Live from East Africa! It's 5 Questions... with Erin Bury!
After cutting her teeth managing public relations for tech companies, Erin Bury joined Sprouter to better utilize her passion for networking, community-building & Web 2.0 technologies. As Community Manager, Erin is the voice of the Sprouter community of entrepreneurs – the connector between Sprouter and the world at large; providing ongoing communication in both directions. A journalism grad who loves all things social media, Erin is also a tech writer at BlogTO. Erin is one of the co-organizers of Twestival Toronto, one of the founders of GenYTO, and one of the biggest Snuggie supporters out there. She can be found on Twitter or on her blog, Confessions of a Serial Communicator.
What motivates you to do what you do on a daily basis?
I'm motivated by several things. First of all, ambition. I've always been extremely ambitious, and I'm not the type of person who can just sit around (unless it's to watch my favourite show, The Biggest Loser). I'm constantly either working, out at events, writing, or meeting with fellow members of the Toronto technology community. I'm also motivated by the amazing accomplishments I see daily in the Toronto community. Whether it's new companies emerging (Thoora and Clip Mobile just to name a couple), existing companies achieving milestones (Freshii expanding their presence in different cities), or individuals lending their time to worthy causes (Tim Yull organizing HaiHaiTO). Finally, I'm motivated by passion. I'm passionate about social media, technology, and especially my position at Sprouter. It's my firm belief that you can't be successful doing something you're not passionate about - I wake up in the morning excited to go to work, which makes it easy to devote so much energy to it.
Do you have any success start-up tips for people wanting to create a name for themselves in your industry?
First I would say that you can't create a network for yourself by sitting on your couch. It takes time and effort, but getting out into the community and attending events is the best way to meet like-minded people, and to make relevant connections for both your professional and personal lives. Second I would say that it's okay to ask for help. When I was starting out as a Community Manager I didn't hesitate to reach out to established CMs like Kelly Rusk and Melanie Baker to ask for their advice and tips - people are always willing to lend their expertise, and to share their ideas (sometimes you just have to buy them coffee - techies tend to love being caffeinated). Third I would suggest getting involved online in any relevant ways you can - comment on blogs, get involved on Twitter, and find out how you can contribute (whether by starting a blog, contributing to an existing blog, helping to organize a charity event, etc).
In your opinion why is Toronto a hotbed for cool tech start-ups?
Toronto isn't an obvious choice for founding a tech startup (Silicon Valley anyone?). But the fact that the community is so supportive and there are so many outlets to debut new technology (DemoCamp, Sprout Up, etc) means that there are a ton of innovative startups in the city. I can't speak to every startup's motivation for being in Toronto, but for Sprouter it's how active and supportive the community is. There are events almost every night, a strong online community, and someone is always willing to help - whether it's facilitating an introduction, pushing out our news, or giving us feedback.
What's your favourite tech toy and social media site and why?
I'm not going to go with the obvious choices here - Wordpress, Twitter, or even Sprouter. My favourite new Toronto-based site is Guestlist. It's a great events application (we use it for our GenYTO events). It allows your events to be shared through all the different social media sites, and is free to use. My favourite tech toy would have to be my Flip HD video camera. It's tiny, lightweight, and allows me to record and upload content from conferences and events quickly and easily. I think if I had a Kindle it would be a close second, but alas I don't.
Who would you say is one of Toronto's social media/tech stars and why?
Toronto has so many tech and social media stars, it's hard to pick just one. But I would have to say that one person who always inspires and motivates me is Daniel Patricio. He's a young, passionate, ambitious, brilliant guy who is taking the world by storm. Not only is he student, but he's now an entrepreneur - he just founded Orange Rhino Media, and is already working with big-name clients. He's a charismatic speaker, a devoted philanthropist, and an amazing friend. I see huge things happening for Daniel this year, and can't wait to see how his company progresses.
