ASBPE Boston Hosts Oct. 9 Boot Camp with SPJ and New England Science Writers 

In cooperation with SPJ and NESW, the Boston/New England chapter of ASBPE is hosting its third annual Boot Camp on Thursday, Oct. 9. The event, entitled "All the Right Stuff," will cover a range of topics critical to B2B, science, and general journalists.

The event will be held at the office of TechTarget in Newton, Mass. (See address at left.) It will begin at 5:30 pm with time to register, meet and greet, and enjoy light refreshments and sandwiches. 

6:00-6:50 Data Journalism: An Introduction

Journalism has always been about chasing down facts. But in a world awash in Big Data, trends can be difficult to discern and assess. Data journalism is a specialty that incorporates the traditional role of the journalist as well as information technology, statistical analysis and even design and presentation. Most of all, it is increasingly vital in B2B reporting.  Our presenter will provide a broad introduction and tips for getting started with data journalism skills.

Speaker: Evan Horowitz, data journalist at the Boston Globe.  

7:00-7:50 Eliminating Blog Fog and Making the Most of Your Online Presence

Blogs have become ubiquitous and necessary – replacing some forms of traditional content presentation and supplementing others. But with everyone blogging, the phenomenon has become a catchall where quality varies widely and where journalists doing journalism can be drowned out by everyone else. We will look at how to make the most of blogging tools as well as at approaches for effective blogging.

Presenter: Maria Korolov, a veteran B2B writer and a successful independent blogger at Hypergrid Business, where she is editor in chief.

8:00-8:50 Gadgets and Gizmos and Apps, Oh My!

Any journalist can easily create strong video interviews and newscasts using nothing more than an iPhone, a tripod and a microphone -- without broadcast training. Our panel will explain how. We’ll also discuss useful apps, including Microsoft OneNote. The audience is encouraged to contribute favorite tips on devices and new or familiar journalistic tools.

Panelists:

• Colin Steele, associate editorial director for TechTarget’s End-User Computing Media Group, which covers mobile and desktop computing for business users and consumers.
• Jamison Cush, executive editor of TechTarget’s TechnologyGuide Media Group. He heads up the company’s personal-device reviews and coverage.
• Jeff Cutler, journalist and communications professional; VP, Society of Professional Journalists, New England chapter