In what some might consider a geek girl “coming out” moment, last night I participated in a Toronto Girl Geek Dinner panel on the “Future of Media.” Although I had never attended any of their previous networking events, I was honoured and flattered to have the opportunity to learn and share my views and media experiences.
The room was filled with passionate Toronto women representing a variety of professional backgrounds and business sectors…marketing, mainstream media, journalism, social media, web design, technology and self-employed entrepreneurs. Guided by moderator Candace Faktor (General Manager of Torstar Digital), Ryerson Professor Lori Beckstead, CBC Radio Operations & Resource Manager Angela Misri, and myself explored the existing and emerging Canadian media landscape with much audience participation.
UPDATE: Jodi Wils Apologies to Jessie Bonisteel … it was Jessie who posted a nice summary of some of the issues on the Toronto Girl Geek blog here.
Discussions on Twitter were happening during and soon after the event; especially ideas of mentoring and employment-seeking young journalists establishing a digital footprint (although on that last point I believe that maybe some of the participants sold their efforts short in that area.)
Albeit ambitious in scope, it was well worth it even if it did scratch the surface. The truth is, with so many possible threads up for discussion, it could have easily been a Toronto Girl Geek weekend.
On one hand, I felt in the minority. For the most part, I spend my days planning for and having web content development and sales discussions for our own online properties and those of our media partners. Yet, some might consider “my world” traditional as it is not exclusive to the online space because it includes (gasp!) community and cultural newspapers. (I could elaborate on the value of such publications to the audiences who, yes, read them, and yes, support the advertisers who advertise in them, but I’ll leave that for another post.)
There is incredible excitement and limitless possibilities in this “new media” age. I’d even go so far to say that there are no veterans. We’re all learning as we go; applying and tweaking elements of one success story to create others. The speed with which technology and tools are advancing and the cultural implications those bring, is incredible. Publishing, journalism, business models — they’re all being reinvented and redefined.
The cultural diversity of Toronto and the fact that over 75% of our city’s population consists of immigrants or 1st generation Canadians is not new to me. (Fellow-panelist Lori Beckstead also echoed the cultural make-up of the city as well.) What was surprising, was not seeing a similar percentage reflected in the room. So, being afforded the opportunity to represent an under-served and untapped audience was a great chance to not only help spread the word but, at the same time, to also understand that we share many of the day-to-day challenges when it comes to online, social media, etc. “Demographics of the room” aside, with possible mentoring opportunities in the future, there is clearly a strong, creative, vibrant and enthusiastic contingent of Toronto women who are proving it’s possible to lead the way.
My thanks and big shout-outs to Candace, Lori and Angela for a great discussion; and to Heather Leson and Leona Hobbs of TGGD.
Leona Hobbs says:
November 11, 2009 at 7:54 amThank you so much for your participation in TGGD. I have never known our TGGD community to shy away from a debate. From reading the tweets and blog posts so far (unfortunately, I missed the event Monday for client obligations), it appears that the most passionate discussion wasn’t about the ongoing evolution of media, the changing notions of Community journalism, hyper-local, etc.
Obviously, the issues around working in and with social media, reputation management and the cultivation of personal brand, along with mentorship and inter-generational dialogue were the topics of the night with our participants. Never a dull moment.
I hear you about diversity. We have over 300 women in our group who come from many backgrounds. We welcome all new members. Our group is simply about making technology accessible for everyone, especially women. We welcome men at our events (as long as they the guest of a woman). And certainly hope we provide events that resonate with our members and add value to the discussion. New voices are always welcome, so I would encourage any of your readers to join us.
Doreen says:
November 11, 2009 at 10:04 amThanks for stopping by here, Leona, and for your comments. I think to keep the event and discussion fluid it did need to go where the passion was taking it; so, yes – the issues surrounding social media struck a chord and were very worthwhile.
I’m glad you made that point. I didn’t want to make it sound like TGGD was non-welcoming of different perspectives or voices, far from it. I think TGGD is a great opportunity for all Toronto women to connect, network, learn, share, and grow..and I believe by reaching out and putting together Monday night’s panel is demonstrative of your commitment to welcoming new voices. Exciting times.
Melissa says:
November 11, 2009 at 12:30 pmHi there,
Thank you for addressing this topic!
The idea of a mentorship program was brought up many times via Twitter. And while I think it’s a great idea, perhaps we should consider exactly who the mentees should be and who would benefit most? Would it be:
Members of the already savvy, educated, and -dare I say it- privileged members of TGGD?
or
The girls and women in our community who belong to the 40% of GTA residents who do not even own a computer to begin with, clearly disadvantaging them right off the bat.
Doreen says:
November 11, 2009 at 3:33 pmThanks so much, Melissa, for your comment. Just a slight clarification: the 40% I referred to the other evening was actually the % of local GTA businesses without computers, and thereby the opportunities/challenges faced by traditional and non-traditional publishers in realizing the increasingly popular “local local local” approach.
Having said that, yes, you’re probably right that it does bear some resemblance to the number of many girls and women in the community who don’t own a computer. I think you raise a very good question. I don’t speak on behalf of TGGD, but my own personal opinion is, why not both?
I may have knowledge and ideas that are unique to me that are useful to others; but, if I’ve come to learn anything, it’s that I’m still learning…and I’m ok with that. I also believe that the best mentoring programs are those that are based on experience, wherever that experience comes from. If anything, it’s an idea that seems to have sparked some positive reaction amongst the TGGD community.