Life on the web
Well, we have at least two lifes, one real, at least one more on the web. When my real life ends, may be my virtual will live on? It depends!
In the future. How will life be? How will we live together, play together and work together?
I am chief editor of a local newspaper of a small Hansa city on the North Sea coast. I just passed 60, feeling younger than ever. In my life, I have lived in small communities, and large. I lived and worked in Paris, Hanoi, Warzawa, Oslo and Bergen. My favorite is Istanbul, a real crossroad. But I also love Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Nice, Shanghai, Saigon, Singapore, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Bilbao and Charlotte. Moscow is too noveau riche. Hamburg too erotic. Brussels too administrative. London and Bangkok are too crowded, but offer superb diversity.
But I also lived in small communities, with less than 4000 inhabitants. Gol, Nes and Aal in Hallingdal, Norway. Otta and Vinstra in Gudbrandsdalen, also in Norway. Close and well developed communities.
I had my first fulltime job as a newspaper reporter in 1964, in Hallingdolen, the local newspaper in my home town. I have been a newspaper editor since 1983, and before that radio and TV reporter. My first job was reseach for the Norwegian Trade Union Iron & Metal (LO) on how to deal with the new computer technology in the workshops. Togheter with Kristen Nygaard, I worked with local and central trade union members to develop a working strategy, agreements on technology with the employers, teaching material and work group methodology. We developed the first information system ever, made with worker participation KVPOL (Kongsberg, Norway, 1972).
In Vietnam, I was the resident representative for the Norwegian Development Agency from 1980-82, troubled years for Vietnam. Most of the time, I was the only diplomatic representative of Norway in Vietnam. My superior was Mr Tancred Ibsen, Norwegian ambassador to China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, residence in Beijing.
I have a wife, two children and one grandchild, half Norwegian, half Euskara (Basque).
So you see, I have been running around quite a bit, meeting people all over. I also worked closely with people considered to be very different from me; white, Caucasian, male.
What strikes me most, is how easy good people work together, across different culture, religion, language and age, if the want to. My good Vietnamese friends in Hanoi, Haiphong, Vung Tau, Rach Gia, Vung Tau and Saigon. Though we were spied upon around the clock, I worked closely with the Vietnamese staff. Some turned out to be corrupt, and I fired them. But most were marvellous, competent and hardworking.
More and more, humanity is coming together on the web. The global village is still an illusion. But it is getting closer every day.
I have a dream of the newspaper of the future. Will it be a glocal newspaper, global and local? Really good local newspaper are serving their local community. In the past, it was too expensive to carry papers around the globe. But today, the cost of communicating with my friends in Los Angeles, Hanoi and Bilbao are nothing.
So tell me, how do you want your future newspaper to serve you? You certainly want to be entertained and informed. You want to be told what happens around you. But do you want to be an active, well informed and well connected citizen of the glocal community? Do you want to be a spectator, or a participator?
You decide!
Give me a word of advice!
In the future. How will life be? How will we live together, play together and work together?
I am chief editor of a local newspaper of a small Hansa city on the North Sea coast. I just passed 60, feeling younger than ever. In my life, I have lived in small communities, and large. I lived and worked in Paris, Hanoi, Warzawa, Oslo and Bergen. My favorite is Istanbul, a real crossroad. But I also love Berlin, New York, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Nice, Shanghai, Saigon, Singapore, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Bilbao and Charlotte. Moscow is too noveau riche. Hamburg too erotic. Brussels too administrative. London and Bangkok are too crowded, but offer superb diversity.
But I also lived in small communities, with less than 4000 inhabitants. Gol, Nes and Aal in Hallingdal, Norway. Otta and Vinstra in Gudbrandsdalen, also in Norway. Close and well developed communities.
I had my first fulltime job as a newspaper reporter in 1964, in Hallingdolen, the local newspaper in my home town. I have been a newspaper editor since 1983, and before that radio and TV reporter. My first job was reseach for the Norwegian Trade Union Iron & Metal (LO) on how to deal with the new computer technology in the workshops. Togheter with Kristen Nygaard, I worked with local and central trade union members to develop a working strategy, agreements on technology with the employers, teaching material and work group methodology. We developed the first information system ever, made with worker participation KVPOL (Kongsberg, Norway, 1972).
In Vietnam, I was the resident representative for the Norwegian Development Agency from 1980-82, troubled years for Vietnam. Most of the time, I was the only diplomatic representative of Norway in Vietnam. My superior was Mr Tancred Ibsen, Norwegian ambassador to China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, residence in Beijing.
I have a wife, two children and one grandchild, half Norwegian, half Euskara (Basque).
So you see, I have been running around quite a bit, meeting people all over. I also worked closely with people considered to be very different from me; white, Caucasian, male.
What strikes me most, is how easy good people work together, across different culture, religion, language and age, if the want to. My good Vietnamese friends in Hanoi, Haiphong, Vung Tau, Rach Gia, Vung Tau and Saigon. Though we were spied upon around the clock, I worked closely with the Vietnamese staff. Some turned out to be corrupt, and I fired them. But most were marvellous, competent and hardworking.
More and more, humanity is coming together on the web. The global village is still an illusion. But it is getting closer every day.
I have a dream of the newspaper of the future. Will it be a glocal newspaper, global and local? Really good local newspaper are serving their local community. In the past, it was too expensive to carry papers around the globe. But today, the cost of communicating with my friends in Los Angeles, Hanoi and Bilbao are nothing.
So tell me, how do you want your future newspaper to serve you? You certainly want to be entertained and informed. You want to be told what happens around you. But do you want to be an active, well informed and well connected citizen of the glocal community? Do you want to be a spectator, or a participator?
You decide!
Give me a word of advice!
posted by otbergo at 11:51 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home