5 Questions...with Nora Young

As I was listening to one of my favourite podcasts, it dawned on me who should "star" in this week's episode of "5 Questions".  Celebrating their 100th episode on CBC Radio is Spark, hosted by Nora Young.  In fact, it was this program that got me really interested in the intersection of technology and society.  Nora Young is a technology journalist with CBC Radio, and the host of Spark, a radio show/podcast/blog which focuses on the intersection of technology and culture. She got her start as the founding host of Definitely not the Opera (DNTO), but has long had a strong interest in technology.  Her work focuses on how new technologies interact with society, politics and culture.

What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?

I have been enormously lucky with Spark.  I brought the idea for the show to CBC, strongly motivated by two values I wanted to see in a technology show: A/ that it would not be about gadgets and product reviews, but about the human dimension of technology and B/ that it would try as much as possible to be an ongoing conversation with the people who chose to engage with the program.  CBC gave me the opportunity to develop that vision with two extraordinarily talented colleagues (Elizabeth Bowie and Dan Misener). It's easy to be motivated to work on a show that reflects my values and interests as closely as Spark does.

In terms of the daily process of interviewing people, I get to talk to really smart, passionate people about interesting ideas. How great is that? The beauty of interviewing artists, researchers, profs and geeks, is that you don't get spin. As a journalist, I can't tell you how refreshing it is just to be told a straight answer.

Do you have any success start-up tips for people wanting to create a name for themselves in your industry?

It's no secret that it's a difficult period for mainstream media.  For individual journalists, I think we really have to ask  ourselves what unique value we're bringing to people in an age when information is no longer a scarce commodity that we control.  The value, it seems to me, lies in developing expertise and an ability to create context for people.  That means, I think, focusing on a subject area that you can develop expertise in, and that you have a passionate interest in, and offering that to people wherever they want to access it: via social media like Twitter, radio, podcast, TV, Web etc. I don't think it's a great time to be a generalist, unfortunately.  Beyond that, do what you love.

In your opinion why is Toronto a hotbed for cool tech start-ups?

I've gone through periods of love and hate with the city (I've lived most of my life here).  I'm definitely in a 'love' phase now. I think in general it's a very creative time for the city.  I've seen so much great work in art, in tech, and in community building.  One thing I really see developing is a strong sense of community amongst like-minded individuals, with social media connections supporting real world meet-ups. That can only help build a cool, creative culture.

What's your favourite tech toy and social media site and why?

I am obsessed with trying to stay organized. Why? Because I'm really, really not organized.  My latest tech crush is the website teuxdeux.com.  It's a really simple, elegant to do list, and it's such a pleasure to use, it may actually succeed in organizing me.  I can't wait until they get their phone app!  As far as social media goes, it's not particularly original, but I do love Twitter.  I put a high priority on social media relations being cordial, useful, and authentic, and I think in spite of its size, Twitter generally still does a pretty good job of that.

Who would you say is one of Toronto's social media/tech stars and why?

Oh, I love the MESH guys, and really enjoy following what Mathew Ingram is up to.  I suppose it's because I'm a journalist, but I think he's done such great things with moving legacy media into the social media space.  I'm looking forward to seeing what he does at GigaOm.

And if you want to see how Nora Young makes her radio show, Spark, check out the video below. :)