, Marketing and Community Development Manager(NOTE: Voice Noise is a column developed by our marketing team, and does not represent the opinions, nor influence the content, of our editorial coverage.)
Okay, so what’s this all about? It’s my chance to talk directly to you, our loyal readers and friends in the community.
As the marketing and community development manager at voiceofsandiego.org, my main responsibilities are promotion, media relations, and fundraising. I meet lots of interesting people throughout the community, and create partnerships with them. This way, we create value for our readers, our members, and our Web site sponsors. And, we increase our readership (Why should we keep SLOP to ourselves?). It’s my responsibility to promote the site online, on television, on the radio, and at community events. From time to time, you’ll learn more about our partners and members in this space of the Web site. Voice Noise is also where I can give you the heads-up on when Andrew, Scott, Evan, Will or Rob will be on TV, on the radio, or in the community at your local Rotary club.
I have the honor of working with a very talented editorial team. I won’t be divulging any secrets about them, but I will tell you it’s fun to work in our office. No two days are ever alike. We’re hardworking, tenacious, and focused. There’s lots of youthful energy in the air. Professional, too. Our reporters attend news conferences and interview people on the phone and in-person… just like reporters are supposed do. One thing we do differently is that we don’t print our stories on paper. But we do deliver. Online. You don’t have to go outside in your pajamas to pick up the paper. AND we bring you news from an independent perspective, and from perspectives that may have been marginalized by others.
Oh, and we do have an office. I get that question a lot. Since we’re an online news Web site, many readers think we work from home, in a “virtual office” or something. We’re near Downtown San Diego. We all work in one large room, with desks, chairs, computers, and yes, a toaster oven. We’re not open for tours, but if you’re lucky we may post a picture or two.
I’ll be frank. We need financial support to keep our operations going. Your individual donations help us in a variety of ways, but most importantly, they support our independent news coverage of local issues. With your help, we can bring you more topics more frequently. We can bring more Community Voices to you more often. We can hire additional staff to help us find spelling and copyediting errors. And, we can sustain the Web technology that delivers you the news and opinion you’ve come to rely on and enjoy.
If you represent a business, consider sponsoring our Web site. Your sponsorship message can appear on our site for a reasonable price. Since we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, you may even be able to claim your sponsorship as a charitable contribution. Please check out the Flexcar and Mission Federal Credit Union sponsorship messages on our site. They’ve been our faithful financial sponsors for the last six months. As a sponsor, you can reach a very educated, affluent, and influential audience. (If you’ve read their name in our articles, you can be very sure that they read us.) You can download our media kit to learn more, or call me directly and we’ll talk.
It’s a very exciting time for voiceofsandiego.org, and it’s a very exciting time in local news. We’re forging new ground each day, and we want to bring you along for the ride.
Denise Scatena is the marketing and community development manager, at voiceofsandiego.org. She grew up in San Diego, and recently finished her master’s degree at San Diego State University in communications.