You may have noticed that the excellent post on the Microsoft-Novell deal wasn’t written by Peter or me. It was written by Chris Van Patten, a new blogger at Gizbuzz (you may recognise the name - Chris designed Gizbuzz). We are also pleased to welcome Jacob Peddicord to the Gizbuzz fold. Both are experienced bloggers, and they are a welcome addition to the team.

This is all part of the big news; Gizbuzz is a founding blog of a new blog network, Oratos Media. It has a strong tech focus, with three blogs and two podcasts at the moment:

• YouMakeMedia - learn how to take part in the media revolution, led by Chris.
• FOSSwire - a blog about free and open source software for all abilities. Check out Peter’s tutorial introducing you to Linux, or for the more advanced, look out for the in-depth analysis of the Microsoft-Novell deal.
• PodDev - web development podcast, with interviews from leaders in the industry. Our latest guest was Josh Jones, CEO of hosting giant Dreamhost.
• Gizbuzz - you know about this one!

We have all sorts of exciting ideas for the network in the future. This will not be just another b5media or 9rules; they do what they do very well, and there are plenty of people trying to emulate them. As we gain a bigger audience, adding more blogs, expect to see new ideas in terms of community and user generated content.

This is a great opportunity for Gizbuzz, and marks our transition to the next level. Check out our new sister blogs, and keep reading and contributing!