Tech Soup Canada is part of Tech Soup Global, an organization that promotes using technology to enable social change.  Through Net Tuesday events, Tech Soup Canada gathers people from across the social stratosphere together to talk tech for good.  I’m thrilled to be the official Net Tuesday blogger. So far I’ve written about preparing for a website re-design, strategies for bringing your board to the cloud and, most recently, successful SEO strategies to help you get found online!

Check the Tech Soup blog monthly for new posts!

I have a feature article appearing in the Fall Issue of Education Canada Magazine, Canada’s premier source for education news and discussion. You can read the article “Teaching in the Land of Happiness: The Canada-Bhutan Connection” on the Education Canada website or in hardcopy.

“Have nothing in your design that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

This idea, originally articulated by British textile designer William Morris, was a focal point of this week’s Net Tuesday meetup, “Preparing for a Website Redesign.” The session featured three speakers, Ana Matica of Matica Design, Julian Egelstaff of Freeform Solutions and Chad Mohr a freelance web designer working with non-profits and small businesses.

Non-profits and charities can face big challenges when it comes to using technology effectively and putting their best food forward online. For small organizations, those without an IT department, those who are too busy making sure their programming is reaching the community to spend time creating an online presence, and those who simply do not have the budget or resources to consider big technology projects, this can seem like an insurmountable challenge. The good news is…it’s not. Today, investing both human and financial resources to implement technology and great a strong online presence is more important than ever. Small organizations can do it— they just need the right tools. The speakers at this week’s Net Tuesday event introduced attendees to some of these tools and gave strategies for approaching development projects, both large and small.

I get asked all the time for suggestions of things to see and do in London. So, in hono(u)r of the Great British Summer here’s my list for tourists and new residents alike.

Burrough Market
Right near London Bridge Tube station. Follow the crowds to the oldest food market in London. It’s hopping at lunch hours and Saturday and Sunday mornings. One of my absolute favourite places to spend a day.

Brick Lane
An East End gem and one of my favourite places to browse, shop, eat and party in London. Head there on Sunday for the vintage/art markets or make a night of it on Friday or Saturday with a curry at one of the many curry houses along Brick Lane (Aldgate East is the closest tube stop) and then dance the night away at one of the following: Vibe Bar, 93 Feet East, Brick House or head further north towards Old Street/Hoxton and check out Cargo, Hoxton Bar and Grill or anything in Old Street.

I’m currently interviewing teachers to send halfway around the world. Literally—it doesn’t get much further away or much more remote than the foothills of the Himalayas. The interesting thing is that even these interviews have been taking place across great distances. In the last two days I’ve talked to teachers in UAE, Vancouver, Tokyo, Montana, Yorkshire, London, Colorado and the Maldives.

All if this would not be possible without the wonder of Skype, a tool our organization has come to rely on heavily for everything from volunteer interviews to board meetings to staff check-ins. The upside of Skype is that you can connect with anyone, anywhere at any time for free (or really cheap!) The downside, however, is that there’s nothing worse than a terrible Skype call, whether it’s due to blinding backlight or a connection that makes every sentence sound you’re talking to someone on a sat. phone from the moon base.