The moment I read this quotation, I knew it suited my work perfectly. As a writer, I have produced punchy descriptions of rock bands, low-budget action flicks, football players, reality-television stars, and more. As an editor, I have tightened other people's writing by highlighting what's important and eliminating the "mush-and-milk." All writing must make readers hear the band, glimpse the movie, witness the action on the field, or experience a celebrity meltdown.
In fall 2006, I began writing for city website Bostonist.com. As you may guess from the title, Bostonist focuses on news, sports, and entertainment events in the Boston area. I started as a contributor and rose to Co-Editor after establishing two daily features, the Sports Redux and the Boston Blotter. Bostonist lets me write about a range of subjects, including news, movies, and television, and I've had the opportunity to interview rising authors and filmmakers.
As an editor, I've emphasized the importance of finding a beat and sticking to it. We have a small part-time staff, but we consistently deliver an irreverent perspective on important events. Between winter 2006 and winter 2007, our traffic has increased substantially. In December of 2006, we had 58,865 page views. In December of 2007, our traffic shot up to a record 196,953 page views.
While writing for Bostonist part-time, I was a contract web editor for Fidelity Investments. I worked with information architects, designers, and business contacts to transform Fidelity.com into a Web 2.0 site. Fidelity gave me opportunities to learn more about search-engine optimization and the importance of making websites accessible to all users. The Internet is changing all the time and has the ability to adapt to users' needs - and I believe that I've helped Fidelity stay on top of trends.
Given my love of facts and details, it should be no surprise that I am also an excellent content manager. I have worked with developers, encoders, sales teams, and freelancers to produce web content for demanding clients, including AOL, PBS, and NFL. The key to being a good content manager is knowing a little bit about every team involved in the production. As a result, I've picked up knowledge about marketing and sales, and I taught myself the basics of building a website, as you can see in this online portfolio.
For examples of my past work, click on any of the options above, and feel free to contact me at caroline[at]bostonist.com with any questions.
Sincerely,
Caroline Roberts, July 2007