ProfNet Experts Available on Ponzi Schemes, Facebook and the Workplace

NEW YORK, May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that 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/alertswire.

EXPERT ALERTS

• What Is a Ponzi Scheme and Five Signs You Might Be a Victim of One
• Why You Shouldn't 'Friend' the Boss

MEDIA JOBS

• Writer/Blogger – The Intercept (NY)
• Features Reporter – Courier-Post (NJ)
• Features Team Leader – Virginian Pilot (VA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Video for Writers
• 8 Tips for Breaking Into Content Marketing Writing
• Media Training for Writers: Five Key Takeaways
  

EXPERT ALERTS:

What Is a Ponzi Scheme and Five Signs You Might Be a Victim of One
John H. Snyder
Attorney
Snyder explains five signs you might be a victim of a Ponzi scheme: "1) The return is too high. One-year FDIC-insured CDs now pay at most 1.5%. Any investment touting a return a lot higher than that warrants close scrutiny. If it's such a good deal, why aren't the promoters keeping it for themselves? 2) Stated returns are too steady. Stock markets and interest rates often vary widely from year to year, so an above-average return that doesn't budge in response to changing economic conditions is inherently suspect. 3) There's little documentation. Inadequate paperwork can be a tipoff. This includes initial disclosures as well as financial statements that only arrive sporadically. 4) Investment methodology makes no sense. Ponzi himself touted to suckers an international arbitrage involving buying and selling coupons redeemable for postage stamps. Besides its complexity, there weren't enough coupons in existence to use. Beware investments you can't understand. 5) There's no independent asset custodian. The lack of an arms-length third party to hold invested assets makes it a lot easier for chicanery to occur. This is especially true in Ponzis, where the scam is the undetected use of fresh money to pay off existing investors. New York celebrity advisor Kenneth I. Starr, accused in May of running a $30 million Ponzi, allegedly held some client assets in an office safe."
Based in New York City, Snyder is recognized as a forceful trial advocate and creative legal strategist. His litigation practice encompasses a wide variety of commercial matters, with an emphasis on partnership/closely held company disputes. He also serves as counselor and personal advisor to executives and entrepreneurs. He was recently named to the American Society of Legal Advocates' "Top 40 Under 40" list of New York litigators, and has been rated a "Rising Star" by SuperLawyers since 2013.
Website: http://www.jhs.nyc
Contact: Ryan McCormick, [email protected]

Why You Shouldn't 'Friend' the Boss
Dr. Frieda Birnbaum
Research Psychologist, Psychoanalyst
"If you choose to 'friend' your boss, you're giving them access to elements of your personal life, and they may choose to not promote you or possibly fire you based on this. Your boss may be jealous of whom your spouse is or your living arrangements. Your boss may see pictures of you having a fun time and feel they are a misrepresentation of the company. You should never give your boss the opportunity to judge you for anything beyond how well you do your job. It's probably not a good idea to friend co-workers on social media either unless you were friends with them before you began your job. In today's ultra-competitive workplace, some people will do anything to get ahead, including capitalizing on any personal information they have on you and using it in a negative fashion. Keep your personal social media as far away from the workplace as possible and keep your face-to-face socializing as far away from the workplace. Your true and trusted friends are who they are because you can be 100% comfortable in their presence and there's no worry about being judged."
Dr. Birnbaum is a mother of five and author of "What Price Power: An In-Depth Study of the Professional Woman in a Relationship."
Contact: Ryan McCormick, [email protected]

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/

• Writer/Blogger – The Intercept (NY)
• Features Reporter – Courier-Post (NJ)
• Features Team Leader – Virginian Pilot (VA)

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.

• VIDEO FOR WRITERS. Writers are now expected to be marketers, promoters, social media experts and, occasionally, video producers. At the recent 2015 ASJA conference, freelance writer and independent producer Scott Sowers explained how writers can apply the use of video by recording their interview subjects, to promote a book or as an additional revenue stream: http://prn.to/1KX9TF1
• 8 TIPS FOR BREAKING INTO CONTENT MARKETING WRITING. Businesses are looking to transform the way they communicate to reach three specific customer segments: new customers, current customers and, perhaps most urgently, recently lapsed customers. Marketers have recognized that editorial content holds a persuasive power that can be used to increase bottom-line figures, so while the consumer publishing industry shrinks, content marketing is thriving. At the 2015 ASJA conference, a panel of journalists-turned-content-marketers shared their best advice on how to break into the business: http://prn.to/1zwTKES
• MEDIA TRAINING FOR WRITERS: FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS. As journalists, we often face unique challenges. We are constantly on the hunt for good quotes, story ideas, etc. However, what happens when you're the one who has to the give good quotes? Leah Ingram offered her two cents on "Media Training for Writers" at this year's ASJA Conference. Here are five key takeaways: http://prn.to/1GZ23Xn

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