A few posts from over on Gander Social (shared with permission, of course). Like inviting your friends over to see your new place. And we can’t wait to invite everyone else by.

📌Update: Feb 4📌 - 1,500 invites sent this week + 3,000 next. Landing Tues-Thurs weekly. - Our first release thanks thanks to all those plucky beta testers. - Part I of a snazzy new UI, news links show bias/credibility reliably, Gander Feed is live. Full details: gandersocial.ca/blog/release...

After a few months of getting our flippers wet, we realized something: Gander is a bit of an odd duck in tech, especially in how it gets built and supported. Traditional venture capital funding doesn't fit a benefit company like ours. Likewise with a lot of government programs.

A few months ago, Gander advisor Blaine Cook from New_Public reached out to say he wanted to introduce me to Catherine Tait, who previously served as CEO of the CBC. We're really glad he did.

📌 UPDATE 📌 Psssst, you might want to check your inboxes. We’re sending beta invites. • The pace is picking up. • Currently testing: Sign Up/In, Feeds, Profiles, Post Composer, Boards, Chat. • The EAP is now a waitlist. We're sending invites to everyone that's already signed-up right into March.

What’s coming up for Gander? Tune in to the Amber Mac Show for an in-depth conversation on topics like: moderation, monetization, and misinformation (oh my)! You know, and what to expect in the coming months. Shout-out to both @ambermac.bsky.social and the folks that submitted questions.

In the time honoured tradition of year-end posts, here is a hodgepodge list of garbage-social-media-and-social-media-adjacent stories that came across our desks in 2025. In no particular order. (Feel free to add yours to the list.)

Today is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. While we’ll be bundling up for a while yet, soon enough there will be a patio to sit on. Even if it's that one day in March that's 11.5 degrees for three hours before plunging back down well below zero the moment the sun starts to set.

Back in June, we were trying to sort out what we would do if Cyril Sneer somehow took over Gander. So we incorporated as a Benefit Company. Since it’s a fairly new concept here in Canada, you can read about it on our blog: gandersocial.ca/blog/friends... Or the thread for highlights.

I invested in Gander and all I got was this lousy t-shirt… I mean equity (we aren’t doing merch). We officially surpassed our goal of $1.5M CAD in equity crowdfunding last night, and we're now 1,800 Canadian co-owners in Gander Social. Crazy.

Gamgam's timeline is getting dark. Big thanks to the fine folks at @betakit.com for hosting Ben, the convo, and for sharing this video with us.

Jen Mitchell talked about @gandersocial.bsky.social, a Canadian-built and hosted, values-driven social media platform designed to offer a safer, saner, and more accountable alternative to the big, foreign owned, platforms. vimeo.com/1140415998?s...

Grateful to the team at @newpublic.org for this thoughtful convo on how (and why) we're building Gander Social: rethinking digital infrastructure, public spaces, and how shared values can shape better online experiences. And, you know, building an app people actually feel good about using.

🍄 Mushroom computers, 🕵️ ICE video doorbells, 🤖 chatbot age limits, ✈️ the new supersonic jet, 🌪️ Bill Gate's climate warning, 🪿 @gandersocial.bsky.social fundraising, 🔥 big #tech layoffs, and lots more on 🇨🇦 #Canada's The AmberMac Show with @jeffmacarthur.bsky.social! youtu.be/T8YJtguykwA?...

Exgoose-moi ? Tu finances Gander… comment ? On invite les Canadiens à devenir copropriétaires. Déjà 1 500+ personnes ont investi entre 255 $ et 10 000 $ — plus de 1,2 M $ ! Deviens proprio et parle-en à ceux qui veulent de meilleurs réseaux sociaux au 🇨🇦 frontfundr.com/fr/gandersoc...

Exgoose me? You’re funding Gander how? We're inviting Canadians to become co-owners. Over 1.5k Canadians have invested from $255 to $10K or more, totalling $1.2M so far! Become an owner! Tell friends, family, frenemies... anyone who wants better socials in Canada 🇨🇦 frontfundr.com/gandersocial

Ahem. We give you Gander. The app. On a phone. Not public yet… but it’s real, in our hands, and soon in beta. The timing is a bit nuts… given we just opened investment to all Canadians (at frontfundr.com/gandersocial) but we’re over the moon. Amazing what can get done with community.

“It’s one thing to say ‘let’s do this in a sovereign way.’ It’s another to actually do it.” ^Ben spoke to @trondizzle.bsky.social from @betakit.com about being children of CanCon, giving people control of their feeds, and why sovereignty doesn’t mean isolation. More👉 betakit.com/canada-gande...

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

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

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:

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.

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?...

We asked the Early Access Program what features they want on Gander. Here's the breakdown: You want control over your feed, flexible ways to share, verification that balances accountability with privacy, and fact-checking tools that make it easier to trust what you see.

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

In June we ran our first participatory design activity with the Early Access Program. We explored four topic areas with you: Canadian identity & inclusion, ads & monetization, trust & autonomy, and engagement & participation. Read about it on our blog: gandersocial.ca/blog/highlig...

See you at Elevate in October! Jennifer and Alison (our COO and Head of Community respectively) will be running a workshop on building a tech stack that runs on Canadian values (and servers). They'll be joined by @vassb.bsky.social from the The Canadian SHIELD Institute.

Canadians log on to platforms built under American rules where hate speech is protected. In the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk and another school shooting in Colorado, days before a nationalist 'Canada First' rally in Toronto, it’s time to enforce our Charter and laws online.

Here’s the DigSov letter to the PM in full for those that haven't seen it yet. Taylor Owen signed so you know it’s legit. While we always suggest reading the full thing for yourself, we've pulled some choice highlights that are pertinent to our work. Letter: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont... ^Good to see this getting attention. We’ve had a number of promising meetings with supportive officials, but we’re still navigating old support programs while pressing on with our own limited funds (with help from friends and family). More 👇

Where’s Gander? We’re on it! Been a busy, heads down kinda summer, but this is a quick update. August Closed Beta has moved to September, but we still have plans to open up more broadly end of October. More to come!

Happy Canada Day. We’re all about small-p patriotism: recognizing there’s plenty of work to be done, but also that we’ve got something worth building on here. Another thread 👇

We were searching for someone to help us navigate community impact in Canada. "Oh, you mean Peter Dinsdale" came the reply. (You can follow him here: @peterdinsdale.bsky.social) Ben explains:

Meet Melody, our Lead Software Engineer. She wants to leave this world better than she found it. We'd say she's well on her way. Over to Ben for more: It’s Day 2 of Gander Gratitude Week 💛 Today, I want to talk about Melody L., our Lead Software Engineer.

Ben talks about meeting Taylor Owen (@taylorowen.bsky.social) for the first time, having his eyes opened, and the power of (consensual) hugs. A thread. Over to Ben:

Busy day for our Early Access Program yesterday. Lots of sign-ups (thank you!) and also some error messages (sorry). We've fixed the issue. If you didn’t get through yesterday, please give it another try by following this link: gandersocial.ca#early-access More details below 👇

In the spirit of saying thanks to the people (that's you) who have helped us get here, we’re showing our gratitude this week. Here’s a thread on what’s coming up👇

It’s not lost on us that a new social platform isn’t exactly top of mind. Tech execs joining the U.S. military. More war. And here we are, grateful for everyone with us in this moment. A social platform isn’t all that social without good people supporting it.

This is exactly why we’re intentionally designing Gander to align with the Canadian Charter. Not because the law says we have to but because being free from hate speech is a universal human right. Tackling hate speech is a process. One we hope you'll be part of. #CharterInspired #CanadianTech

Spinning in circles trying to find your audience on platforms that reward views over value, are foreign-owned, and don’t get Canadians? Come hang at the Gander Social Creator Jam! Meet the team, demo the platform, help shape our tools. June 25, 6-9PM, TO. Register: lu.ma/9ibyo92a #TorontoTechWeek

Sometimes you get mentioned by @techcrunch.com. And in good company too. Adding a sprinkle of ketchup chip dust to the ATPro to surface Canadian voices and protect digital sovereignty.

Being online is cool. So is logging off to read some books. Here’s what some of us at Gander are reading this weekend: data gaps in everyday life, smart forests, radical queer history, the future of the internet, and the enduring appeal of fancy vampires.

Hear from Jennifer, our COO, about crying through Come From Away (as you do), finding kinship in Canada and why she joined the Gander team. #GetToKnowGander #HinterlandWhosWho

We’re not always the experts—and while we’re consulting with them, we believe it’s vital to build with you. If you rely on accessible design or advocate for those who do, what do you wish more platforms got right? Share your thoughts below. 🦆❤️ #AccessibilityMatters #AccessibleCanada

At Web Summit Vancouver? We are too. Keep an eye out for Alison and say hi if you see her. We’d love to hear more about what you’re up to. #WebSummitVancouver

Big moment for Canada. There’s energy behind us to create new and exciting things: AI, space infra—and yes, social platforms too. If you’ve got a bold idea go for it. Hear from Ben on Canadian resilience and responsibility: https://startupcan.pulse.ly/olymjcqedy

Creators build community online but rarely get a say in how the platforms they use work. Let’s change that. Join us June 25 @ Beauchamp Art Gallery for a free Creator Jam as part of Toronto Tech Week. RSVP and shape the tools you need to reach your people. Space is limited. lu.ma/9ibyo92a

Nice way to wake up today. Thanks @nadrescher.bsky.social @thelogic.co for the article. It’s paywalled (but free with a trial). Happy to answer questions. Thanks @bmann.ca @blaine.bsky.social @walkah.social @bad-example.com for the support! thelogic.co/news/gander-...

I usually say Gander started with Mike Myers and digital sovereignty—but the real “why” hit me again thanks to an email from Erin, a Canadian mom who just wants a kinder internet for her kids. Posted on our blog (with her permission) gandersocial.ca/blog/en/home...

Crazy week(s), but things are really coming together for Gander. We’re on our way to releasing a high-level, digestible roadmap (more depth to come), along with team bios and more. @bmann.ca has been a HUGE help. Can’t thank him enough.