Yesterday, I had lunch with Charlie O'Donnell who, in addition to blogging and holding down a day job at Oddcast, is involved with a Silicon Alley technology/media networking group called nextNY. Even though nextNY is open to all up-and-coming digerati and has been organized to encourage cross-pollination among various related segments -- technologists, entrepreneurs, media mavens, digital marketers -- he has found that most people tend to stick with their own kind. The techies interact with the techies; the media guys seek out other media guys.
Do I need to say how disappointing this is? I, myself, certainly talk to plenty of people working in the agency world and at mainstream media companies. But I find that I learn more and glean greater insight by spending quality time with smart individuals -- technologists, entrepreneurs, investors -- who see the digital media business from different angles than I do. In fact, I don't think that I can stay on top of my game without doing this. I'd like to believe that these people also benefit from the knowledge I share about how agencies and marketers think about the digital space in general and emerging media opportunities in particular.
I'm sure I'm not the only person who does this, but I fear that those of us who do are in the minority. Charlie's observation about nextNY certainly supports this theory. Given the amount of radical change our industries -- whether media, marketing or technology -- undergo each and every day, I think we'd all be better off if more people went out of their way to build bridges to their counterparts in aligned businesses.
I'd love your feedback. What are you doing to connect with other people -- particularly ones that are not just like you -- who are stakeholders in the digital future?
I'd especially like to hear from a few guys that are involved with other industry networking events - calling Darren, Noah and Piers.
