In  her current column, Mia features Montreal general store Fait Ici, a new local and organic-focused shop with a unique approach to blogging.

Mia writes: “As the ‘buy local’ movement has continued to grow in popularity, so too has the presence of food bloggers. This has been a perfect opportunity for [Lindsay] Davis and [Jackson] Wightman, who have paired the store’s unique offering with a powerful digital strategy that has propelled the new company forward almost immediately.”

Early on, Fait Ici invited five Montreal bloggers to each provide a blog post over five days – a creative way to get free content and engage with the food community that also resulted in a huge increase in traffic. Wightman, the store’s vice president of marketing and community, said their social media efforts are based on the idea that it is important to add value to the community with your online activities – not just advertise.

Wightman says: “You have to give to get because people are tired of being talked at and broadcasted to. We’re inundated with messages, and I just don’t think a billboard gives in the same way that sharing a piece of valuable content on a Facebook page or listing useful tips on a blog does.”

Check out Mia’s column every Thursday in the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business.

The hottest spot in Toronto last Friday night was on Yonge Street, just across from the Eaton’s Centre, where the Kinect for Xbox 360 Experience pop-up hub gave media, partners and online influencers a chance to play with Kinect. Inside, people danced, dodged, jumped and swerved as they played Kinect games, while outside hundreds of faces peered through the windows eager to have a turn.

Getting into the game at the Kinect for Xbox 360 Experience

Open for the next 10 weeks, the Kinect for Xbox 360 Experience will give consumers an opportunity to try Kinect, even before it launches on November 4th. Stop by to check it out if you’re in Toronto, or in Montreal in the coming weeks.