TSP: Michael Berman, Blogger, ScippsNews.com & JOCGEEK.com

By Jason Falls

Bloggers in many ways are the new media and The Straight Pitch turns the spotlight on a rather accomplished one with this edition. Michael Berman is a blogger, columnist and freelance writer who can be found writing about technology and gadgets for Scripps News and his own site, JOCGEEK.com.

Berman has written a technology column for 20 years, 15 of them for the Scripps Howard News Service. HE writes about a wide range of technology toys and gadgets and tracks trends in the tech industry.

Berman’s website can be found online at JOCGEEK.com. The Scripps Howard website is http://www.scrippsnews.com. Berman’s Tech Talk is at http://www.scrippsnews.com/techtalk.

THE STRAIGHT PITCH

Name:
Michael Berman

Position & Organization:
Blogger, columnist and freelancer

Organizational Background/Audience Profile:
ScrippsNews.com is the website for Scripps Howard News Service, one of the world’s largest, which serves more than 100 multimedia content packages daily to nearly 400 newspapers and websites around the world.

JOCGEEK.com is Berman’s personal website where he not only republishes his Scrippsnews.com blogs, but offers opinion, computer help and review pieces to the blogosphers.

Briefly describe your role:
I write about tech toys ranging from PCs to off-beat peripherals. I also write about trends in the industry.

Tell us a little about your background:
I’ve been writing a tech column for about 20 years, 15 of them for The Scripps Howard News Service. I now write a blog for www.scrippsnews.com and maintain my own website at www.jocgeek.com.

How do you prefer to be approached with story ideas?
I prefer a clear, concise email with minimal hype.

What key ingredients make a pitch appealing to you?
Tell me right off what the product does and what makes it different from the competition. Also tell me how it will fit into the area that I cover.

What methods of pitching or contents within a pitch turn you off to the idea?
Excessive hype and constant repetition!

Which are more helpful in your decision-making, press releases or fact sheets?
Fact sheets

Do you prefer broad story ideas or pitches intended for specific segments, features or placement?
Make the pitches more specific to a certain segment of the industry. Broad ideas often lead to confusion over where it fits in.

What else can PR professionals do to help you do your job?
Don’t continually hit me with the same pitch or release or a written version of it. Don’t waste my time with useless hype or disinformation. Also keep the bugging down to a minimum. If I like your product or idea I’ll write about it.

Technorati Tags: Michael Berman, technology blog, tech talk, technology blogger, bloggers, blog, blogging, pitching stories, story ideas, Scripps Howard, Scripps news, news services, syndicated columnists, columnist, syndication, journalist, journalism, media relations, public relations, PR

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