Networking

I've spoken before about the importance of networking for anyone working in education abroad. This past week I had the opportunity to experience it first hand.

A friend I had met while overseas who attends the University of Northern Iowa contacted me to let me know that a teacher we had bother had was at her university. More importantly, he was there promoting Auckland University of Technology.

What's important here is that he is a well known proponent of both the Maori people as well as a promotional man for AUT. But someho, Mizzou hadn't heard that he was going to be in the US this week. I should have remembered from my own class with him that he does this once a year, but I had flat out forgotten.

Of course I whipped out the trusty iPhone and immediately oppened facebook. No, I didn't call him. No I didn't scramble to find a computer and email him. Instead I facebook messaged him from my mobile phone. I suppose the convergence journalist in me *cough capstone team cough* coming out.

First I contact him telling him I hadn't known he was in the US, but that he should make a trip to Mizzou to give a brown bag lunch. Then I took the idea to my bosses once I'd made contact and proposed the idea to them. Of course they loved it, especially since it's so hard to get people from such a remote place in the world to visit the Midwest. I felt a certain thrill as it started coming together, as the plan formed in my head. This is what this job is all about, and here I am in the thick of it. It was all the ruch of sprinting out on assignment as a journalist without any of that technical stuff like reporting. I suppose as I get better at this job, I'll do more reporting than I am now, researching schools, interviewing possible allies, that sort of thing. But right now, just tasting it, it was a prety fun experience.

Now to sit back and see if he responds and comes here. I suppose it would be a job well done if I manage to bring such a big name to Mizzou.