contentious.com

Self portrait, atop Bear Peak, Boulder, CO, 2006

Some of you may be wondering who’s behind this weblog. It’s me, Amy Gahran. Here’s a little bit about me.

I’m a self-employed media consultant based in lovely Boulder, Colorado. Yes, that title is deliberately vague because I do a whole lot of things. I’m a journalist, editor, trainer, speaker, project manager, community manager, coach, and semi-geek.

Most of my work involves helping people and organizations (especially news and publishing organizations) wrap their brains around online, social, and conversational media — as well as community media, citizen journalism, and the evolution of media and journalism.

More details about my projects, upcoming speaking gigs, and other stuff…

• My e-mail address: amy@gahran.com
• My LinkedIn profile
• My photos on Flickr

My main projects and clients currently include:

• The Poynter Institute: I edit the group weblog E-Media Tidbits. I’ve also created e-learning modules for Poynter’s News University.
• J-Lab: I helped create the database of citizen media sites on the Knight Citizen News Network. (An I, Reporter project)
• Boulder Carbon Tax Tracker: A community journalism project funded by a Knight News Challenge grant. (An I, Reporter project)
• Society of Environmental Journalists: I write regularly for the SEJ Tipsheet, manage some events at SEJ’s annual conference, and advise SEJ on technology and online media issues.

Upcoming speaking engagements:

• Sept. 8: Soc. of Environmental Journalists conference, Stanford Univ., Palo Alto, CA. Plenary: “Toward a New Journalism”
• Oct. 1: Knight New Media Center seminar, Decision-making for Online Editors. Speaking in a session about online community and conversation.
• Oct. 7: Soc of Professional Journalists conference, Washington, DC. Session: “Web Productivity and Tech Tools Workout,” presenting with Barbara Iverson.
• Oct. 8: Training seminar at the American Chemical Society, Washington, DC
• Nov. 8: Blog World Expo, Las Vegas. Organizing panel session on citizen journalism.
• Nov. 19: Online Media Week, Barcelona, Spain. “Participatory journalism in the USA: opportunities and challenges.” Presenting with Jan Schaffer.

Recent speaking engagements:

• Aug. 6: New Hope Media, training seminar on social and conversational media.
• June 22: Organic Summit, panel on working with the media.
• May 16: Green Media Toolshed, online media workshop
• Various dates: Spoke to journalism students and fellows at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Past employment and clients have included

• E Source, managing editor, 1995-97. Several freelance editorial projects since then.
• Energy User News, managing editor
• Eastman Kodak: Launched and produced e-mail newsletter InFocus, three years
• Nortel Networks: Developed in-house web style guide
• Room 214: Video tutorials (screencasts) about online media tools and strategies
• National Governors Association: Several training workshops and one-on-one writing coaching
• Hudson Independent: Helped launch the online presence for a new community newspaper in Tarrytown, NY
• Online Guru: Strategic content consulting
• EEI Communications: Contributed chapter to the updated edition of E-What.
• Zondervan publishing: Created online style guide
• Blog and conversational media coaching, numerous clients.

Miscellaneous tidbits about Amy:

• Origins: Born and raised in southern NJ (Haddon Heights), outside of Philadelphia.
• Education: Attended Temple University. (BA, journalism, 1990).
• Journalism: Covered energy and environmental issues since 1991, mostly for business and niche media.
• Online: Got online in 1991 and haven’t stopped since.
• Relocation: Fled the east coast screaming in 1995 — couldn’t stand the humidity. Have lived in Boulder ever since.
• Semi-geek: I don’t code (beyond basic HTML), but I can quickly grasp the implications of new tools and the connections they can enable. I speak geek reasonably well, and often serve as a geek-layperson translator.
• Strengths: I’m a classic “connector,” in the Malcolm Gladwell sense. I’m also insatiably curious and very persistent.
• Avocations: Conversation, learning, amusement, adapatation.
• Current fascinations: Cognitive science, brain research, community dynamics, linguistics, Vladimir Nabokov, how emotions affect communication and action, energy efficiency, confusing my cats.
• Transportation: Currently car-free by choice.
• Misc: I’m a Mac person. And a cat person. I find those two characteristics tend to go together suspiciously often.
• Favorite musicians: Michael Hedges, Ani DiFranco, Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Bela Fleck, Kaki King, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, Matt Flinner, Weird Al Yankovic
• Favorite forms of exercise: Hiking, weight lifting, yoga, balance exercises, mental calisthenics
• Not-so-guilty pleasures: Science fiction, malbec and tepranillo wines, highly caffeinated tea, running away to my cabin on the Continental Divide, Deadwood, Cold War Russian black humor, playing with new online toys.
• Books: Yes, always. I’m a voracious reader.
• Weaknesses: Paperwork, returning phone calls (phone is not my preferred medium of communication), vacuuming.
• Currently working on: Acceptance, compassion, reducing daily stress.
• Backup career plan: Reclusive llama herder in South America (armed).

What do you think of my profile? Did I forget anything important? Do you disagree with any part of it? Please comment below.