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On November 9, students and faculty gathered in the Roy Room to attend 鈥淔rom Ryan Hall to the Frontier of Marketing Technology鈥� to listen to speaker Jon Stewart 鈥�08.

Stewart is a Saint Michael鈥檚 College alum who cofounded ZenSource, an enterprise level software company.

鈥淲e built the nation’s smartest safest marketing technology foundation,鈥� Stewart said. ZenSource is 鈥渇aster, it鈥檚 more secure, and it鈥檚 more skillful than any other platform that is out on the market right now.鈥�

ZenSource provides the technology and tools to power all aspects of the web. Using the tools provided by ZenSource, companies can make their own websites, portals, web apps, etc. The platform allows marketers and content creators to expand their web experience without having to write any code. Stewart said the company mostly works in the healthcare, education, and financial service sectors.

ZenSource was built using open web technology. Stewart explained that Drupal, the world鈥檚 leading open-source community-built content management system, created 鈥淭he Open Web Manifesto鈥� which states that the open web is built for everyone to use and is founded on the values of access, freedom, inclusion, and empowerment.

鈥淭he web is changing so fast. The way we are communicating is changing so fast. Requirements are changing so fast. We need something that is resilient to the future which is why we built ZenSource on this open-source platform,鈥� Stewart explained.

After talking about his company and the open web, Stewart touched on some trends in digital media. The first trend is the prevalence of open-source platforms. Today, 97% of companies are using some type of open-source technology, Stewart said.

Another trend is in artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a big topic right now and is going to continue growing. Stewart said his company is using ChatGPT to generate and optimize content.

鈥淭here are tools out there that we can use to help us get started. Using these tools and AI to generate some baseline content is a great way to start and get your thoughts together, but at the end of the day you still need a trained writer, a trained voice, an expert to really fine tune that content,鈥� Stewart said.

Interactive content was the final trend.

鈥淭he way we develop user experience these days is more interactive than ever,鈥� Stewart said.

Stewart said that companies need to invest in a 鈥渧ideo-first鈥� mentality. While outlets such as TikTok and YouTube shorts are viewed by many as fun, they are also primary channels for companies to deliver their content.

Before Stewart took questions from the audience, he gave some advice on skills for the future. He emphasized the importance of data analysis, user design, content creation and storytelling.

鈥淚n any role, the ability to communicate clearly and tell a compelling story is paramount,鈥� Stewart said.

Steward also emphasized troubleshooting.

鈥淕etting more into those uncomfortable situations鈥� taking those classes that are more complicated and intimidating鈥� that鈥檚 where I have found that you really get that troubleshooting muscle memory and resourcefulness.鈥�