There are some stories that write themselves. This is one of them. About four years ago, I traveled to Toronto to attend the inaugural mesh web conference. There I learned two things: Paul Kedrosky is as funny in person as he on his blog. And Mathew Ingram is one sharp cookie.

I was introduced to Mathew by his mesh co-founder and fellow tech scribe, Mark Evans. We immediately hit it off for like me, Mathew is an old media guy who believes that the future of the news business is a digital one. A writer/editor for The Globe and Mail in Canada, Mathew at that point had already been writing for more than 15 years.

He and I are old enough to have both covered the Netscape IPO and to know firsthand what a pain it is to design for IE 4.0 — Mathew through his work on the launch of globeandmail.com and me through helping to kick-start the online version of Forbes. Most importantly, like me, though cautiously optimistic, he’s betting that technology is going to take us to a better place.

When I was leaving Toronto, he observed that it was time for me to branch out on my own, career-wise. As it turned out, three months later I did just that, launching the GigaOM Network in July 2006. Today I am thrilled to announce that Mathew will join us on GigaOM, writing alongside Stacey, Liz and I. As far as what he’s going to write about, I’ll let him tell you that in his own words.

Though if you’re at all interested in the evolution of the media, the web, social networks and other such topics then you’ve almost surely read Mathew’s writings already. They are powerful, concise, incisive and crucially, they follow the ethos that we at GigaOM believe in: community first. I have been trying to convince Mathew to come and help us realize our dreams for some time. But his dream was to be the G&M’s online communities editor, to help that publication embrace social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook. So we waited.

In the past year, not only did he launch the G&M’s groundbreaking Public Policy Wiki, but Mathew wrote for the Nieman Journalism Lab, where he offered up among the most thought-provoking observations on the media industry of anyone in this business. But now our stars have aligned and here he is. You can also follow him on Twitter @mathewi. Please join me in welcoming him to our little world.

Om Malik is a San Francisco based writer, photographer and investor. Read More

89 thoughts on “Mathew Ingram Joins GigaOM”

  1. Great move Om and congrats Mathew! Mathew is one of the most likable and inspiring people in the MSM world and it’s awesome that we’ve won him over to the blogosphere! Just wish it was a certain other blog he was joining, but hey – I’m happy for you guys!

    Reply

  4. Congratulations Mathew! Given your omnipresent insights, GigaOM is in for a real treat, and so are we, the readers- formerly known as the audience :).
    Om- does this mean that we can expect more Canadian coverage from GigaOM?

    Reply

    1. William, great point. Mat is an example of the great but ignored Web talent we have here in Canada. I hope Om will provide Mat with some space to spotlight Canadians.

      Regards,
      George

      Reply

  7. I met Mathew long before Blogging was cool. In fact, he was on a panel at an event called, Blogging For Corporate Communications (I think this goes back to 2005). He was one of the journalists on a panel conversation, and at that moment I knew the needle was going to move. He’s smart, engaging and a killer writer. This is a huge coup for you Om – congrats!

    Way to go Mathew!!

    Reply

  10. Congrats Om on a terrific addition to your team.

    Mathew – congrats to you, it sounds like an incredible opportunity. While this post doesn’t say whether you will be moving to sunny California or staying here in Toronto, I hope that wherever you will be, that you continue to be a part of the MESH Conference (an event which inspired me to engage in social media).

    @JodiEchakowitz

    Reply

  11. Great call Om and team.

    Congrats once again Thewie…hope this doesn’t mean you’re going to miss too many mesh meetings because you’re hanging out with all the cool kids in the valley 😉

    Very happy for you.

    Reply

  12. Congratulations to both Om and Mat for this incredibly smart and successful union. I’ve had the pleasure of working and speaking with Mat and can tell you that few people “get it” as well as he does.

    Moreover, he is a down to earth gentleman. My only regret is that I don’t have him in my organization.

    Onward and upward gentlemen. Show us what you’ve got.

    Best,
    George Tsiolis
    Founder
    AGORACOM

    Reply

  15. Om, your gain is the G&M’s loss, clearly. But as a mesh co-conspirator and friend I have had the profound pleasureto come to know ‘Thewie very well over these last years, and I can’t imagine a better move for either of you.

    Wonderful.

    • Stuart
    Reply

  17. Great move Om, and a huge loss for the Globe and Mail.

    Mathew is (/was) one of the mainstream media’s “good guys,” helping the G&M adjust to its ever-evolving market. More than that, his writing has been an inspiration to me for quite a while now; helping me to draw my thinking back from tactics to the big picture.

    Looking forward to reading even more of his thoughts in the future…

    Reply

  18. This is rotten news in one respect (the Globe is losing an invaluable resource, and some news junkies will be deprived) but terrific news in a broader one; I wish your company and especially Mathew all the best. Mathew is very highly admired and respected – a great catch. Cheers.

    Reply

  20. Smart hire! I asked him to become our editor a while back but I clearly wasn’t convincing 🙂 Congrats to Mathew … this will surely be a great addition to GigaOm!

    Reply

  22. Congrats, Mathew. We’ll kind of miss you in the Globe, but we’ll probably see even more of you now.
    Could this be a Tipping Point? Next, Katie Couric jumps to NowPublic….

    Reply

  23. Congrats, Mathew. We’ll kind of miss you in the Globe, but we’ll probably see even more of you now.
    Could this be a Tipping Point? Next, Katie Couric jumps to NowPublic….

    (Reposted to fix typo in URL. Sorry, Om)

    Reply

  24. Great move, Mathew, now all Om has to do is rein in Mark Evans. It’s a good time to leave the traditional press, eh? Glad to have worked together during past years at the Globe. God, that was 10 years ago.

    Stay in touch.

    Tyler

    Reply

  28. Wow, stunning news! Congratulations to both of you for what will surely be a winning combination.

    A big loss for traditional media, but I’m sure Mathew will continue to give his ex-colleagues in the industry plenty to think about…there are still opportunities everywhere!

    Reply
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  35. Wow, two of my fave journos working directly together. One, Om, I’ve known non-digitally, back when he was a non-techie (yes, there was such a time, even before we founded the South Asian Journalists Association – http://saja.org – together 15+ years ago. Another Om historical footnote that all his fans here are unlikely to know about. I have more if anyone wants ’em). The other Mathew, I’ve only known digitally, but have closely followed his always-helpful work.

    In fact, just yesterday, without knowing that Mathew was bolting G&M, I mentioned him specifically in a piece about social-media editors at major news orgs: http://bit.ly/sssmed (he’s one of the best at knowing the connection between a journalist and his/her reader and how to make that relationship thrive). What succeeds you, Mathew (or tries to?)

    Well done, you two.

    Reply
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  44. Congrats Ingram on the great job opportunity and congrats to Om on the hire. I will miss you at the Globe. Alas life moves on.

    Reply
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