Our friends who run MagsU, one of the best magazine conferences in Canada, are offering some tempting discounts for folks who register by May 1—anywhere from 20 to 50 percent off. At those rates, magazine publishers might actually be able to send some people to the conference.

I hope so, because I (Michael) will be making two presentations there on June 1, both in the digital realm:

• Nine Steps to a Successful Website Redesign. Believe it or not, site redesigns don't have to be interminable, gut-wrenching ordeals that fail to deliver noticeable improvements. But they do need to be carefully planned. This is not about visual design. It's about how the right processes and, dare I say, political awareness can lead to a bang-up new site with less stress.
• Tapping the Power of Social Media. If your confused about crowd-sourcing, fuzzy on Facebook, and wondering what widgets have to with magazines, come to Toronto and we'll do some de-mystifying. I'll show examples, demonstrate a few tools, and recommend strategies to consider in this realm of "social publishing."

For more info, see the conference's full line-up of sessions.