CFA’s FREE ICT/Internet training for Journalists and media personnel (v1) has come and gone. I am most grateful to God for the successful outcome, considering the fact that there was no major publicity besides the fact that I announced it via SMS and BBM broadcast – I purposely left out this blog and made a decision to use other low-key channels for promotions which I consider successful.
All said and done, we had in attendance about a dozen journalists from the following media houses:
- The Nation
- The Sun
- Business Day
- Trade Newswire
- Digital Sense Africa
- Daily Independent
- National Daily
- Vanguard
- Political Economist Magazine
As you can see, the spread is quite encouraging and honestly speaking, I do not want to bite more than I can chew, so I prefer a situation where the number remains under a dozen journalists in attendance for future sessions.
The CFA experience was simply awesome. Hope to enjoy more of it. Kudos! Chuks Eze, Journalist, The Sun Newspaper.
What I basically did with this 1st session is to help the journalists understand the today’s trends with regards to their jobs and also ton make them aware of the threats and opportunities being faced by an average journalist in present times. It was a 3 hour session that many of them truly appreciated because they could perceive the fact that I poured my hearts out.
One journalists asked me; excuse me CFA, why are you doing this? How are you funding it? What is your purpose?
I laughed hard before responding simply because this for me is a unique way of giving back to an industry I believe needs what I have to offer and this was exactly my answer to him. In addition, I said this gesture is something that I will benefit from one way or the other because of the biblical admonition (which I strongly believe in) that says “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Whether he was convinced or not, I did not ask any of them for any favours or for an interview or even a newspaper mention because that is not my motive even though I know that will naturally happen over time as they come to trust in what I do.
View the full album Here
For those who have been following this blog, you may have realised that I have a great passion for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and this is why I have volunteered to serve in FATE Foundation, Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) & SME Toolkit Nigeria etc. I have come to understand that one way to grow very quickly is to volunteer your time in supporting a good cause – this remains one of my success secrets!
A word of caution: it is very easy for people to misunderstand you when you volunteer for a cause with no direct monetary benefits attached, so it takes a wise and strong personality to overlook side comments and outright confrontation. If this expalins your situation, I advice that you stay focused on the goal – keep your eye on the ball!
If you are just starting out then be rest assured that it profitable to strategically volunteer your time and products/services!
The Way Forward
Truth is that I am not exactly sure what how future sessions will be at the moment. I am honestly inclined towards keeping it 100% FREE for journalists but then I cannot tell now if it would be monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly sessions?
If and when eventually, I do decide to run another session, I would probably focus on blogging and how they can set-up their own blog – it is likely going to be a practical session. I certainly would keep the invitation low-key by ensuring only journalists and media men who have signed up here get update.
Meanwhile, please inform any journalist or media personnel you know that a certain ICT expert known as CFA is committed to serving men and women of this noble media profession and they should hurry and sign up here. NOTE: It is strictly for Journalist and media men!
May God bless you all, Amen!
