Why set up this website?
As a journalist myself, it is incredibly important to be able to fnd the most appropriate and knowledgeable 'sources', quickly. The web is a perfect way to put these people and journalists together. Journalists are under increasing pressure to find these people quickly as deadlines and budgets continue to shrink. Freelancers, especially often appreciate this kind of assistance.
Roy, was this your original idea?
No. I was first knocked out by the service offered in North America by a PR guy called Peter Shankman. He manages to send out 3 emails a day to over 20,000 sources! It's quite amazing. I repsonded to a query from a reporter in California who wanted comments from someone who has experience of working with people who have a habit of misusing Powerpoint. I do, so I sent an email to the reporter with a few examples of situations I have encountered as a conference moderator and speaker. The reporter called me from the States because she was so impressed with my comments! And then interviewed me for an American magazine. It was that simple. At the end of the interview she asked if I would be happy if she ever contacted me again for other quotes.
Then I registered as a journalist with a particular query. The quality of responses was very impressive. My immediate thought was - the UK needs this! So Journooz.com was created!
You say that no one must abuse this - why?
The only way this can work is if journalists can feel confident about posting their requests and knowing they will receive high-quality responses. They work under high-pressure and don;t have time to wade through spam emails. Anyone who submits irrelevant posts will increase the liklihood that journalists won't bother submitting future queries. Therefore, it's essential that 'sources' only repsond to items where they are real experts on what the journalists are looking for!