INTERVIEW WITH MIKE GREENLY
Interactive Online Journalist Extraordinaire, Part II
by Stefanie Kott

Stefanie Kott: Please tell those of us who don't know the diversity of your online report topics about some of the areas you report on.

Mike Greenly: Well I've done a lot of trade shows and industry events--the major "Comdex" and "Computer Electronics Show" fairs for example. And specific product launches like Apple's Macintosh, Lotus's Jazz, and Commodore's Amiga.

I've covered related shows like the 1984 Toy Fair ("Toy Fair Impressions"). With Sherwin, I covered President Reagan's Inauguration earlier this year. In "Mike and Mac" and "Mike and IBM", I share the experiences of a non-tech confronting real- world hardware and software.

Lately, I've been branching out a bit. I'm proud, honestly, of the work I'm doing in "Chronicle" to cover AIDS--this mysterious epidemic is one of the under-reported but significant stories of the decade. And, in just a few weeks, I'll be starting "Southern Cop", the true-life perspective of a police captain who'll share intimate perspectives because of our relationship. I'll continue to cover technology--maybe even attend and report from a telecommunications show in Japan this fall. But I'm eager to demonstrate more of the high-TOUCH side of the medium. As long as my marketing consultancy lets me afford the time and expenses, I expect to enjoy pushing the limits of how technology can facilitate sharing among people--and the positive results that follow.

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SK: Do you have a favorite conference? If so, would you tell us a bit about it and why it is special to you?

MG: I'm very close to "Chronicle" right now. I think it's some of my best and most important work, and I only wish it were reaching more readers. I'm starting to submit printouts to publishers, and we'll see.

But a favorite of many readers, and one that is also quite special to me, is "Client", about the work I did for Xanaro in developing ABILITY, the business software for the IBM. I think I succeeded in sharing something about the wonder I personally find in marketing, and about the hopes and struggles "back stage" when ANYONE dares to launch a product based on ideals into a rough and competitive marketplace.

I feel most vulnerable in "Mike Magazine", a little corner where I give myself permission to write anything. I hope readers will stick with me as I explore whatever comes up there--it's my most personal public writing so far, even though it's been often light and frothy.

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SK: As the only online journalist to join the NYC Face-to-Facers in
April, please tell Netweaver readers your overall impressions of the group and your opinion about its role in the cc medium.

MG: I was very moved by the commonality these different people and networks have. An organization that can effectively represent the UNIVERSALITY of people using the technology, regardless of the particular "system" anyone uses: That could be very important in speeding the growth of the medium and its ability to make a difference to individuals and organizations.

My biggest fear for ENA, however, is that it will be crushed by the very weight of its aspirations as a volunteer organization. If it tries to accomplish too much too soon, the strain of pressure and disappointment could turn people off, from the tasks and from each other.

If I were a multi-millionaire, I'd happily give ENA a grant: It will ultimately require more $$$ than it's received so far to accomplish goals on a sustainable basis.

That's my opinion from afar, anyway. I think my own best service is to maintain a journalist's distance--I'm looking forward to covering the next Symposium in November.

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SK: Mike, to borrow one of the tricks that you yourself use in so many of your interviews--what would *you* like to say directly to Netweaver readers?

MG: Neat opportunity!! Hmmmm. OK.

Well, first, if you market a product you're proud of, and if you have a budget to make it better, let's talk. I ain't cheap, but if we agree to work together, you'll find me really conscientious about giving excellence, heart, and brain.

Second, if you are active in ENA in any work capacity, I urge you to take the long view of what's probably a very fragile organization and idea. The more you can take a first step, or even a second one, to build a bridge toward others who differ with you on the specifics--the more chance the organization has to survive and grow to robustness.

And third: I think we all need to be the most patient and sensitive of missionaries--helping people, one to one, discover how *they* can use the medium for whatever *their* own goals are. But it's so important to remember the vulnerability and fragility of the non-tech innocent. Enthusiasm that overwhelms can smother rather than nurture.

I'm honored to be interviewed here, and I appreciate your taking the time to get this far! In 1985, we are all still pioneers and homesteaders. Here's to helping each other traverse The Rockies. (Cheers.)

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Mike Greenly is a journalist who files his stories on Parti on The
Source. The first part of this interview appeared in NETWEAVER, Volume 1,
Number 1.