in the city and county and even federal levels with a huge emphasis on state. Primarily, I lend a hand with city and county coverage. You’ll see quite a few articles that I’ve had published on SaintPetersBlog also placed here on my personal blog. Sometimes I post previews, insights, updates or unedited drafts here for a different view–mine. Here’s a sample of my most recent work:

  • An interview with Pinellas County Sheriff’s candidate Scott Swope — I was surprised to learn about what a strong candidate Swope was during this interview. Unfortunately, the buzz is true: he’s not getting the media coverage he deserves. Hopefully, this article helps some. Tampa Bay Times, it’s your turn!
  • An Interview with Pinellas County Commissioner Kenneth Welch — I’m biased. As far as politicians go, Ken is certainly one of my favorites. I’d have a hard time finding a politico that is more accessible to his constituents, more likely to roll up his sleeves and work for causes and issues he believes in, and more outspoken to raise issues important to the community he represents. Thanks, Ken.
  • A conversation with County Commissioner Neil Brickfield — Funny story. I had been doing so many interviews on candidates for Pinellas County School Board, even knowing full-well that Brickfield was a county commissioner, I had it in my head that he was running for school board when I called him. Genuinely puzzled about why a commissioner would want to run for school board, he answered by nearly choking on the water he was sipping, assuring me that he was not. Commissioner is his spot of choice–of which I was greatly relieved, personally pleased with the work he does there…
  • Profile of Pinellas County School Board Candidate Jim Jackson –What a great conversation! Talking to this guy for the first time was like talking to a long-lost friend, who is really smart with solid priorites and solutions for our youth and education.
  • A conversation with Pinellas County School Board candidate Rene Flowers –I spent the evening with Rene Flowers that turned out to be profound beyond words. I joined her to hear school children, young girls, read essays about black on black crime. I heard these youths talk about loved ones and family members killed and incarcerated as though it were a normal occurrence for families. Some found it hard to identify that black on black crime actually affected them much even as tears streamed down their faces. What was more profound was the incredible talent these children displayed–in their writing and in their speaking. I am still blown away. Oh, and Flowers was remarkable as well, but she was certainly upstaged that evening. She was meant to be.

The other place that my work appears regularly is on the iLovetheBurg blog. What was intended to be a brief 3-week gig has turned into a summer job, at least. I’m happy to be working with these guys who have a great passion for St. Pete and keep their fingers on the pulse of the cool things that keep the town beating. A previous post has a few of these story links–here are a couple more…

  • Proving solar can be affordable –Farias Marketing Group is committed to leading St. Pete into a genuine position as a “Green City.” Here’s just one example fo the work they are doing. NOTE: Some of the copyediting was a little rough, making a few choppy sentences and transitions, but the story is still there.
  • Snapshots: Mark Sforzini of the St. Petersburg Opera –LOVED THIS! Okay, I have to. I’m a former professional classical singer, and this opera company here in St. Pete is magical. What they can do with a small budget and a small but beautiful space (The Palladium) is extraordinary.
  • BONUS: Mark Sforzini –Here is the link to the unedited copy of the article above along with the transcript of the full interview

Category:

Articles (most published, some not), Nonfiction

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Quick Note on Blogging: Thank you to my editors–YOU!

ImageIn the age of instant news, bloggeres tend to have an advantage on breaking what’s going on in the world. Editors don’t have to pour over grammar and punctuation, the fact-checking team is permanently out-to-lunch, and usually there’s just a sole blogger out there trying to get the story written down and posted rapidly to keep you, the reader, up to speed.

Oh, yes. There is a bit of danger inherent in this craft – missing a second pair of eyes editing and fact-checking means that errors, sometimes embarrassing errors, can get published. Can and do.

And I say – that’s okay. We admit guilt. Apologize. Make needed revisions and/or explanations and retractions if it was really aweful… Our editors? Well, most often, they are you!

This is great! Why? For many reasons–it provides that great dialogue, the reader/participant experience that is so awesome about blogging. You, the readers, the audience that we bleed our words out for, you are a part of our stories. We actively listen to you, learn from you and communicate with you. And I thank you and offer my sincere gratitude for all of your feedback and comments on every story. You make us better in every way.

Category:

About Writing, Daphne's OpEd Corner, New Media: Social, Games, Web, Apps..., Nonfiction

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Some guest writing I’ve been doing in the ‘Burg

It’s true – I’ve been a brief stand-in at the iLovetheBurg blog. For three weeks only (I’m into my third week now), I’ve been lending a hand with some copy layout and uploads and even some writing. About the writing…

I did not get a byline for stories or credit for photos published here, and that’s fair because I also didn’t complain about some of the editing (*whistles uncomfortably*). A few abrupt slice and dices with a heavy editing hand make for occasional grammatically awkward reads at times, but the stories still seem to be intact.

Anyway, here are the links for the work so far.

1) Fit2Run is the first major retail store to open in downtown in quite some time–coming in August. I interviewed the owner and the soon-to-be store manager. And, I really did mean that part about the clumsy editing–see both versions of the copy for Fit2Run article for an example:

2) The Chattaway. Here’s a great piece about an old Florida burger joint. My dad used to take me here a lot when I was a kid. Great memories, and it was so much fun to relive the history of this amazing St. Pete landmark. I wrote the copy, and the photographs were taken by local poet and photographer R. MonaLeza – she had her first Chattaburger that day!

3) City Cycle Tours recently closed up shop. Why? Will they come back? Will they refund deposits to customers? St. Pete City Councilmember Karl Nurse spoke a little about it as did a representative of PedalPub–an operation similar to City Cycle Tours in downtown St. Pete. To be fair, this article was written the day they closed their doors–I have no idea if they’ve made any attempts to settle obligations to customers or communicated with them since.

4) Beak’s Old Florida — I discovered whilst hanging out at another of my favorite joints, The Queens Head Eurobar, located across the street. Anyway, both places are a sight to behold, indeed. Here’s a peek into Beaks (I plan to cover Queens Head Saturday). I wrote the copy and took the photos on this one.

I’ll have a few more before I leave, following my three week tour of duty. I’ll include those on a separate post once I close out this gig. Meanwhile, happy trails!

Update: Looks like this gig is gonna last beyond 3 weeks – at least through the summer…

Category:

Articles (most published, some not), Nonfiction

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Ethel the aardvark goes quantity surveying

This post is all about titles–so, it will be a brief post. Another list of 7:

Ethel the aardvark

  1. What’s in a name? Everything! It’s your first hook to your audience and potential audience. Get their attention! It also is a hyper-brief summary, description and perhaps a foreshadow of what’s to be found in the content.
  2. Creativity is good in a title, but what’s more important is its impact and accuracy. Sometimes getting too creative can destroy the objective–confusing people hardly ever makes a good title (there are very, very, very rare exceptions–like the title of this post… Ha!).
  3. Brevity: one word, two, three, four, five–powerful titles. Beyond that, you’re writing a tag-line or something else.
  4. Title as starting point: It’s okay to start your [article, story, novel, play, etc.] with a title and work from there. However, once the full work is created, and the full spirit of it is surging through every cell of your body, go back and examine your title again. Strengthen it, change it, tighten it… make it a necessary part of the whole.
  5. Examine other titles of things–all kinds of things: books, essays, headlines, short stories, movies–what made certain titles stronger than others? What did you like better about one over another? What can you learn and what knowledge can you apply from examining other titles?
  6. It’s a boy!!! Remember–you truly are giving your work its first name, similar to naming a child. Make sure you love it–that it means something to you for you to say it, repeat it, call it and scold it.
  7. “Ethel the aardvark goes quantity surveying” is a fictional title made up by the geniuses of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

Category:

About Writing, Advertising, Communications/Media, Fiction, Marketing, New Media: Social, Games, Web, Apps..., Nonfiction, Public Relations & Publicity

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Daphne’s List of 7 – Tips for starting freelance writing

I’ve received a lot of requests lately–people wanting me to give them leads to start freelance writing. Truthfully, there are some really credible books out there on the subject, some even targeted towards the niche of writing you would like to do: Amazon.com (or just do an Amazon.com book search on “freelance writing, and take note of the various dropdown options for a more specialized search).

Here are some tips that might help you should you decide to begin freelance writing:

  1. Electronic versions of writing samples–develop a blog. WordPress and Typepad are two platforms that I’d recommend highly. Be certain to use categories so that people can easily find various subjects that you may have experience with (e.g. movie critiques, food, travel, politics, economics, celebrities, community profiles, local issues, etc.). If you do other types of freelance writing, have those categories listed with samples also, such as copywriting, press releases, business plans, reports, analytics, etc. If they have been published elsewhere (big bonus), be sure to cite that and include the link or details of the publication. Also, be certain to have both MS Word and PDF versions of your sample copies available to send as attachments in emails and to print to have in a hardcopy portfolio.
  2. Keep writing–even if you don’t have someone else to publish your stuff yet, write and post it on your own blog. Develop and cover stories, craft articles, conduct interviews, delve into citizen journalism. Be certain to always cover unique and compelling angles to stories. If you’re freelance writing for other types of media such as brochures, press releases and business plans, do the same thing. Keep writing, and keep putting yourself out there.
  3. Get published–this is the only way to truly build your credibility. What being published says is that someone else thought enough about your work to spread it around under their name. Often times it even means that they thought enough of your work to pay you for the opportunity to spread it around under their name. Even if it’s just a blog or community newspaper that won’t pay you for your work, it’s a start. You get a byline. Patch.com and Thoughtcatalogue.com are two such places you might try, depending on your subject matter. Again, if you’re doing more business-oriented writing, then vs. getting published, get clients. Volunteer to do work for free for nonprofits you like. Get noticed, network and begin building a reputation if you don’t already have one.
  4. Get work–query article ideas to publishers that cover topics that align with your niche. Send a link of sample writing to blogs and such that you read regularly, and ask if they would be interested in a freelance article from you. Scan through Craigslist and similar sites that post jobs and gigs for writers–you’ll find a lot of garbage, but there’s quite a bit of legit stuff there, too. Similar for business writing freelancing. Put yourself out there, and hunt for opportunities. Oh, and network. Talk to people–real, live people. Tell them about you and what you do and what you want (a very quick elevator pitch). Be friendly and generous, and you find others will be friendly and generous in return.
  5. Build credibility and branding–be the go-to person not only for your clients and potential clients but also for others in your field. Blog not only what you write but also about your writing and the business of it all. Develop a following and a network of colleagues. Pitch joint projects to share specialties and resources. Give freely of ideas and innovations–you might think you’re going to give too much–do give too much. You will cash in on the bigger picture, being the source of all of those great ideas and innovations. Your reputation as the go-to person will grow, and you will be noted as an “expert” in your field.
  6. Be in demand–once you’ve been published for a steady amount of time, you will begin demanding increased pay for your work, provided you’re actually worth it. So do always keep working to improve your craft, and listen carefully to constructive criticism and feedback. You may not always like or agree with it, but it’s invaluable stuff. Always ask for it. You might learn something that will supercharge your work and take it to big places. Also, read. Read everything, and study how the big players do your job. Once your demand builds, and so too will your  pay, be very delicate when you have to shed your lower paying gigs to have room to take on higher paying ones. Remember the hands that helped you to grow. No one likes an ingrate, and it can bite you hard later on. Offer to continue giving them some articles once in a while for good measure. Keep doors open and relationships positive. Mend those that have been damaged as possible as much as possible. This too will influence your reputation and build your overall demand.
  7. Stay hungry–keeping your operation lean and mean no matter how much or how little cash comes in the door, it will serve you well to avoid getting jaded. Not about the subject-matter and not about the business. Continue to crave, be imaginative and stay curious–stay hungry. This way, there is little chance you will soon become irrelevant.

I’ve spent 11 years writing in the nonprofit and for profit business environment, and I am a communications junkie. I had a mentor throughout much of this time who helped me develop a reputation within certain circles in the community that have greatly helped my success in freelancing. Not only those individuals, but knowing how to network and build and sustain those relationships have proved to be a critical tool. Therefore, I had an advantage when I made the leap from full-time employee to full-time freelancer–an advantage not many others have.

I also was not hesitant to take on a small overnight job that allowed me time to write on shift to help with cashflow during slow times and also to build a little savings to get me through future slow times. And, there will be slow times. I also have to take balance very seriously–balancing time for play, sleep, wellness, deadlines, self-promotion and hunting for the next big opportunity.

Freelance writing for a living isn’t for everyone–it’s a full-time job x 2. Possibly more when you first get started, just like any small business entrepreneur. You are an army of one, so must make time for all of the needs of the one, or you will burn out and ultimately fail in some definition of that word. And, still, that’s okay. Failure is the greatest teacher if you allow her to be. So, if you bite it on a deadline or two, or you bomb a story or things just don’t work out–it’s okay. Do an autopsy of the situation–find out what went wrong, then, learn from it.

You’ll get better… and that’s success.

Category:

About Writing, Communications/Media, Daphne's OpEd Corner, Nonfiction

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New Media vs. Traditional Media — new take on “the medium is the message”

While sitting on the sidelines of today’s Suncoast Tiger Bay Club meeting, listening to local panelists discuss “Traditional Media vs. New Media,” it became crystal clear that Marshall McLuhan’s prophetic phrase, “The medium is the message” first published in 1964 had become a reality far beyond anything McLuhan could have possibly imagined.

The panelists for today’s Suncoast Tiger Bay meeting included Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times, Jeff Houck of the TBO.com, Mitch Perry of Creative Loafing, Noah Pransky of WTSP 10 News, John Romano of the Tampa Bay Times and Peter Schorsch of Saint PetersBlog.

Our experienced panelists discussed issue such as predicting whether newspapers will still be politically relevant in ten years, with most of the panel agreeing that yes, though it might look different. Schorsch was a striking voice of dissent on this issues, stating flatly, “absolutely not.” Schorsch pointed out that newspapers are not economically sound and that the on-line publications The Huffington Post and Politico were Pulitzer Prize winners this year.

Largo Mayor Pat Gerard asked the panel a pertinent question in the wake of local newspaper layoffs and marked circulation decline, “Will the decline of local newspapers lead to the decline of keeping an eye on local politicians? […] How do we know who to trust?”

Deggans responds, “Trust yourself.” He continues saying that while “there is downsizing in newsrooms, you have the tools to determine how valid, how real and how important a story is.” Deggans explains that this isn’t determined entirely by the source.

St. Petersburg City Councilmember Karl Nurse posed the question as to whether media is making people more educated or more opinionated. Schorsch stated firmly, “More educated” He said, “There has been a 400 percent increase in talking about politics since 9/11,” where Schorsch credits social media as a significant reason why. Schorsch also contends that through the use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the volume of national dialogue about all issues has increased. Yet, Pransky was less enthusiastic stating that he believes overall people are more opinionated based on blog postings yet more educated from traditional media.

Willi Rudowski of the Poynter Institute asked, “What is the benefit of speed over accuracy for democracy?” Deggans first spouted off saying, “None.” Then, he follows-up with a more complete answer, “Imapct.” When you are first, he explains, it gets you noticed, and being noticed affects your bottom line, and that’s important if you want to stay in the game.

Yet, I suspect that Deggans meant what he said the first time, “None.”

Romano expanded on this saying that while this is true, he believes that “speed is often destroying good journalism. Good journalism is comprehensive, nuanced and thorough.”

Schrosch had more to add to this, however, and this point was my biggest take-away from this panel discussion where “The medium is the message” became the true topic of conversation. And I’m not saying that because Schorsch pays me, which he does, but because I believe it to be true. I’ve seen it in action.

Schorsch replied to the question of the benefit of speed over accuracy for democracy citing Twitter feeds to help organize protesters in Tunisia and other similar stories to help gather, organize and inform the public via social media tools. “It’s about getting people organized versus the ‘right people’ organized.”

At this point someone interjected, “The news is different from social media.”

But is it?

Schorsch said that the power of new media isn’t just to inform. “You can use it to overthrow a totalitarianism regime. I want to be able to help overthrow a totalitarianism regime.”

And here, the medium surely is the message.

What does that mean? “The medium is the message” refers to the reality that not only does the content the medium carries affect society, but the medium itself plays a significant role in the story and in shaping society.

Media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are as much a part of the story as the stories they tell just as much as the newspaper, television show or cable news station is. Moreover, whether we are discussing traditional media or new media, the storyteller his- or herself also is the message.

Via Daphne Taylor Street. You may reach Daphne at dts.streetmedia@gmail.com.

Published first on Saint PetersBlog: http://saintpetersblog.com/2012/05/at-tiger-bay-panel-traditional-journalists-and-new-media-debate-if-the-medium-is-in-fact-the-message/

Category:

Articles (most published, some not), NEW IDEAS, New Media: Social, Games, Web, Apps...

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