End of an era. This week marks the last time my byline (accompanied by my least favourite headshot) appears in Nett Magazine. The mag should arrive in newsagents this Friday and subscribers may already have a copy. I was presented with my copy over cider and dumplings last week by the awesome Jo-Anne Hui, deputy editor on the team I've worked so closely with for the last three years and thirty four issues.
I joined Netregistry (the owners of the mag) back in 2007, a couple of months before the first issue of Nett was released. From very early on, I became Netregistry's voice in each issue, contributing articles, participating in panel sessions and eventually gaining my own column. But my role went beyond that as, representing Netregistry's interests, I would work closely with the editorial team each month to create a mix of content we hoped would be extremely valuable and motiviating for our target audience. This was a high-level content marketing strategy which saw more than a few heated discussions about where the line should be between editorial and marketing interests. I think we walked that line extremely well which is why the magazine has been a great success and has a couple of Bell awards cluttering up the reception desk.
Writing for the magazine also led to my nomination for - and winning - the Best New IT Journalist award at the 'Lizzie' IT Journalism Awards in 2009. So yes, it gave me a lot.
If you've been reading my other blog or following my Twitter feed, you may know that I left my role at Netregistry in December to join a new tech start-up launching in early 2011 as their Community Manager. That launch date is now upon us and all will be revealed this Australia Day. But the necessities of magazine production lead times, coupled with the Christmas break, means that two days after the new launch, my last articles for Nett will appear two months after I said goodbye. Something old, something new...
Keep an eye out for my final column as it should appear at the Nett website before long. Or, even better, pick up a copy.
*Sniff*... There's something in my eye...
