I get to be one of the presenters at the SocialWyo conference coming up in October. I have to write up a bio for the Web site, so I thought I'd try it out here first.

If you're in Cheyenne on September 8, sign up. It should be a great conference.

What does the future hold for copy editors? According to one attendee at a recent AEJMC09 breakfast, not everyone likes the potential answers.

In discussing the highlights of the talk that morning, David Fisher passes along these gems of knowledge by way of Josh Benton with Nieman Journalism Lab and David Beard with Boston.com:

• A key feature of new jobs will be coaxing journalistic-quality work out of non-journalists. Actually, he says, that's always been an important skill on community papers, if you think about it.
• Solid headline writing with a good understanding of search engine optimization.
• Curation, much like the old wire editor who combined various stories into one comprehensive report - the ability to ingest large amounts of information and find the nuggets.
• Not so important: AP style, which tends to promote sameness, and the ability to shape multiple voices into one kind of house style.

I wholeheartedly agree with the first three points, and I'll give an exasperated sigh to the final point. Let's take them one by one:

1. Coaxing journalist-quality work out of non-journalists. My fellow opinion editors can certainly back me up on this when it comes to publishing letters and guest columns -- they are the lifeblood of our sections. But sometimes, those great arguments get jumbled up in typos, or confused by statistics, or mixed up with propaganda. It takes a firm but helpful hand to bring the best quality out of community writers, but the reward is sure worth it.
   
2. Solid headline writing for search engine optimization. You better believe it. Any copy editor who doesn't know about SEO at this point in the game better brush up quick. If you want people to find your stuff, don't just assume they're going to come in through the front door. At the Missourian, about 75 percent of our traffic comes from Web searches and referring links. Is that a big enough percentage of readers to convince you that vague, clever stuff doesn't work anymore?
   
3. Gathering nuggets into a bigger report. Absolutely. Adding context has always been part of our job as journalists. Nowadays, we just have new places to look: blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, et al.
   
4. AP Style. OK, I'll concede that too many copy editors put too much of a premium on following the stylebook letter for letter. What we often  forget is that there are times to break the rules. It's when we're too afraid of breaking rules that we rob stories of their voice. The stylebook is a guideline, not a Bible.
   

Another interesting note from his post:
Really? Walked out? I think he's got some valid points, though I can see why this may get under a copy editor's skin (but not enough to spur a walkout).

He's absolutely correct in that sometimes, stories need to go right to readers -- news bursts, Twitter updates and anything else that qualifies as "breaking" should publish first, edit second.

His other point, about writing for readers instead of editors, has nothing to do with new media and everything to do with the way many copy desks shouldn't be functioning anyway. Of course we should write like we're talking to readers. Who else are we writing for?

Yes, this means bag the stilted, buearacratic language and tell it in plain, simple English. But it doesn't mean slopping out long sentences with no commas, sticking to poor word choices and peppering it with typos.

Copy editors are the conscience of a news organization. They're the ones who find the nit-picky stuff that sleazy lawyers seize upon. They're the ones who ask the tough questions that need to be asked. They're the ones who verify facts, spellings, Web addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and directions.

Copy editors make reporters and news organizations look good, often times without much recognition. Maybe that's what turns some of us into style sticklers incapable of seeing the beauty of the English language. Or maybe it's the OCD. Either way, the future of journalism really isn't that much different than it has been. We just have more bells and whistles to play with now.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about selling Big Red, my 1999 Dodge Dakota Extended Cab 4X4.

It's a good truck, with an engine that's only three years old and less than 100,000 miles on it. It's actually pretty good on gas for what it is (about 18 mpg highway), and it has a kickin' sound system. The bluebook value on it was $5,150.

We're thinking we can probably get along with one car for a while, which would help us save money for the new little one that's on the way. There would be some inconveniences, but it's likely doable.

If I can net $5,000 on the truck, plus save some $250 on parking every year, plus save on gas and insurance, and it all adds up. We'll get another car down the road, something a little more kid-friendly, which Big Red is not.

But on the other hand, Big Red is paid for, it has an engine that will last a long time, and I always find good uses for the truck (moving people, building our patio, etc. etc.).

So I'm still thinking about it. But if you're interested, make me an offer.