It’s time once again for our weekly tour of the blogosphere, so instead of rambling on with an introduction that doesn’t lead anywhere, I’ll just get right down to the business at hand. And yes, you can read these for pleasure.

Perhaps one of the biggest stories this week is the one that involves the world’s biggest search engine and possibly the world’s biggest social bookmarking site. Shoemoney has the story on how Google is about to buy Digg for $200 million. It hasn’t been confirmed, but I can see the smile on Kevin Rose’s face from here. Nearly a quarter-billion dollars pays for quite a few parties.

The other big deal, perhaps a little more locally, is an upcoming event where bloggers are trying to raise money for their favorite charities. Both Hummingbird 604 (Raul) and Miss604 (Rebecca) are participating in Blogathon Vancouver 2008. This is where they will blog for 24 hours straight and they’re taking pledges. You can find more info on the wiki.

Even though it may sound a little old school, John Chow is saying that your blog needs a newsletter. It can serve as an extra way to monetize your blog without taking up any extra space. You can also use a newsletter to serve “premium content” to your most valued readers. Wait a minute… that doesn’t sound evil at all!

It’s funny when you consider the connections you make in life and how they all become intertwined. Leo Chiang is getting pretty excited about the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game coming out later this year and then he got even more excited when he realized that he actually knows Darth Vader’s apprentice. Well, the actor that plays the apprentice anyway. Cool.

When you make money online, it’s pretty easy to get lethargic and inactive. Kacper Wrzesniewski wants to keep you in shape, so he’s offering the best tips to keep your exercise schedule. Stick to your guns, stay motivated, and you’ll get in swimsuit shape in no time. You might want to avoid that donut too.