As a writer who has focused primarily on short-form blogging and personal essays, hunting down sources has never been a huge part of the work that I do. A portfolio that relies solely upon the self, however, can become an echo chamber. At some point in your writing career, It’s important to bring in new and differing perspectives.

Where to turn when you need an expert, and fast?

1. Media-Centric Sites and Expert Databases and Directories:

I’ve been using MediaBistro for so long that I tend to rely upon it for any publishing-related quandary. That’s why I often post SOS-style posts on the Sources for Stories section of their bulletin board. The only problem? Those frequenting the bulletin boards are usually media-types like myself, with an even bigger network of media friends. Someone may know someone, though, so I always try it when I’m desperate.

There are other sites, however, that exist solely to connect experts with reporters. ProfNet, run through PR Newswire, is a community “of nearly 14,000 professional communicators,” whom you can connect with via a search, or by posting a detailed request. Help a Reporter provides a form with which you can post queries, which are then e-mailed out to a database of sources who have signed up for the site. There is also Newswise, a database of universities, colleges, and other research organizations containing contact information for media relations personnel and websites, and ExpertClick, which allows one to search for experts by subject area.

2. Professional Organizations:

Looking for a marriage counselor? Contact Smart Marriages. Looking for an early childhood education specialist? Try the Early Childhood Development Association. During my time as a marketing associate for an academic book publisher, I attended many conferences and, let me tell you, they were a goldmine of field experts eager to share their knowledge with others. Most major search engines provide directories for professional organizations, organized by type. Contact an organization’s press office, and they’re usually more than willing to provide you with someone whose brain you can pick.

3. Word of Mouth:

In much the same way that you should tell everyone in the free world that you’re looking for a new job (you never know!), you should also spread the word among friends and family if you’re looking for someone with a specific specialty, or in a specific situation. Chances are, someone will know the exact someone you need.

4. Social Networking Sites:

This tactic is sort of an extension of word-of-mouth expert-hunting, and one that I’ve found to be effective in the past. I’ve posted SOSs on my MySpace bulletin board. I’ve joined interest groups on Facebook, and then posted to their message boards. My strongest ally lately has been Twitter, on which I’ve directly tweeted press queries, and even searched for people using Twellow or Twitter Search. Blogs such as Freelance Switch have also touted the usefulness of Twitter in this area. Harness the power of your extended network!

Anyone one have helpful tips and tricks they use to find story sources?

When I left my full-time job about a year ago, I was lucky in that I didn’t need to actively seek out work. My one regular proofing gig was snagged through a job ad forwarded to me by a former classmate. And all my other work came to me similarly, through friends and former co-workers who were aware that I was forging ahead on my own.

Such passivity only works up to a point, though and, recently, I found that I had hit a wall. If I wanted to grow my business, I had to bust my ass a bit more. This terrified me. I’m a shy gal, and had probably ended up as a writer/proofreader because of the quiet reclusiveness it afforded me. Thankfully, it’s possible to cover a lot of ground marketing-wise on the web alone:

Practice Blog Love.

Blogs aren’t just for LJ confessionals anymore. Many people — yourself included, I assume — are using them as a means of self-marketing. This is the time to hook up with the competition. Comment on other blogs in your niche. But make sure you’re adding value to the discussion. A helpful or insightful comment can draw readers on one blog over to yours as well. Spread linkage by linking to other blogs within your posts, or adding them onto your blogroll. If it’s appropriate, they may return the favor. Extend solicitations for walk-on roles. Guest posting is a fun way to collaborate, and can also aid in bringing in new readers.

Create Personal Profiles.

Opening accounts on such sites as MySpace and Facebook can provide you with a central platform from which to market your wares. MySpace, for example, allows users to set up band/musician, comedian, and filmmaker profiles, designed specifically to market personal projects. It also offers a blogging function, and a Bulletin Board, where you can make announcements to your followers/friends about what you’re working on. Facebook allows you to actually stream your blogs through your profile, making every new post viewable by your friends. You can also set up Pages dedicated to your business ventures.

Microblog.

Twitter and, more recently, Plurk are platforms for microblogging. Basically, you get a very limited number of characters (140) to update your followers on what you happen to be doing at any given moment. Feel free to embrace self-promotion on a site like this, as users can decide whether or not they want to follow you. On the newer Plurk, you can also manipulate who sees which “posts” by setting up cliques. On my Twitter, I’ll “tweet” about random things, such as my writer’s block or my inability to find a cute, khaki skirt, but I’ll also post links to some of my newest blog posts in a blatant display self-promotion. I don’t feel bad. It’s the nature of Twitter. It’s all about you, you, you!

Practice Social Bookmarking.

StumbleUpon and del.icio.us are just two social bookmarking sites out there, in an internet rife with them. Sites such as these allow you to rate, review, and bookmark web pages. Once a web page is in the system, it is a lot more likely to be stumbled upon by others, allowing the possibility for huge jumps in traffic. You must use this power wisely, however. If all you’re doing is bookmarking your own blog posts, you stand the chance of receiving a bad bookmarker review, not to mention bad vibes. You can also submit online stories through sites such as digg, propeller, and reddit. After submitting these tidbits of media along with a title and description, other users can vote on the awesomeness of the submitted story. Stories with a ton of votes get front-page status and, therefore, tons of views.

Before signing off, I’d like to invite you all to share, in the comments below, the social networking sites you’ve been using, and to what effect. Are there any I’ve missed here?