Amy Vernon

Current

Blogger at Burbia.com
Chief cook and bottle-washer at Amy Vernon, LLC

Past

Metro Editor/Rockland and blogger at The Journal News
Deputy Metro Editor at East Valley Tribune
Reporter at The Miami Herald

Reporting intern at The Courier-Journal

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Education

Northwestern University

Recommended

70 people have recommended Amy

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Writing and Editing

Websites

Amy Vernon’s Summary

While I grew up in the age of traditional, "old" media, I have become fluent in new media. I greatly enjoy blogging and blog design. I learned how to promote blogs and other electronic media through networking in the blogosphere and believe newspapers will always exist, even if it’s in a different form than today. Gathering and disseminating the news becomes more important by the day.

I am among the top 25 submitters of all time on Digg.com (and the highest-ranked female ever), a "Super-Mixxer" on Mixx, and have growing followings on Twitter, StumbleUpon and Propeller.

Amy Vernon’s Specialties:

electronic media; blogging; blogworking (social networking among blogs); teaching myself html, css and other web design; oh, yeah, and writing and editing.

Amy Vernon’s Experience

Blogger

Burbia.com

(Internet industry)

January 2009 — Present (11 months)

Write about whatever strikes my fancy at the moment for a great website that strives to show we can live life on the edge ... of our patios ... out here in the 'burbs.
Chief cook and bottle-washer

Amy Vernon, LLC

(Writing and Editing industry)

December 2008 — Present (1 year )

Freelance writer and editor (ranging from tech to humor and everything in between) and new media strategist for a variety of companies, ranging from individuals to Fortune 500.
Metro Editor/Rockland and blogger

The Journal News

(Public Company; GCI; Newspapers industry)

February 2000 — December 2008 (8 years 11 months)

• As metro editor of the Rockland edition, I ensured a staff of up to 17 reporters covered the daily news of this county of nearly 300,000 residents. We had our own front page and local section, generally filled with staff-produced articles. Our edition accounted for a third of the paper’s circulation and a significant percentage of the daily page views. After staff cuts, I took on the role of education editor, a job I had filled for my first year at The Journal News.
• I co-ran the TV blog, Remote Access (www.remote.lohudblogs.com); created, administered and occasionally wrote on the Inside Rockland local news blog (www.insiderockland.lohudblogs.com); administered and wrote for The Hall Monitor education blog (www.hallmonitor.lohudblogs.com), including a project where we published lists of graduates from as many of the 80+ high schools and colleges in the three counties in LoHud.com’s coverage area, which garnered significant page views; and contributed to the parenting blog, “ice cream is not for breakfast” (www.kidnutrition.lohudblogs.com), one of six moms who wrote about the challenges of feeding our children.
• Developed skills in SEO and social media. First developed my social media profile, driving a siginificant amout of traffic to LoHud.com, including one story that garnered 32,000 hits in one afternoon.
Deputy Metro Editor

East Valley Tribune

(Public Company; Newspapers industry)

July 1997 — February 2000 (2 years 8 months)

Started as a reporter, moved up to Assistant Metro Editor, was Acting Metro Editor for a few months and then was promoted to Deputy Metro Editor.
• As a reporter, I was part of a team that won a Thomson newspapers award for in-depth reporting on the water situation in Arizona.
• As an editor, I managed reporters who covered education, religion and health, as well as producing special sections and managing large data releases from the state Education Department.
• As Deputy Metro Editor, I also was in charge of the Sunday paper - enterprise planning, story assignments and line editing.
Reporter

The Miami Herald

(Public Company; KRI; Newspapers industry)

September 1991 — June 1997 (5 years 10 months)

Covered cops, obits and municipal government during nearly six years here. During that time, I was a member of the staff that won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for coverage of Hurricane Andrew. Evacuated with co-workers and my bosses for the duration of the storm, I was among a group who worked almost nonstop for two days to help put out an extra edition before the storm hit and two editions in the immediate aftermath.
Reporting intern

The Courier-Journal

(Public Company; GCI; Newspapers industry)

June 1990 — August 1990 (3 months)

Covered everything from cops and courts to planning and zoning. Wrote a story about the family reunion of siblings who’d been separated at a young age by adoption when their father went to jail after a bar fight and their mother was unable to afford to care for all but the two eldest. Two sisters were still missing; one found her family due to my article and I covered the tearful reunion.