SOCIAL MEDIA

IS IT SOMETHING IN THE POTATOES? Substantial number of social media notables emerges from Canada’s smallest province By Laurie McBurney

he list reads like a who’s who of social (MOOC), manager of web communication networking. and innovation at UPEI, member of the TJevon MacDonald, co-founder and CEO of award-winning Edtechtalk, international GoInstant, sold last summer for $70 million… speaker on rhizomatics (a way of learning Daniel Burka, co-founder of Pownce, creative based on ideas) and the effective use of new director at Digg, now design partner with technologies… Amber MacArthur, co-founder Google Ventures… Bonnie Stewart, educator, of Konnekt Digital Engagement, TV host, writer, researcher into digital identities, PhD best-selling author of Power Friending and candidate at the University of Prince Edward dubbed “Canada’s top social media expert on Island, whose social media insights have been how to build a brand” by Canadian Business published by Salon.com and The Guardian Magazine… Rob Paterson, co-founder of Queen (U.K)… Dave Cormier, credited as the creator Street Commons, who “looks beneath the of the term Massive Open Online Courses surface” to provide context and connections in

Online extras: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com | 95 the social media world with his company Renewal on a downtown street, at a coffee shop, or in the Consulting Group Inc. and lists clients such grocery store. And when you see and interact as National Public Radio and public television with people in diverse ways, not just across a stations. desk or in an office, you get a sense of who they It’s obvious these social media notables have are and gain a level of comfort in approaching a lot in common—creativity, risk-taking and them. Familiarity like that makes it a whole lot originality. But there’s one more connection that easier for a group of teenagers to talk to museum you won’t know unless you read their biographies. managers. They all have deep roots in Canada’s smallest Paterson has a personal example of how small province, either having been born and raised town relationships can make business dealings on or living and working simpler and more flexible. In 2005, he saw a there for a good portion of their adult lives. When need in for shared office space for David Cormier, webmaster, you add up the accomplishments and measure a growing cadre of entrepreneurs, artisans and UPEI, says Charlottetown’s their influence, it’s obvious that P.E.I., with a part-time summer residents. The concept of co- small size makes it easier for things to happen provincial population of approximately 146,000, operative working spaces was fairly unique at the quickly. “Lots of people is punching well above its weight class on the time—Paterson says to his knowledge, there were get ideas. Ideas are a dime a dozen. The problem is social networking scene. Is it something in the fewer than five in the world in 2005. getting them to happen.” water—or maybe in the potatoes? He happened to mention the idea during “Small places teach an inherent understanding a semi-regular lunch with other social media of networks,” says Bonnie Stewart. “I do think entrepreneurs and aficionados. Dan James, most of us with strong ties here learn to navigate president of silverorange, overheard and pulled networks and make the most of the ties we have.” up a chair. It turned out that silverorange just Jevon MacDonald agrees. “I learned about the happened to own a downtown building that power of relationships early and have used this would be a perfect fit for the co-op. James was to my advantage throughout my career,” he says. willing to take a chance on a relatively untried One of the earlier relationships MacDonald idea, certainly one that was unique to P.E.I., and forged was with the late Martha Burka, mother the deal was settled with a handshake. To this day, of his friend, Daniel Burka. The boys were all of Queen Street Commons operates successfully 15 when Ms. Burka alerted them, Daniel’s twin from the same location, and yes, silverorange is brother, Nicholas, and a few other young friends, still the landlord. to the fact that local museums were looking to Paterson says it’s a lot more difficult to make digitize their collections. Despite their youth, the these kinds of deals happen in large places, young men thought they could do the job, and because it’s harder to get to know people. set up face-to-face meetings with the museum “You need to network face-to-face . . . It builds management. trust so then you can work very quickly,” says In an article on Shopify.com, Burka was Paterson. quoted as telling Sprout Up, a monthly gathering The speed at which ideas can be executed is of tech entrepreneurs, “We knew what David Cormier, webmaster at UPEI, finds museums wouldn’t come to a bunch of kids, so special about the Island. Originally from a small we approached them. We asked them, ‘if we write town in New Brunswick, he has lived and worked the proposals and get the funding, will you let in Charlottetown for several years. us digitize your collections for you?’” The “kids” “Lots of people get ideas. Ideas are a dime got the go-ahead—and the funding. At an age a dozen. The problem is in getting them to when most teenagers would be skateboarding happen,” he says. According to Rob Paterson, or playing video games, Burka, MacDonald and When Cormier came up with the concept for owner of Renewal friends formed a company called Whitelands “Living Archives,” billed as “a partnership project Consulting Group Inc., the advantage of living in Studio. Whitelands has since morphed into a helping Island students bring the past to life a small place is that you world-class website development company known using the tools of the future,” he picked up the meet like-minded people as silverorange based in Charlottetown. With a phone and called the province’s department of in the most casual ways, such as walking down the list of clients featuring giants like Bebo, Mozilla education. street or seeing them in a and ESPN, silverorange kickstarted the careers of “I got a call back in 10 minutes from the deputy coffee shop. Burka and MacDonald into the stratosphere. minister. She asked, ‘What are you thinking “This never would have happened in Toronto,” about?’ I explained, and she said, ‘Oh, that’s says Rob Paterson, who owns Renewal Consulting interesting, you’ll have to call this person and Group, Inc., and had a long-time professional that person and see what they think and then partnership with MacDonald. Paterson, originally we’ll see what we can do.” To make a long story from England and a long-time P.E.I. resident, is short, Cormier and his partners put together now based in Quebec. a grant proposal within a month and got about Friendships and business relationships can a half-million dollars in federal funds for an happen in big cities, of course. But, according educational project that involved all three Island to Paterson, the advantage of living in a small school districts (www.livingarchives.ca). place such as P.E.I. is that you meet like-minded “It was that quick. If you tried to do that people in the most casual ways, such as walking anywhere else to (a) have the permission to do it

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Expand your network anytime, anyplace, anywhere with Atlantic Business Magazine. at an institution like a university, and (b) to expect encouragement to extend beyond a confined that kind of response from the government, well, scope of experience. Stewart says growing up you’re just not going to get it,” he says. “I’ve found with a sense that there was an interesting and that in anything I’ve ever tried to do here.” exciting world beyond P.E.I. pushed her to travel To Cormier’s mind, professional autonomy and and broaden her understanding and knowledge, responsibility is another attraction of working in something that people who live in bigger centres Charlottetown. may not feel the need to do. “It ends up being really easy to be the only “Some of my peers in Toronto have never left person in charge of whatever it is you’re doing. there because they never really had to,” she points I don’t have a committee or a group of people I out. have to report to. Because it’s such a small place Cormier’s groundbreaking work with MOOCs and those things are scaled down, [you] end up and rhizomatic learning has led to collaborations Amber MacArthur and her being able to represent in single ways. It gives you with other experts throughout the world. “If brother Jeff MacArthur, a chance to have a voice in a way that would be you are the only people doing the thing you’re co-founders of Konnekt Digital Engagement. more difficult if you were in a group of 12 or so in doing, you have to reach out in some way. You’re Amber attributes her social a larger organization,” he says. looking for peers and those peers are likely to media success to her Paterson agrees. “I think people who are be someplace else in the world. We have the Island roots: “(Islanders) love to talk. We love to interested in doing things, pulling things off are opportunity to be the representative,” he says. connect. Social media attracted to smaller communities, because there, Certainly, it seems to have worked that way allows us to do this with people all over the world.” your work stands for you. Doing good work gets for all those interviewed for this article. For you noticed.” example, Cormier has spoken at conferences But all work and no play makes for a dull in Sweden and India about the impact of the social media entrepreneur. Some necessary internet on education; Paterson crisscrossed the components of thinking outside of the box are U.S. dialoguing about a new platform for public creative outlets and a critical mass of talented radio; MacArthur’s opinion is sought whenever a people to spark concepts and ideas. new tech toy is released; Stewart speaks regularly Stewart found just those things when she at conferences about digital identity and has been returned to P.E.I. from South Korea after 15 years featured in international media. of exploring the world. Cormier admits he doesn’t know how to “When I moved back it was partly to raise measure the impact those from the Island have my family, but also because every time I came had on the world of social media. Perhaps the home, I became aware of how vibrant the cultural best indication is that their home province is community was here. Living in other places becoming a known entity internationally. “When made me appreciate how much Charlottetown, in I tell people I’m from P.E.I., they’re not terribly particular, offered for a city of 35-40,000 people,” surprised,” he adds. she says. Another measure could be contained in the Stewart has a particular affection for the speaker’s roster from last fall’s Blissdom Canada Confederation Centre of the Arts. The gray, conference. Two of the five speakers at “Canada’s concrete structure covers an entire city block social media event for women” were from Prince and has the largest theatre main stage in Canada Edward Island: Amber MacArthur and Bonnie east of Montreal. While the stage has been home Stewart. to world-class plays and concerts, many Island Stewart’s characterization of the internet as the children have cut their performing teeth in dance “biggest small town in the world” played well to Bonnie Stewart, a well- recitals and school plays on it as well. the sold-out crowd, and demonstrated the impact known educator and researcher into digital “This creative urban offering in this small that experience with small-town, old-fashioned identities, says P.E.I. has place was, for me, one of the big draws in values can have on the new way the world does a lot in common with the coming back. We wanted to be where there was a business. world wide web. “The internet, and the social vibrant cultural community and for the size and “My message was this: the internet—and the media web in particular, is scale of the place, it’s pretty significant. So my social media web in particular—is a commons a commons that we need to start actively treating ambition was originally directed elsewhere, but that we need to start actively treating like the like the world’s biggest my creativity always felt like it had a home here,” world’s biggest small town. Connections matter. small town.” she says. As humans, we need them. And we are making Cormier also cites the presence of the and modeling them every time we talk to each university, the airport and good restaurants other online. We are shaping the norms and as amenities that ensure an imaginative and etiquettes of these online environments with our innovative population. own traces and approaches,” she says. Of course, there can be some drawbacks with a Or in the simple words of a student who smaller population. learned her ABCs in a two-room schoolhouse in “There are only a few web companies that Dunstaffnage: “I do think we Islanders have big operate from Charlottetown, so you can be both hearts. We love to talk. We love to help. We love physically and intellectually isolated,” Burka to connect. Social media allows us to do this with noted in the Shopify.com interview. people all over the world, even though we’re from However, some see that as an advantage, a tiny little island,” says Amber MacArthur. | ABM

98 | Atlantic Business Magazine | March/April 2013