Join us for ONA St. Louis’s monthly meetup, a series of get-togethers on the second Thursday of each month for news nerds to network, learn and share what they’re working on. We’re the newest outpost of the ONA Local network, which brings people together to foster digital journalism innovation in more than 60 cities and college campuses around the world.
BYO-projects and laptops each month for a fun, informal way to meet and collaborate with other members of the journalism and tech communities. Product people, developers, storytellers, reporters, students, educators, web staffers, and editors are all welcome.
THIS MONTH: We’ve got a fantastic guest lined up whose work centers on the intersection of social entrepreneurship/innovation and digital technology. Keisha Mabry is the Director of Innovation at College Bound, where she manages and implements a texting-based application, Bridgit, that helps students make the bridge between high school and college, helping alleviate “summer melt.” She’s also a “connection curator,” who recently published a book called “Hey Friend: 100 Ways to Connect with 100 People in 100 Days,” which offers a framework on how to meet new people and make meaningful connections (not simply networking).
Did I mention she also has a podcast? Keisha is a powerhouse. We’ll hear from Keisha about Bridgit, her tips for making meaningful new connections in the community & informally chat about how some of these concepts could be applied to the world of online news.
More about Keisha can be found here:http://www.keishamabry.com/about/
More about Bridgit can be found here:http://www.bridgit2college.com
MORE ABOUT OUR MEETUP:
We’ll bring in speakers for some meetups, and others will just be an open, informal space for you to work. Some things you can do at an ONA St. Louis meetup:
– eat pizza
– finally write up a pitch to your boss for the big idea you’ve been mulling over
– work by yourself on a project that you haven’t had dedicated time to tackle at the office
– dive into that big data or research project you’ve been eyeing
– take a self-guided coding class
– meet someone to collaborate with, or who can help you crack that problem that’s had you banging your head on your desk
– hear from one of your peers doing cool work in digital journalism and bring some inspiration back to your day job
– bring a tech toy you’ve been experimenting with lately and show it to the group
– get to know the digital talent in your community so you’re well-connected next time you grow your team
– hang out with a bunch of like-minded people who love digital journalism and make some new friends
Got an idea for a speaker or topic for a future meetup? Interested in sponsoring an event or supporting the group in another way? Let us know at stlouis@journalists.org.
A big thank-you to TechArtista, who’s hosting our monthly meetups all spring! Be sure to check them out.
About ONA Local:
ONA St. Louis is a local meetup group made up of writers, editors, innovators, photographers, producers, academics, entrepreneurs and technologists who produce news for and support digital news delivery systems. We’re the St. Louis outpost of the Online News Association, the world’s largest association of digital journalists. ONA’s mission is to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public. ONA Local programs are generously supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, check out journalists.org/ona-local.
About TechArtista:
TechArtista is a platform that enables diverse and independent creatives to be successful. We offer professional spaces along with convenient amenities to grow communities, launch businesses, and make our neighborhood a better place to be. Learn more at techartista.org.