My article on the poster district for urban woes appeared in Scholastic Administrator magazine, which is read by nearly a quarter million of today's school leaders.
The article describes Detroit's bold plan to close schools while improving student performance. If it succeeds, Detroit will have the new blueprint for urban turnarounds.
This was one of the most challenging articles I've written all year. I'm very proud of the research that went into it. The editors at SA should be applauded for their support of my suggestion to cover this controversial and difficult topic.
One of my favorite clients is the Cary, NC-based software company known as SchoolDude.com. Despite the fun name, SchoolDude does serious business in The Research Triangle. SchoolDude is the nation's #1 provider of on-demand operations management solutions designed exclusively for the unique needs of schools, colleges, and universities.
I've had the pleasure of working for SchoolDude for the past several years. Recently, the creative director at the company, Barbara Bogue, said the following kind words about my work (from LinkedIn):
“Marty has worked on several copy-writing projects for SchoolDude.com including case studies where he contacted and interviewed clients. His work was on time and well written — a great outside resource for an over-burdened, under-resourced internal staff. I would recommend you give him a call for your next project.”
The podcast I produced for SRI International on Twin Studies appears on SRI International’s Web site. The discussion with Gary Swan, the Director for Health Sciences at SRI, covers the ongoing research on twins and multiples, which explores the balance between genetics and environment, and its impact on health.
This is the 5th podcast that I’ve developed for SRI in 2010. The podcast series includes conversations with noted engineers, scientists, and doctors.
Since its beginnings when it was called Stanford Research Institute, SRI’s strengths have been the staff’s world-leading expertise and passion for working with clients on important challenges.
More than 20 years ago, when I first began writing corporate white papers, these documents were considered a mostly academic exercise-designed to deliver highly technical content to engineers and other technical players.
There are very few purely technical white papers written today. A hybrid model replaced them in the 1990s. The hybrid still contains technical content, but also includes business benefits. The hybrid model is still the most common approach, but a major trend in the last several years is toward the development of business benefits white papers geared to a non-technical executive audience.
Business benefits white papers contain the primary business benefits of a technical product-explaining how the technology can save time, improve productivity, lower costs, etc. While the technology isn't ignored, it is generally expressed in non-technical language that further explores such matters as how the technology is deployed, training and support, and other concerns that a C-Level reader might have about cost-of-ownership and ROI.
This trend has been a boon to writers like myself who specialize in translating highly technical material into readable and engaging content that is easily understood by busy corporate executives.
SRI International is a Silicon Valley-based research institute (formerly known as Stanford Research Institute), which conducts client-sponsored R&D for businesses, government agencies, and other organizations. Over the years, I’ve served SRI as a ghostwriter of corporate white papers and as a developer of a series of very popular podcasts.
Recently, I received the following flattering recommendation from one of my contacts at the SRI, Dina Basin:
“I have worked with Marty on articles and podcasts. He is extremely professional and a great partner. Marty is adept at writing well on a wide range of topics and for different audiences. He also has great interview skills and is able to glean important information during his conversations with technical experts.”