Technology for the Turnaround (4/25) – Your invitation.

Yes, there have been a lot of changes lately. Layoffs, closures, bankruptcies. And the good news about the bad news is that change brings opportunity. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste!

On Saturday, 4/25, at UGA we are going to develop strategies for how thrive after the downturn. “Technology for the Turnaround” will give us the technowledge to get ahead in the brave new media world that is just around the corner. And, this event isn’t about whining, it is about winning.

So join us for a free and fun day of discussion, debate, and demonstrations. Here is a brief schedule, but you can find out more and RSVP at http://www.mynmi.net/Tech4Turn/.

1:00P -- "Innovation for the Turnaround"
Jennifer Dorian (SVP, Network Strategy and Brand Development at Turner Entertainment Networks) will show us how to discover the innovation resources right under our noses.

1:30P -- "Drill Down Discussions of New Media Trends"
Experts from a range of companies (Porter Novelli, JWT, Turner, Verizon, AT&T, Moxie, NuRun, UPS, Delta) will help us develop a list of the top technology turnaround trends.

3:15P -- Student Show-Offs
UGA students from a range of different departments will be demonstrating the technology projects they have been working on this year. No better way to see the future.

5:00P -- Networking Reception – Herty Field

And if you need any more encouragement to come see the future in the coolest town in America on a beautiful spring night, the Athens Twilight (http://www.athenstwilight.com) is being held that evening less than 2 blocks away just after our reception. That is always a ton of fun!

Join us -- we are going to have a blast!

Does UGA need a new Digital Mass Media Major? Tell us Tuesday (3/24, 8A)

What happened? Why YouTube and not ABC, CBS, or NBC? Why is Google the world’s largest advertising agency (market cap of $137.70B) over 13 times bigger than WPP (market cap $10.47B)? Why with a billion downloads is iTunes killing every other record label? Why with every closure do newspaper publishers seem like the blacksmiths of the information age? And why is Facebook Generation Next’s favorite book -- that they don’t even have to buy?

The short answer is technology. Gutenberg’s new media technology gave birth to mass communication. The medium is the technology. Each new iteration of techno innovation amped the power of our new communication tools. And with new digital technologies, the pace of change went warp speed. Like no other epoch of media history, new technologies fundamentally altered every aspect of mass media.

And some of us believe that mass communication education has not changed enough to address the challenge of digital technology. We hoped the content skills we taught our students would beat the channel savvy technowledge the dot com start-ups offered. Sensible enough. People were still going to read, listen, and watch. The content production skills would be relevant no matter what the medium, right? Unfortunately, technology radically changed the patterns of consumption. Technological capability morphed traditional industry structure into something today’s media professionals barely recognize. The technologist transformed from a bit part to the leading lady/man. And the mass media professional is being edged off the screen.

Some of us want to change that. A group of faculty in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication is exploring possibility of creating a new type of major to educate a new type of communication professional.

With the Digital Mass Media major, we want the Grady College to develop the next generation of media leaders. The DMM major would provide an in-depth technology education that students can’t receive anywhere today at UGA. But at the same time, these students will be able to place their technowledge in the context of traditional media industries. DMM students will have a rich understanding of the role of media in all elements of our society – and they will know the bits and bytes. In short, we want DMM graduates to become the turnaround artists that will rescue mass media from irrelevance and help legacy companies reclaim leadership in the industries they helped create.

We have discussed a possible structure for the Digital Mass Media major. But that is only a start. We will talking about this plan on Tuesday (3/24) at 8A in the NMI (412 Journalism). Join us to share your ideas.

DBB (Tu, 3/24, 12:30P) -- Schematic -- Matthew Coble

The things you find in your backyard -- if you just look! Last year, I discovered Schematic (http://www.schematic.com/) a wildly innovative interactive agency in downtown Atlanta. And I was blown away. They aren't just using new media, they are reinventing it. At our next Digital Brown Bag (Tuesday, 3/24, 12:30P, NMI, 401 Journalism), Matthew Coble is going to explain what Schematic is up to. Join us!

New Video New Media Update available -- episode 6.

Sure, Zack Goulet, Kiley Dorton, Jennifer Strickland, and Justin Williams are acting up a little. But their New Media Update videos are sure a fun way to catch up on all the stuff happening in the NMI. Check it out.
http://mynmi.net/newmediaupdate/

Life Beyond the Hedges -- IABC (3/25, 3P, Miller Learning Center)

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is hosting a professional development program called "Life Beyond the Hedges" to educate undergraduates about what to accomplish before and after graduation for success in the business world. They have sessions on Personal Finance and Financial Budgeting, Post-Undergraduate Options, Negotiating a Job Offer, Navigating the Job Market in a Struggling Economy.
They are also providing resume critiques and mock interviews conducted by top representatives from Atlanta companies!

You can get more info and register at http://www.uga.edu/iabc/index.shtml to register and find out more information.
When: March 25, 2009, 3pm
Where: Miller Learning Center Room 350