Erica America is my personal brand. You can find me on Twitter, Delicious, Posterous, Flickr, Facebook, DIGG, CNN iReport, MTV THINK, Slideshare and more.
I am a hybrid digital journalist and strategist. My passion can be seen in the work I have done over the last two years as a Citizen Journalist in Washington, D.C. for MTV News and CNN iReport and my skill set has developed as a Digital Strategist at an independent PR firm. I am now independently employed, looking down two equally appealing roads: Video + Digital Journalism and Digital Strategy Consulting.
My content contains fact-based posts and plenty of original video content. I work to uphold traditional journalism values and ethics (which I learned at Journalism School), while applying new media tools and principles. I believe conversation will help further ideas and understanding, which is why I work hard, both online and off, to find meaningful ways to collaborate with smart people.
You can reach me at: Erica [at] EricaAmerica.com
In the News
Social media measurement with @EricaAmerica (Examiner)
“Erica made us think outside the box and beyond the numbers to answer the question, “is there really an ROI of social media?” Here are some main points you need to take away…”
For Today’s Teens, a Politics Web Site of Their Own (Christian Science Monitor)
“Young people have found a way to communicate what they care about through technology, through social networks, through text-messaging,” says Erica Anderson, a young freelance journalist who covered election news for MTV and whose own website, EricaAmerica.com, fits into the trend.
Why Journalists Should Take Charge of Their Personal Brand (Personal Branding Blog)
Erica Anderson who blogs at EricaAmerica, was the Washington, D.C. correspondent for MTV’s Street Team ‘08, a group of citizen journalists assigned to cover the 2008 Election. “A personal brand, like what (Daniel) Baum is doing, helps to make him more competitive in the new media environment,” she said.
MTV News Still on the Edge of Political News (techPresident)
“I recently met the DC blogger, Erica Anderson, or as she is known online, Erica America. Erica is a very bright, young aspiring journalist who counts Helen Thomas as her mentor. And from what I could see, she has the same kind of passion and tenacity for journalism as Ms. Thomas, who dominated the White house press corp for much of my life.”
Three Cover Political Races as MTV Citizen Journalists (Indiana University School of Journalism)
“I’m enjoying the challenge of learning to write, edit and produce video pieces,” Anderson said. “It’s the future of our industry, so despite the challenges and frustrations, I know it’s something I need to do to stay ahead of the curve.”
MTV Wants Digital Army to Bring Back the Buzz (Boston Globe)
“Starting Monday, MTV’s novice reporters – armed with laptops, digital cameras, and camcorders – will file weekly video news stories, blog, create podcasts, and send out dispatches on mobile phones as part of the network’s most ambitious election initiative.”
Young Reporters, New Tools, and Political Reporting (Harvard Nieman Reports Summer 2008)
“We formed a corps of mobile, youth journalists spread across the country telling young people’s political stories in their own words and using whatever technologies they prefer. Given that our target was to attract young people to apply — and knowing they travel more comfortably in the digital world — we put our entire application process and our recruitment outreach online. Those who expressed interest moved through an intensive, multistep, online selection process, in which we considered experience and evaluated potential.”