For immediate release
TAKE THAT, TWITTER! BLOGGING IDOL WINNERS PROVE THE VALUE OF IN-DEPTH WRITING
TORONTO – ComputerWorld Canada, the national voice for IT professionals, is pleased to announce its readers’ choice of Pedro Cardoso as the grand prize winner in its 2009 Blogging Idol contest.
Cardoso, IT director for a medical technology firm, generated the
most overall traffic in a contest that asked ComputerWorld Canada
readers to post contributions to a special “Blogging Idol” Web site.
Contestants were each given a weekly theme by the editors of
ComputerWorld Canada. Cardoso not only generated the most traffic but
was also among the most prolific of the 15 competitors over a six-week
period.
In his last post of the contest, Cardoso reflected on what the
experience of blogging had taught him and the merits of Blogging Idol
specifically.
“It has truly been an experience that has not just met, but exceeded
my expectations,” he wrote. “I hope there will be a third installment
of Blogging Idol, and that the great work that IT World Canada is
doing, sponsoring great programs and initiatives such as this, will
continue to nurture and foster the Canadian blogging scene.”
Chris Lau,
who returned to Blogging Idol after winning third place last year, won
the second prize of a Nikon CoolPix digital camera, for generating the
most traffic for a single post, on Windows 7. Lau also won the third
prize of a $100 Best Buy gift certificate for generating the
second-highest overall traffic.
“In the context of the contest, views were the main driver so we all
needed to learn about social networks, Twitter, and learning to use
keyword searching to our advantage,” he wrote in a comment on Cardoso’s
blog. “I was certainly pushed to go beyond what I thought I could
accomplish. It’s motivating to race against the No. 1 who set the bar
so high.”
“We were extremely impressed not only by the quantity of posts but
the creative use of images, deep linking and particularly the Canadian
insights from each of our contestants,” said Dave Webb, Editor of
ComputerWorld Canada. “In an age of 140-word messages, it’s gratifying
to see so many technology professionals willing to write – and read –
more comprehensive, thought-out analysis of how IT is changing
business.”
IT World Canada editors are going over all the posts and will be
announcing a fourth winner later this week for pure writing ability
based on a single post or a series of posts. This winner will be given
a complementary pass to Search Engine Strategies Toronto, taking place in early June.
“The Blogging Idol contestants make me feel lazy,” said Shane Schick,
Editor-in-Chief of IT World Canada. “They work full-time jobs and
managed to post during the day, at night and over the weekends. We
sincerely appreciate the investment of their time and talent, which is
raising the IT conversation in Canada to a new level.”
Contestants from Blogging Idol will be invited to continue
showcasing their work and adding their voices to IT World’s network of
blogs at http://blogs.itworldcanada.com.
About IT World Canada Inc.
IT World Canada is the information resource of choice for Canadian
IT professionals. For more than 25 years, the Toronto-based company has
been building relationships with Canada’s IT professionals through
leading publications including: CIO Canada, Network World Canada,
ComputerWorld Canada, DI Informatique and CDN, as well as the Web sites ITWorldCanada.com, ITBusiness.ca and PCworld.ca.
IT World Canada is the Canadian affiliate of International Data
Group (IDG), the world’s largest IT information provider. IDG publishes
more than 300 publications worldwide. IDG also provides IT market
analysis through 49 offices in 41 countries worldwide. One hundred
million people read one or more IDG publications each month.
For further information: Shane Schick, Editor-in-Chief IT World Canada, (416)290-0240 ext. 349, sschick at itworldcanada.com; Fawn Annan, Vice President and Chief Strategist, (416) 290-0240 ext. 171,
fannan at itworldcanada.com
