All my blogging, I will send to you

Oh, there were so many options with that headline: "All you need is blog," "Can't buy me blog," "Blog, blog me do"... Shall I go on?

You may be asking, what's with The Beatles? Well, today is Valentine's Day -- when people think of love. And when I think of love, I think of The Beatles. Mostly, because I love them.

But seriously, for most people, this day kind of sucks. I'm willing to bet that most people fall into the categories of "single," "in a relationship, but apart from my significant other," or "in a relationship but smart enough not to dump tons of money on a made up shmoopy holiday," as opposed to the smaller percentage people in the"Omigod, I loooove V-Day almost more than Sweetest Day" population. Therefore, most people are either feeling lonely, sad, or broke today. Personally, EdGuy has an EdGirl back in the Midwest, and thus, he's snuggling up with John, Paul, George & Ringo.

Somehow, I've drifted vastly off course... purpose?... transition?... purpose? Ah, yes! This day is also about gifts! And alas, I have one for all of you! Cuz there is always room in my heart for a reader. So, I present some helpful thoughts, insights, and ideas related to becoming more Web savvy magazine journalists (compliments of two Web editors from one of the nation's most prestigious magazines):

* Become fluent in a multitude of languages -- In other words, the more you can learn about multimedia, page building, and writing for the Web, the better armed you will be for the changing landscape of 21st century journalism.

* Don't get too comfortable thinking your Web site falls under the umbrella of your print product -- Many view a publication's Web presence as an offspring of the actual magazine. Think of it more as a sibling, able to work with, rather than for, the monthly/weekly issues.

* Be conscious of the different experiences with each product -- What you get from a Web site and why you go there, are vastly different from that of a magazine. Holding the bound pages in your hand is more open, receptive, an experience all to itself. When visiting a site, you are generally looking for something more specific and a little less patient. [Sidenote: This is why this particular Web editor doesn't think print versions will ever die]

* Think corollaries -- With whatever you are working on, freelanced or not, always be thinking of what unique opportunities the Web can provide for that project: a poll, a slide show, a video, some audio, anything.

* Buy your own domain -- Starting a Web site is not as frighteningly difficult as it may seem to most word people. So unless you share a name with somebody famous, buy a domain (i.e. www.johnsmith.com) and start building a site dedicated to the greatest topic of all -- You! It will impress potential employers and prove that there is more to you than just a resume (though you can put that in there in case they forget what it looks like).

* Befriend the webbies!! -- While that last one was more for the jobless, this one's for those of you lucky enough to be at a publication already. Your Web needs the most day-to-day content of any aspect of your publication, and it probably has one of the smallest staffs supporting it. So go be nice, make friends, and let them know you are more than willing to lend a hand whenever they need it.

So there you have it. Sorry for the long post, but lets face it, you've got nothing better to do tonight -- all your friends are out on dates. Don't worry, I'm right here with ya. I'll be YouTube searching every Beatles song related to love. Oh yea, and drinking. Heavily.

Here's a little something to get you started: "From me to you" and "All my loving"
And a little something for the Ed Guy's special Gal: "What any irresponsible, unmotivated dropout would do..."