Judy Rosella Edwards is a freelance writer and new media specialist who creates web content in addition to writing for local newspapers. Her focus is genealogy, history, and Central Illinois history.

She writes a monthly column for GenWeekly and is a web content provider. Edwards is a contributor to the Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography and is a past presenter at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s annual Conference on Illinois History.

She says, “I’ll write about just about anything—and I have!” She has interviewed U.S. politicans, middle school spelling bee winners, artists, entertainers, business owners, school officials, and UFO experts.

“Flexibility is the key to getting freelance work in a small market,” she said, revealing the secret to her success. “I’ll write about anything except sports. Any sport. I don’t know anything about sports and I’m not willing to learn. But give me any other topic and, even if I don’t know the subject inside and out, I’ll research it until I can write intelligently about it.”

In her spare time, she teaches computer applications. A Microsoft certified Office Specialist, Edwards is currently pursuing Adobe Certification.

Edwards is also a Wikipedia editor. “I have heard a lot of cricitisms against Wikipedia,” she said. “The wonder of Wikipedia is that, if you find an error or are aware of a discrepancy, fix it! Wikipedia is a collaborative website. Share your knowledge. Share your expertise.”

Edwards challenges that, if you find your world is less than perfect, do something about it. If you wish things were different, find a way to make it so. That commitment inspired her to create a local Freecycle project.

“I liked the Freecycle concept, but there was no Freecycle group in my area,” she said. “There is still this misperception that the average end-user lives in a major metro area and is a recent high school or college graduate. I live in an unincorporated community of 1,500! I started a Freecycle site that exploded into two, and then three… and now there are more than 3,000 participants and many of us live in what might be considered remote areas. Thank goodness, other people took over management of the groups. But it is a great concept, to give away useful items instead of putting them into a landfill.”

Edwards says she still feels like the potential of the web has barely been discovered. But, she is excited to be a part of it.

If you are searching for an experienced content provider or designer, contact Judy Rosella Edwards at judy@judyrosellaedwards.com. Watch for classes she is scheduled to teach at PDI, or contact Judy directly to create an individualized training solution at judy@judyrosellaedwards.com.

Judy Rosella Edwards is a writer and new media specialist. She holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Systems Technology from the College of Education at Indiana University. She is a Microsoft Certified Office Specialist.

She lives in a remote lake community near Mackinaw, Ill., with her husband and four cats.