Written by Malotutoatasi Vaimoso Semaia
The Collective Mind of BMM
The inauguration of the Brisbane Media Map (BMM) unit and website in the year 2000 was a process to put an extraordinary entity into existence. This is what Internal Communication Team (ICT) that I learned from Dr Christina Spurgeon interview about BMM history information. The unit is based on the mapping of professional association and network industries. It’s a demonstration of a practical skills in internal and external communications, management designed and stored resources in the BMM website to provide resources for job seekers, media industries and Media Communication.
“… Arrangements of how the actual practical skill will think about industries … Look at, how internal and external forces… What is the mental map is carry on our head of this industries?”
The mental map was there in the beginning, and it still relevant and existing. BMM was also totally appropriate in QUT because of its practical methodologies in class. It is a practical industry level-based unit. (Spurgeon. 2019)
Brisbane Media Map Before Action
The readers deserve to know, what mentally academic perspectives for students, QUT and the media, before the written planning and action. Dr Spurgeon inquired critical questions at the time, while the team listened to her explanation,
“Where is a job in the media? … this is the problem. And how you build capacity and industry capacity in that field?”
These questions were an indication to the team about the authenticity of the BMM project. The project was built by critical researches and findings. The class and the website are platforms of brainstorming and practice for students’ theocratic skills. She quantified a lot of significant points that explained her determination for the physical MC mapping and online website platforms for the final year students.
Furthermore, she reached to the BMM economical purpose because of a critical mass media growing in Brisbane. By doing this, she critically discovered and understood the undergraduate curriculum and media.
“A critical part of dealing with the rule of economy … and what it needed in the diversity, infrastructure of the diversity of the economy, of how did you put beyond education …”
What Christina said is the correlation between the two economic policies raised by (Collis, Foth, & Spurgeon. 2005, pp 3-13) in media curriculum. The first one was the “Media and Communications Education in Knowledge Economy” which was a concern in relation to unavailable and limited resources for new students and MC. The second issue was a “Locating Media and Communication in Creative Industries” (Putnis et al. 2002, p. 7). This measure was for the future of M&C final year students, jobseekers and Creative Industries/M&C development.
Therefore, the critical and professional balance process was established, and it is something that all past and current students including teachers should be happy about it.
Brisbane Media Map Creator, Co-creators and Assistances
Every creation has a history and this article is about, not only providing information but the acknowledgement of a creator, co-creators, lecturers and tutors who were involved in the BMM’s journey.
The BMM 2019 cohort is now ready to celebrate its 19th Birthday since it started, and it was called Applied Media in its early years under the management of Dr Christina Spurgeon. Christina became involved in 1999 at QUT School of Journalism in Journalists. Before her time here at QUT, she was a graduated PHD Applied Media in 1997, worked as MC policy and advocacy, became an international teacher and worked at Australia Beautistic. Christina was an original inspiring creator of BMM development. She had vision, goal and mapping communication. For BMM moving forward, she recommended Drama and Animation students to take Media and Communication (BMM).
In 2002, Dr Marcus Foth was heavily involved in BMM for many years. Marcus was one of the co-authors and he,
“… developed the database … and looked into opportunities for students to open different sources and their complications, what choice you make, and what choice of organisation and what may change they can do.” Marcus was provided a community platform and he managed to get resources (Christina explained).
When Christy Collis coordinated BMM she,
“ … saw in the opportunity for students to build and project that build their managing skills and that’s where all the projects management side of it” (Spurgeon. 2019).
Moreover, this year (2019), BMM is in the good hands of Coordinator Dr Benjamin Nicoll and Assistance Dr Callum McWaters. I am one of their students, witnessing the effective assistance of internal and external communications including monitoring class activities at a high level. However, BMM was under the brand ‘Straddl’ in 2018 and our 2019 cohort critical changed back to BMM brand.
I apologised to you, my readers, that there is some missing data. Our team involvement was 9 weeks research, so we ran short on time to gather as much information as we had originally hoped.
Brisbane Media Map’s Value & Options for Moving Forward
BMM history is remarkably successful in its authentic, practical mapping and communication. It was a critical implementing process and profession platform. However, because media study is completed as a new contemporary context due to increased technology, the unit does need a study budget to promote this important academic practice. In addition, new management should investigate other areas like the Drama and Animation fields to become a MC student in the phase. The BMM legacy will remain and its value should be honoured by future management because of its practical methodologies in professional association and networks of industry, in media.