Free Reynolds Center training in using social media and mining the Census

Improve your social media skills for better business reporting

Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran at social networking, pick up new skills from BusinessJournalism.org M.E. Robin J. Phillips in free Webinars Feb. 8-10 from the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism.

• The first hour – Social Media 101 on Feb. 8 — targets those new to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Social Media 202 on Feb. 9 will help you use social media to cover your beat.
• In the third hour — Social Media 303 on Feb. 10 — you’ll explore how to contain the clutter with all the info coming at you from social networks.

The interactive Webinars are held at noon or 4 p.m. EST each day. Register today for one or more, and be on your way to social media savvy.

Mine the Census data for great local business stories

USA Today database editor Paul Overberg and Arizona State University Knight Chair Steve Doig will help you find enterprising local business stories in newly released Census and other government data.

Sign up today for this free daylong workshop in either Philadelphia Jan. 31 or in Dallas April 7. The Dallas session precedes the annual Society of American Business Editors and Writers Conference April 7-9.

Each daylong session will cover how to access and analyze local business data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s just released American Community Survey, plus the Economic Census and County Business Patterns data, as well as how to track foreign trade, gross domestic product and household income to the local level. Here’s more on the unique local business stories you can develop from Census data.

Tune into our Business Journalism Week coverage and grab coverage tips remotely

From Jan. 4-7, a select group of business journalists and professors will study financials in-depth at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication during Reynolds Business Journalism Week.

You don’t have to travel to Phoenix to learn from our expert presenters at the Strictly Financials and Business Journalism Professor seminars. We’ll have coverage on BusinessJournalism.org, including tip sheets, lecture videos and live-streaming of this year’s discussion with two-time Pulitzer winner Jim Steele and the winners of the 2010 Barlett & Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism. We’ll also live-stream the keynote speech by Diana Henriques, The New York Times reporter writing a Madoff book, on business journalists as investigators.

Bookmark this page to follow our coverage.

Improve your skills with these free Webinars in just one hour a day:

• Social Media 101, 202 and 303: Feb. 8-10
• 15 Red Flags When Editing Business Stories: March 29
• Covering the Green Economy – Follow the Green Money: April 19
• 15 Tips on Time Management for Business Journalists: May 3
• Beyond Google: Mining the Web for Company Intelligence: May 17-18
• Unlocking Financial Statements: July 18-22

Don’t miss these free workshops:

• Mining the Census for Local Business Stories: Philadelphia, Jan. 31, and Dallas, April 7.
• Investigating Private Companies and Nonprofits: Raleigh, Feb. 23 (before CAR Conference) and Orlando, June 8 (before IRE Conference)
• Covering the Green Economy – A Western Perspective: Los Angeles, March 4

View the entire training calendar, and sign up at BusinessJournalism.org. Attend three training events and earn a Circle of Achievement certificate.

The SDX Awards: Enter Now!

Dear Members,

We encourage you to enter your best work from 2010 in the Sigma Delta Chi Awards and share the contest information with journalists who you believe should be recognized. Award winners will be honored at the Excellence in Journalism: 2011 conference in New Orleans and featured in the nationally distributed Quill magazine.

Here is what one of this year’s award winners had to say:

“This is the biggest journalism honor I’ve received, and it’s particularly special because it’s in the category of public service. One of the reasons I love this profession is because we have the opportunity to affect change in our communities, and that’s exactly what these stories did.”
- Diette Courrégé, education reporter, The Post and Courier
(Public Service Journalism/ Circulation 50,001-100,000)

The deadline to enter is Feb. 9, 2011. SPJ members may enter for $60. The non-member fee is $100. Visit the SPJ Awards Site for more contest information and to enter online.The awards are open to all journalists, so please feel free to share this information with your colleagues. If you have any questions, contact Awards Coordinator Lauren Rochester at (317) 927-8000 ext. 210.

Free social media online webinar

Knowledge Webb is hosting a free webinar titled “There Are No Stupid Questions,” answering all the online media technical questions you didn’t feel comfortable asking before. The webinar will be held on Dec. 7 at 2:30 EST.

Knowledge Webb is also including a digital goodie bag filled with great resources to download and try. Come prepared with all of the burning questions you have – you’ll get to ask them anonymously and have answers in the second half of the webinar.

Register here!

Mark your calendars for excellence

Annually, SPJ recognizes the best in student journalism. That time is upon us, so mark your calendars to enter your best work in the Mark of Excellence Awards by the deadline: Jan. 26, 2011.This competition honors student journalism in print, radio, television and online categories. Our easy-to-use online submission format makes all the difference in time, mailing expenses and convenience.

All work must have been published or broadcast in 2010. With an entry fee of $9 for SPJ members, getting your work recognized won’t necessitate another student loan.

See all the categories, rules and information on the submission process at the MOE Awards page.

Paid internships are the best kind

SPJ’s Pulliam/Kilgore Freedom of Information Internships are incredible ways to spend your summer. One intern works at SPJ headquarters in Indianapolis while the second works with SPJ’s First Amendment legal counsel in Washington, D.C. The internships expose students to freedom of information issues, advocacy efforts, journalism legislation and a variety of other SPJ programs and initiatives. Get hands-on experience that is sure to boost your resume. Apply soon! The deadline is Jan. 14, 2010.

The Chicago Sun-Times is pleased to offer a minority college student or recent minority college graduate the opportunity to spend the summer working at in the Sun-Times newsroom. The paid 10-week internship is a wonderful opportunity for budding journalists to experience the hustle and bustle and excitement of a big city newsroom. To be eligible, applicants must be a junior, senior, graduate student or recent graduate. Applications must be postmarked by March 11, 2011. To learn more about the internship, contact Chicago Headline Club board member Rummana Hussain at rhussain@suntimes.com.