Happy 13th Birthday, Sydney Content Strategy Meetup!
What an achievement! The Sydney Content Strategy Meetup is turning 13 this month. 13 years of getting together to talk content, learn from each other and feel a sense of connection in a sometimes isolating profession.
It all started in 2011 when my friend Robyn Ball and I decided to try to reach out to fellow content folks. Back then, it was very common to have just one or two content people working in an organisation, and it was very isolating. We wanted to create a place where fellow content folk could gather and share stories, tips, and commiserations. We wanted to be part of that community.
For the subsequent 13 years, I have been hunting down content folk to share their stories with us. Case studies, workshops, panels, experiments and polemics :)
We have been so lucky to hear from the likes of Kristina Halvorson, Johnathon Coleman, Natalie Dunbar, Erica Jorgenson, Hilary Marsh, Padma Gillen, Amelia Marshal, Sally Bagshaw, Warren Thompson, Meghan Casey, Lennie Beatie, Matt McArthy, Angela Stengle, Audun Rundberg, Wai Chim, Liam King, Adam Barnwell, Meaghan Newson, Oanh Trinh, Janine Saunders and Peter Leichline. To mention just a few 🥰.
The meetup has been a great success. People have found jobs and team members, mentors and mentees. They have been inspired and they have found community to learn with.
Sydney is a small city with a small content community - it has been so lovely to foster this community over the past 13 years.
Over that period, the language we use to describe ourselves has changed many times. We have faced challenges, COVID, ChatGPT madness, and industry restructures, but we are still here, making and measuring content that helps people reach their goals.
Community members are constantly reaching out to me to find ways to connect further, learn more, and share their knowledge. I love that.
We have meetup members who have come for those entire 13 years. Give or take a year of two :)
It feels like a lovely group of friends at this point - with welcoming arms open for people old and new to the delightful world of content.
I am so grateful to be part of this community all these years later. It helps me learn, feels connected and, most importantly, provides me with the joy of community.
