· Lunch with Beth Kanter ·
I've just been back "home" to Brisbane over the last few days for the Connecting Up conference for non-profit ICT professionals. Beth Kanter was one of the keynote speakers at the conference, so while she was in the country I took the opportunity to catch up with her for lunch last Sunday.
Beth and I have "known" each other for quite a while now. Needless to say, we met online (one of us left a comment on the other's blog, but neither of us can remember who contacted who first). For a nonprofit techie with a huge profile, Beth is totally down-to-earth and easy to chat with. I hope I'm like Beth when I grow up :)
So anyway I know a bit about Beth and her thoughts on the non-profit sector and the use of social media through reading her blog, so I wanted to find out who the *real* Beth Kanter is.
Did you know Beth stared her career playing the flute, and her first jobs in the non-profit sector were spent working with other performers, which eventually lead to her ICT work? She loves working in the sector because non-profits are laboratories for learning. Well, you know, we all have to be extremely creative at times, working with few resources and high expectations :) Beth really walks the talk by doing what she's passionate about.
I asked Beth how she deals with compassion fatigue. She makes sure she "feeds herself", ensuring she has time to chill out from work. She has a good life balance, in other words.
I also wanted to know how she finds the time to keep up with her blogging, after all she's quite prolific and knowledgeable. She says blogging is part of her routine. She stays on top of her blog roll and her posts to ensure she doesn't become overwhelmed.
I also interviewed for Beth, except unlike my analogue interview (paper & pen), Beth's was high tech (she filmed me on her Nokia and live streamed it to her site using QIK). You can check it out on her blog.
Anyway, it's been a pleasure to spend time with Beth over the last couple of days and get to know her better. If you happen to be in Sydney this Friday night and you're currently employed at a non-profit as a web professional, please join Beth and a few of us Social Tech colleagues for dinner in Surry Hills ... see the Social Tech Facebook event page for more details.
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Categories: General
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