Matt Bolch.com

I met the publisher of a new magazine called Kraze last week at the Magazine Association of the Southeast conference. The magazine's target is African-American women ages 18-40, and topics range from sex and relationships to celebrity profiles.

If you're interested, please see the attached writers' guidelines.

I've been trying to contact a source who's on LinkedIn, ClickZ, iMedia Connection and Twitter. He has his own Web site, his own blog, contact info at his company, and he's written a book that has its own Web site.

Do you think I've been able to contact someone who's so connected? Not a chance... and a sad commentary on how multiple ways to stay connected just leaves us more disconnected.

Marilynn and Walker recently have received significant honors. Marilynn was accepted for a two-week writing retreat at The Hambridge Center in the North Georgia mountains. She plans to get a jump-start on her next Stewart Parker project while there, leaving me to care for Declan.

Walker was accepted into the communications magnet program at Grady High School. He would have attended there anyway, but the magnet program give students a chance to explore how communications impacts one's life and career, which all of his parents believe will be vital to success in the 21st century.

Like most men, I've worn my hair in the same style for decades, going to a procession of stylists and barbers to get the same ol' haircut. Not until this week has anyone screwed it up. It's basic: buzzed around the ears, short on top and thinned up there, too, because I've been blessed with thick hair.

I'm working on a story for a hospitality magazine and called a PR person about a news release that came out a few months ago. This editor is fantastic about squirreling away background info for stories. Even before the PR person heard my request, he said that he would only work on interviews for things they were currently pitching.

I was pretty good with my 2008 New Year's resolutions -- except for the blogging part. I vow to do a better job this year but still think I'm not very interesting. I'm just a guy who loves his family, his clients and his friends.

But I'm sure there will be a few things to cheer about (and complain about) in the coming months, so stay tuned!

It's funny that a random smell can take you back to childhood. It's even funnier (or odder, as the case may be) that I discovered this particular childhood smell in the locker room at the Georgia State University Student Rec Center, where I swim, row and run.

I was a panelist for an American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) webinar on working with free-lancers. Comments from the webinar were picked up for a blog produced by Magnificent Publications. This happened in October, but I just ran across an e-mail about the event, so my apologies for its lateness

Goes to show, though, that everyone is famous to 15 people...

http://theeditorialadvantage.com/?p=75

I had a receptionist at a PR agency ask me today who I was (which is fine) and whether the person I was calling knew that I would be calling (definitely not fine). If a PR agency is doing its job right, strange people will be calling from all over wanting to get more information about what's being promoted, to talk to the inventor/owner, find a fresh story angle, etc.

The person who answers the phone should be a screen, not a gatekeeper.

It's true. I was the centerpiece model for a photo shoot this morning for the next issue of the Georgia State University alumni magazine.

Sounds pretty good, right? Well, you might not think so once you learn that the illustration is to go with a story about how short people make less money than tall people. In the photo, I was sitting on a stool placed in an elevator, wearing a jacket and bow tie, with taller guys standing around me. From what I could gather, you can only see the chins of the taller people.