Connect Series: Meet Max K, our Digital Content Director!
Max is the digital content director for Reportex, responsible for creating written and graphic assets for internal and external outreach and training. He is the creator of the ever-popular wiki as well as partly responsible for our successful bids for government contracts.
As a writer and designer with an extensive computer background, Max is responsible for bridging the gap between technology and the humans who can benefit from it. He works closely with our systems and communications leadership to create materials ranging from wiki articles to brochures and videos.
Fun fact: Max plays six musical instruments poorly but enthusiastically.
We recently asked Max a few questions. Here is what he had to say:
How did you come to be the Digital Content Director at Reportex?
I used to live in Vancouver, about six blocks from Reportex HQ. When I started at Reportex eight years ago, we were much, much smaller. I shared an office with our sole QC person and our transcription manager (one person coordinating legal and medicolegal transcription) and handled all our marketing and day-to-day tech support while acting as an assistant to the transcription manager. In between designing brochures and building macros for our reporters, I’d go out in a blizzard to deliver gift bags or stay up late making flowers from crepe paper for an event. I eventually took over all our IT duties and became Systems Director in addition to handling marketing. I was wearing a lot of hats (probably too many), but I loved it.
Eventually it came time to move to Victoria with my partner, and I was apprehensive about having to leave my job. I’d always felt supported at Reportex, and basically every single one of my friends had some sort of horror story about their boss. Our owner Christy was able to find a new role for me that would work long-distance and hired a seasoned IT professional to take over my tech duties (just being “good with computers” was no longer enough for our rapidly increasing needs) along with a marketing person who could attend in-person events in Vancouver.
I keep meaning to go back to school for a second degree in computer science, but I like my job so much that I keep putting it off. I get to focus on the things that interest me and that I’m good at, which is a pretty rare thing.
What are your top three tips for new wiki users?
The search bar is your friend! If something isn’t popping up, try a synonym for the word you’re looking for. You can also use your web browser’s search function (Ctrl + F) to find a word on the page.
We’ve tried to make articles easier to use by organizing them into hubs. Click a link on the sidebar to get to a list of the most helpful articles on a given subject. These lists may not be exhaustive, so if you’re still looking for information, use the search bar.
Remember that we want your feedback. One of the great things about the wiki is that editing it is trivial. If you see a mistake, let someone know, and we’ll fix it!
What is the phone app you use most?
I really like Firefox Focus, a secure web browser that erases itself every time you use it. I use this in conjunction with the DuckDuckGo search engine to avoid being tracked while surfing the web.
Where is the next place on your travel list and why?
The pandemic got in the way of a trip my partner and I were planning to visit my parents in California, so that’s next on the list when things get better. My hometown of Berkeley is cool place, and it’s right across the Bay from San Francisco, so we were basically planning on hitting a bunch of museums, tourist traps, and fancy restaurants before spending some time in wine country and finishing off with a couple days poolside in Las Vegas.
