http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY&feature=related

Matt

Matt

Everyone talks about the importance of networking. Every motivational speaker, small business expert, business coach, and self-help/business author: They all at some point include the boilerplate networking banter. It’s become so common that I’m not sure anyone really understands what it means to network anymore. By the way, a bit of trivia for you, the word networking wasn’t recognized as a noun until 1967. (Miriam Webster)

Of course, online social networks make the definition of the word networking even more nebulous. Sure I use sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and I happen to like them – a lot! But is communicating via technology really networking? Call me old fashioned, but it’s not what I think of when I think of networking in the purest sense.

Networking isn’t a race to see how many business cards you can load into your database or how many friends you add to your profile page. Real networking is about real people and real relationships. So let’s get back to the basics and best practices of networking.

Here are my three rules for effective networking – the old fashioned way.

Rule One: You must be committed. You aren’t networking if you’re out for instant gratification. An effective network is built upon a solid foundation of relationships that are built over time. A number of years ago I taught a women’s entrepreneurial training course at a community college. As part of the course we discussed networking and their homework assignment was to attend one or two events. When we returned to the subject, a student reported she’d thought networking events were a waste of time. When I asked why she felt that way, she explained that she’d paid to go to several events in her community and she passed out tons of business cards, but she hadn’t gotten any business. Rule number one – don’t expect immediate gratification.

When you make a new business acquaintance, take time to learn as much about them as possible. Engage them in conversation and ask open-ended questions. Are there common interests you share? Do your children go to the same school? The magic words in my opinion: “Tell me about yourself.”

Rule Two: Develop a relationship. Stacking business cards on your desk or scanning them into your Outlook doesn’t create a network. Sending your new acquaintance a brochure or sales letter doesn’t develop a relationship. And calling to set an appointment or make a sale is really not going to do the trick either. However, taking time to develop a relationship is what’s going to help you build a solid network. For example, let’s say I meet you at an event and during our conversation you mention you are a dog lover. Guess what, so am I. We have a nice conversation and you tell me you’d like to know more about creating a dog-friendly office environment. So what do I do? I go back to my office and send a “nice to meet you” email, but in addition I include a link to an article with advice for pet-friendly workplaces.

Rule Three: Give, give, give. The second magic phrase to remember: “How can I help you?” You know the adage, it’s better to give than receive, that applies here. Be willing to put the other person first. Find out how you can help them and follow through. Perhaps, you can make an introduction or suggest a good resource for their business. Become the “go-to” person. Then, when you need assistance or business referrals, you’ll be rewarded abundantly. There is no better asset – personally or professionally – than a strong network.

Via Duct Tape Marketing

Susan Wilson Solovic is the co-founder of SBTV.com, the first television network on the web devoted 100 percent to the small business market and the author of several books, including The Girls’ Guide to Building a Million-Dollar Business.

Matt

How to set up?

1. Start your BlackBerry Desktop Manager and it should be running in the background. there is no need to click on any options. just open it. This is required to use BlackBerry pearl as an external modem.
   
2. Connect your BlackBerry using USB cable to your Computer.
3. Click on start->Control Panel -> Phones and Modems->Press Enter
4. Click on Modem tab-> select the standard modem -> click on Properties -> Advanced and add only ONE of the following Extra initialization command line That applies to your carrier. APN Settings: Cingular Blue/AT&T Users
   +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”proxy”

   Cingular Orange
   +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”ISP.CINGULAR”
   
   T-MOBILE USA
   +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”wap.voicestream.com”

   Rogers
   +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”internet.com”

   Vodafone UK
   +cgdcont=1,”IP”,”internet”

   Verizon USA – Blank
   Nextel USA – Blank
   Sprint USA – Blank

   1. Press ok until all windows are closed. now click on Start -> Connect To -> Show all connections -> Create a new connection.
      1. Click Next
      2. Select “Connect To The Internet” then Next
      3. Select “Set up my connection manually” then Next
      4. Select “Connect using a dial-up modem” then Next.
      5. Check only the Standard Modem (if prompted).
      6. Give the connection a name such as “Pearl Modem”, then Next.
      7. On the next screen, pick one of the following phone numbers, depending on your carrier:
      For GSM Phones such as Cingular , AT&T and T-Mobile use phone number *99#
      For iDEN phones such as Nextel/Telus use phone number S=2
      For CDMA phones such as Verizon, Sprint use phone number #777
      8. Click Next.
      9. On the next screen, pick one of the following, depending on your carrier:

      Cingular Blue, AT&T or Nextel:
      User name: Blank
      Password: Blank

      Rogers Canada:
      User name: wapuser1
      Password: wap

      Cingular Orange:
      Username:ispda@cingulargprs.com
      Password: cingular1

      T-Mobile USA:
      User name: TMobile.com User name
      Password: TMobile.com Password

      Verizon replace 8005551212 with your phone number:
      Username: 8005551212@vzw3g.com
      Password: 8005551212

      Sprint:
      Username: Sprint User name
      Password: Sprint Password
      10. Clear all check boxes (“Use…when anyone…” and “Make this the default…”)
      11. Click Finish

5. Make sure under TCP/IP Properties (Advanced) “Use IP Header Compression” checkbox is unchecked. To verify this, do these steps:
   1. Start Menu->Network Connections->”Pearl Modem”
   2. Click Properties Button
   3. Click Networking Tab
   4. Select “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)”
   5. Click Properties Button
   6. Click Advanced… Button
   7. un-check “Use IP header compression” checkbox
   8. Click OK until all windows are closed.

   Uncheck all the following check boxes, if you see any of these checked:
   Turn off “Enable Hardware Flow Control”
   Turn off “Enable Modem Error Control”
   Turn off “Enable Modem Compression

6. Finally, click on the “Pearl Modem” icon via Start Menu->Network Connections. start using Internet from your Pearl.

Special thanks to Blackberry Portal for the tip.

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Thanks