On Building PoiseSocial: Naming, Collaboration, and Purpose
The founder reflects on the deliberate choices behind PoiseSocial's name and editorial mission, the organic partnership that shaped the platform, and its evolving role as a gathering space for thoughtful writing in Cameroon. The piece offers candid insight into how intention—rather than formula—guided the platform's early growth.
ANSWERING 4 QUESTIONS FROM A PoiseSocial READER
HOW AND WHERE DID YOU GET THE NAME? IT’S VERY CATCHY
I wanted a name that will accurately describe the kind of content that will be on the platform. I was fed up with the blogosphere in Cameroon which I found to be ‘careless.’ At first I wanted it to be just one word so I started going through the dictionary in my head and as soon as I landed on POISE, it just sounded right. Poise (the noun) means “graceful and elegant bearing in a person.” For me, the best outfit is the persons character and how they carry themselves. It was the perfect name because I wanted what I write to also inform who I am and who I want my followers and I to become.
I now had to do the second thing which everyone naming a product or company these days has to do - check for the availability of the domain name. Poise was taken so I had to add something to it. I went through the usual alternatives like poisemagazine etc but I didn’t want to just add something that didn’t really add to the name. So I had to add another character to my content. That’s how SOCIAL came about- because I really wanted it to be something impactful to the society. Social also explains the fun we try to infuse into the articles because meanwhile we are very content oriented, we still want things to be relevant and fun to read.
WHERE DID YOU MEET? HOW WAS THE ALLIANCE FORGED?
I am guessing you are asking about Wandji Wilfred here. We have known each other for a long time. We first met sometime around 2000. I started writing on PoiseSocial and he liked what I was doing. Every now and then, he would send me articles and I will publish them until finally, I just gave him administrative access on the platform to do as he pleases. it was just a matter of two people identifying with each others motivations. Two people who understand that their talent is a gift that should be used in service of their community.
IS THERE ANY LADY AMONGST YOU?
We have three ladies who have each written about once. They are specifically tasked to do all the editing. I want to read more from them but I don’t force anybody to write; even myself.
WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO MENTOR OTHER CAMEROONIANS TO THINK IN AN ENLIGHTENED WAY?
I guess that is what we already do via our platform. If you are talking about giving live talks, I don’t believe it is time for me to do that yet. If I am invited to give a talk, I won’t mind but for now, I still think I need to work more on other aspects of myself before I can list myself as a mentor. For now, I just hope people can be inspired by my ways and just have the courage to go where the heart leads, instead of where everybody expects you to go.
- Tino Foy
Written in 2018, when digital platforms in Cameroon were proliferating rapidly and questions about editorial voice, gatekeeping, and community purpose were becoming more urgent. The piece captures a moment when independent platforms were still defining themselves against the perceived carelessness of earlier blogging culture.
The post articulates a philosophy of digital work rooted in character and integrity rather than scale or influence—a posture that has only become more countercultural as social platforms have optimized for engagement. Its insistence on not forcing contribution, on letting collaborations emerge organically, and on remaining unpretentious about authority offers a quiet rebuttal to influencer economics that still resonates.