Sources can make or break your article. If they are friendly and helpful and answer their phone or email when they say they will, then writing can be a pleasant experience. But if they offer to do an interview and then go MIA or if they ramble incoherently about topics that are outside the scope of your article, it can be downright painful.
I’m still mastering the art of the interview, but I have a few go-to places for sources (and I rarely rely on just one because I don't want to be stuck without a source). Being a child of the computer age, I do almost all of my source searches online at these sites:
MediaBistro has a bulletin board devoted to finding sources. I've used it successfully, but remember that it's a site geared towards the media so you generally get PR people, freelancers, etc. If you're looking for a variety of "real people sources," you might want to diversify. Click the box for allowing email so your sources can contact you personally and get a dialogue going away from the boards.
WritersWeekly also has a forum for those who need sources. Again, it's mostly writers who use the board, but I generally get a good response rate. If you're on a tight deadline, keep in mind that the new edition goes live every Wednesday. Absolute Write also has as section of their forums for research.
Facebook has a group called "If I can help a reporter out, I will..." and the moderator (Peter Shankman) sends out messages whenever someone needs an expert on estate law, a "real person" who's flown around the world, or any other variation. Peter would love to add more users to the group, too. I've also used facebook on my own. Posting notes about source needs hasn't worked too well for me, so now I do an advanced search through all my facebook friends to find people who live in different parts of the country, attend grad school, practice yoga, etc.
LinkedIn has a section for questions and answers. I haven't used it yet myself (I know shame on me for not practicing what I preach), but other people use it a lot and since LinkedIn has a cross-section from many different industries, I could see it working very successfully, although you might get many more responses than you could ever use, which is also a problem with ProfNet.
For more on finding sources and conducting interviews, check out these posts on Ask Allison and Writing White Papers.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
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11 comments:
This is just the post I needed, Susan, thank you! One of my new year's online resolutions is to include interviews on my main blogs, and you've offered some great places to start.
Great blog, too!
Glad to hear it, Amanda! I didn't even think to write about how I find sources for my 5 Q's, but whenever I read an essay or article I like, I google the writer's name and bookmark their website for future reference.
Great links, Susan! Becoming a better interviewer is something I should have added to my 2008 goals... Lots to look forward to and work toward in a new year :-) I'm excited about fresh opportunities!
Smiles,
Michele
Wow, Michelle, 10 goals is pretty ambitious!! I'll probably just have one or two, but I do admire your goal-mindedness. In fact, they say that writing down your goals can be a powerful step towards achieving them (I know it has worked for me in the past). Good luck!
Great post! I found a key source for an article on Goodreads.com, and an author found me through goodreads, too. Pretty cool!
This is a great list. I just finished up a print article project where I was scrambling a bit for sources...where were you when I needed you?? Anyway, the piece was about blogging parents building online communities, so I just did a search for blogs by parents and contacted as many bloggers as I could. Sometimes Google and blog catalogs are your best friend.
Hi Jen,
That's great to hear! I'm on GoodReads but haven't delved into it as much as I'd like (too many social media sites to keep up!). HOWEVER, yesterday I got a facebook message from the editor of a new regional mag who found me through the AvantGuild group on facebook, so clearly it's worth the time to set up a profile.
And Jennifer,
I hear ya, sometimes finding the right source can be tough. Blogher is a good resource for bloggers and the great thing about writers/bloggers is that they tend to know a lot of people in their niche and happily recommend them. I'd love to read your article, so maybe you'll post a link on your blog when it goes live?
It's up there already, actually. Here's the link. I think the site will make you sign up for a subscription, but it's free.
My bad, Jennifer. Looks like you already found BlogHer. Great article!
Thanks -- this was a super helpful post for me as a journalism instructor to add the social networking element to tomorrow's lecture. Good luck!
@ Digital Journalism: Glad to hear it! When I was in Com School, blogs were still kind of new and I don't think we ever discussed in much depth. It's a shame, because now they're a major force in marketing and communication.
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