My participation in ConventionNext

I have the opportunity to participate in a a first of its kind political event on Wednesday April 11th, 2007, called ConventionNext. You can read all the information about the event here.

I don't really know what to expect. I'm going in with my eyes open and will look at it as an opportunity to meet other bloggers who are interested in the political arena.

One of the actions of this gathering will be the real time blog posts by attendees on the topics being discussed. I will probably have an elevated number of posts tomorrow which may be politically centered. It will be the first time I have shown my political views in this forum.

This should be an interesting event and I appreciate the opportunity to participate. Thanks to Phil Burns and those at Politic2.0.

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The benefits of networking; will you tell me again?

First let me start out by saying this is a little off topic for me, but I've wanted to write on it for a while. Personal networking. It's something I've used for years. Here is my take on personal networks, branding and all the you/me/we mantra that has been floating around.

I've been building my network of people and companies since 1988. Yes, I was building a network of people since before there was even a name for it. While I was in the service I found out that at times it was who you knew rather than who you were. I understood that if I wanted something I had to know the right people and they had to know me. So I started making note of the key players; what they liked, what they disliked, who could be trusted and who couldn't.

Once I got out of the military the technique stayed with me as I started to build may career. That network has served me well as I moved up the ladder in the technology field. But this is where the story becomes frustrating for me.

For all of you who are experts at social networking, what's the problem here? If you are steadfast in keeping your network up to date and in tune, why does this happen?

When I call you or we meet, and I casually ask for your business and you tell me it's not the right time or maybe down the road; to then find out you actually used a competitor when you needed to make a purchase, did you forget about me? Were you embarrassed? Did you think I would gouge you? Did you think I lacked the proper skills? The most common excuse is "oh yeah, I forgot!" It's even worse when it's a family member or close friend.

So how do we eliminate this problem? When someone thinks "I need to buy a home", or "I need to buy a car", or "I need to buy xxx", what has HAD to happen in order for the person in your network to pick up the phone and call YOU instead of someone else? Do we need tools, and if so what kinds? Do we need more face to face contact? Can it depend on your product or service? Can a network cultivated while engaged in one profession be used after engaging in a new profession?

I am conducing research with this post. I want to send a link out inviting several "players" to give me their answers. What are your thoughts? Have you truly had success networking? Here is a link to a post on JibberJobber about a similar subject. The comments of this post are pretty positive about networking. I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I think networking has huge advantages over not networking. But there are some fundamental problems in what is happening and I want to know what it is.

Here are a few sites that discuss this topic often; I hope they respond and share their thoughts.

• JibberJobber


• Matt's Idea Blog


• Pamela Sim


• Business Pundit

Let me hear what you have to say. Next up: Personal Branding.

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The Dell Axim has seen its last day

Engadget is reporting that Dell has removed links for its Axim series PDA. I admit, I've owned two models, the x5 and x51v. Both were great. The x51v was a monster amongst its competitors. If the x51v would have had a smart phone I would never have given it up. So long Axim. What will the the AximSite do?

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JibberJobber upgrade promotion

Hey guys, I forgot to post this on Monday, but better late than never. Jason Alba has a promotion on his site JibberJobber.com where you can get an upgrade to a lifetime Premium membership this week only. Please take some time to visit JibberJobber.com and take advantage of the great offer.

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See The Bourne Ultimatum trailer

I try not to judge movies that are based on books because I know how difficult the transition is, and I also know a movie is for a different audience. That said I'm a huge Bourne Identity fan. I'm excited to see a trailer for the 3rd and final installment of the series, The Bourne Ultimatum. Can't wait for August 3rd, 2007.

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