Tom Altman’s Wedia Conversation

This used to be my blog I was writing inside the “4 walls” on my company’s intranet. After a few months it felt like a good time to step it up - I was never talking about our proprietary information…so I decided to go world-wide.

The plan is to still stick to innovative ideas about the media and building communities - but now I can add in some of the fun, day-to-day stuff too.

I hope you enjoy it…
Tom

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Tom’s History - or “about me”. This gives you an idea of where I have been, my background. Careers:

• Radio
  I started my “career” in radio. While going to college for “Communication Studies” at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and the University of Iowa I worked at a local radio station. (98.1 KHAK)After graduation, I took a full time job in Cedar Falls/Waterloo, Iowa at a country radio station called “The Hog 98.5 FM” as an on-air DJ. After about a year the station was purchased and consolidated with a couple of out cross town rivals. At that time I became the Promotions Director for all 3. It was a fun job, but as anyone who has been in radio knows - if it stops being fun…it stops. The pay stinks.
• The Web
  So my wife and I moved back to my hometown (Solon, Iowa) and I went back to school. After a 6 month programming course I was hired at an advertising agency called CMF&Z. I worked for the web department called Web Site Dynamics. Good gig, but a buddy called me and told me about a web job at the local newspaper - the Cedar Rapids Gazette. After the Gazette I worked at a Cedar Rapids consulting firm called RSM McGladrey. I also commuted to Milan, IL for a year working for Group O. and landed at the Gazette again. As you may know - newspapers have been taking a beating in trying to understand how the web works and how they fit in. My latest adventure is at company called E-Me Ventures - we are a company who cultivate communities and innovate in the new and old media space.

What a ride - and it still rolls on…stay tuned for the latest.