5 Questions with... Michael Furdyk

This week's 5 Questions features a guy most people have heard of but may not know.  When I first heard of Michael it was the story of a kid who sold a website for millions and then proceeded to buy a car he was too young to drive.  I don't know if that's true or not.  But this much I do:  Michael Furdyk is one Canadian who continues to make things happen. 

Michael grew up using technology from a very young age – his first computer at 2 years old was a Commodore 64. As the Internet exploded in popularity, he started a technology magazine online with a group of friends that became quite popular. After selling that company (MyDesktop.com) in 1999, at age 17, he came to realize that many young people didn’t have the support (family, friends, school) for their ideas and ambitions that he did, and so he co-founded TakingITGlobal.org as a charitable organization. It’s an online community to network and support young people to get involved in global issues and realize their potential.

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

For me, it's exciting to know what kind of impact you can have on the world with the technologies that we have available at our fingertips today. Being able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people around a cause, campaign, or crisis offers hope where the media has fallen short - which today seems to serve mostly to provoke us in the pursuit of ratings and readership. Far from isolating us, I believe that all of these social media tools we have available can be harnessed to increase awareness and foster civic engagement - they just have to be used in the right ways, which is what our work at TakingITGlobal is all about!

Do you have any success tips for aspiring young entrepreneurs?

The most important philosophy in my mind is passion and dedication to one's idea: not the idea of success, or making a fortune, but to the amazing innovation that you are ultimately selling - to your prospective employees and partners, to your investors, and to consumers! The first few months (and years) will take dedication and perseverance, and that's difficult to muster in the face of adversity unless your heart is invested in what you're doing, and not in the tantalizing results of the success you crave.

Why is Toronto such a hotbed for tech start-ups?

I think Toronto's got a lot going for it - a huge diversity of cultures and consumers, and fantastic university and college clubs and associations (like AIESEC, Engineers Without Borders, IMPACT, CUTC, and Journalists for Human Rights), ensuring students leaving the education system are equipped with more than the courses they've chosen, but have had experiences that inspire them to solve problems, address challenges, and create innovations here. The fact that it's such a friendly, welcoming city also helps to keep students here when they graduate too!

Two parts: what's your favourite tech device?  What's your favourite social media site?

I'm pretty impressed with the staying power of the iPhone in my daily tech arsenal. Ever since the first one was released more than three years ago, I haven't been as impressed with the versatility, usability, and simplicity of any other smartphone. Microsoft, RIM, and especially Nokia have their work cut out for them in the mobile space! Coming in a close second are my Bose Quietcomfort headphones... with all the travel I do, I don't think I've used any other headphones for the last decade! (not the same pair, mind you...)

On the web side, I really like what Flowtown has built for anyone managing a group of customers, contacts, or leads. It automatically helps you determine the social influence of each person and connect to the social media platforms they use, helping you better relate to and prioritize your outreach.

Who would you nominate as one of Toronto's up and coming tech/social media stars and why?

My pick would be Lisa Campbell Salazar (www.mobilerevolutions.org). She has shared her social media expertise as a Netcorps intern in Costa Rica, and has worked with a number of local organizations to spark their web strategies, including the Refugee Youth Health Project and GetInvolved.ca. Recently she collaborated with us at TakingITGlobal on her Masters thesis, Taking IT Mobile, which helped inform our mobile engagement strategy, and also provided new insights on the importance of mobile outreach and engagement to academia and the non-profit sector.