The younger set is putting the cool factor into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan while smashing some of the stereotypes of Yoopers--you know, the guy in the hunter orange and swampers--by using digital platforms to showcase what it is really like to live in God's Country. By doing so, they are highlighting the people, places and unique culture of the Upper Peninsula. Whether intended or not, the digital pubs will draw more folks to check out the coolness (no pun intended) of the U.P.
At least three pubs, The Awesome Mitten, Marquette Social Scene and Yooper Steez, are using digital means to spread the word that the U.P. has more to offer than a Paul Bunyan statue and China-made moccasins.
Yooper Steez is the longest running of these platforms. Launched into cyberspace in 2008, the goal of Yooper Steez is to put the U.P. in a positive light, according to founder Justin "Bugsy" Sailor. Sailor, who was born and bred in Baraga, says he likes to find fun and fresh stories that perhaps haven't been covered in other pubs. Steez (or "style") is not a source for news, but rather a fun place to go to read stories that have been flushed out of the nooks and crannies of the U.P as well as national media.
Sailor says he also likes to pass along interesting asides, such as Stephen King referencing "Yoopers" in one of his grisly novels, and a time when Jeff Daniels mentioned the U.P. on the David Letterman Show.
Sailor, who is currently residing in Lansing and is trying to make his way back above the bridge, says he got the idea for Yooper Steez after a road trip across the country where he stayed on countless couches in all 50 states.
He enjoyed sharing his roots with interested folks, and he also collected t-shirts from most of the states. The t-shirt he wore much of the time showed the peninsula he is so fond of, which elicited interest and conversation. When Sailor, now 30, returned to the U.P., he had a burning desire to share what is truly unique of this large peninsula with its relatively small population.
The ex-pat Sailor says the publication continues to grow and he is looking forward to the day he can make enough dough off the publication to once again call the U.P. home.
Where else can you discover that Hiawatha Pasties in Naubinway makes the best pasty in the state, as ranked by the Key Pasty Indicator ?
The Awesome Mitten, of course.
Thanks to social media and 25-year-old marketer Alex Beaton at the helm, this publication is taking off like a Seney wildfire. The Awesome Mitten speaks of the awesomeness of both peninsulas. The biggest difference between this digital pub and a traditional paper publication is people can communicate with each other about the people, places, things and events that make Michigan such a great place to live and visit.
"I didn't think we did a good job of talking to each other," says Beaton, who started up the publication in June of 2011 from her home in Traverse City. With social media, particularly Twitter and Facebook, they had a following of more than 2,000 before they even created an official website.
Beaton, who has a background in political science and marketing from MSU, says she once provided the content for the publication but now relies on managing content editor Erin Berhard and other writers to write stories readers are truly looking for. Beaton says having lots of content on a website is the key to being found by search engines.
I caught up with Brice Burge who is busy in the service industry, bartending at Flanigan's, one of many taverns in the Marquette area. Burge bartends and serves as a concierge during the day in Marquette and blogs at night for the newly-created
MQT Social Scene. Burge has a background in journalism from Northern Michigan University and said he had toyed with the idea of creating his own blog while working on The North Wind at NMU. The tipping point for the 25 year-old Burge was having a casual conversation with an older fellow, in, of all places, a Marquette tavern.
"The man said 'This is Marquette and things will never change,'" implying Marquette was not ready for tweeting and texting and the other digital means of communication which are practically old hat in the larger cities.
Burge originally created a "bar blog" where he shared what's happening in the clubs and taverns around town. Now he is expanding into event listings and hopes to add reviews of bars and other service and entertainment venues in the area.
Together, these three digital publications won't change what we love about the U.P., but rather keep us informed and entertained--U.P. style.
Neil Moran is a copywriter living in Sault Ste. Marie.
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