Robyn’s Nest

Ooh, I can remember back in the day when I was a junior reporter knocking out stories on a dusty Mac and conducting interviews by phone and in person. Oh, how times have changed. And that’s just in the last 10 years.

When I was on the first rung of the ladder into a journalism career there was no internet, there was no email, no Wi-Fi, no broadband, no touch screen technology, no iPods and no satnav.

Now kids are downloading podcasts, creating web pages and posting blog entries as easily as we tie our shoelaces. And my attendance at the Media Guardian’s Changing Media Summit in London yesterday reminded me of this fact.

There’s a huge generation gap when it comes to digital technology and a lot of us are playing catch up. The internet generation is just as comfortable with uploading videos onto YouTube as we were playing hopscotch in the school playground.

Despite the incredibly early start yesterday - 5.30am, yawn city! - my work buddy and I attempted to take in a whole day’s worth of interviews, panel discussions, speeches and question and answer sessions with some of the biggest names in media. And it was a tad mind-boggling.

We’re both relieved that “the print is dead or dying fast” rumour won’t put us out of a job; the internet has opened up a lot of journalistic opportunities according to Guardian News & Media managing director Tim Brooks, so there’s hope for us print hacks yet.

We both agreed that writing for the web, be it websites, online newsletters or blogs, isn’t much different to writing for newspapers and magazines, and we’re excited at the prospect of getting to grips with all this digi stuff.

And just as I thought social networking was fading out, Travis Katz of MySpace showed us what’s in the pipeline and how it will keep on expanding. He also came out with this lovely quote: “Social networking is where people, content and culture collide.” Ah, ain’t that nice. Not a fan of MySpace myself; I prefer Facebook ‘cos you can choose who views your profile and avoid random messages from whacko strangers at the same time. But that’s just my preference. My ickle sister (aged 13, going on 21) prefers Bebo.

Anyway, enough of my media ramblings. If you want to learn more about this changing media business and yesterday’s summit, read my work blog Getting to knOU.

PS Here’s a random thing - I only bumped into one of the lovely Essex girls I met skiing in France a few weeks ago at this Changing Media Summit. Small world or what! 

I don’t know what it is about holidays, but I always feel motivated to sort my life out a bit when I get back. Tomorrow I head to France for a week and already I feel that the fresh mountain air will be enough to blow away the cobwebs and inject a bit of enthusiasm into Robyn’s World.

I’m looking forward to putting the following into action in March:

• Start volleyball training again, as ankle should be back to normal, and also go to korfball on Monday nights with the girls from work.
• Run (at least three times a week) to the newly opened Tesco Express store on my estate to pick up a morning newspaper - a 10 minute injection of exercise, fresh air and chance to catch up with the rest of the world.
• Use the medicine ball which is sitting on the floor at home. It’s not going to help me tone up unless I actually use it.
• Use my lunch hour to catch up on reading - CIPR reading list/PR Week and Media Guardian. I will become a font of all media and public relations knowledge.
• Eat better. The last few weeks have seen me shovel all sorts of edible evils into my mouth. It’s time to stock up on the fruit and veggies.
• Take a packed lunch to work. The cafeteria is costing me a small fortune.
• Make a list of all the unwanted things in my flat (two TVs for starters) and try and shift them on the work intranet site.
• Book my next holidays - it’s always good to have some guaranteed sunshine to look forward to. In the meantime I need to ditch the pasty look and get busy with the fake tan.
• Be more efficient at work and try and establish a proper routine.
• Make plenty of time to go dancing with the girlies and catch up with buddies back in the Shire

Inspired by the writer of this blog, who got her inspiration from the writer of this blog, I am going to write about my week in media. Here goes…

What I’ve read

• A few chapters of Book of the Dead, by Patricia Cornwell
• A backlog of issues of The Journalist (NUJ publication)
• Flicked through MK News (the local rag)
• Heat magazine. Essential for latest celeb gossip and fashion disasters
• Re-visited Bill Bryson’s Troublesome Words
• And I’d like to say The Guardian’s media section but I just haven’t got round to it

 What I’ve listed to

• Radio 1 (Moyles in the morning, Mills in the evening)
• Clubland CD (for bopping to in the car and pretending I’m young enough to get away with it)
• A few tracks on a Party Hits CD which my mate left behind when she last visited

 What I’ve watched

• BBC One’s Sense and Sensibility on Sunday, lovin’ it, lovin’ it, lovin’ it
• Hollyoaks (the only thing I watch with any regularity these days. It’s easy, no-effort TV for people in their 20s. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway!)
• Wire in the Blood. Just a one-off I think but I loved the series.
• Mistresses. Well, not watched it yet but I’ve recorded it. S’posed to be the UK version of Sex and the City, and I love anything with Sarah Parish in.
• PS, I Love You at the cinema. Proper girly film but plenty of eye candy. Dark hair, blue eyes, toned arms and Irish charm. What more could a girl want?

 What I’ve surfed

• BBC News to see what’s going on in the world
• Various Open University web pages (research for work)
• Learning/literacy websites (research for an article I’m working on)
• My friend’s blogs
• Facebook. Yes, I’m another addict.
• CIPR website to remind myself about the diploma I’m starting next week. Eek, studying!