Time for another interview in the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight video interview series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

Today’s interview is with Robert Farley who writes about politics and culture on Lawyers, Guns, and Money with several of his friends and former classmates from University of Washington. Watch the video interview below to learn more about Lawyers, Guns, and Money and what makes it unique and authoritative.

Visit the Newstex YouTube Channel to watch more videos in the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Video Series. Be sure to check out the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Playlist, and keep your eyes open for new video interviews coming soon!

Time for another Publisher in the Spotlight interview! Publisher in the Spotlight is a series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Mark Lorier of Californiality.

Mark Lorier is known as The California Blogger and has lived in the Golden State for more than forty years. He is the publisher of Californiality.com, a popular blog about California culture, society, business and politics.

Mark has vast experience in strategic, behind-the-scenes roles in publishing, entertainment, television, radio, public service, politics, religion, government and law, and he is a trusted counselor to influential leaders in several nations.

As a young child, Mark accompanied his parents on civil rights marches in the South with Dr. Martin Luther King and Rev. Jesse Jackson.  During his childhood in California, Mark and his parents were the guests of Rev. Jesse Jackson at Wattstax, the 1972 Los Angeles black music festival. Mark met Cesar Chavez, Governor Ronald Reagan and Governor Jerry Brown during his youth which inspired him to stay informed and involved in public issues throughout life.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Mark Lorier: After helping many bloggers build, launch and optimize their blogs, influential colleagues urged me to start my own.  As a longtime writer, I found it challenging to decide on one primary niche.  Eventually, I narrowed my choices down to two; International Relations or California.  What made me decide to become the California Blogger was my own reaction to public California-bashing by profiteering corporate media outlets.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Mark Lorier: Californiality is a mix of California politics, music, news, spiritual perspective, humor and outspoken editorials; a difficult balancing act.  The blog provokes many to emotion, thought and action.  The blog was extremely influential in the most recent California governor’s race and is already starting to dominate the next race.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Mark Lorier: All Californiality content is 100-percent original and fearless, and Newstex syndication brings readers who are leaders of corporations, universities and government agencies to the blog.  Like in the game of bowling, there is really no need to strike every pin; the kingpin can strategically touch all others for you.  Newstex gives my blog leverage by marketing my blog’s content to powerful decision makers who, in turn, circulate my content among their colleagues. (more…)

Time for another interview in the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Video Interview Series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

Today’s interview is with Alfred Poor who writes about technology, specifically HDTVs, at HDTV Almanac. Watch the video interview below to learn more about Alfred’s blog and what makes it unique and authoritative.

Visit the Newstex YouTube Channel to watch more videos in the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Video Series. Be sure to check out the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Playlist, and keep your eyes open for new video interviews coming soon!

Welcome to the first video interview of 2011 in the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Video Interview Series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

Today’s interview is with Braden Kelley who writes about business and marketing innovation at Blogging Innovation.  Watch the video interview below to learn more about Braden’s blog and what makes it unique and authoritative.

Visit the Newstex YouTube Channel to watch more videos in the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Video Series.  Be sure to check out the Newstex Publisher in the Spotlight Playlist, and keep your eyes open for new video interviews coming soon!

Time for a new interview in the Newstex Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview Series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

Today’s interview is with Garland Pollard who writes about legacy brands (you know — those brands we all remember that are no longer around) at BrandlandUSA.  Watch the video interview below to learn more about Garland’s blog and what makes it unique and authoritative.

You can watch previous video interviews in the Newstex Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview Series on the Newstex YouTube Channel, and keep your eyes open for new video interviews coming soon!

Time for another blogger video interview from the Newstex Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview Series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

This Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview features Jay Brewer of Blogpire, a blog network that offers news, reviews, and more about products in a variety of niches.  Watch the video below to learn more about Jay and his successful blog network.

Watch for more Blogger in the Spotlight video interviews coming to the Newstex YouTube Channel soon!

The February 2010 Blogger in the Spotlight is Trisha Torrey who writes the Every Patient’s Advocate blog.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Trisha Torrey who was diagnosed in 2004 with a rare, fatal lymphoma and told her life would be measured in months not years.

But her intuition told her there was something wrong with the diagnosis.  In search of alternatives to both the diagnosis and chemo, Trisha did some homework, empowered herself, made a few professionals angry, but eventually proved that in fact, she had no cancer at all.

With that odyssey behind her, she changed careers to begin teaching others to improve their chances for better medical outcomes, too.  Today Trisha is known as Every Patients Advocate. She is a newspaper columnist, radio talk show host, About.com’s expert in patient empowerment, and a national speaker who teaches patients how to navigate the unwieldy and dysfunctional health care system.  She’s been quoted by CNN, the Wall Street Journal, NPR, US News and World Report and others.

Her blog, called Every Patient’s Advocate provides tools patients can use to get the healthcare they need.

Trisha’s first book, You Bet Your Life! The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes will be published in October 2009.

Learn more about Trisha’s expertise at her websites:  www.EveryPatientsAdvocate.com or http://patients.About.com.  You’ll also find her on Twitter (@TrishaTorrey) and LinkedIn.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Trisha Torrey: I started in my blog in January of 2007 when I realized I had far more to say and comment about than I could possibly fit into my bi-weekly newspaper column.  Blogging seemed like the perfect outlet to turn current health information, which mostly revolved around how the professionals viewed it, into something relevant to patients.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Trisha Torrey: I have a different voice – the voice of a healthcare consumer or a patient needing safe, effective care.  There are plenty of blogs about people’s experience with specific diseases, or complaints about healthcare, but there are very few that focus on using specific experiences, or even current events, and making them into something patients can learn from.  That’s what my blog does.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success? (more…)

The January 2010 Blogger in the Spotlight is Sheila Scarborough who writes the Family Travel Logue blog for the BootxnAll Travel Network.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Sheila Scarborough who is a writer and speaker specializing in travel, tourism, the social Web and NHRA drag racing. She is the co-founder of Tourism Currents, an online learning community site that teaches tourism professionals how to use social media in their destination marketing.  She’s been blogging since February 2006 and can be found blogging for the BootsnAll Family Travel Guide and Tourism Currents as well as on her personal blog, Sheila’s Guide,  where she writes about tourism, tech and social media.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Sheila Scarborough: I retired from the US Navy in early 2006 after 22+ years, and launched a new career as a travel writer.  A long-time friend and journalist told me, “If you’re going to be a writer, you need to have a blog.”  Knowing that a general travel blog would probably just get buried in the online noise, I chose to focus on the family travel niche since I have two kids. The BootsnAll Travel Network offers free blogs for travelers, so I started mine there to have a built-in audience.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Sheila Scarborough: My blog is based on my own travel experiences with my family, so I don’t do that many product/site/service reviews or travel news posts.  As my kids have gotten older, I find that I do a lot of posts featuring ideas and places that are good for preteens or teens.  There are other blogs that do a better job of covering travel with babies and toddlers, although I do occasionally still write about that because I haven’t forgotten how to wrestle with a diaper in a strange place!

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?
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The November 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is David Harlow from HealthBlawg.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with David Harlow, the Principal of The Harlow Group LLC, a Boston-based health care law and consulting firm.  David’s public and private sector experience over the past twenty years – including stints as a state regulator and as a downtown Boston law firm partner — affords him a unique perspective on legal, policy and business issues facing the health care community.  In projects ranging from facilities development to joint ventures to Medicare demonstration projects to HIPAA and Stark and fraud and abuse compliance initiatives and beyond, health care providers, vendors and payors of all shapes and sizes rely on him to help them navigate these issues on a daily basis, and to structure transactions and relationships in order to maximize the realization of organizational goals in a highly-regulated environment.  David emphasizes the practice of preventive law, anticipating potential flashpoints early in the course of a project, and working to avoid litigation or regulatory enforcement actions whenever possible.  David’s blog, HealthBlawg, is a nationally-recognized health care law and policy blog.  You should follow him on Twitter.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

David Harlow: When I left my partnership at a downtown law firm to strike out on my own as a health care lawyer and consultant, I knew I needed something to replace the marketing staff at my old firm.  Since everyone lives on the internet these days, I decided to focus my efforts on developing an online presence through blogging.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

David Harlow: Aside from the subject matter, which has niche, rather than broad, appeal, I’ve been told that a number of factors combine to make my blog appealing both to my regular readers and to those who come across it via links or online searches:  My perspective, informed by over twenty years’ experience in both the private and public sectors; and my writing style, which I strive to keep legalese-free and accessible, even though I am often dealing with complicated issues in health care law and policy.  At the same time, I usually assume a certain baseline familiarity with the issues.  I also integrate other forms of media into my blogging, such as podcast interviews with leaders in the health care field.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success, and what are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs? (more…)

The October 2009 Blogger in the Spotlight is Mark S. Ament from SportsBiz.

Blogger in the Spotlight is a monthly series where Newstex turns the spotlight on our publishers with in-depth interviews that give you a glimpse into the stories, tips and secrets of successful bloggers and content producers.

This month’s interview is with Mark S. Ament, an attorney who combines his expertise in business, law and sports to publish a highly interesting, insightful and authoritative niche blog – SportsBiz.

Newstex: How did you get started writing your current blog?

Mark S. Ament: At the time I began writing, I was still a practicing attorney and a significant portion of my practice involved the representation of sports industry client. Among these clients, I served as the outside general counsel to a major Division I university’s athletic department for which, among other assignments, I negotiated its multi-million dollar football and basketball coaches’ contracts, including one that, at that time, was among the largest ever done for an NCAA coach.  In addition, I represented the university throughout the process of financing and constructing new football and baseball stadiums and the licensing of media rights which are among the largest collegiate media rights contracts in the country.

As with many bloggers, I decided to start the blog as a way for me to keep up with what was new within the business while informing my clients at the same time.  I have since retired from the active practice of law and am now consulting in the sports business, primarily in the areas of marketing and financing.  I have continued writing because I have found it invaluable in keeping in touch and up to date and, frankly, I’ve become somewhat addicted.

Newstex: What makes your blog unique?

Mark S. Ament: When I started SportsBiz, it was one of the first, if not the first, blog to cover the business side of sports.  There were business blogs, investing blogs and sports blogs, (which were usually fan blogs).  However, there was little that spoke to the people working in the industry and, with a legal and business background, I thought I could help fill the void.

Newstex: To what do you attribute your blog’s success?

Mark S. Ament: As I mentioned above, there were few blogs dealing with any aspect of the business of sports when I started, so I was able to get first mover advantage.  Of course, that only works if you can continue to produce content that is good enough to keep that advantage. I’d like to think that the reason I’m still around is that I’m filling a niche my readers think is important.

Newstex: What are the top 3 tips you can give to bloggers looking to develop successful blogs?

Mark S. Ament: Network, network, network; write, write, write.  Okay, so those are really six tips.  Still, blogging is a social medium and it’s important to interact with other bloggers in your chosen field.  Visit those blogs, see what interests people, comment on those blogs and become a member of the community.  Then, and only then, write about what you know and write on a consistent basis, so readers will be in the habit of checking your blog.

Newstex: What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of your work on your blog?

Mark S. Ament: Without doubt, it is the opportunity to meet (mostly virtual, but meeting nonetheless) an incredible number of interesting people who I would not have ever met without it.  It’s one of the driving forces that keeps writing. (more…)