Assistant Editor at Trailspace.com
Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina Area
- Current
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- Assistant Editor at Trailspace.com
- Owner at Two Heel Drive, A Hiking Blog
- author at Banned for Life
- Past
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- Copy editor, page designer, hiking columnist at San Jose Mercury News
- Free-lance writer at Trailspace.com
- Free-lance Financial Copy Editor at TrimTabs Investment Research
- Author at Cat Stock Blog
- Features copy editor, page designer at Peoria Journal Star
- News copy editor, page designer at The Tampa Tribune
- copy editor, page designer at The Southern Illinoisan
- Editor in chief, sports editor, City Hall reporter at Daily Egyptian
- Education
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- Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
- Recommended
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34 people have recommended Tom - Connections
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205
connections
- Industry
- Online Media
- Websites
Tom Mangan’s Summary
I write, I edit, I blog.
I'm a newsman of 20 years standing and a was blogger since well before the term existed.
I write great headlines, I spot logical flaws in stories, I clarify sentences, I make writers look good, I provide fit and finish that makes copy feel complete. I shoot cliches on sight.
I started Two-Heel Drive, A Hiking Blog, in 2005 and have built a steady audience the old-fashioned way: by engaging my readers, linking to their work and encouraging them to check out mine. Regular updates, interesting copy and a distinctive voice also help. Two-Heel Drive is the No. 1 blog in its niche and I feel I could do the same with any blog on any topic I took an abiding interest in.
I'm also interested in the outdoors, hiking and camping in particular. I wrote a twice-monthly column for the Mercury News profiling Bay Area parks and hiking trails.
Tom Mangan’s Specialties:
Newspapers: Copy editing, grammar, AP Style, line editing, headline writing, caption writing, page layout and design, niche-topic column writing, getting sections to press room on time. Can also write, report and take pictures.
Blogging: Building blog audiences, finding intriguing blogging content, developing a ring of bloggers with similar interests, posting online photo essays, SEO, CSS
Writing: I've written on movies, music, art, cars and travel at my home page at http://tommangan.net/
Tom Mangan’s Experience
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Assistant Editor
Trailspace.com
(Online Media industry)
October 2009 — Present (2 months)
Maintaining online gear catalog database, writing and editing outdoor gear guides and reviews for site serving wilderness enthusiasts.
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Owner
Two Heel Drive, A Hiking Blog
(Online Media industry)
2005 — Present (4 years )
* Updated weekly with news, links and commentary of interest to hikers, campers and backpackers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
* No. 1 outdoors blog in the hiking category.
* Search engine optimized
* Self-designed using CSS (intermediate skill, can hard code without WYSIWYG editor)
* Deeply engaged audience with approximately 25,000 page views per month.
* Became launch pad for twice-monthly Hikes column in San Jose Mercury News.
* Voted among the top 10 outdoors blogs by a leading outdoors industry observer.
* No. 1 Google ranking for phrase "hiking blog." -
author
Banned for Life
(Online Media industry)
1996 — Present (13 years )
* First-ever blog devoted to ridding news reports of trite, hackneyed and overused expressions.
* Link: http://tommangan.net/banned -
Copy editor, page designer, hiking columnist
San Jose Mercury News
(Privately Held; Newspapers industry)
September 1999 — August 2009 (10 years )
* Write headlines and photo captions
* Edit copy for style, usage, grammar and legal liability
* Excel at multiple newsroom disciplines -- features and pop culture, opinion and commentary, local and national news, business and the economy.
* Design pages (news, features, editorial) with keen eye for balance, typography, photo usage.
* Wrote twice-monthly Hikes column for Eye section from April 2007 to August 2008 (link: http://www.tommangan.net/twoheeldrive/index.php/where-to-hike-bay-area-park-profiles/ )
* Multiple winner of newsroom quarterly headline writing awards. -
Free-lance writer
Trailspace.com
(Online Media industry)
March 2009 — May 2009 (3 months)
Authored series of profiles on "cottage industry" entrepreneurs who build and distribute hiking and backpacking gear.
* Graham Williams, Cilo Gear:
http://www.trailspace.com/articles/2009/05/07/gear-maker-profile-graham-wlliams-cilogear.html
* Jack Tier and Jack Myers, Jacks ‘R’ Better:
http://www.trailspace.com/news/2009/04/14/gear-maker-profile-jacks-r-better.html
* Kevin Kinney, Empire Canvas Works:
http://www.trailspace.com/news/2009/04/02/gear-maker-profile-kevin-kinney-empire-canvas-works.html
* Aaron Rosenbloom, Brasslite:
http://www.trailspace.com/news/2009/03/09/gear-maker-profile-aaron-rosenbloom-brasslite.html
* Henry Shires, Tarptent:
http://www.trailspace.com/news/2009/02/17/gear-profile-henry-shires-tarptent.html
Brian Frankle, ULA-Equipment:
http://www.trailspace.com/news/2009/02/27/gear-maker-profile-brian-frankle-ula-equipment.html -
Free-lance Financial Copy Editor
TrimTabs Investment Research
(Financial Services industry)
June 2008 — May 2009 (1 year )
* Edited financial reports for financial newsletter with highly specialized proprietary approach to market timing based on the flow of money into and out of the stock market. Subscribers included research teams of top hedge funds and institutional investors.
* Edited macroeconomic research reports correlating flow of cash into the U.S. treasury with employment and the overall health of the U.S. economy.
* Edited weekly reports on money flow in global markets in France, Germany, the U.K, Japan, China and Hong Kong.
* Wrote company profile for publication in guide to hedge funds. -
Author
Cat Stock Blog
(Online Media industry)
December 2008 — February 2009 (3 months)
Cat Stock Blog is a prototype I developed for a blog devoted news, links and financial data of Caterpillar Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment. Caterpillar is based in my hometown and many of my family members have worked either for Cat or its suppliers.
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Features copy editor, page designer
Peoria Journal Star
(Privately Held; 201-500 employees; Newspapers industry)
1993 — 1999 (6 years )
* Copy editing, page design for features pages -- entertainment, home and garden, pop culture, health and fitness.
* Expert level in QuarkXpress.
* Expert level in MacOS.
* Built Microsoft Word macros to accommodate desktop publishing.
* Assistant to systems editor, providing essential support for editorial publishing system.
* Designed Sunday Front Page, highest readership day of the week.
* Winner of Illinois Press Association Headline Writing contest, 1999. -
News copy editor, page designer
The Tampa Tribune
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Newspapers industry)
1989 — 1993 (4 years )
* Copy editing and page layout on daily local news sections.
* Produced sections on time under intense deadline pressure.
* Designed centerpieces for Sunday sections. -
copy editor, page designer
The Southern Illinoisan
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Newspapers industry)
1987 — 1988 (1 year )
Copy editing and page layout for news and feature sections.
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Editor in chief, sports editor, City Hall reporter
Daily Egyptian
(Educational Institution; 51-200 employees; Newspapers industry)
1984 — 1987 (3 years )
* Editor in chief, fall semester 1986
* Sports editor, fall semester, 1985
* City Hall reporter, spring semester, 1985
* Principal editing and rewrite for story that finished third in the nation in Hearst College Journalism Competition.
Tom Mangan’s Education
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Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
1984 — 1987
Additional Information
Tom Mangan’s Websites:
Tom Mangan’s Interests:
finance, stocks, hiking, camping, outdoors, environment, media, history, technology, blogs.
Tom Mangan’s Groups:
Newsies on the Web
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Daily Egyptian -
Bay Area Newspaper Workers Network -
Knight Ridder former employees -
The Great Mercury News Diaspora -
Caterpillar Employees/Alumni Facing Layoffs and Early Buyouts/Retirement
Tom Mangan’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- job inquiries
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
