Why Is Canada So Hot?

I just read an interesting statistic: nearly one in four Canadians has a profile in Facebook.  One in four .... I was very surprised to see that, but it does fit with the impressions I collected this week during my first ever visit to Toronto.  As I wrote earlier, Martin Waxman of Pallete PR invited me to speak with his staff, clients and the CPRS about the role of PR in the age of social media.  As is always the case on these speaking tours, I learned at least as much as I "taught."  Big lesson for me is just how tuned-in Canada is to the social media scene.  In short, Canada is hot, and it's got me thinking why. 

When prepping for the visit, I researched the history of media in Canada and learned that Toronto is not just the academic home of Marshall McLuhan (the sixties media theorist that coined the phrases "the medium is the message" and "the global village") but also Harold Innis, one of Canada's most distinguished public intellectuals who spent his middle years writing some of the most  important books on the role that media has played in helping to shape various civilizations.  Innis spent his adult youth trekking across the Canadian terrain studying how the country evolved around the development of key commercial interests (e.g., fur, cod fishing, the Canadian railroad).  His media studies focused on the different and competing "binding" effects that media have had on complex societies.  Were he around today, no doubt he'd be thinking about how social media is diminishing the tyranny of distance that has long challenged Canada.   The social media scene is vibrant in Toronto, and with the work that some of its leading PR and marketing folks are doing -- in addition to Martin and his crew, I got to meet with Joseph Thornley, Michael O'Connor Clarke, Kyle Reid, Collin Douma (Maggie Fox's wildly talented partner at SocialMediaGroup -- if you haven't met this guy yet, you are missing out), Lee Bansil (P&G), and many others -- that scene is helping to bring Canada closer to other parts of the globe.

I'll be back.  But part of me is still there.

Comments

[Martin Waxman]

Thanks for coming to Toronto, Giovanni, sharing your ideas and sparking a lively and insightful dialogue. You're welcome back anytime.

[Joseph Thornley]

Giovanni,

Your presentation to CPRS was thought provoking. And you definitely won over the home town fans by your references to McLuhan and Innis. McLuhan is easy. But putting Innis into the mix showed that you care about the audiences you address. Bravo!

So, we've taken a vote and decided that you definitely make the grade as an honourary Canadian (note the Canadian spelling.) Of course, to collect on that honour, you have to come visit us again. ;-)

[collin]

Thanks for the links and mentions. It was great to meet you as well. Hope to see you again soon in the great white north.

Here are some more fun stats regarding canadians on facebook:

http://www.radicaltrust.ca/2007/10/30/facebook-stats-are-like-crack/

cheers
collin
From social media group
and radicaltrust.ca

[Brian Anderson]

Thanks Giovanni for an interesting discussion near the end of the evening. You came over to our table and sat down and everyone enjoyed speaking with you. All three of us picked up some thoughtful insights and you gave me some things to think about regarding my blog - which I will be emailing you about. And yes, we love Facebook up here; it seems more immediate than plain old email.

[Giovanni Rodriguez]

Thanks, Brian, Collin, Joseph and Martin. Really enjoyed my visit. Cannot wait for the next.