ProfNet Experts Available on Crowdsourcing, College Savings, Leadership, More

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

• The Dark Side of Crowdsourcing
• New Crackdowns on Payday Lending and Predatory Lending
• When It Comes to College Savings Basics, Parents Struggle to Make the Grade
• Building a Personal Brand
• How Leaders Can Positively Impact the Workplace

MEDIA JOBS

• Marketing & Media Executive – Behavox (London/NY)
• Editor, Weekend Business & Finance Section – The Wall Street Journal (NY)
• Digital Financial Journalist – Investor's Business Daily (CA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• How to Get Started as a Ghost Writer
• 5 Questions with Miami Herald: Reporting on Irma When You're in the Path of the Storm
• Blogger Conferences: Top Events to Attend in October

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EXPERT ALERTS:

The Dark Side of Crowdsourcing
Kyumin Lee
Computer Science Professor
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
With social media sites and search engines being manipulated by malicious tasks to promote fake news, inflated or deflated data, crowdsourcing may not be as benevolent as it seems. Says Lee: "Crowdsourced manipulation threatens the foundations of the open web ecosystem, reducing the quality on online social media, degrading trust in search engines, manipulating political opinion and ultimately degrading security and trustworthiness of cyberspace."
Lee's published work on the topicincludes: "Detecting Malicious Campaigns in Crowdsourcing Platforms," IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining (ASONAM), 2016. "Uncovering Fake Likers in Online Social Networks," ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management (CIKM), 2016.
Website: www.wpi.edu
Contact: Colleen Wamback, [email protected]

New Crackdowns on Payday Lending and Predatory Lending
Terri Friedline
Assistant Professor of Social Welfare
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has new rules on payday lending and predatory lending, and is cracking down on such practices.  Says Friedline: "These new rules are an important step toward protecting consumers. Consumer advocates have been anticipating CFPB's new rules on predatory lending for a long time, and it was exciting to participate in the local and regional conversation about predatory lending at the CFPB's field hearing in Kansas City last year."
Friedline is an expert in financial opportunity and equity, and is the lead creator of the Mapping Financial Opportunity project. 
Website: https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/mapping-financial-opportunity/where-are-financial-services-located/
Contact: Mike Krings, [email protected]

When It Comes to College Savings Basics, Parents Struggle to Make the Grade
Kyla Michaud
Vice President
Fidelity Investments
"While saving for college is a top priority for a majority of families, many parents still stumble over a number of college savings fundamentals. Taking time early to map out a savings strategy that fits your family's unique college goals can help you stay on track, and feel prepared when the time comes for your child to head to campus."
Michaud can speak to Fidelity's College IQ Survey (to be released on Oct. 12), which reveals parents' college savings knowledge gaps and pinpoints areas where they may need a tutor.
Contact: Brendan Beaver, [email protected] 

Building a Personal Brand
Marlene J. Waldock
Brand Builder, Motivational Speaker, Business Trainer, Author
1st Impressions Communications
New York, NY and West Orange, NJ
Branding isn't just for companies and products. Just about everyone needs a personal brand, whether you are an employee, a business professional, business owner, entrepreneur, or student. According to Waldock: "People [can] achieve their dreams by learning how to define what they really want for themselves. Knowing what you want is key and then it is about creating a plan."
Waldock is an award-winning brand builder, motivational speaker and nationally published author.  For over two decades, her focus has been personal branding, verbal marketing, powerful presentation skills and how to "ask," with the mantra "If you don't 'ASK," you don't 'GET'."Most recently, she's earned a spot on the Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs Brand Builders, and a Leading Women Entrepreneurs Finalist.
Website: http://becausewearewomen.com
Highlight Reel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIKseATTOMA
Contact: Amy Delman, [email protected]

How Leaders Can Positively Impact the Workplace
David Cunningham
Seminar Leader
Landmark
"The future you envision is what empowers you in the present. When people are connected to a purpose, they are more satisfied and productive. You want people to experience their contribution and fulfillment inside the enterprise. Everyone should be working toward the same things, from the CEO to the employees. Transformation happens when we empower people to see how they fit into the whole and the difference they make. People's behavior shifts when they see themselves as being on a journey toward something greater."
David Cunningham, M.Ed., is a communication expert and seminar leader for Landmark, a personal and professional growth, training and development company. In The Landmark Forum, Landmark's flagship program, people cause breakthroughs in their performance, communication, relationships and overall satisfaction in life.
Online Press Kit: http://davidcunningham.onlinepresskit247.com
Website: www.LandmarkWorldwide.com
Contact: Michelle Tennant, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Marketing & Media Executive – Behavox (London/NY)
• Editor, Weekend Business & Finance Section – The Wall Street Journal (NY)
• Digital Financial Journalist – Investor's Business Daily (CA)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

• So you want to be a ghost writer. Here's what you need to know. It's not so spooky, but like any type of freelance writing, it comes with its own challenges: http://prn.to/ghostwriter
• 5 Questions with Miami Herald: Reporting on Irma When You're in the Path of the Storm. While the wind and rain of Irma ravaged the state of Florida, members of the media stayed put to cover the full story to get the most up-to-date information to its readers. Here's what Miami Herald Managing Editor Rick Hirsch had to say: http://prn.to/2xZp42S
• Blogger Conferences: Top Events to Attend in OCTOBER. This a monthly column of what's happening in the blog world. Here are top events to attend in October: http://prn.to/octblogevents

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