Spreading Tech News…Locally
Where do you get your news and information about local tech companies? Conversely, if you are a company, how do you get the word out about your company to the local community? Local newspapers, websites, blogs, local networking events? Or do you rely on Internet sources like CNET, Techcrunch, Mashable?
In San Francisco, finding local tech news is less of a problem. Local papers like the San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury News make technology news a priority. They have to; technology drives the economic engine out there.
But in many cities that is not the case. Often times, local tech news is ignored unless you are a dominant employer. There is not the space or resources to cover the tech industry in depth. In Atlanta, for example, the name of the game is real estate. Facing increased economic pressures, papers like the Atlanta Business Chronicle must play to their strength. They have not replaced their local tech reporter as Scott Burkett recently lamented.
That is why I am intrigued by what I learned yesterday while attending the monthly Technology Association of Georgia Enterprise 2.0 meeting here in Atlanta. In a discussion about wikis and collaborative tools, I learned about a local initiative called TechPedia Atlanta.
TechPedia is a wiki devoted to the local tech community here in Atlanta. Still in development, TechPedia is a non-profit entity that follows the highly successful Wikipedia model. It’s the brainchild of several members of Atlanta’s tech community including John Yates and is being developed by Atlanta based entrepreneur Jeff Haynie.
But where Wikipedia has very strict policies about corporate content contributions, Justin Rubner former technology reporter at the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the TechPedia co-founder and editor says he will edit entries with a “light touch.” Now at the Content Factor, he will flag defamatory or libelous comments but by and large contributors will drive the content.
It is Justin’s hope that TechPedia will help establish Atlanta as a center for technology. The first step is chronicling what is happening.
Besides there being a “dearth” of local technology news coverage, John Yates is motivated by a sense of history. He believes TechPedia is a good idea because:
- There is no written history or online source that is chronicling the history of Atlanta’s tech community;
- TechPedia can serve as a resource for investors, corporate executives, and members of the tech community that eliminates the piece meal approach to tracking down information;
- TechPedia will record the lives of a generation of tech pioneers who are getting older or passing away.
Justin believes you can’t ignore powerful trends. Technology will increasingly play a large role in the economy, and social media will increasingly play a large role in helping to tell its story.
If successful, Justin can see the day when other cities leverage the TechPedia format as a source for local tech information.
Let me get back to you.
Technorati Tags: Technology Association of Georgia; TAG; Techpedia Atlanta; John Yates; Justin Rubner; Enterprise 2.0;
