One of the unexpected joys of running the weeknight workshop series “Blogging for People Who Should” is getting to sample some fun cheeses. On my way to work on workshop days, I walk through Kensington Market and pick up some snacks for the session: fresh organic veggies, dips, olives, cookies, crackers and best of all, cheese.

If you don’t offer some kind of food at workshops that start right after the workday ends, people have to scramble to grab something quick …

The latest hi-jinks from Conservative Power Couple Helena Guergis and Rahim Jaffer has been fascinating to watch.

One of the milder allegations against the cabinet minister and her hapless husband was that Rahim Jaffer used to have access to her Parliamentary car and driver, and he took full advantage.

I think one of the most telling details about the way the couple work together came from a source quoted in the same Globe and Mail article:

Five days before you find …

Have you ever read a review for an MP3 player that’s not an iPod?  The reviewer is obliged to mention the king of all MP3 players, and compare the new product to it, usually unfavorably (Zune, anyone?)

This leaves the reader to pose the simple question: If I want an MP3 player, why should I buy anything that’s not an iPod? There are reasons why some MP3 players will make you happier than an iPod, but they are specific and rarely …

Back in 2004, four math majors from Harvard started an online dating site called okcupid.com They face some pretty stiff competition from a number of larger, more established sites like eharmony.com and match.com.  To stand out from the crowd, they started a blog six months ago, focusing on statistics generated from their site users, and immediately saw a jump in activity on their site.

Blogger.com, Google’s free blogging platform, is a great tool for personal blogs. It’s free, easy to set up and it comes with dozens of templates that are easy to install. It is great for personal blogs for family and friends.

But Blogger looks a little amateur – there’s a strange little toolbar that with links to a (random) “Next Blog” and your blog address is “yourblog.blogspot.com.  There are quick ways to change these limitations: one is free, and one costs as …

“What do you get for Bill Gates, the richest person in the world? How about a little free SEO advice for his new blog? It could use some.”

This is a great primer on some basic points about Search Engine Optimization, aka “How to get found on search engines like Google or Bing”  Makes the point that Bill Gate’s official blog, the one actually written by him, shows up sixth on Google and not at all on Bing  when searching for …

An interesting article in the New York Times today about bloggers and their attempts to dissuade Americans from donating blankets, clothing or other bulky/useless items (microwaveable TV dinners, anyone?) after the recent earthquake that devastated the country.

It is one answer to the question “Why should I write a blog?”

Wednesday night was the inaugural session of ‘Blogging for People Who Should’, and I think the workshop went well. The picture above is from my iPhone,  and makes the session look a little more distressing than I think it was in reality. I took the picture during the only free time I had -  when people were working through some tough questions about their blogs  – which accounts for the furrowed brows and looks of intensity.

You can download the Slides …