Talented, intelligent, creative, game-changing, world-shaking community leaders are what we found when we asked: Who uses Ayoudo?
Ayoudo has thousands of members just in the Vancouver area alone. Chances are, you know many of them already. In fact you can now see which of your Facebook friends is also a co-Ayoudoan right here.
But we wanted to make sure that you met some of our members you may not have bumped into yet. We bring you…
Lindsay Smith
You’ve likely seen Lindsay on Global TV’s News Hour and Shaw TV’s Studio 4 speaking the language of digital living: she’s the local lady of tech! Lindsay is CEO and founder of Massive Media – Marketing Agency, the Director of Vision for the BC America Marketing Association, and a member of the Social Media Week advisory board.
Like many Ayoudoans she heard about Ayoudo through a friend: “They said it was like Craiglist for services and that I would love it.” Turns out they were right as she explains, “My favourite thing about Ayoudo is how user friendly it is. I’m also impressed by how quickly you can find people to fulfill your requests.”
Visit Lindsay’s blog at Technology News & Tech Gadgets and follow her at @TechLinz and @_MassiveMedia.
Steve Pratt
Steve Pratt’s splendour knows no bounds, especially when it permeates the things we so adore: the future of the music industry, new media, and social networking. Steve is currently the Director of Digital Music, including the new home of music at Canada’s public broadcaster, CBC Music, and Director of CBC Radio 3. Guest lecturing at the UBC School of Journalism and events like Northern Voice, he makes sure to share his knowledge.
Describing his first experience with Ayoudo Steve explains, “I think I was actually on the waiting list before it was released because it sounded like such a good idea! I love the idea of being able to connect people who can help each other who would never get connected without Ayoudo. I also love the potential for Ayoudo to deal with challenges small (painting a fence) to large (damages from a major wind storms).”
Thanks, Steve, we think you’re doing great things too!
Lorraine Murphy
Lorraine Murphy is a venerable Wonder Woman of blogging and social media knowledge sharing. She’s also a teacher whose “students range from academics and the leaders of major NGO’s to the homeless on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside…one of whom started a media company which has been featured on the BBC, CNN, and many other major networks.”
With hat-tips to Ayoudo’s focus on trust and her opinion that “a social site is only as good as the people in it” (we agree wholeheartedly), Lorraine notes: “Several of the smartest people I know signed up for Ayoudo. Normally I let ‘the latest hot site’ blow right by me, but the people who registered were not people who go into a tizzy over every new thing. They are people who think things through for the long term, and who don’t waste their time with sites that aren’t worth it.”
“Over time even this skeptical and relentlessly independent person has come to know that the best way to get something done is to ask for the help you need, and to set a floor of competence and a ceiling of cost. Ayoudo lets you do all of that, easily.” Indeed it does, Lorraine, indeed it does.
Kris Krug
Chances are you’ve seen a Kris Krug photograph as he’s worked for (to name a few) the United Nations, Tedx, Northern Voice, and covers everything from world events, art, and activism to conferences and speaker series. He’ll tell you he splits his time between Galiano island and living at Vancouver’s Waldorf Hotel (where he holds the current Artist in Residence title), but truth be told you never know where he’s off to next. Proof: check out his recent images from Qatar Tedx.
Having first heard about Ayoudo on Twitter, Kris says he’s always looking for help with projects and Ayoudo’s the place where he can find help with the “odd and interesting jobs.” A fan of forwarding on posts to friends, he says it’s the sharing of personal networks that attracts him to the site: “I love it because I totally believe in the potential energy in our networks. Ayoudo puts a level of concreteness in social networks: all these people in your network that have the ability, time, skill, talent – it brings a tangible realness back to our networks.” Read more about Kris here and follow him at @kk.
Arjun Singh
Kamloops City Council member extraordinaire! Arjun is passionate about community, communication, and making his hometown (and Canada) the best it can be – and it truly shows in his work. In addition to council duties, he’s served on the City Hall Social Planning council, Race Relations committee, Citizen Satisfaction Survey committee, the North Shore Plan committee, and the Sustainable Kamloops committee.
In 2011 Arjun was appointed co-chair of the Canadian Community for Dialogue and Deliberation, a group of people who share a strong passion for promoting vital public engagement and community conversation work across the country.
For a man who so strongly supports community, it’s no surprise that when he heard about Ayoudo through friends, he was a fan: “I like the idea of an easy and effective way to find and offer trusted assistance.” Turns out a little trust can go a long way.
Andrea Curtis
Andrea is the quintessential mover and shaker in the social change world. Her panache for creative strategy, community engagement, and art-making has had her working with Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Public Dreams Society, and many other Vancouver based institutions. She is the co-director of Transformation Projects, co-founder and past producer of the Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret, and program coordinator for Next Up BC.
It’s a high compliment when you’re considered a “rad app.” This is how Andrea describes Ayoudo and the people behind it (we’re blushing). “I’m proud to be connected to folk using the media tools they know best to create connectivity and social economy. I like the flexibility of what folk are offering and what I can offer. I’ve already shared stories of successful exchanges and meet ups and plugged creatively employed friends into the Ayoudo world.”
Malcolm Levy
Malcolm Levy is a man of many creative hats. He is an artist, curator, writer, and filmmaker whose curatorial, film, and video installation works have been presented internationally. If you’re an advocate of new media, music, film, and technology-based art installation and performance, then you’ve likely heard of or have perhaps attended the New Forms festival which Malcolm contributes to as its Creative Director.
Keep an eye out for him, Ayoudo. Welcome, Malcolm! Can’t wait to see what you ask for!
ANZA Club
From its origins as a community group supporting Australians and New Zealanders living in the Greater Vancouver area, the ANZA has evolved into a (Mount Pleasant) neighbourhood institution hosting weekly events such as Open Mic and Psych Night and other live music and DJ events. The ANZA is a tremendous supporter of the arts community in Vancouver and not straying too far away from its roots, it recently partnered with the Kiwi Association to assist in the Christchurch earthquake disaster relief efforts.
The ANZA Club believes in the reputation value of a social platform like Ayoudo in that they see it as a great way of expanding the trust that pervades their own community of about 4,500 Facebook friends (and beyond) through skills-sharing.
Have you visited the ANZA recently? With the help of the Vancouver Cultural Infrastructure Improvement Grant Program which contributes to the development of multi-disciplinary arts spaces in Vancouver, they completed their massive renovation last month and soon after hosted a Grand Re-Opening party!
We hope you enjoyed your visit to the opening day of Ayoudo’s House of Splendour. We’ll be showcasing other local stars so if there’s someone you think we should mention, drop us a line.
