alan jones

Current

Consulting Director of Product Development at Mixin
Web Strategist at Pollenizer
Founder at Doing Words

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Past

Community Manager (contract) at Bluepulse
editor, social media manager at CARSguide.com.au
Advisor at Bluepulse.com

Project Manager, Carsguide at News Digital Media
Chief Product Officer and Co-founder at HomeScreen Entertainment
Managing Director at Go Man Go Productions
Product Director, Yahoo! South Asia at Yahoo! Inc.
Product Director, Yahoo! Australia & NZ at Yahoo! Australia & NZ
Senior Producer at Yahoo! Australia & NZ
Producer, Sydney Sidewalk at Microsoft
Founder, Director at Doing Words P/L
Account Director at Blackie McDonald
Editor, Australian Macworld Magazine at IDG Communications
PR Manager at WordPerfect Pacific
Account Executive at Hill & Knowlton Australia

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12 more...

Education

University of Western Sydney

Recommended

9 people have recommended alan

Connections

374 connections

Industry

Online Media

Websites

alan jones’s Summary

I'm a communicator and online product strategist with community-building, creative marketing and editorial background.

I write, present and consult about online, mobile, media and marketing. I bring wit, passion and creativity to online product strategy, team leadership and marketing.

My clients are typically startups and the investors who back them, media companies, publications and conference organisers.

alan jones’s Specialties:

Writing, editing, product strategy, product management, product design, interface design, creative team management, technical team management, media training, presentation

alan jones’s Experience

Consulting Director of Product Development

Mixin

(Consumer Services industry)

December 2008 — Present (1 year )

Advising this small early-stage team with a social calendaring product in beta on product strategy, interface design and focus.
Web Strategist

Pollenizer

(Privately Held; Information Technology and Services industry)

July 2008 — Present (1 year 5 months)

Advising early-stage startups on product strategy, marketing communications and social media.
Founder

Doing Words

(Internet industry)

January 1995 — Present (14 years 11 months)

Doing Words is my consulting business, which I established in 1995, and sometimes paused while I’ve co-founded startups and worked for corporates such as Microsoft, Yahoo! and News Digital Media.

I do product strategy, web 2.0 community, marketing communications, content licensing, and the leadership and management of design, creative and technical teams.

My clients are startups and the investors who back them.
Community Manager (contract)

Bluepulse

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Internet industry)

January 2008 — March 2008 (3 months)

Fostering the growth of a community of bluepulse users through social networking platforms, blogs, industry and consumer groups. Working with product team to fold user feedback into future product functionality.
editor, social media manager

CARSguide.com.au

(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)

April 2007 — January 2008 (10 months)

Reducing the cost of acquiring and retaining new customers by giving them more great reasons to return often. Building a platform to help you learn, share and interact more about the second-biggest financial commitment you'll ever make.
Advisor

Bluepulse.com

(Privately Held; Internet industry)

October 2005 — 2007 (2 years )

Advising the CEO and team in online communications, media relations, industry relations, product strategy.
Project Manager, Carsguide

News Digital Media

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; Online Media industry)

September 2006 — December 2006 (4 months)

Contract role on www.carsguide.com.au
- Managing the implementation of new 'browsable search' technology
- Managing the delivery of live and on-demand video
- Advising on Web 2.0 and mobile strategy
Chief Product Officer and Co-founder

HomeScreen Entertainment

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Motion Pictures and Film industry)

January 2003 — December 2005 (3 years )

Management of the product design and development process, online marketing and strategic alliances, content licensing. Company spokesperson for consumer and industry media. Buys donuts for everybody on Thursdays.
Managing Director

Go Man Go Productions

(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Online Media industry)

January 2003 — October 2003 (10 months)

Acquired this award-winning Australian online and interactive marketing agency, assisted the founders in restructuring the business to improve profitability and reposition the agency for future new business growth. Achieved goals and sold the business back to its founders. www.gomango.com.au
Product Director, Yahoo! South Asia

Yahoo! Inc.

(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; YHOO; Online Media industry)

December 2001 — January 2003 (1 year 2 months)

Management of strategic product and service development for Yahoo!'s consumer services in English-language Asia.
Product Director, Yahoo! Australia & NZ

Yahoo! Australia & NZ

(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Online Media industry)

November 2000 — December 2001 (1 year 2 months)

Planning product strategy and managing the product development teams for Yahoo!'s business in Australia & NZ.
Senior Producer

Yahoo! Australia & NZ

(Public Company; 11-50 employees; Online Media industry)

September 1997 — November 2000 (3 years 3 months)

Yahoo!'s second employee in Australia, founding member of the local management team. Worked with Yahoo! Inc. to localise US online consumer products for Australian & NZ audience. Worked with local development team to design and build unique local services.
Producer, Sydney Sidewalk

Microsoft

(Public Company; MSFT; Computer Software industry)

January 1996 — September 1997 (1 year 9 months)

Producer on the startup team of Microsoft's venture into online city guide publishing. Led planning for editorial production, managed relationships with content publishers.
Founder, Director

Doing Words P/L

(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Online Media industry)

January 1995 — March 1996 (1 year 3 months)

Project management, editorial, design, PR and marketing services for clients including MSN Australia, Telstra On Australia, Macromedia Asia Pacific, and Intel Australia.
Account Director

Blackie McDonald

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Public Relations and Communications industry)

1993 — 1995 (2 years )
Editor, Australian Macworld Magazine

IDG Communications

(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Writing and Editing industry)

1991 — 1993 (2 years )
PR Manager

WordPerfect Pacific

(Public Company; 501-1000 employees; Computer Software industry)

1990 — 1991 (1 year )
Account Executive

Hill & Knowlton Australia

(Public Company; 11-50 employees; Public Relations and Communications industry)

1988 — 1990 (2 years )

alan jones’s Education

University of Western Sydney

Ba (Applied Communication Studies) , Media Production, Professional Writing, Public Relations , 1986 — 1989

Activities and Societies:

Founding Editor of student newspaper, member of Student Representative Council executive.

Additional Information

alan jones’s Websites:

alan jones’s Interests:

social media, mobile applications, online entertainment, online content distribution, social networking, development methodologies, online marketing, online communications