Tech, conferences and Teslas: On being a digital intern at Irish Tech News

Great piece by Eimear Dodd Journalism MA student at DIT, @TheCity_Dublin editor, @Irish_TechNews. Eimear will also be covering an event in Paris for Irish Tech News to complete her internship with us. We were very happy to have her with us, and over the four weeks she contributed to over 80 articles, which we hope will provide her with an impressive digital portfolio for her subsequent career in journalism.

When I was accepted as digital intern at Irish Tech News, I had two aims. Firstly, I wanted more experience of being a working digital journalist. My second aim was to use my time here as an opportunity to practise the skills developed during the MA journalism course.

It became apparent very quickly that this placement was going to fulfil both of these goals. My time at Irish Tech News started earlier than anticipated when I was asked to attend the Women’s Empowerment Summit on their behalf.

I couldn’t have imagined the amount of opportunities I’d have during the weeks of my official placement. I was part of the Irish Tech News team at the Social Media Summit in Croke Park. I reported on Microsoft’s #GoForITGirls event in UCD, the PMI annual conference at the Aviva stadium conference centre and other events. And I got to test drive the Tesla Model S and Model X electric cars.

That’s not to say there haven’t been challenges. Going to events meant the inpile grows. It was a challenge to ensure that I didn’t miss anything that was a priority. Here, I relied on tried and tested organisational methods. To do lists on post it notes were stuck to my desk. Important reminders are on my laptop where I can’t miss them.

Perhaps, the steepest learning curve I experienced has been engaging more with Twitter. I’ve mostly used it up until now as a research tool. Working as a digital intern meant I had to transition into a more active user. It’s still a work in progress but I hope I’m starting to get my head around the platform.

Of course, one aspect of the placement that could have been very challenging was remote working. There were days when I was out at the events. While I did miss the daily interaction with others, I had the autonomy to organise my day without having to commute to an office. There were distractions to contend with. It did help when I decided to open WordPress in a separate browser from email and Twitter.

I’ve learnt a lot over the last few weeks. Some of this has come through making mistakes. Everyone at Irish Tech News has been very encouraging. I was trusted as a representative of the site, to attend events, and report back. Particular thanks are due to John and Simon for giving me so many opportunities. Simon has also been very generous with his time and comments.

My time here has given me a better sense of how strange journalism is as a profession. We have to compromise because of time and resources. The pace of change is startling. Yet, we are also fortunate. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been fortunate enough to hear from industry experts, and others who have shared their knowledge and expertise.

The four weeks have gone fast though I’m lucky that it’s not quite over yet. I get to be part of the Irish Tech News team at FutureScope in the Convention Centre next week.

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking