John A. Martins

Web Content and Development for Higher Ed
Introduction

What I Do

I'm a storyteller. Simply put, I connect with people in and around the university and share what I learn about them with the world. I communicate using several tools: writing, photography, and video. I write for print publication or web.

Why Higher Ed?

Colleges and universities are exciting places. On any given campus, lives are constantly changing. Boundaries are tested, limits are pushed. Successes celebrated, failures overcome. Perspectives are enlarged, making the world seem bigger and smaller, simultaneously. Ideas are exchanged. Knowledge is acquired, and sometimes discovered for the first time ever.

The better question is, 'Why not?'

About Me

I was bitten by the journalism bug pretty early on.

When I started writing about the arts for my college newspaper, I quickly became energized by the work. It wasn't just about presenting information— it was about connecting with readers and offering explanations, providing context, and sparking a dialogue.

I pursued a career in daily newspapers after I graduated, and I continued to develop skills that supported what, for me, had become a vocation.

The truth is that journalism is a service profession. No matter what beat I was working, I strived to make my news writing as relevant, timely, and accessible as possible.

When I made the choice in 2009 to transition out of the newspaper business, I knew that I wasn't going to be able to give up connecting with people and telling their stories. Higher ed seemed like the perfect place.

When I'm not working, I enjoy gardening, the outdoors, and playing with my dog, Gwynne.

Web Content & Social Media

Web content is everything we read, look at, watch, or listen to on the Internet. It's the "stuff" we interact with in digital environments, and it has the power to shape our perceptions and mold our opinions.

In higher ed environments, valuable content is everywhere. Let's take a common sight — students meeting outdoors for class on a fine spring day — as an example. A well-taken photograph can communicate several things. It can showcase the beauty of campus, it can help prospective students and their parents visualize what academic life is like, and it can show how faculty members engage with students.

It also sends the message that going to X College is just plain fun! We could even capture some quick video to instantly transport viewers to the scene.

Or, to take it a bit further, let's say a student tweeted about how excellent it was to have class outside, or she shared an interesting aspect of the discussion. Those tweets, sent spontaneously by a student, could be leveraged by an institution to start conversations among students, alumni, etc.

Feature Writing

Excellent

Photography

Good

Video

Good

Marketing Copy

Excellent

What are these bar thingies?

These skillbars are intended as a snapshot of my competencies. This is pure self-assessment; the only metric is my own appraisal of my knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Content Production

Final Cut Pro Suite

Good

Moderate proficiency with video editing software including Motion, Compressor, and DVD Studio Pro.

Adobe Photoshop

Good

Moderate proficiency in intermediate-level image manipulation for both print and web.

Adobe Illustrator

Good

Moderate proficiency in basic design, including typography, brushes, and gradients and transparencies.

Social Media

Facebook

Excellent

Twitter

Good

YouTube/Vimeo

Excellent

Google+

Good

Web Development

When a large part of your web content job is to provide a high level of service to internal clients, the task can quickly become a matter of developing an IT solution to meet a communications need.

Through my work in higher ed, I've had the opportunity to cultivate a variety of technical skills in several aspects of information technology, from administering a web server to configuring content management systems for enterprise-wide use.

Digital content is not produced in a bubble. Success in developing web communications requires a broad understanding of the tools. More importantly, it demands flexibility and a willingness to adapt to new realities.

XML/XHTML/CSS

Good

UNIX/LINUX

Fair

Javascript/XSLT

Fair

Google Apps

Fair

WordPress

Good

Other CMS (Active Campus)

Good

Work Experience

Web Content Specialist

Widener University

  • Period: 2009 - Present
  • Job type: Full-Time
  • References: Upon request

Plan and produce web content for institutional website, with increased responsibility for a number of internal clients such as campus life and several academic units like the schools of Nursing and Hospitality Management.

  • In consultation with clients, write and publish landing page copy and feature stories;
  • Create and update web pages to reflect new information about the university, its people and its programs;
  • Manage and fulfill requests for changes to content and site design;
  • Ensure documents, images, and other items adhere to established content standards;
  • Provide day-to-day site maintenance.

Coordinate the development, production, and distribution of digital video projects that support institutional messaging.

  • Collaborate with key contacts across the university on projects, from concept to execution and delivery;
  • Direct pre- and post-production activities, including scheduling shoots, scouting locations, conducting interviews, editing video, composing titles, and exporting to various digital communications channels;
  • Train and supervise three work-study students in Media Production Center.

Manage several institutional social media channels: Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and Google+ accounts.

  • Set tone, philosophy, and strategy for institutional presences, building networks from the ground up;
  • Manage day-to-day activities, including scheduling posts and cross-publishing with other on-campus social media efforts;
  • Serve as institutional advocate, engage in dialogues and answer questions;
  • Harvest information from social media to support university assessment initiatives;
  • Compile and present reports for campus audiences ranging from executive leadership to faculty and staff.

Honors & Awards

• Silver CUPPIE Award (2011) for Magazine Writing, "Empty Shelves"
• Student Life Fellowship Award (2010)
• Friend of Residence Life Award (2011)

Committees & Workgroups

• Social Media Committee
• LGBT Task Force
• Student Media Task Force
• Website Redesign Steering Committee
• Portal Communications Workgroup

Other Activities

• Advisor, Habitat for Humanity student organization
• Faculty Leader, Alternative Spring Break (2010, 2012)
• Panel Organizer & Moderator, CASE District II Social Media Conference (2011)

Staff Writer

Press of Atlantic City

  • Period: 2006 - 2009
  • Job type: Full-Time
  • References: Upon request

Independently judged relative importance of news items for submission to zoned edition of daily newspaper with 75,000+ circulation and exercised other forms of editorial judgment.

  • Provided up-to-the-minute breaking news updates on the paper’s web publication;
  • Strengthened stories by collaborating with photographers and graphic designers in adding visual elements like photographs, data tables and locator maps;

Freelance Writer

  • Period: 2005 - 2006
  • Job type: Full-Time
  • References: Upon request

Works Published: Ultraviolet Danger: Holes in the Ozone Layer. New York: Rosen Publishing (2007).

  • Authored a 12,000-word text for young adult book series on environmental issues;
  • Researched background data, news reports and current scientific scholarship in the fields of meteorology, atmospheric science, chemistry and governmental policy;
  • Provided proofreading and editing services to Plume, an imprint at Penguin USA, a division of Pearson.

Editor & Publisher

Hudson Weekly | PDF (2.9 MB)

  • Period: 2004 - 2005
  • Job type: Full-Time
  • References: Upon request

Founded and launched newsweekly targeted specifically at waterfront communities of Jersey City & Hoboken.

  • Generated virtually all news and feature content for 16-page publication;
  • Networked to establish contacts with prospective advertisers and editorial sources while strengthening existing relationships with business owners and regional newsmakers;

Education

University of California, Davis

Bachelor of Arts in Art History.

Honors & Activities: Outstanding Senior Award for excellence in academics and campus leadership (2001); Undergraduate Research Conference (2000); Graduate-level coursework in critical theory and art historical research and methodology; Arts Editor for daily student newspaper.

Portfolio

Writing
  • Campus Life
    Campus Life : Landing Page
  • Arts
    Arts at Widener : Landing Page
  • RN to BSN
    RN to BSN : Landing Page
  • Residence Life
    Residence Life : Landing Page
  • Cait
    Cait Clark '12 : Feature Story
  • Rita
    Rita Sharma '12 : Feature Story
  • Leo
    Leo Hussey '11 : Feature Story
  • Dave
    Dave Santangelo '12 : Feature Story
Photography
  • Pride Mentors
  • Men's Rugby
  • Sara Graham
  • Crew
  • Charlotte Kirkby
  • Veteran's Day
  • Nathalie Carril-King
  • Danella Shallow
  • McInerney
  • Handshake
  • Chanel Cooke
  • Bugle
Video
  • Alternative Spring Break
    Alternative Spring Break
  • Senior Class Gift
    Senior Class Gift
  • Black Hawk Helicopters
    Black Hawk Helicopters
  • It Gets Better
    It Gets Better
  • Freshman Morning of Service
    Freshman Morning of Service
  • Campaign Rally Revisited
    Campaign Rally
  • Health Center Tour
    Health Center Tour
  • The Health Annex
    The Health Annex
  • Glow Crazy
    Let It Glow!
  • HS Leadership Awards
    HS Leadership Awards
  • President Welcome
    President's Welcome
  • George Saunders
    George Saunders