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Alison Sherwood is a multimedia producer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Known as ‘postcollegecook’ on Twitter, Sherwood also maintains a food blog for MJS in which she “shares her struggles and triumphs while learning to cook.”

Read on to find out how Sherwood applies various forms of social media to her job as a journalist and blogger, and follow her adventures yourself at Post-College Kitchen.

Q. What do you feel is the best part of what social media brings to journalism?

It humanizes our profession. In the social media world, we aren’t just faceless entities spouting out information; we’re members of the community engaging in conversation with readers online. I think a lot of people find social media a more approachable place to reach journalists. It helps us connect with readers on a personal level and it helps build trust.

Q. Do you feel as though learning new social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc.) has made you a better journalist? If so, in what way?

I definitely think Twitter has helped me become a better blogger. It helps me connect with other bloggers and get to know my readers and peers because it’s much more of a two-way conversation than blogging. I think being a part of various social networks has helped me better understand how people take in information online, which has definitely been an asset as a multimedia journalist  (my “real” job here beyond blogging).

Q. Most journalists find that social media helps connect them better with the public. Have the various forms of social media helped you relate more with your readers?

Social media has really helped me turn some of my blog readers into friends. I know them as more than a username and comment on my blog. I see what they’re doing and thinking and reading on a daily basis on Twitter, and I have conversations with them all the time. I’ve met quite a few readers and fellow food bloggers in person at tweetups and other opportunities that have arisen because of Twitter.

Q. What do you enjoy most about being a blogger for JSOnline.com?

I truly enjoy the creative challenges of writing, photographing, cooking and putting it all together in a way that engages people. In the end, though, it’s the people I’ve met via my blog that make it all worthwhile. I really enjoy meeting other bloggers and readers with similar interests, and blogging has helped me do that.

Q. Have you always been passionate about experimenting with food and new recipes? What inspired you to blog about food and what do you enjoy most about it?

I have not always had a passion for cooking. I actually never really cooked at all until junior year of college when I lived in an apartment. But every time I would attempt a new recipe, I would get in way too far over my head and it wouldn’t turn out right. My husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) would tell me I needed to start by learning the basics and then work my way up. That was the original premise of the blog – to be a place where people with no cooking skills or equipment could find recipes they could make. It’s sort of evolved to include experiments with more complicated recipes – mainly because I can’t back down from a new challenge once the idea pops into my head! I enjoy the creative freedom that comes with blogging. Each post I get to use words, pictures, videos and food to craft something that is hopefully informative and entertaining. Blogging also challenges me to constantly try new recipes and techniques. I rarely repeat recipes at home because there are so many out there that I want to try and then write about.