Today is the day I say goodbye to the readers of The Hub, and the team at Haymarket Media, as I move on to my next role as managing editor at Altimeter Group.
It was nearly two years ago that I landed in San Francisco, ready to launch Haymarket Media’s latest publication, The Hub. At the time, I was tasked with covering the newly converging disciplines of digital marketing, communications, social and mobile. I was to immerse myself in the disruptive culture; the techies and the startups that were shaping the exciting new digital reality we were all experiencing. But along the way, I discovered there was much, much more to all of it.
We are smack in the middle of the most exciting technology the world has ever seen. Initially, I might have thought we were just writing about marketing in a digital age. What we’re really doing, is discovering an entirely new way to communicate. We as customers and consumers of products are more powerful than we have ever been. We are able to demand so much more of the companies that sell us their products and services. And it’s that shift in dynamic that has driven the creation of the fantastic new tools that allow brands to reach customers wherever they are, anticipate their desires, and rapidly satisfy them.
It has been challenging, but immensely rewarding to try and make sense of that dizzying array of new technologies, for our readers, who went from a handful of enthusiasts, to a fully engaged community of marketers, technologists, PR pros and developers. I couldn’t be more proud of the work our small, but extremely dedicated team has done to turn The Hub from a small trade blog to a publication that hosts an annual conference and an awards show for excellence in digital marketing. And I will miss them dearly, along with the tweets, comments and emails from our loyal readers, which never failed to reassure me of our site’s mission.
But now, it’s time for me to move on and make way for someone new. I leave you in the capable hands of Keith O’Brien and the rest of the team at Haymarket Media. I hope to continue sparking the conversation on marketing technology and it’s impact on our world, and I hope you’ll include me in yours. Please do connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Till then, goodbye, and good luck.
