Digital Media: Willingness to try new things and embrace change is a must
On Wednesday, April 27 I did a half day digital media workshop at the Meridian International Center for 23 media professionals from 22 countries. The group is visiting the U.S. for three weeks as part of the program “Media Literacy: Promoting Civil Society through New Media.”
I read their bios and checked their work so I can customize and make this workshop as useful as possible for these accomplished digital media practitioners who are looking to learn, get inspired and see how things are done in the U.S.
Since this was the beginning of their three-week program, I put together a practical workshop and shared what are the skills that media professionals need to have and useful free digital tools they can easily use to enhance their work.
Below are the five outcomes from the workshop:
Media industry in constant flux
1. Regardless of where we are as media professionals, this industry is in constant flux.
We need to constantly adapt, change and learn.
I recently read a new report about the required digital skills a journalist should have by the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism. Our work experience and knowledge are indispensable and digital tools come and go, but being in the know, willing to try new things and embrace change is a must. So if driving or accepting change is not in your nature, this is not the right industry for you.
Know your audience
2. Don’t underestimate your audience and find a common language. Our consumption habits change and we need to change with it. There is a struggle among journalists to not fall into the “crap trap” or produce low-quality content in order to gain clicks and visits.
“I’m not saying you let the audience dictate everything, but a smart, aggressive, forward-leaning media company is going to write what it thinks is important and its audience thinks is important.” Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei says.
How do we do that? Here is a great Washington Post article that explains the “what, so what and now what” phenomenon and how understanding this will help us better serve our audience.
Personal branding
3. Personal branding or building and showcasing your knowledge is very important. A lot of times the organizations we’re working for don’t want to embrace change or our ideas. Instead, share them on your blog or Medium, as there are plenty of publishing tools and social media channels where you can share your expertise and insights. Often times we feel misunderstood or not understood at all and the truth is a lot of people in the industry feel the same. This is the way to find the support you need.
Collaboration
4. Collaboration is key when it comes to working on projects or innovation. If a project was successful in a certain country, can it be replicated in yours? Inspire and be inspired by others and learn from each other’s experiences. In this day and age, despite being multi- everything, we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. You don’t have to do it alone, there are plenty of like-minded people who would love to collaborate.
Media sustainability?
5. There’s still no answer on how to be successfully sustainable in this industry. Unfortunately, articles about media companies laying off employees are all too common.
Despite the current digital media situation, not all is lost. Media companies are shifting their strategies and being proactive rather than reactive. This is not a bad thing and there is a bright side to the current financial stumbles as outlined in this New York Times article.
There is a lot of room for growth, experimentation and taking risks. It’s OK to try, fail and try again.
This post was originally published on Medium.