If there was one single building where my personal worlds collide, it is at the News Cafe on Albert St.  Just this morning I was at an event hosted by the Advertising Association of Winnipeg entitled The Future of Traditional News Media according to Dan Lett.  I was interested in attending because my original and primary profession is as a Media Planner and what was said will help me make more educated choices on behalf of my clients.

But, ironically it is because of the changing face of traditional media, that I have had to reinvent myself as a blogger and social media expert.  The irony lies in the evidence that social media has had direct impact on traditional media especially because on line “news” deliverers are being provided content by “non-journalists” (of which I am one).  Just before I left my car for the presentation, I checked my email messages to find that the Huffington Post has picked up another one of my blog posts.  Much of the presentation was about the existence of platforms such as the Huffington Post and how they have developed an appetite for consumers wanting their news for “free”.  You can imagine what a challenge this is for the business model of an organization like the Winnipeg Free Press.

For me, my toast is buttered on both sides: I benefit from the good fortune that providing content for social media provides and I benefit by promoting the advantages that are delivered by traditional media to my clients. In addition, Dan Lett explained that the News Cafe is actually creating opportunities in journalism that never would have existed without the cafe, such as the inertia to build community and hear authentic anecdotes from politicians and celebrities that never would have been revealed in other realms.

AND The News Cafe serves food of course, which is another convergence of this whole scene and once again where my professions intercept.  Admission to the event included these delicious breakfasts (well at least I know that my ham and cheese omellette was delicious).  My breakfast dates let me photograph their plates too.  Imagine what it is like to dine with me…

 Kath’s quote: “All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society.  We can brutalize it.  Or we can help lift it to a higher level.”-William Bernbach

Love-that is all.

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