In case you missed it, last Thursday was Information Governance Day, and old friend Nick Inglis celebrated it in his usual style by convening a well-produced and -attended virtual conference. The goal was to mimic the in-person experience to the greatest degree possible – e.g., panel discussions were billed as “hallway conversations” – and to these eyes, it was very successful.
Put it this way: when the proceedings concluded, many of us gathered at an online tavern much as we would have if were we all together. Some things never change!
Perceptually, the event sent me away with a few impressions:
- It’s clear that cabin fever is running rampant through the ranks, as pretty much everyone expressed the sentiment of wanting (desperately) to occupy the same physical space at the same time. Perhaps at LegalWeek? AIIM? MER? ARMA?
- Adding to this general angst was the outward acknowledgement that Information Governance is just plain hard. For starters, there are people and attitudes to wrangle, technologies to bridge, policies to reconcile, and a whole lot of ’splaining to do. Yet, no one expressed the thought that the work won’t be worth the effort in the end. I found this to be interesting, and hopeful.
- Perhaps reflecting the harsh realities of points (1) and (2), there was a real sense that our broad information community is beginning – just – to coalesce into a true profession. Note was made several times that the term “information governance” now regularly appears in information-related job postings, and the event vibe featured a heavy dose of “we need each other” that was more explicit than was evident before.
So what were your takeaways? Did you attend? What are you attending in the months ahead? Please let us know in the comments below. Thanks!