View My VisualCV Online: http://www.visualcv.com/amyvernon

Summary

I am a digital whiz and a networker supreme.

 

Just two and a half years ago, I was another ink-stained wretch, toiling in the newsroom of another dying newspaper. Today, I am internationally known in social media circles, have spoken at a wide variety of conferences and have an extremely diverse portfolio of clients for whom I have written, consulted on digital strategy or both.

 

I am on Mashable's and the Huffington Post's Twitter lists of social media mavens to follow, am the top female submitter of all time on Digg.com and am known far and wide as The Bacon Queen.

 

I'm also the proud mom of two wonderful boys and the wife of their fabulous dad.

Work History

BlueGlass Interactive, Inc.

FL, United States
Aug 2010 - Mar 2011
Vice President, Social Media Marketing 

I help clients make their sites and content social media-friendly, handling more than a dozen accounts at a time. I coordinate work between the Viral Marketing Department and Content, Linkbuilding, Social Media, SEO and Blogger Outreach, among others.

Amy Vernon LLC

NJ, United States
Dec 2008 - Present
Chief Cook and Bottle-Washer 

Freelance writer (ranging from tech to humor and everything in between) and digital strategist.

 

I know how to approach social media from a variety of angles, with a light touch that gets results. I help build Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and advise on making content social media-friendly.

Network World

United States
Mar 2010 - Aug 2010
Open Source Blogger 

As a blogger for Network World, cover Open Source with an eye toward enterprise. Subjects covered have included Joomla!, Drupal and the safety of open source software.

Feb 2000 - Dec 2008
Metro Editor/Rockland and blogger 
Started as education editor in Westchester, after a little more than a year, promoted to metro editor of the Rockland edition, which accounted for a third of the paper's circulation and a significant percentage of the daily page views. I also co-ran the TV blog, Remote Access (www.remote.lohudblogs.com), administered the Inside Rockland local news blog (www.insiderockland.lohudblogs.com) and The Hall Monitor education blog (www.hallmonitor.lohudblogs.com) and contributed to the parenting blog, "ice cream is not for breakfast" (www.kidnutrition.lohudblogs.com). Developed skills in SEO and social media. Became one of the top 100 Diggers of all time, with a strong StumbleUpon profile and growing Reddit, Mixx and Propeller profiles.

East Valley Tribune

Jul 1997 - Feb 2000
Deputy Metro Editor 
Started as a reporter, moved up to Assistant Metro Editor, was Acting Metro Editor for a few months and then was promoted to Deputy Metro Editor.

The Miami Herald

Sep 1991 - Jun 1997
Reporter 
Covered cops, obits and municipal government during nearly six years here.

The Courier-Journal

Louisville, KY
Jun 1990 - Sep 1990
Reporting intern 

Covered a variety of subjects as assigned by editors. Crowning achievement: Reuniting a woman with her family after she'd been put up for adoption as a 2-year-old more than three decades earlier.

Education

Northwestern University

1987 - 1991
BSJ, Journalism
concentrations in Spanish and history

Skills

Tumblr

(Rockstar)
3-4 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
Skillometer_5

I have long been a Tumblr evangelist and about six months before the platform exploded, I was telling anyone who would listen how it was about to emerge as one of the top platforms to use. I have helped clients successfully use Tumblr to enhance their community.

Twitter

(Rockstar)
3-4 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
Skillometer_5

I have helped many clients build targeted followings on Twitter, and helped them use the platform to enhance their brand.

Facebook pages

(Expert)
3-4 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
Skillometer_4

I have set up and installed applications on dozens of Facebook pages for clients and for friends. I'm skilled in setting the pages and finding the best applications for their needs.

LinkedIn

(Rockstar)
7-9 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
Skillometer_5

I've helped many people set up their LinkedIn profiles and set up and run various LI groups.

Wordpress blogging platform

(Expert)
5-6 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
Skillometer_4

Microsoft Office

(Expert)
7-9 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
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Writing basic HTML/CSS

(Intermediate)
3-4 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
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OpenOffice

(Intermediate)
3-4 Years Experience, (Currently in use)
Skillometer_2

A skilled user of the open-source equivalent of Microsoft Office.

References

Anthony Davenport

(Superior)
Managing editor/Rockland The Journal News/LoHud.com 718-866-8006

Tony was my immediate supervisor for nearly eight years and had held the metro editor position for several years before I moved into it, so he was exceptionally aware of the challenges of the job.

 

Tony is now a freelance public relations consultant.

Mark Washburn

(Superior)
TV/Radio writer The Charlotte Observer 704-358-5007

Mark was the State Editor of The Miami Herald during my time there. While I never worked directly for him, he was a mentor and was very aware of my work and my work ethic.

Eric Zorn

(Professor)
Columnist Chicago Tribune 312-478-2541

Eric was one of my first instructors at Northwestern University. We have kept in touch through the years and he has kept tabs on my career. He can speak to my evolution from college student to professional journalist to freelance digital journalist/consultant.

Geoffrey Giordano

(Peer)
Art Director The Week 201-401-9282

Geoff was an AME/News at The Journal News for my first few years there.

 

We worked together on many projects, determining how best to display reporters' work, and what pieces of reporting and photography were missing that would let a project achieve its full potential.

Awards/honors

• Inaugural inductee into the New Jersey Social Media Hall of Fame, 2010.

 

• Member of The Miami Herald team who won the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of Hurricane Andrew.