Back in early February, I wrote a blog post that created a tiny stir in my journalism circle. It was about how news is getting more “mobile.” And by “mobile” I don’t only mean smart phones (although, they are massively relevant to what’s happening), I mean that news organizations are now having to abandon their […]
My blogging strategy keeps changing — and so must yours
Originally published in October 2015 in Blog
Planet freelance
Originally published in October 2015 in Blog
I stick up for freelancers. They inspire me. They’re my tribe. I don’t know if what I say disturbs the order. When there are still more men making $100 million a month on Wall Street flipping real estate than there are Occupy protests, I’d say … probably not. Every day, we freelancers show up to […]
From the business pages
Originally published in October 2015 in Blog
In June, Goldman Sachs brought down a new policy for their 2900 interns in investment banking: leave the office before midnight each day. (Source: The Sunday Funnies. Correction: “Sunday Business,” The New York Times). Goldman Sachs supports Meet Kenneth Griffin, an American hedge fund manager and the Founder and CEO of […]
Performance Art
Originally published in July 2015 in Blog, Chalkboard Art, Doodling, Graphic Recording, Graphic Visualizer, Illustration, Visual Notetaking, Visual Storytelling
I’ve been doing chalkboard art on the windows at The Merchant Tavern for two weeks now, armed with my ruler, Sharpie paint markers, Q-tips and a bottle of nail polish remover. One hundred thousand commuters flood Toronto’s Financial District on weekdays, and during the morning rush hour about ten thousand of them walk past the spot where […]
We Know What Jane Jacobs Would Do
Originally published in June 2015 in Blog, Custom Portraits, Doodling, Illustration, Toronto Illustrators
News really is getting mobile
Originally published in February 2015 in Blog
News organizations that have been focused on their online real estate — i.e. stuff they own, like their websites — need to start thinking more like train-hopping vagabonds. This means going homeless and filling their rucksacks with original stories formatted for mobile-only apps, then hitting the road and stopping at a variety of destinations along […]
Upcoming Workshop: 2 weeks today!
Originally published in June 2014 in Blog
My next Digital Strategy Workshop is exactly two weeks today: Wednesday, June 18, from 1-4 pm. If you are an independent business owner, like me, I think you’ll find the tips and discussions very helpful. Email me at alison.garwoodjones@gmail.com for the location details. *I plan to be at the beach and other people’s cottages over […]
Pilot Coffee Roasters
Originally published in May 2014 in Blog
Thanks for the #Woot, Williamson Chong. In my humble opinion, architect Don Chong is the next Jane Jacobs. None of that made it in to my profile of Don’s work for Pilot Coffee Roasters, but the evidence is sprinkled throughout the transcript of my interview with him. Some of you may remember Don for his “Small Fridges Make Good Cities” […]
Tonight’s reading
Originally published in May 2014 in Blog
My good pal, Jonathan Menon, sent me this: The New York Times Innovation Report, 2014. It outlines how the paper might reorganize itself into a truly “digital-first” organization. The report is 100 pages and will probably take me two baths to get through. The Times admits its biggest weakness, still, has been its reluctance to shift the […]
A foot in the door
Originally published in April 2014 in Blog
Republished on J-Source, The Canadian Journalism Project. Every era has its hiring challenges. In the Dirty Thirties, when there was no work, men spent more time in soup lines than job lines. “You couldn’t even buy a job,” so went the popular catch phrase of the era. By the 1950s, there was plenty of work, although […]
