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People
Keri Conley
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Countless web surveys always agree—on the web, content is King. Site "stickiness" and repeat visits are the result of excellent content development and management. And in this regard, Keri Conley is the Queen. An experienced writer and editor, Keri Conley has applied her print journalism background to the web and new media. With almost a decade of experience, Keri has written, edited, designed and programmed content for marketing and educational products used in environmental, engineering, retail and banking industries. A Passion for Writing |
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Back in school, Keri loved grammar class. Her eyes didn't glaze over as the instructor diagramed sentences and spoke of conjugated verbs. Instead, she devoured everything she could about the English language with passion and intensity. Today, her command of the language, her ability to communicate in technical and persuasive voices, and her no-holds-barred editing style, makes her invaluable on any project team. Heck, she even knows the rules of "A.P. Style." How many teams can boast about that?
With a bachelors in Journalism from the University of Missouri, Keri started her career in the newspaper business, first writing for the Columbia Missourian and later, after returning to Pittsburgh, for the Pittsburgh Business Times. With long hours, short deadlines, and the constant need for fresh ideas, Keri established strong work habits and an early dedication to the craft of communicating. Journalism is a lot like marketing—you only have one sentence to get the reader's attention. Keri leaned to craft that sentence "just so."
Broadening Her Writing Experience
Deciding to broaden her experience and learn more about writing from an industry perspective, Keri took a Publications Editor position with the Air and Waste Management Association. At the A&WMA, Keri wrote news briefs, edited articles and proofread layouts for several print publications. Keri also managed the production of the Association's specialty conference proceedings, including getting printing quotes, coordinating tasks with designers and conference chairs, and writing promotional materials for newly released books. It was at the A&WMA that Keri also first began writing specifically for the web. As part of the association's first web design team, she revamped the web site and transferred all text and images from two monthly print magazines to the site creating EM Online and the Journal Online.
As Keri was honing her writing and editing skills, the world wide web continued to explode. The web intrigued and inspired her. In order to learn more about writing for the web, Keri became Web Editor for the Society of Automotive Engineers. At SAE, Keri wrote, edited and posted content for the society's vast database-driven website-over 20,000 pages last time she counted. She found it refreshing to design her own materials in HTML. Keri wrote newsletter articles, press releases, email bulletins and other marketing materials for the site, as well as tutored staff in HTML and web writing techniques.
Gaining Experience Across Industries and Platforms
After several years at SAE, an opportunity arose for Keri to join a broader consulting firm, which offered more robust experiences across industries and platforms. As a consultant with marchFIRST, Keri developed the site architecture for UPMC Physicians Website. The UPMC Physician's website is a database-drive, templetized web tool. On this project, Keri's role was two-fold—she helped design the public web pages, to reflect UPMC's brand and clearly convey important information, and she also contributed to the design of the web production wizard itself. At marchFIRST, Keri also wrote content for a wide range of clients, including youth-oriented retailer OYO Gear and senior-focused Internet provider ElderVision, a senior-focused internet provider.
Most recently, Keri joined the interactive media design firm Mind Over Media, where she wrote content and designed the architecture of interactive tutorials for PNC New Account Training and Airborne Express Onyx tracking system. She also developed the content and architecture for Pittsburgh International Airport's international arrivals kiosk, Grove City College's website redesign, and feature stories about women in science for Bayer's Women's History Month Intranet issue.
Today, Keri is enjoying an independent career pursuing writing and editing engagements with the team at 8 Sharp.
Interesting Fact: Keri spent the summer after her college graduation visiting homes and farms destroyed by the floods of 1993. She interviewed Missouri farmers who had lost everything to the devastating floods. Her interviews for the Missouri Department of Health survey led to an overhaul of the Department's methods of educating the public on how to survive and stay healthy during a flood.
