Friday means it’s time to take a step back from our daily ventures and explore a few things that the blogosphere has had to say in the preceding week. What happened this week? Let’s see!

Zac Johnson, it’s fair to say, has been able to make quite a successful career for himself as an online entrepreneur. He also recognizes that there are several six figure jobs out there that do not require a college or university degree of any kind. Education is a good thing, to be sure, but it’s not a prerequisite for success.

Raul Pacheco is turning to his ever-growing audience for a little help. He’s making his way to Toronto for work purposes, but he wants to know what is there to do in the major Canadian city. He’s already familiar with Montreal, Ottawa, and other cities in Eastern Canada, but he wants to learn a little more about the T-Dot. What do you have to offer?

RT Cunningham is an expatriate currently living in the Philippines with his wife, but he was positively appalled by the treatment that US citizens get in their own home country. A laptop search, for instance, could entail more than simply opening it and turning it on; the security agent could search through your files for mentions of terrorist-related information.

Claudia and Sergio Olivos are, by their own accounts, comfy in the studio. They recently decided to make their studio space “more comfortable” by avoiding the existing stiff wooden chairs and making their way through Craigslist for some free furniture. Most notably, they got an old (but well-made) sofa and it’s a perfect fit! A $20 coffee table was added as well.

Joseph Planta got “on the line” with former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan. The former mayor had previously been interviewed by Joseph in 2004, so they catch up on not only Sullivan’s mayoral run, but also his most recent project: the Public Salon at the Vancouver Playhouse. Several speakers and presenters are already lined for the event, including Bill Rees, Peter McKnight, and Chief Justice Lance Finch.

What has been happening in the wide world of blogging? Let’s find out!

Jennifer Mattern starts us off with a quick tip for all the bloggers in the audience. She describes how you can get your WordPress blog category archives to only show the post titles. This not only improves the user experience, but it appears to help with increasing overall page views as well.

Dough Roller usually writes about different ways to save money or make money, but one of the most recent posts is about money itself. More specifically, eh describes some of the features found on the new US $100 bill. It’s similar to the existing bill, but it comes with many new security features and other changes that you’ll want to know about.

Lidi Giroux likes to take a lot of pictures of all sorts of different things. Recently, she took a shot at a massive spill inside a grocery store and the spill pattern almost looks like a maple leaf. Almost. Well, you can go and see for yourself. It’s a pretty interesting photo.

Daree Allen is very happy that she can see again. That’s because she is sharing her experience with LASIK eye surgery. It’s certainly nice to get rid of the glasses for good, but it’s understandable that people would be nervous about having a laser shooting beams into their eyes. Have you undergone the procedure?

Jeremy Lim spent a good deal of time over in Singapore to take in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. He was following Team Canada around to many of the different events and, as a photographer, you know that Jeremy took more than a few picture along the way.

Another week has come and gone, so let’s see what the blogosphere had to say.

Minna Van of The Network Hub has some advice for anyone considering going into business for themselves: you may not be cracked up for entrepreneurship if you’re afraid to get dirty. You can’t hide behind your computer and you might have to do things that you don’t want to do.

Vance Sova shares a video that was taken at John Chow’s last Dot Com Pho in Vancouver. The video was shot by Michael Kwan and it shows what a typical lunch gathering of dot com moguls would be like if you attended. Vance also shares his own personal experience with these weekly lunches.

Thursday Bram typically refuses to write on spec, because she wants to ensure that she is properly compensated for her work. Even so, she is writing on spec now, but she’s not scared. That’s because she has some backup measures in place, just in case the deal goes sour.

Bob Buskirk has turned over a new page in his life, having moved into a new penthouse apartment and having celebrated his 26th birthday. It’s been a hectic, but good year for Bob and he anticipates more great things to come. He’s happy, but he’s far from having his life figured out just yet.

Tyler Ingram recently experienced a life-changing event too, but it wasn’t his birthday. He proposed to his girlfriend Robyn, who can now be referred to as his fiance! A hearty congratulations goes out to the happy couple. This just goes to show you that online dating really works!

Another Friday means another tour of the blogosphere. What were people writing about this week?

Tiff Chow shares some beautiful iPad sketches by Ryan Smith. It’s amazing what you are able to achieve with a little bit of creativity and a fun piece of technology. Believe it or not, all that art was drawn just using an Apple iPad!

Jeff Cutler offers a poignant discussion on whether or not social media is a waste of time. Those “in the know” are well versed in the realms of Twitter and Facebook, but does the average consumer pay attention to these alternative marketing channels?

Ed Lau has decided to broaden his horizons just a tinge. He has just launched a new food blog where he will document many of his culinary adventures, not only in the Vancouver area, but also all around the world. From authentic Japanese tempura in Tokyo to pricey burgers at DB Bistro Moderne, he eats… and blogs!

Taylor Lindstrom makes a very important point about why your blog doesn’t make money. You have to remember that while guys like Darren Rowse do make some money from their blogs, the blogs are not their primary sources of income. A popular blog and a profitable business are not necessarily the same thing.

Zac Johnson lets us know about an interesting new development. Apparently, Philadelphia bloggers now need to get a $300 license to continue blogging for profit. It doesn’t matter if you only make pennies on your blog. Will this trend extend to other parts of the country too?

Hop on board the blogosphere train as we make our way through quite the varied set of blog posts!

Buzz Bishop likes to think that he stays on top of the world of technology, but it seems that world may not be so sanitary. Do you realize that your iPhone is disgusting? Many cell phones are breeding grounds for nasty little things, harboring all sorts of environmental bacteria.

The Simple Dollar offers a very honest and open blog post about how the site works. It’s clear that Trent is making money from his blog, but he’s also quick to remind us that he is nowhere near getting rich from running that money management website either.

About:Blank reveals something that you may not want. You know how KFC has that sandwich where the buns are replaced with pieces of fried chicken? Perhaps you should take a look at the KFC Skinwich instead. It features five fried chicken skins, American cheese, and some bacon.

Vance Sova shares his less than favorable experience with trying to install Windows 7 on a Mac. It’s supposed to “just work,” but that’s not exactly how his ordeal panned out. Not even the Apple Care “geniuses” were of any help, despite multiple calls and multiple visits.

Jennifer Mattern reminds all of the freelancers in the audience about the inaccuracy of certain common perceptions. More specifically, web writing can indeed pay as well as print writing. You don’t have to end up in a newspaper or magazine to land the big bucks; you just have to know where to look.

What did the blogosphere have to offer us this week? Let’s see!

Shelly Tucker recently went on a short vacation, but she didn’t choose to eat in the safest and most tourist-attracting of places. Instead, she went where the locals eat to find the “Pollo al Horno” at Sol Food. That looks delicious!

Gus Fosarolli waited in line. And then he waited some more. But at long last, he got an Apple iPhone 4. By and large, he’s been very happy with his new smartphone and he has not suffered from any of the “death grip” issues that seem to be plaguing many other users.

Joseph Planta has been at his game for quite some time and now he’s able to celebrate sixth anniversary of On the Line, his online interview segment on The Commentary. In the “clip show,” he goes through many of his favorite guests over the years. Despite having several appearances on the show, Michael Kwan sadly goes unmentioned.

Sunday O’Brien has a guest post up on The Urban Muse, shining light on how we can make our writing more interesting. Remember that blue is boring, but azure is alluring. Instead of pink, try writing about fuchsia, magenta, or coral.

Darren Barefoot makes an observation about how Americans treat their soldiers and how this treatment is diametrically different from how, say, Canadians treat their armed forces. What is it about American culture that changes that kind of perspective?