AlphaThis website is a work in progress, though we've got all the content in place. That's why it's Alpha.
About
How we think

The PROTO way


People > Products

A variety of factors are dramatically transforming the media landscape today. Our response to change must include developing the people who make up the media, and they will go on to discover new technologies, projects, ideas, products, platforms, frameworks and workflows.


You > PROTO

Ignore us; we're just here to facilitate the conversations that need to happen so that the fourth pillar remains relevant. Our job is to design the experience; yours is to make it count. You have the idea and we'll do our best to make it happen.


Contribution > Bylines

Journalism is more than the people who tell stories, their stories or their beats. Our interactions are for everyone involved in making stories happen. No matter how far along in our careers we are, there are always new ways of looking at things and we're here to find out what they are.


Community > Vested Interests

In everything we do, we prioritise the needs of civic media professionals: what directly impacts your career is front and centre. No one's pitching or selling an idea; no one's got a monopoly; we choose to collaborate and to extend ideas and help to those who need and want it.


Peer-to-peer > Teacher-led

Everyone has the chance to be a student and a teacher, to engage with the community in the best way possible given the interest at hand. You co-learn with your peers, professionals from civic media and allied professions, across newsrooms, industries, functions and seniority levels.


Relationships > Networking

There's nothing more transactional than standing in a room and forcing laughter to "bond" with someone in the name of networking. Relationships aren't simply about access or advancement; they're about learning from and enabling each other, and returning to one another over time.


Fridays at PROTO

Fridays are when we want to wind down, spend time with friends and vent about what happened that week. Come, make some friends and let off steam with peers who understand, empathise and, more importantly, can help.


Customized to your interests

Civic media is not a monolith. Professionals in this space have different interests, areas of focus, and specialisations. We tried to break it down into smaller pieces--interests--so that your interactions with each other, and with us, can have more meaning.

  • Credibility, Impact, Reporting, Programming
  • Formats, Data, Audience, Workflow
  • Innovation, Traffic, Revenue, Sustainability

Customize how you participate

We don't want to slot you anywhere; you pick the interest and you set your level. Are you a specialist? Perhaps you may want to learn a different skill. As a rookie, you may want to deepen your expertise. As an enthusiast, you may just want to explore.


Growth is a journey

Learning something new takes time and patience, both of which can be at a premium in the middle of a demanding professional career. This is why our interactions are not all the same: they get more intensive and practical as you put in more, and we encourage you to try our path.


Tell us how you can help the community

Our community lives on the contributions of its members. Whether it is skill, curiosity, or inspiration; whether you are a specialist, or a novice, or an organisation, we can each contribute to enrich our community. Community is > the sum of its parts.