Leaving group to let it prosper

[Jas Darrah]

Dear colleagues,
I am going to leave this MediaCamp Edmonton group for the year,
because I am not sure if I will be able to help advance the
discussions that I think need to happen. I believe that Edmonton could
become a leader in the development of new forms of media and social
interaction online, led by transforming traditional media
organizations working with transforming new media participants. I
think we have an enormous potential for our bloggers and coders (and
other online journalists and developers) to collaborate with
mainstream media organizations and media partnerships (or
associations) to create new ways to share stories and connect
Edmontonians on issues that are important to our community.
I think that with targeted collaboration and blue-sky imagination
about what can be done, our community could create paradigm shifts
that secure the longevity of mainstream media organizations with
innovative business models, and vitalize the role of new media players
as emerging "corporate" community members.
I believe two things may need to happen to enable this innovation: 1)
pursue forums where the competition between media organizations is
side-stepped (hence my suggestion for participation through
associations such as CAJ, where the goal is to "float all boats"); and
2) diminish the participation of PR organizations.
PR professionals have a very valid role in participating in
conversations about how organizations tell their stories and connect
with people in their community in new ways. At the same time, I think
PR participation may sometimes muddy the water and prevent frank
discussions among the media people because the PR people often
represent the subject matter on which the media report and engage.
For this purpose, I am going to step back from the Edmonton MediaCamp
initiative, for at least a year, and I may pursue other initiatives in
which PR professionals can up their game to be able to plug in to the
new world order we will enjoy after advancements in media endeavours,
online connections in our community, fostered by successful MediaCamp
activity.
I also encourage representatives from mainstream media, citizen
journalists and online developers to consider the scope of the next
MediaCamp, to determine if narrowing the focus may be more
beneficial.
Whatever the decision, I wish all the best for the next MediaCamp and
I am confident it will be successful because of the passion and
interest of the participants I witnessed last year.
Cheers,
Jas