February 21st, 2009 by mhjones

A few people have asked me what I’m doing these days so I thought it’s about time I wrote an update!

Many of you already know I’ve been a technology journalist for more than a decade, and I’ve continued to work as a freelance contributor for The Australian Financial Review, producing video interviews and The Scoop (which is on an extended summer break). But what you might not know is I’m also a keynote speaker and workshop host focussed on, you guessed it, digital media and internet trends (btw, you can book me direct, or via agencies like Saxton and ICMI). Why? I’ve always made career decisions based on a simple premise. If the idea sounds scary, I do it! Life is more fun that way.

So last November I found myself on a big stage at the Financial Planners Association Conference on the Gold Coast speaking about social media in front of a few hundred people. It was one of a dozen or so keynotes and workshops I have delivered over the past 6 months or so.  The folk at the FPA were kind enough to send me some photos of yours truly on stage, pictured here. Read the rest of this entry »

Tagged: Marketing, Personal, Social media, Twitter
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April 4th, 2008 by mhjones

It’s hard to believe, but 12 months ago today was my last day at The Australian Financial Review where I was IT Editor. It was a career-defining role and one that I’d had my eye on for a decade prior.

You may remember that the main reason I left the AFR was because I had enrolled in theological college. Anyone who has studied and maintained a full-time job will tell you that it’s a tough road to do both simultaneously - so I opted for the easier road to preserve sanity and I’m studying part-time. One year later I’m still ploughing through two subjects each semester, and still loving it.

Meanwhile, today is the one year anniversary of my editorial and professional speaking business, Filtered Media. Thanks to the AFR and MIS Magazine, I’ve been able to puruse my interest in new media. I’ve started The Scoop podcast, helped develop and launch misaustralia.com, record video interviews for the MISaustralia Leadership Series, and a few other projects including some freelance journalism.

Beyond the AFR, I’ve written for a few magazines, been a speaker and panel facilitator at various industry conferences, and ventured into the world of corporate speaking, talking to companies about future trends in media, the Internet and online marketing.

On the personal front, my family moved house, and made a life-changing trip to Uganda and Dubai.

Time flies, as they say, but it’s all good. And if you’re one of the many people who’ve supported me in various ways, thanks!

Tagged: Personal, The Australian Financial Review
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June 12th, 2007 by mhjones

Remember the screech of a dial-up connection? It’s gotta be years since I heard it, until tonight that is. Out of sheer desperation to get back on the net from my home computer, I’ve resorted to the old faithful modem. And man, I’d forgotten how s-l-o-w dial-up is.

You see, the Jones family moved house last Monday  (hence my absence here and elsewhere for a little while) and we’ve still got just a few of the 80 boxes left to unpack. The move itself actually went really well (get this.. a whole bunch of our new neighbours actually had a welcome BBQ for us the day before we moved in…when does that ever happen?!?!? And they’re great people too…).

And I even thought I’d outsmarted the system by getting my hands on an Unwired “rabbit modem” for wireless broadband. But no, we live in a valley and despite the promise of being in the green zone on Unwired’s online map, we’re out of reach. Our next choice is an ADSL2+ service from iiNet. But that’s gonna take between TEN and FIFTEEN days to get up and running. Is that normal? As a guy who’s running a business from a snazzy new home office I can tell you it doesn’t feel normal. Part of the trouble it seems is getting Telstra to play nice (Telstra was the only carrier than can string a regular phone line down our 140 metre driveway.. go figure). Oh, and while I’m on a roll, how can it be that Telstra was going to charge us around $120 for their ADSL service, while iiNet’s faster ADSL2+ comes in at around $60 per month?

Mind you, if a long wait for ADSL2+ is my main complaint from a house move then life can’t be too bad.

Tagged: Personal
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April 23rd, 2007 by mhjones

Yes, I’m still here, for those people who have kindly asked if I’d vanished and/or how my "new life" was going. In short, it’s true what they say about starting your own business - you can become busier than before. Another maxim is also true - it’s not until you step out that people start approaching you with questions about how we might work together.

So, I’ve been getting stuck into mountains of reporting for a couple of feature articles. I’ve also started work on one consulting job, but I’m not really at liberty to talk too much about that yet. Oh, and then there’s the small detail of the fact that we sold our house in Sydney last week, and found another one to buy on the weekend. Anyone wanting advice on how to negotiate with real estate agents lemme know - I’ve become a quick study thanks to two brothers in law who are in the game.

As for college, I’ve been on a two week mid-semester break and I’m about to get stuck into a small mountain of essays and related assignments. There’s plenty more stuff I could write about college, but I’ll save that for the moment, and perhaps my nascent "faith blog" idea. Actually, if I was to go down that path what would you want to know??

Tagged: Personal
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April 4th, 2007 by mhjones

At some point last night as our party effortlessly transitioned between two pubs and a Chinese restaurant I’ll not forget stopping to scan the room and take a mental photograph of the 20 or so happy faces (beer and finger food, what else do you need?) which were my AFR colleagues. The thought flashed through my mind that there’s something remarkable about the Fin where you work with seasoned journos who’ve been around for some 20 years, constantly refining the craft that is newspaper journalism. It’s a culture that’s inclusive of young, aspiring journos who are keen to learn from the best in the business.

Around ten years ago when I started out as a technology journalist, this role that I’m leaving behind today was my secret ambition. It was an outrageous idea, in my post-University mind, that perhaps one day I could work at the AFR writing about technology. As you know, my next outrageous idea is that perhaps one day in the future (think more than 5 years) I could possibly become a pastor, or apply what I’m learning at Tabor College in some other meaningful way.

So when people ask how does it feel to leave the AFR, it usually takes a little while to answer the question. The first part of the answer is that I’m leaving my role as IT Editor, but not journalism. I’ve been offered tonnes of freelance work here, so in a sense I’m not really leaving, just changing. What I’m trying to process is how it came to pass that I can simultaneously pursue two passions at once, and it all just works. In short, it’s all good.

Tagged: Personal
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March 28th, 2007 by mhjones

Exactly one week to go before I wrap things up as IT Editor at the AFR. It feels vaguely surreal, I gotta say. People have been asking me all sorts of questions from the profound to the practical. On the practical side, my last day as I said before, is April 4. On the other side of Easter, I will embark on my freelance journalism career writing primarily for Fairfax Media. I’ve already been commissioned on a few stories, so that’s great.  If you want to keep in touch, my work email is markhjones <at> gmail.com. Naturally enough, I also have some other plans in the works, but more on that later!

If you’d like to join me for a few celebratory drinks, we’ll be at Sydney’s City Hotel some time after 6:30pm on Tuesday April 3. And when I say we, that’s a few of my AFR colleagues including Tony Boyd, who after 18 years at the AFR (a few years spent as IT Editor, interestingly enough) is also leaving on the same day as yours truly.

Tagged: Personal
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February 21st, 2007 by mhjones

You’ve probably heard stories about people who "heard the call of God" and quit their jobs to begin study at a theological college or seminary. They’ve got a good job, family, and The Mortgage. Well, guess what? I’ve quit my job and started study at Tabor College, in the Sydney suburb of Miranda. No, I’m not kidding!

First, some basics: It’s a Bachelor of Ministry, a University level degree, and I’m studying part-time. At that rate I’m guessing it could take five years to complete. My last day as IT Editor at The Australian Financial Review and Managing Editor of MIS Magazine will be Wednesday 4 April, just before Easter (how symbolic, as one of my colleagues observed. heh.). However, I will also continue to work in the technology media in a freelance and consulting capacity (stay tuned for news…). In short, I’m passionate about pursuing theological study and IT media.

Of course, that’s nothing new to people who know me because I’ve been a Christian since I was 17. But news like this is not something that tends to stay quiet. In fact, I’ve had two calls from the media this afternoon (The Australian and Computer Daily News) asking me about my story and rumours of my impending departure. I appreciated the interest. But given they are both daily publications that publish tomorrow, I couldn’t resist the urge to scoop them. I am still a journalist after all…

So what makes someone do something like this? The short answer might sound curiously mystical, but excuse me while I breach normal social protocol and keep talking about faith in a public forum - I’m doing what I believe God is calling me to do. Happy to elaborate in person, but when you get The Call, and you’re passionate about what you believe, it’s not too hard to follow through. In fact, I’m really excited about the future and what lies ahead. I honestly can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing with my life. If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t be making this sort of decision!

And the response from friends and colleagues has been really encouraging. Virtually without exception, my colleagues were all really positive about the news. It’s been really interesting to listen to the different reactions. Some asked if I was a Catholic (no), was I going to be a Priest (no, but possibly a Pastor in the future), and what brand of Christianity was the college (multi-denominational: teachers from Pentecostal, Anglican, Baptist and Church of Christ backgrounds, to name a few). What did I think about Hillsong? (great church, but I go to a different one). One journalist also asked me if the rumour was true that I had accepted a position at a church to become a pastor (no… not yet anyway..).

Now that this is all public, it’s possible I could find myself lumped into one or more stereotypical buckets. That’s fine, it happens. The only thing I can do is hope people will judge me by my (sometimes imperfect) actions, and I’ll continue to do the same.

Oh, and in case you’re worried, I’m not about to turn Filtered into a pulpit! I’ll resume my regular musings soon enough. Although I must confess, the idea of starting a separate faith-oriented blog has crossed my mind more than a few times…

Tagged: Personal
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April 30th, 2006 by mhjones

It’s a boy! Meet my son, Daniel Mark. He was born on Saturday night, clocking in at 4.2kg, or 9lb, 5oz, and 53cm long. Mrs J did an incredible job given the task at hand!

Despite what they say about the public hospital system, I’d have to rate Royal North Shore Hospital’s maternity unit a 10. The facilities are excellent and the midwives knew just what to say, and when. Even better, it was a quiet day so we had all the attention we wanted. Oh, and get this: The bloke gets free reign of a nicely stocked fridge.

On matters of the heart, we’re thanking God that Daniel is healthy and (so far) behaving himself. New life is nothing short of a miracle, and we’ve been blessed beyond our imagination.

Tagged: Personal
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