Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gander Social

@gandersocial.bsky.social

5.9K followers 75 following 190 posts

The social media you want. Built for Canada. Fun, private, and ethical. We're changing the way social media is done around here, all without your data taking an unexpected trip south. Built on Bluesky. https://gandersocial.ca

gandersocial.ca

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 25d

Join our Early Access Program to participate in co-design sessions, be the first to see feature previews, and get first dibs on beta invites by opting in to help us test the platform.

Closed Beta Intake form coming soon!

gandersocial.ca#early-access

Gander: The Social Media You Want, Built for Canada

Fun, private, and ethical. We're changing the way social media is done around here, all without your personal data taking an unexpected trip down south.

gandersocial.ca

13 67 140

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 13h

Please do. We're pro accountability.

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 13h

Must have. From the start.

1 2

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 7d

Chief Operating Officer

She's also our only operating officer ;)

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 7d

Thank for the share Dennis!

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 7d

Ahead of her workshop at Elevate Festival later this week, we sat down with our COO Jen to chat about how we’re building a Canadian tech stack that centres privacy, trust, and sovereignty.

gandersocial.ca/blog/buildin...

#ElevateFest2025

Building a Trustworthy Tech Stack. – Gander Social Blog

gandersocial.ca

1 8 38

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks Var! We appreciate your attention -- especially with how much is going on these days. Hope to see you in beta!

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 12d

Thanks for the write-up Rebecca. We love community news and publications. Grateful for the feature and for the chat.

Rebecca Bollwitt @miss604.com · 13d

If you’re on Vancouver Island, pick up the latest issue of Douglas Magazine featuring my article about the new Canadian social network @gandersocial.bsky.social 🪿

www.douglasmagazine.com/find-a-copy/

Screenshot of a magazine cover with two men in front of a business. Text:

GANDER TAKES FLIGHT: CANADA'S ANSWER TO SOCIAL MEDIA

DOUGLAS

SMALL BUSINESS ISSUE Addressing the key issues you care about.
Species meetings & retreats section
Restaurants weather the economic storm
How to create your business road map
Construction industry hammered by challenges

1 12 41

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 13d

Hi Nick -- we send regular updates to the Early Access Program by email (but do try to avoid spamming people). You can check your email to see if you're receiving them.

Otherwise flip us a quick email to [email protected] and we can confirm that you're registered!

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 13d

Hi there Admiral Highliner, this is Gander Social Air Traffic Control -- you are clear to land. Please mind the geese on your way in, they're maintaining the lawn. Have a nice stay and enjoy your set.

Over.

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 14d

Residential school denialism doesn't stand up to reality despite the disinformation that so often fills our feeds.

"Each of the 7,000 statements from residential school survivors is a gift...Deniers would prefer we forget them."

So let’s not forget them.

nctr.ca/uncategorize...

Residential-school denialism doesn’t stand up to reality

Authored by Raymond Frogner, head of archives for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Canada’s Supreme Court has acknowledged that Canadian governments and Christian organizations…

nctr.ca

1 14 49

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 14d

Instrumental for our perspective on user agency and data ownership is Animikii’s #DataBack. It centers recognition, restitution, and reclamation of Indigenous data. Take some time to read #DataBack. It’s free and it’s eyeopening.

animikii.com/databack

#DataBack — Animikii Indigenous Technology

Animikii empowers Indigenous communities with culturally informed technology solutions like Niiwin—our groundbreaking tool for Indigenous data sovereignty and community empowerment.

animikii.com

1 6 32

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 14d

FNIGC’s Fundamentals of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession), is a good starting point for learning how to interact with First Nations data and on how we can respect the principles in our work:

fnigc.ca/ocap-trainin...

Welcome to The Fundamentals of OCAP® - The First Nations Information Governance Centre

The First Nations Information Governance Centre

fnigc.ca

1 3 8

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 14d

It’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation today. We’re a young org and real partnerships take time--especially in a colonial context. We’re doing the work to build trust and learn about Indigenous, Métis & Inuit data sovereignty, disinformation, and agency. Here are resources shaping our work:

1 17 81

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 15d

We aren't big on jingoism either. But this is also existential for us as Canadians. We've been describing it as "small p patriotism" -- recognizing that there's plenty of work to be done and that we've got something here worth caring for (each other).

1 5

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 18d

Thanks so much for organizing this chat. We're grateful for all the support -- this is our most in-depth interview yet!

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 18d

Thanks for the reminder that we need to be publishing in French. We'll be launching with options for both languages.

We want to surface Canadian voices, the research we have suggests that building an audience as a francophone in Canada is tough on the big platforms. We want to change that.

Reposted by Gander Social

MaRS Discovery District @marsdd.bsky.social · 18d

Have you heard of @gandersocial.bsky.social? Founder Ben Waldman explains how the homegrown social media platform is built to promote our country's values, economy and democracy.

Check out his session at Elevate. Use our promo code MARSELEVATE.

Honk if you like sovereignty! How Gander is building a Canada Strong social media platform

CEO Ben Waldman explains why making a homegrown social network is crucial to safeguarding the country’s values, economy and democracy.

www.thestar.com

1 22 51

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 18d

Hi Jean -- that's a valid concern and we hear you.

We're a small team and do our best to create content in both official languages. While that's not an excuse, it is our context currently.

You're right though, we need to step it up. Thank you for the reminder.

1 3

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 19d

It is indeed!

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 19d

Come on in, take your shoes off, leave them in the foyer (pronounced foy-eh), get comfortable and see what to expect in beta.

We’d post the video here but we got excited -- it's six minutes long.

Watch the video to learn about feeds, nests, and built in bias checks: youtu.be/CGWVN0Atfv4?...

Gander Social: Highlights from Our First Release

You've been asking in all sorts of creative ways, "where's the aaaaaaaapp?" And while the development team is toiling away so we can get the platform into the hands of our first Beta testers in…

youtu.be

7 26 82

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 19d

Watch for the intake form! We're just about finished with the questionnaire design and will be rolling it out soon.

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 19d

Deal. We won't let Ben film selfie-style while riding his bike though.

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 19d

Normally we keep Ben in his office but figured we had to say something on the topic -- just so happened he was between in-person meetings. Thanks for the forgiving the cliche and for coming on this ride with us!

1 5

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 20d

Thanks for the share Lina! We're looking forward to it too.

Gander Social @gandersocial.bsky.social · 21d

Hi Sunhawk -- thanks for the heads-up.

We'd love to chat about your concerns, please send a note to [email protected]. I've let them know to watch for your email.

We'll get the bounce/email issue sorted, if you have a second can you let us know what email you sent your note to?

2 3