Grandview Extended Care Centre Music:  April 5, Jerome to play jazz at 2:00;  Tommy Banks is postponed until the summer.

 

Board of Directors Meeting: to be held April 12

 

Membership Diversification:  Bob Gollan advised that every member should try to bring a guest; next meeting April 10, to listen to the Guatemala eye exam trip operated last January.

 

Finemaster:  Bill Buckham raised funds through :  birthday in April (celebrating spring) $1; anniversary in April $1; not an Oiler fan $1; any one that served in air force service (April 1, 1924 was start of Royal Canadian Air Force) $1; anyone who travelled outside of USA or Canada $1, Dave Turner and Ken Brander - no flags presented $1, 20 years in Rotary for Mike Ryan $1, Bob Gollan 's first day of retirement $1, sign of spring in Ingrid Neitsch's jacket $1.

 

50/50:  Mike Ryan and Darrel Ripley did not match cards, $222.50 carried over.

 

 

Guest Speakers:  Joe Lizotte introduced Karen Unland, former journalist with Edmonton Journal, and Mack Male, electronic side of journalism plus community affairs reviewer.  Karen and Mack have joined forces for a new venue which resulted from Demise of Print Media (On the Edge of the Cliff) plus blogging offer plus a new project to start Taproot Edmonton (spurred by post media employee cuts last January).

 

Taproots are nutritious, grow well in Edmonton.  Mack brings the blogging world computer programmer experience coupled with early social media exposure.  Timeline for print media is year 1600 newspapers started; 1800 fake news and political pamphlets from penny presses started; 1910 modern newspapers; 1920 radio came on the scene; 1970 distribute news via Internet; 2000 declining newspaper advertising revenue plus Web 2.0 fake news through communication and interaction became a factor;  2014 advertising in social media was to be a factor but the bulk of revenue went to Google and Facebook.  Newspapers were not able to bring sufficient advertising revenue which forced them to merge and reduce size of operations.

 

New  approach to journalism which does not depend on reporter-editors- advertisers.  Learn what came before but take advantage of new digital tools and prepare for advances in the future.  This is interactive where the writer and the reader interact.  Writer reports,writes and edits.   The reader consumes, reacts, and shares.  The media is driven by curiosity driven stories which are professionally crafted and start by someone raising a question.  Taproot members support the media and action follows input of ideas.  The process is member funded where monthly or annual membership fees are funneled to reporters to pay them for preparing the story.  The action impact comes from opinion on the story (get reaction from the audience).  A story garden is developed as a source of stories which is seeded by posting a question that has to be investigated for data and responses from the audience.  Stories are received better because people have indicated an interaction to a question in the story garden.  Good stories like good radishes need nourishment.

 

Karen and Mack were thanked by Jerome  Martin.