5 Questions...with Amber MacArthur

Welcome to our second "5 Questions..."  Last weeks installment was very popular.  This week we feature a very popular online and media personality: Amber MacArthur.  Amber MacArthur is a new media journalist, speaker, writer, and consultant. Aside from hosting technology television shows in Canada, she is also well-known in the online media space.  She currently runs a small agency that specializes in social media consulting and she has a business book on the topic hitting store shelves in June 2010. 

What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?

I am motivated by the amazing new social technology that continues to connect people online in all corners of the world.

Do you have any success start-up tips for people wanting to create a name for themselves in your industry?

For people wanting to create a name for themselves in the social media space, I recommend establishing a strong presence online for your business or hobby. In other words, make sure their is some "meat" behind your online brand.

In your opinion why is Toronto a hotbed for cool tech start-ups?

Since Toronto is Canada's largest city, I think it's natural that many tech-savvy individuals and businesses have chosen it as their home. I also think that there are a number of key influences in Toronto who have communities beyond Toronto, which helps to put our city on the social media map.

What's your favourite tech toy and social media site and why?

I love the Flip video camera because it's a cinch to use, and produces great quality videos. As for websites, I'm pretty obsessed about blippy.com right now because I think social shopping is going to be a big trend in 2010.

Who would you say is one of Toronto's social media/tech stars and why?

There are lots of tech stars in Toronto, hard to name one!

Thanks for this!