Ed Bilodeau

This weblog had moved: http://www.coolweblog.com/bilodeau/

# Notice (Oct 19/05): So ends my stay here on Blogger. This morning Google implemented an anti-spam 'feature' that forces me to answer a challenge phrase when I want to post to my own blog. No notice of the change, nothing. Worse is that it doesn't even work! I type the phrase, submit, "An error occured", post deleted. Damn you, Google. Chances are I will revive my blog somewhere else, sometime soon. I'll post the new coordinates here as soon as they become available. (BTW, I'm unable to post anything to my RSS stream, so I'd appreciate it if readers could spread the word and ask people to take a look at this notice)

Update (Oct 19/05, ~noon): After a frustrating few hours (and not just trying out alternatives to Blogger), I've decided that this is a good time to take a break from all this. A day? A week? Who knows. But I need to step away from it before I pass a heavy magnet over the whole mess.

Update 2: According to this post, the reason I'm seeing the CAPTCHA (challenge phrase) is that Blogger has classified my blog as spam. Thanks. User for five years and now I'm spam. I searched the Blogger site, but there is no mention of how to get the spam flag turned off. There is also no way of contacting anyone at Blogger. Wow. Spam they say I am, so spam I must be. Maybe it is time to take a break.

Monday, March 21, 2005

# Five-year anniversary of Montreal weblog meeting : Today marks the fifth anniversary of the first Montreal weblogger's get together. I think it was a few months later that we decided to make it a 'first wednesday' thing. I was a fairly regular attendee at the beginning, although I haven't gone to a get-together for two years or more. The last one I think was the last one David went to before he moved to TO. I'm not sure for sure, but it was around there.

It is interesting (and rewarding) to see that the community has grown, although that has mostly been through the efforts of others. Looking at the photos of the party and the regular get-togethers, I realize how outside and disconnected I am from that group, that community. Entirely of my own doing, and not something that I regret. But there it is.

But to that cold evening five years ago, meeting five quasi-stangers, not knowing how well the online would translate into face to face, not knowing how I would even recognize them ("Oh, that guy in the k10k shirt, that must be passerby"), feeling slightly star-struck (ok, maybe a bit more then slightly) at meeting Heather, hearing tales from SXSW 2001, talking, connecting, having a good time. To that meeting of bloggers, I am thankful.

Ed Bilodeau

Monday, March 21, 2005

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