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Face-to-face with independence

This Magazine Staff

After a full day of sessions on Saturday (most with an eye toward improving the magazine’s web presence), my official IPA convention experience came to a close. I would have posted about the day’s events, but I think it’s safe to say that little of the content from the workshops I attended would be of interest.

However, one of the chief benefits of an event like this was the connections to be made with like-minded journalists, editors and other media types. After a couple nights on the town in SF, several of the Canadian contingent met yesterday morning to begin the process of expanding the power of our publications—especially online—through collaboration and sharing of resources, skills and technology. It just goes to show that no matter how much community can be developed online, nothing builds trust and fosters a sense of shared experience quite like meeting face to face and sipping a local microbrew in a strange city.

Similarly, I was able to discover or rediscover a host of exciting, off-the-beaten-path publications from North America and around the world. Bulb. YES! Magazine. Chicago Reporter. Heeb. $pread Magazine. In These Times. At the very least, these titles offer examples of journalists getting to the overlooked stories their readerships want to hear. Check them out, and if they offer a perspective you value, consider adding them to your media diet.

I’m now at the Detroit airport, a little sleep-deprived but inspired and excited about the potential of the independent media, especially the prospects for This.

How’s Canada?

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