About me – in fact, more information than Facebook

* I have been on Twitter (@mediamum) since the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco, in 2007. When I signed up, I didn’t “get” it and dumped it for six months, but then took it up as my summer project over the Christmas break that year, and … boom. I never realised that it would be such a constant presence for me, and that it would lead to myriad papers and research. But I love the promise of what Twitter represents for society, and I enjoy performing my research into the communities that use it and other types of social media.

* After a very successful career as a magazine journalist and PR consultant, I decided to teach. I did a BA with a major in Comms as a Distance Ed student over three years while raising my four wonderful children, graduating in 2005 with a Distinction average. At various stages, my children saw me cry, dance – and work my butt off. At my graduation as I walked across the stage to get my degree, my only daughter screamed “Go Mum!” from somewhere in the middle of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Best. Day. Ever.

* I was employed as a full time teacher of Marketing, Advertising, Event Management and Journalism by TAFE NSW (Australia’s public community college network.) While there, I completed a Graduate Diploma in Adult Education through Charles Sturt University, fully funded by TAFE NSW.

My research home. Purdy, ain't it ma?

* I received a fully funded position and wrote my Masters thesis, called The Latent Sphere of the Network Society, at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado at Boulder, USA. I begin my funded PhD. program in August 2010, in the ATLAS program at the same University. It should take me 3 more years – or until I go mad. Either one.

* I am one of the most rare commodities – a woman who has completed a high end IT incubator program. I graduated from the inaugural Founder Institute program in Silicon Valley in Summer 2009 with my two co-founders, @jedwhite and @dazwal. Our startup, TribeVibe, is preparing for full launch.

* My husband works even harder than I do, but he still can’t change a loo roll or pick up his shoes. He does, however push a mean dishwasher button. We are a bootstrapping start-up family.

The Enz, March 2008, New Zealand.

* I am one of the biggest Split Enz/anything-Finn fans in the universe. My tagline is part of a lyric from The Devil You Know, a Neil Finn song. (“Hung on a cliff, in search of something big.”) I have travelled to see these guys. Not just to different cities, but to New Zealand where I was able to see a full dress rehearsal that was invitation to just 25 people in Wellington.

Bryce at Flyball

* I love flyball (dog sport). I chose to leave my dog, Bryce, in Australia with family when we moved to the USA. Bryce has a national flyball title but is now retired. I’m looking forward to getting a small dog in the US that can be my new flyball buddy. I enjoy scoring at tournaments for the RUFF Flyball Team in Colorado (not that kind of scoring).

* Trivia 1: Before my journalism and media career, I used to work in the music industry. I started in Australian band management (The Allniters, Sharon O’Neill, Dragon) and moved to international touring artists (Elton John, Lionel Ritchie, etc). I’m thanked on Moving Pictures last album.

* Trivia 2: I’ve been in a couple of music videos, was on Home and Away a few times, did voice-overs for radio and those telephone automatic messaging systems people adore , and presented on a tv show called The Zone.

* I was editor of GAMESTAR magazine, chief sub-editor on Australian Personal Computer magazine, and Deputy Editor on PC User magazine for Australian Consolidated Press.

* I worked in Public Relations (the dark side) for numerous IT firms in consultancy, inhouse and freelance. As an IT writer, I am proficient at taking technical copy and turning it into copy that can be read by a layperson.

* I can tie a jelly snake into a knot using only my tongue. I have recently expanded this to cherry stems.

* I dearly wish I had time to quilt and scrapbook.

* Oh, and I Rock.

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