Social Network Portal

SOPA, PIPA, Megavideo and Exhuming McCarthy

2012-01-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

REM were definitly ahead of their time. The looked at the history and
saw the future. They see the future coming its all about the Pharisees.
To the letter of the law provided the law suits them.

You're beautiful more beautiful than me
You're honorable more honorable than me
Loyal to the Bank of America

Take a look at why Megavideo got shut down and not one of the other similar sites.
The difference, money, Megavideo had paid membership and the 72 minute limit.

Its all about money, internet providers complained about YouTube being a drain on the internet
but then governement found it could use it for law enforcement and agreed to scan content and gave special sections to the large players in the movie and tv industry. Free marketing spaces and voila no more complaints about bandwidth.

Vested interest united ties, landed gentry rationalize
Look who bought the myth, by jingo, buy America

Its all about what is best for the CIA and FBI. If you don't do what they say you are a Pirate and they
can shut you down. Does ebay or amazon scan its site for knock off goods? How many knock off UGGS can you find? Maybe they will be next, but ebay makes a lot of money and pays a lot of taxes. Guess that is why they are allowed.

Exhuming McCarthy
(Meet me at the book burning)
Exhuming McCarthy
(Meet me at the book burning)

Please leave your comments and we will post them.

unthink? Who is using it?

2011-10-27T10:00:00.001-07:00

I heard today about unthink so I thought I would check it out from my Android Phone.

Firstly, it complained my safari on Android was out of date. Following that I tried to register with susan@clinchportal.com and it claimed invalid email address. I got my colleague to register with his hotmail account and it finally finished registration only to tell me I would get emailed a code which never arrived.

Is this site really legitimate? If so I would love an invitation so I could to a proper review of your site. It sound very interesting but interesting is only good if you can use it.

I would love to use it and look forward to an invitation please send one to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal or Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and we will write a review on this blog for your site.

Congratulations to LinkedIn on reaching 100 million members

2011-03-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

In less than a decade LinkedIn has finally reached 100 million members.
Looking back over the 10 years, I see the many contracts I have gained,
the many friends I have met and got back in touch with, the business leads
I have obtained, and more importantly the many people I have had the opportunity
to help fulfill their goals.

Here is LinkedIn's official announcement:
http://blog.linkedin.com/2011/03/22/linkedin-100-million/

I am sure there are many stories on how LinkedIn has helped us all over the years.
There have been good and bad decisions made but we all have to admin that it has been
a useful tool for all of us.

The question now remains: Will LinkedIn push forward into the next decade or will tools s
such as Branch Out and others carry on the torch?

I look forward to hear some of your stories and where you would like to see LinkedIn go in the future.

My Deal Board

2010-12-03T16:44:00.000-08:00

You have heard the word Deal thrown around a lot lately. Its been growing for a little while

with the likes of WagJag, Groupon, TeamBuy (Featured on Dragons Den) and a whole batch of copy cats. Well imitation is the

best form of flattery but there is always someone to go beyond and I feel this project is going to be it.

A tip for my fellow network. From what I have heard so far this is will blow your mind.

It would be in your best interest to keep an eye on this link My Deal Board
it's actually a Daily Deal Aggregator

I will keep you posted here as well on when the site will launch and any details I can drag out of the guys.

If you have any tips tricks or resources you would like to share please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

Teachers and Facebook

2010-07-20T05:52:00.000-07:00

Facebook is everywhere and it is what the students are using to communicate.

For this reason, teachers have started to join Facebook and connect with their students.

However, there is great risk involved when choosing to go online especially connecting with

students. The wrong thing could cost your job. A friend of mine suggested that I share this link with all of you. Even if you are not a teacher, these tips are really good.

I really like the advice of not connecting students to your personal account. A better idea is to create a teacher account. This account can provide information on events, assignments coming up etc. It is a little more work to have two Facebook accounts but better the extra work than the risk. The alternative is don't connect to students.

Here is the link. Hope it helps you build your network safely.

http://www.onlinedegree.net/50-useful-facebook-tips-for-teachers/

If you have a tip, trick or resource you would like shared with everyone please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

ViaSoc Media Review

2010-06-24T05:46:00.001-07:00

I got invited by a friend to check out ViaSoc. I registered and logged in and got verified.

Next I invited a couple people I knew.

As any user, I like to test drive before wanting to upgrade but any time I click on a member I get the "Sorry, you don't have the appropriate credentials to access this page. To access this page please change your Member Level credentials".

My first response to this page was to edit my account details. I saw the different levels but could not find a description on what each level gives me. What is the killer functionality that will make me upgrade. If its only access to member details then why don't I just use Facebook or Linked In?

I look forward to hearing what other members think about these limitations. I would also love to hear from ViaSoc itself on what the differences are between the Member Levels.

If you wish to contact us please email Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com or Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

Gist Workarounds

2010-06-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have been playing with the beta version and as I found issues I will list them here and the workarounds if I find one.

1) If you have a contact with a very long name and you click on it to get to detail view. You will not be able to edit the contact name as the jquery edit icon will disappear on hover.

WORK AROUND: Look up the contact in the list view and the edit icon works well there to let you rename them.

2) Since Chris Williams is popular, I am running into the issue that Gist automatically took the other chris williams and merged them to me. If it is a contact that has the same name it will ask but not for your account.

WORK AROUND: You will have to create separate contact yourself and vary the name slightly maybe Christopher Williams or put in an initial or a number after it.

If you have any tips regarding Gist please insert them here.

Gist - Contact Consolidator and Manager

2010-06-07T13:11:00.000-07:00

I came across this application on a fluke. I was looking at a way of consolidating my contacts into one place. I had contact in gmail, Google Contacts, Plaxo, hotmail, you name it.

I was looking for a tool that would let me tag contacts and help me merge duplicates. Luckily I stumbled upon this tool. It will do all this and more. Since it connects directly to gmail, facebook, twitter and linked in directly, it can tell me which contacts I have contacted most recently and give me an importance level. I can adjust this level myself as well.

It is a beta application but even so, I have only found some minor issues so far. I look forward to see where this application is headed once it comes out of beta.

If you would like to check it out go to http://www.gist.com

If you have any tips tricks, resources or articles you would like to share with the group please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them.

How to lock down your Facebook profile

2010-05-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine twittered this to me and I thought it was important to share with the group.

The Facebook security settings are very complicated to navigate. This link will guide you step by step with screen shots on how to lock down your profile. There were actually a couple steps I missed so I am sure others missed them too.

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-lock-down-your-facebook-profile-2010-5#facebook-will-show-you-what-your-friends-can-see-if-all-looks-good-then-congratulations-32

For those confused and think they may have missed something, or even if you think you found it all. You may want to run this Privacy scan. I ran it and found I missed a couple spots.

Step 1: Navigate to the link below

ReclaimPrivacy.org | Facebook Privacy Scanner

http://www.reclaimprivacy.org/facebook

Step 2: Drag and drop the scan for privacy link to your toolbar

Step 3: Navigate to your facebook privacy settings page

Step 4: Click on Scan for Privacy in your toolbar.

Hope you find this link helpful. If you have any other links you would like to share please email Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

SocialGrow - Will it be the next big thing?

2010-01-20T06:52:00.001-08:00

This tool is being hailed by a lot of power networkers I have spoken to as the next big thing in Social Media. I have not heard a lot about it other than it can "help automate recruiters invitations to connect with candidates across multiple social networks with a few clicks."

If you are a recruiter and are interested in the Alpha release please go to http://socialgrow.com and sign up. Only 500 people will be able to register for the alpha release that is scheduled for February 1st.

If you have any tips, tricks, resources or tools you would like to recommend to the group please contact Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

ipoint.to - The new Url Shortener

2010-01-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

ipoint.to URL Shortener is a service that takes long URLs and squeezes them into fewer characters to make a link that is easier to share, tweet, or email.

I may be a little bias being one of the developers myself, but I highly recommend using this application to shorten your urls for the following reasons:

ipoint.to URL Shortener was developed by someone you know and network with (chris williams). Knowing the developer personally, you have more access to make suggestions on improvements.

We have a proven track record with custom and out of box products like Launch Pad for Web. You can find out more about this product on the website at http://www.lp4w.net/
We are accessible on all the social networking sites:

ipoint.to has a Facebook fan page at: http://ipoint.to/ip2fb
You can follow this product on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ipointto

Launch Pad For Web has a facebook fanpage at: http://ipoint.to/lp4wfb
You can follow this product on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/lp4w

Point Alliance has a company facebook fan page at: http://ipoint.to/pafb
You can follow this company on twitter at: http://twitter.com/pointalliance

Most Point Alliance staff members are on Linked In or Facebook.

There is an actual company behind this product with a proven track record. You can check out their website yourself at http://www.pointalliance.com/

Point Alliance is a premiere Information Technology services and consulting provider¸ specializing in innovative collaborative¸ web and wireless solutions. Point Alliance delivers a competitive advantage by being able to tailor flexible solutions to meet specific customer needs. Our approach is to architect solutions that build on clients' existing investments in technology. Point Alliance solutions drive value by leveraging our extensive business and technology experience¸ thus minimizing the development time and cost. By focusing on user experience and the integration of business and IT strategy¸

Point Alliance implements solutions that add significant value to both the user population and the organization. Point Alliance offers strategy¸ design¸ application development¸ systems integration¸ and support services to a wide variety of high profile clients. Our firm has a solid track record of successful engagements and offers an unparalleled level of service to a loyal client base.

Please make use of this free tool and pass it on to all your friends. If you have any suggestions about the tool you can post a comment on this blog, email me or communicate with us over any of the social networking sites.

Facebook security hole - People posting to walls as Chris Williams but its not him

2009-11-28T17:38:00.000-08:00

I notified Facebook of the issue and that I have not logged into facebook at all on November 28th until 8:00 pm that evening to report the incident. Since Facebook should be tracking IP they should be able to track who it was that hacked the system. As well they should be able to track which website the link was to and who owns it. I look forward to Facebook pressing charges against the person and letting me know what actions they will be taking.

I know the Canadian Government already had issues with them having privacy issues. I look forward to their response and will report their intentions on reacting to this situation. If you hear no response on this blog it means I got no response from facebook. In the meantime be careful of any hyperlinks

If you have any comments to make please make them to this blog. If you have been hacked too or experience the same situation please post it too. The more facebook realizes the issue the more they will be willing to fix it.

100 Tips and Tools to Research the Social Web

2009-04-29T04:14:00.000-07:00

Someone brought this article to my attention and after reading it, I thought it would be good to share it with the group. These are solid tips so please read them and pass them on to anyone you know that is trying to build a strong social network:

http://www.selectcourses.com/blog/2009/100-tips-and-tools-to-research-the-social-web/

If you have any articles, tips, tricks, or resources you would like to share please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them.

digitweet - twitter fans this is your tool!!!

2009-04-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

I got introduced to this the other day. For you twitter fans there is no better application than this. Its still in beta and the creators are still making it better every day. You will need SilverLight 2.0 to get the best experience from it but the download is worth it.

Check it out at:

http://digitweet.codeplex.com/

If you come across any tools you think the group would find useful please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

Using Twitter More Efficently

2009-03-20T09:11:00.001-07:00

People have been asking for help on how to use twitter more efficently and effectively.

STEP 1: Read Amanda Edwards-McArthur's article on useful twitter tools:

http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/twitter-tools-by-special

STEP 2: Taking a look at my friend, Jeff Pontes' blog on 10 ways to use twitter more effectively:

http://strategysocial.blogspot.com/2009/03/10-ways-to-use-twitter-effectively.html

STEP 3: Read this article on How To Make Twitter A Powerful networking Tool. A friend of mine named Ann recommended this one.

http://communitymarketing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/how-to-make-twitter-a-powerful-networking-tool.html?goback=%2Emml_inbox_none_DATE_1%2Emid_1121182329

As I come across more tools or ways to use twitter more efficiently and effectively I will list them here but for now please read the articles above, they are really useful.

Thanks Amanda and Jeff and Ann for sharing these blog entry.

If you have any tips, tricks or resources you think the other portal members would benefit from please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post them here.

I want to pick my own ads

2009-03-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

It has been talked about and brainstormed for a while but now someone has actually done it.
This will revolutionize ad serving. If only we could do this with conventional advertisement. Someone could click a button on their tv remote and tell them not to show that commercial again.

You can check out the article at:
http://mashable.com/2008/06/18/listenstoyo/

or check out their beta program at:

http://www.listenstoyou.com/

If you come across something you think people need to hear about social media and social networking please email Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com and we will post it.

facebook new terms of use

2009-02-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

For anyone using facebook, please take the time to check this out and comment on it.
This will affect how we all use facebook now and in the future:

http://blog.facebook.com/

If you don't check it out and comment on it now, you have no right to complain later so please check it out and pass it on to anyone you know uses facebook.

Christian Facebook?

2008-11-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

A while back I wrote a posting on churches and social networking. You can see the link below:

http://socialnetworkingportal.blogspot.com/2006/11/churches-bible-and-social-networking.html

The new trend now is beyond the church. It leads us to Christians wanting to connect on Social Networks outside the church. This leads to tools like http://www.faithout.com Right now it looks a little rough but the idea is great. For those used to old facebook you will find navigation is similar. If you miss the old facebook then this may be an alternative for you too. It is in beta now but I see great things happening here.

If you know of any other social networking applications or have any other tips, tricks, tools you would like shared please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com or Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Social Networking For Kids

2008-10-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

The growing trend seems to be to teach networking to kids when they are young.I came across a few websites where an attempt at this has been made. Both seemto be Disney based but one is miles ahead of the other.

The first is bunnytown. I like the aspect of allowing them to control their bunnyand earn carrots by playing games. They then get to spend their carrots on their homeand decorating their bunny. Its kind of a yoville for kids.

http://atv.disney.go.com/playhouse/bunnytown/index.html

The other is a lot more flashier and has a couple really cool features thatare very ingenious. The site is Pixie Hollow and its out there for the new Tinkerbellmovie that is being launched. This site allows kids to create their own fairy and have a fairy name.There are a couple cool safety features they have put in place. Firstly you can use a domain name thatwill allow your friends to come and find you and play with you on the site or anywhere on the go network.However the cool part is it is not giving out any personal info as it cannot match your name or anything like that.

The second cool thing is the chat. There has been a lot of talk about games chat windows being a place parents don'trealize are dangerous. Well Disney is using two versions of a special chat. The first being a list of questions and answers youchoose from a list. The other allows you to choose selected words from a list. This gives the flexability of chat to kids but makesit easier to use and since the word list is sensored your kids will not see obscene words.You can check this one out at:

http://pixiehollow.go.com/

If you have any kids social networking sites or just social networking sites in general you want add or even if you have a suggestion for an article please email Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com

LinkedIn Petition - Please sign it as it seems its the only way LinkedIn may possibly listen

2008-04-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

All of us have been complaining but nobody seems to be listening.
The concerns here are only the tip of the iceberg but its a start.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/LinkedIn/index.html

Hope you will sign it and LinkedIn will respond.

Social Media and Selling Records

2008-03-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

It seems Radiohead has opened a can of worms but in a good way. Other artists are now getting on board with it.

Niggytardust followed the Radiohead approach of donations for the album.

http://niggytardust.com/

You can Download The Charlatans' New Album For Free at:

http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2008/download-charlatans-new-album-for-free

REM is doing similar but with a social networking spin. You have to go to Facebook and use the iLike plugin to download their new album for free.

http://www.ilike.com/artist/R.E.M.

I think this is an amazing feat. Artists are starting to meet the fans where they live. I hope this is just the start of the new wave of things to come. Keep it coming.

Social Networking Home Edition

2008-03-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

We are all so gung ho on growning our networks in business, with friends, but what about your home social network. Especially that with your spouse. Communication with your spose especially in the bedroom is something a lot of people struggle with. That is why I am recommending an 8 part web tv show called "How to make love to your wife" Here is the show synopsis I ripped from their website:

Join us every week as our trusty (and brave) host, Greg, seeks various
solutions to spice up his humdrum sex life in this daring new reality web
series. And his (brave) wife Kathy gets to test out all his new moves and
let us
know what she thinks.

I have watched the first clip and its both funny and informative. Be sure to watch every week at http://www.slice.ca/love

Discovery Magazine says "If Osama's Only 6 Degrees Away Why Can't We Find Him?

2008-02-04T20:17:00.000-08:00

On the weekend I watched the Hunting Party and it makes you wonder about the whole searching for Osama. Discovery Network worded it well.

http://discovermagazine.com/2008/feb/if-osama.s-only-6-degrees-away-why-can.t-we-find-him/article_view?b_start:int=0&-C

Could it be that the United States made a deal with him to go hiding and produce tapes here and there to raise Bush's popularity. You never really know. For those who have not watched the Hunting Party yet, I highly recommend it. I don't usually like his movies but I have to say very good movie and very informative as well as entertaining.

Susan Fischer and IdaJournal

2007-12-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Susan Fischer has recently started publishing excerpts from her grandmother's journal to
her blog. She is starting to work through reading it. Its hard material for her to handle so
she would appreciate it if you would comment on her blog to help her through this.

You can view her blog at http://idajournal.blogspot.com/

Cheers

Chris Williams

Has anyone used SkypeCast?

2007-11-09T06:51:00.000-08:00

I came across this last week and I had someone ask me a question about networking groups over the phone and sugggested this resource.

https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/home

If you have any comments on what you think of it or any over the phone or voip networking groups email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com or susan@clinchportal.com or add a comment here and I will post them.

LinkedIn Backstabs Its Users Again By Forcing Them To Stop Using LICM

2007-11-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

This is yet another example of how linkedin used the early adopters to empower linkedin and make it usable. The lions created their tools and Arnnei Speiser spent endless hours working with people to make it easier for people to use linkedin. If it were not for people like Arnnei then linkedin would not have the millions of users.

I was already pretty frustrated with linkedin with all the minor decisions over the years like not showing the full number of connections.

Opening it up to google search then forcing us to edit our profiles to turn it off.

My guess is this pressure now has a lot to do with opensocial. Basically they want people to use it with linkedin and having a competitor like licm is a bee in their bonnet. But instead of shooting randomly at people it would be better if they would listen to those on the groups that use the tool all the time.

Also, I agree with Arnnei, I entered that info on linkedin. I added those connections I know. That data is mine not just linkedin's.

I would also like to say that a lot of data outside of our profiles is available on google as well. So someone typing in www.linkedin.com/in/ will find a lot of peoples info

As well, I think the issue is with linkedin security not third party apps. Think about it this way. If the bank leaves a file open with your credit card info would you blame the person who takes the open file or the bank for leaving the door open. I would personally blame the bank.

In turn, linkedin is housing a large data warehouse and leaving the keys in the mailbox so someone can scape it is a fault of linkedin. The fact that someone took it

would not be an issue if linkedin was doing its job. Its just linkedin is too lazy to fix the bug and would rather leave it up to us.

If you agree with what I have stated here or have additional comments. I will be glad to publish them here. You can also email them to me at susan@clinchportal.com or chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will post your comments here as well.

I for one am very excited about OpenSocial

2007-11-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

We all knew it was coming and we all knew it would take someone big to get the ball rolling. It looks like now Google is doing it. The Google Social Stream project gave us some insight into it. I signed up for my spot in the Orkut sandbox. Once I get approved I will let you know more about my findings.

If you get in first please email me your feedback and I will post it here. You can contact us by emailing susan@clinchportal.com or chris@clinchportal.com or chrisw_88@hotmail.com I look forward to your comments and possibly tips and tricks.

Social Media and Television

2007-10-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

A while back I wrote an article on Social Media and Television. At that time there were a few dabblers in some areas.

foodtv.ca had its mealplanner. More and more sites are blog integrated. Slice.ca is entirely blog based in fact. BlogTV is growing strong in the area of allowing people to be their own broadcaster.

Over the past few months I have been seeing a growing trend in this area. There is a lot more inline video content, user profile pages and more chances for interaction of users with each other.

Recently I came across these sites:

http://mynbc.com/ - This is still kind of raw and not that pretty but its getting there and hey its still in beta. I can see great things coming here.

http://ifood.tv/ - This site allows people to swap recipes, connect with each other on the topics of food.

If you come across more of these television/broadcast sites that are becoming more social pass them on to me at chris@clinchportal.com or susan@clinchportal.com or chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this list.

Wellocities.com

2007-10-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

I thought I would introduce a website I came across. This is an interesting spin on social networking so I thought I would introduce it to the group. Basically it will allow people with
similar health conditions to connect with others in similar situations, find info on drugs. There are tools up there too. Here is the website if you are interested in checking it out.

http://www.wellocities.com/

If you come across interesting social networking sites please email them to Susan Fischer at susan@clinchportal.com or Chris Williams at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and we will post them.

Wright Hand Recruiting

2007-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

The purpose of Wright Hand Recruiting is to help those involved in
recruiting to MAXIMIZE their recruiting opportunities - the RIGHT way!

The right way is the PROFESSIONAL way!

Whether you're looking to recruit, be recruited, or work with
Recruiters who recruit the right way, we invite you to to join us on
Wright Hand Recruiting:

I have a lot of respect for Vincent Wright who truly deserves the title of Chief Encouragement Officer. He had been an encouragement for me and many others over the years. That is why I am so happy to be introducing you with the many ways to connect with the group.

The group is located on Linkedin.com at:
http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/36234/00C00365C4C9

The associated discussion group is located at:
http://www.WrightHandRecruiting.com

If you would like to get in touch with Vincent Wright his email address is Linkedin@mylinkedinpowerforum.com

Speaking of mylinkedinpowerforum.com if you have not connected with that group yet you should. Its my main source for social networking help and direction.

John Horsley welcomes you to Marzar with open arms.

2007-09-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

It seems LinkedIn is continuing down the road of Lion hunting. At the same time people like John Horsley are embracing us. They realize that we are valuable resources that Social Networking is about Paying it forward and that we need to be supportive of each other and encourage meeting new people, encourage networking.

I have checked out Marzar and there are a lot of good features here. Its still in beta but is very stable. There is a lot of work to be done but that is where we come in. We can really help John out a lot by using his application and telling him where it could be improved and would help make it easier for us to use. It works to our benefit too as we will help build the application we need to help us network better.

I look forward to networking with you on Marzar. I have kept my contact set to open so anyone can connect with me. This falls into my belief that everyone has to opportunity to help everyone else its all in the timing so connect with everyone and eventually the opportunity will present itself.

Happy Networking. If you have any questions as always email me at chris@clinchportal.com or chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Facebook's $10 million giveaway

2007-09-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

I have heard this name around in a few places about Parkey, but their website is a simple one pager. Recently I heard that Facebook bought them.

Parakey is the brainchild of Blake Ross and Joe Hewitt who created the
hugely popular Mozilla FireFox web browser. The two men have agreed to join
Facebook to work on that site. Given the impressive resumes, it seems that the
deal was as much about acquiring 2 minds as it was about the Parakey site.

Now it makes more sense that in recent news, the FB Fund. These guys are programmers and understand the spaces and the battles that they went through with powerhouses in the market. This initiative is a huge deal. Being a developer it means a lot when a company comes out and give grants like this. Especially when they are not asking for equity.

My prediction is still that last quarter 2008 will be the next big Social Networking GoldRush. Everyone is predicting resession, the public is already prepared, using Facebook and LinkedIn, and in Down times is when people really focus on network, network, network. This happened in 2000 after the dot com crash and it will happen again now.

Keeping Up With Facebook!!!

2007-07-30T05:06:00.000-07:00

I have seen many articles about people having trouble keeping up with all the things in Facebook. Here is one such article:

http://www.calacanis.com/2007/07/27/facebook-bankruptcy/

I agree, I think a lot of people are missing the point on Social Networking Applications. Instead of taking "real world" social networking to the next level we are simply expanding the number of people that people have access to for networking. Being a LinkedIn Lion, I do believe that this quantity is a good thing, but the problem is that nobody is really helping people manage their network properly. I am working on a solution to this an if you are interested in finding out more as it unfolds then email me at chris.williams@clinchportal.com and I will be sure to keep you in the loop as the early versions.

Facebook News

2007-07-26T05:20:00.000-07:00

As a follower of social networking trends, there are a couple of interesting stories I would like to share with my network.

Firstly, I came across this article below. It looks like people are starting to tire of LinkedIn not offereing some of the features of facebook and are starting to jump and use this tool for both personal and business networks. Although facebook is not there and from the looks of things is not really in that demographic, I am sure someone could spin a new social networking engine based on facebook called business book.

http://www.allfacebook.com/2007/07/the-collision-of-social-and-professional-worlds/

Secondly, I came across this other article on the new article on facebook hiring a new finance boss and are possible looking to IPO. This is going to be a hot stock to have especially if google does what I am predicting and buys them.
http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/120941/facebook-hires-new-finance-boss-in-possible-ipo-move.html

There is a lot happening in this space finally. The thing I find interesting with this space is that the customers are well advanced of the applications out there. The need to catch up is staggering. I think this is the year it will hit big so the big players need to get their act together or someone else is going to come up and steal the show. Its all an open race right now and anyone can win.

No wonder Google is not buying Facebook yet!!!

2007-07-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent me this article and possibly this is why nobody is buying Facebook yet.
Did Facebook chief steal the idea?

Its an interesting story. Once resolved its my guess whomever wins Google will buy, that is still my prediction as it makes the most business sense.

QuelchUp and Spamming

2007-07-23T05:51:00.000-07:00

I had posted the following:

I signed up for an account with QuelchUp and then it asked me to check if anyone else in my hotmail was on QuelchUp but it didn't show me any contacts so I could choose who to invite it just sent them to my address book. If QuelchUp wants to be more than a doostang then it will need to fix this.

I look forward to hearing more from people on their Quelch experiences and if they had similar or to let me know that Quelch has fixed this bug.

I heard back from QuelchUp in this matter, basically they say this is by design and its not spamming. They have lost my possible endorsement. I don't want to send emails to everyone I know I just want to send them to a select few from my contact list. I thought I would update you below is the response I got and you can make your own informed decision on whether you will continue to use them:

Dear Member

Checking your contact lists finds matches on Quechup for you and sends an invite to non Quechup members to join. By inviting contacts you confirm you have consent from them to send an invitation. Quechup will not spam or sell addresses from your contacts. See our privacy policy"

Regards

Bettina Samain
Member Support
quechup.com

Social Network Agregators

2007-07-18T06:18:00.001-07:00

I came across this article on Social Network Agregators at:

http://mashable.com/2007/07/17/social-network-aggregators/

I took a look at some of the tools they refer to and gave my thoughts on them.
I have not checked them all out either due to them being down, having to download some tool, or simply not enough hours in a day. I am hoping to get through the rest of them this week.

RECOMMENDED

SpokeoInteresting touch being one letter off from spoke. This is so far my favorite. I have just started using it but I like the way it brought in all my content from the other systems. I only added a couple and wish to add more but I am having trouble finding that option again. If you know how to do this email me at chris.williams@clinchportal.com

SocialURL : I have not checked it out a lot but allowing me to put the links to my profiles in one spot was a nice touch.

OTHER AGREGATORS

profilactic : This one shows the percent like me, which is an interesting addition. The new 2.0 version just got released on July 13.

iStalkr : This would be a good site for stalkers to find people I guess. I went there this morning to check it out again but its getting php/apache errors. Will have to try later. If you have any opinions on this one please let me know.

Correlate.us : The facebook integration is a nice touch.

explode.us : Its cool that you can search by name but it would be good if it offered region or other ways to reduce the number of search items

Naymz : Its interesting how they tie in reputation.

STILL NEED TO CHECK OUT

minggl : Unfortunately with this one you have to install a toolbar and I don't really want another toolbar on my system.

PeopleAggregator : Seems to be down

8hands : Unfortunately you have to download this one so I have not checked it out.

Second Brain : Still in pilot mode. I have not received my invitation yet but I am waiting.

UpScoop

ProfileOMat

MyLifeBrand

ProfileLinker

snag

Socialnetwork.in

MyMashable

Social Networking Search Engines

2007-07-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

I saw a posting on one of the mailing lists I am on asking about various Social Networking Search Engine and Profile Collaboration Tools. Below are some of the ones mentioned. I checked them out and commented on them below:

Streakr - This is an interesting search tool as it searches myspace and other networking tools.
I found that what is missing is a public link to my profile like you get on facebook or linkedin.
I like to place these links on my sites so people can find me. But overall I was impressed.

ProfileLinker - This tool looks like they are trying to allow you to link all your
profiles in one place. I have added my linkedin and facebook profiles here.
You can access my profile linker profile at: http://www.profilelinker.com/chrisw_88

Wink - This is a search engine for people but you don't have to register to use it.
I did a search for men and found me quickly which is pretty good considering how many chris williams there are in Toronto.

UpScoop - I am always leary of giving social networking engines my email address on various sources and allowing them to grab all my contacts. If anyone knows if this one is good please let me know.

If you have any more you would like me to check out or you recommend please email them to me at chris.williams@clinchportal.com or chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Marzar - Any insight on this tool?

2007-07-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

I got an email about joining this tool as a founding member. It seems the first 1000 people who register now will be notified in August when they launch. It looks kind of interesting.

I joined awaiting a response. The screenshot looks good with the tag lists. I hope it will allow us to tag contacts so they are more easily searchable. I guess we will just have to wait until August for more information. I will keep you posted on what I find.

If you find out more please email me at chris.williams@clinchportal.com or chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will post the info here.

Get Caught In The Spider's Webb

2007-07-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have the inside scoop on a new business tool launching in September and I thought I would share it with my network. It is going to revolutionize the way we market, buy and sell our ideas.

You will want to checkout this site and bookmark it to come back in September. If you register then they will send you out an email letter when it launches.

http://www.thespiderswebb.com/

If you are interested in connecting with the founder you can email Aelia at:

aeliay@thespideswebb.com

Powerset looking to launch Social Networking around Searce Engine

2007-07-06T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting idea and definitely adds a new piece of the puzzle when it comes to social networking. You can check out the article below:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/06/15/powerset-to-launch-social-network-around-search-engine/

You can register here and they are offering a preview to you when it launches. If you register
here please let them know you heard it here.

http://labs.powerset.com/

If you come across any more pieces to the Social Networking puzzle please email them to me at chris.williams@clinchportal.com

Clinch Portal

2007-07-04T06:55:00.001-07:00

I have created a new website that will become the prime source to get the information you need to Clinch your Desires all in one place.

Although currently in the construction stages, it is my goal over the next couple weeks to
organize this site into a central access point for all my web resources. After that I will be
integrating other web resources.

Over the next 6 months, my plan is to create a premium access section, providing a basic CRM application and integration to various social networking sites.

If you would like to integrate with ClinchPortal please email me at chris.williams@clinchportal.com

The Network Effect

2007-06-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine wrote a really good article on The Network Effect.
You can check out the two parts of the article at:

http://michaelbd.blogspot.com/2007/02/network-effect.html
http://michaelbd.blogspot.com/2007/06/network-effect-part-2.html

I highly recommend you check out these articles. They are very interesting.

If you have an interesting article, tips, seminars, you think would help the group
please email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com also if you have any networking
questions feel free to email me and I will try an answer or point you at the resource that
may help.

MySpace and Yahoo

2007-06-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of rumors flying around of Yahoo getting MySpace.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article1957867.ece

If this happens this would be huge and would further fuel my prediction that Google will by Facebook. It only makes sense from the perspective of where the industry is going.

Hats off for 5FM for launching its social networking portal

2007-06-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Social Networking gets a new meaning. This social networking site provides a place for people to
raise social issues. Its specifically meant for Africa but I suggest you sign up and support it and
check out what the issues are over there.

http://www.youngblood5.co.za/

Hats off to people that are pushing the boundaries of Social Networking and acting to improve our communication with all parts of the world.

10 Commandments of Driving

2007-06-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

I know people during their networking will need to drive. For this reason I thought I these commandments passed on by the Vatican. Maybe they could save your lives or make your journey less stressful for you and others.

The 10 commandments of driving

You shall not kill.
The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of
mortal harm.
Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen
events.
Be charitable and help your neighbour in need, especially victims of
accidents.
Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are
not in a fitting condition to do so.
Support the families of accident victims.
Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time,
so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
Feel responsible toward others.

Source: The Vatican website and
the Associated Press
Hope these commandments will help you in your day to day travels.

LinkedIn Restrictions

2007-06-12T05:03:00.000-07:00

I am sure a lot of you have or will experience this soon. It seems if you use
the Colleage or Classmates feature too often then they restrict you from using it.

If you get this message simply email support and ask them why you are being restricted and when it will be released. If you are not abusing it, then it seems they will release it. They released it for me in 4 days. I think its probably similar to the invitation cap. When you reach it then send them an email and they will review your activity and if you are using it normally then they will increase it.

One of the things I have been suggesting to LinkedIn from the beginning is that they need
to add valuable add-ons so people will want to upgrade.

1) For Groups, if you upgrade them then offer chat, whiteboarding, sharing of files and/or content.
2) As far as content sharing goes, if individuals upgrade then allow them to do moshups.
3) Make a plug-in api. Facebook is doing it, but they made it open to anyone. Being a business network open it up to businesses that want to integrate. YouTube, BlogTV, Flickr, Photobucket integration for profiles.
4) How about ebay.ca integration?
5) How about allowing those who upgrade to store relationship information or tag contacts to make them easier to find. Make them easier to group like you do with offline relationships.

I have been using LinkedIn a lot and pretty early on in the process so I have seen the improvements but this industry moves fast. Let's hope LinkedIn wakes up and smells the coffee and listens to its users. LinkedIn has a large user base and can generate a lot of revenue simply by adding a few more valuable features to the premium edition

If you are joining ecademy...

2007-05-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

For those on my Social Networking Portal that are looking to join Ecadamy, they have a special offer. If someone invites you then you get one month free Power Networking Upgrade.

If you email me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com I can send you an invite so you can get this offer. What is in it for me you ask, well the offer states that if I invite 10 of you I get a free month myself too. I highly recommend you check ecademy out even if you start off just using the free version.

NBC To Launch Social Networking Site in June

2007-04-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

I came across this and its getting interesting in the TV Realm of things.

In June, we're launching the NBC.com social network, allowing all of our
fans to connect with each other and interact with our shows in exciting new
ways.

It all started with Slice and now others are pushing it forward.
Here is the link to the site:

http://www.nbc.com/Social_Networking/

ExpertVillage - Worlds largest How To site

2007-04-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

I came across this on my surfing and thought I would share this with my network.
Its a good spot to build up your skills in a variety of areas.

http://www.expertvillage.com/

If you know of any other resources that would be useful to the group please let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Do you own your things or do they own you?

2007-04-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

I opened up the morning paper and saw this headline: "Woman sells everything on eBay to start new life." From reading the article this one quote really stood out:

"This might be midlife, but it's not a crisis. It's midlife excitement,"
she said. "I don't need it all. I don't use it all. I just have it all.
Actually, it has me."

When you stop to think of it, do we really own or things or do they own us? Our house, we own it but it takes up our weekends doing repairs, cutting the grass, shoveling the walks. We own our car but we need to repair it, do routine maintenance on it. We own our book collection but we have to make sure they are stored in the right humidity or they will get damaged.

I challenge my network to take a look at what you own and see if you own it or if it owns you. If you responded that it does take up a lot of your time then you may be missing out on time spent in other areas. Although , Jesus did say sell all you own take up your cross and follow me., I am not saying we need to do what it says in the article and sell everything.

On the contrary, take a look at what you enjoy and spend your energy there. Let the things you love own you. Use the things you own to make your life and others special. Then you will own your things and they will not own you.

Here is a link to the full article:
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070410/NEWS07/704100387/1001/NEWS

I hope this reflection is helpful to my network. If you have any inspiring messages or tips you think may help the other portal members feel free to email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will post them.

Social Networking Portal and Facebook

2007-04-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

Facebook is the new craze, people of all walks of life are using it to meet friends, co-workers and
and share things. The reason I am so gung-ho about this is that Facebook lets you set a relationship and have it confirmed. This is lacking in LinkedIn and many members have mentioned this over the last couple years but they would not do it. Kudos to Facebook for doing it. Hopefully LinkedIn will pick up on this and to it too.

Here are some of the facebook groups I recommend for networkers:

Social Networking Portal on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2258862878

LinkedIn Users on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2211231478

If you have a facebook that would help people network better then email it to me at chrisw_88.snresources@blogger.com and I will post it here.

Appearance is still everything even in the new millenium

2007-04-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

One of the keys of networking is appearance. People are more likely to approach people they are like. The first thing people see is your appearance. Next its your personality. You could have an amazing personality but if you dress like a slob or have a goti or beard and possibly a shaved head people immediately think you are some punk, skin head, gang member. It leads them to put their back up. Wonder what are they going to do.

At the Learning Annex, one of the things I learned was to clean up your messes. "Messes lock energy flow" one of the speakers said. So keep your desk neat, keep your appearance neat, keep all aspects of your life neat and you will be successful.

Here is another example of appearance. People are always putting up signs to try and inform people of issues like the homeless crisis in Toronto. It took a local artist, Mark Daye to show people a lesson, they were used to seeing posters so they ignored them. They were used to common street signs and read them for safety reasons. He has joined the two to spread awareness. "Please keep our streets clean, over 818 people have to sleep on them." This sign appeared in a plastic street sign hung around the city of Toronto this Tuesday April 3, 2007.
By end of day they will probably be gone. But the point is people saw them. They made the newspaper. He stood out, made a difference by making his signs appear to conform to their surroundings.

I guess that is the key. Look like you belong to the norm and change it from within. The other thing I have learned is always ask for the manager, ordinary workers do not have any power to help you in the Customer Service areas no matter how hard they try and convince you. The best trick in getting to a manager is to say you are recording the call and will be sending it on to the proper people. A manager or supervisor will be on the phone very quickly. A that point shut off the recording device and you will get helped.

If you have any more tips on Social Networking or have any question please email me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Learning Annex Real Estate and Wealth Expo

2007-03-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't go to the Learning Annex Real Estate and Wealth Expo you really missed out. I got the opportunity to go on Sunday and I learned a lot about "The Secret" and Wealth. The mistake I think people make is that it is a Real Estate show.

The keynote by Sir Richard Branson was very inspiring, keeping a thick skin to criticism but thin enough that you are listening to the customers, finding something broken and fixing it,
and helping make Gaia happy. His trip with his son across the Arctic is to promote awareness of Global Warming warmed my heart.

If I had to pick the best seminar I went to it was by Loral Langemeier. She focused on us and used an example of someone in the audience to show that its possible for anyone.

Another interesting seminars was by Bill Bartmann, his choice to make it a Q & A Session and to mention his work with teens in Toronto and the upcoming Rogers Centre teen event was also very inspiring. Bill Bartmann is an amazing sprit. Even spending roughly an hour with him in the seminar gave my spirit a glow for the rest of the day and I am still glowing.

My only disappointment was the seminar by Raymond Aaron. He started off really good but half way through he turn into more of a used car salesman in his approach. Its a shame because he has a lot of good things to say he just needs some help on delivery. If Raymond is reading my blog, I would love to see you connect with Loral as a mentor on your presentation skills as I was inspired by your content it just needs a good vehicle. I think that applying Loral's vehicle to your presentation would bring it over the top.

I will definitely be attending next year its well worth it to get the pass.

If you would like to contact me about my experience at the Expo or have any tips, tricks links etc to add to my portal blog I would love to hear from you. Email me at: chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Musicians and Social Networking

2007-03-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

It seems musicians are getting back to grassroots approaches to reach fans and sell records.
In the early days of music, artists sold their own wares, reached out to audiences to sell to and perform to. Through social networking software like YouTube, BlogTv, blogs, wikis, or simply leaving USB Keys in Washrooms, bands are reaching out to share their music and its paying off.

The Arcade Fire album Neon Bible, leaked out on the internet early and fans got a taste of the album. They also provided a 1-888-neon-bible number on their website so fans could listen to tracks on their phone that is why it was a number one album in Canada upon release, people knew what they were buying.

The internet is the new community and Musicians that make the transition are doing quite well.
Check out the Nine Inch Nails wiki http://www.ninwiki.com/Main_Page

Here is hoping more musicians will come on board and do the same.

For any bands interested in performing live via webcam or doing interactive sessions please contact moddy.blaze@blogtv.ca You can peform online wherever you are for free, they even have a studio set up and a web cam so you could even perform on site and broadcast.

Jonathan Abrams is bringing us Socializr

2007-03-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

I have to tip my hat to a fellow Torontonian that is making it in the Social Networking realm. Jonathan Abrams was one of the founders of Friendster, now he is bringing us a new Social Networking tool that will help us plan events.

You can check out the full story at: http://news.com.com/2061-10802_3-6167994.html

I have only just started using it but you can check out my profile so far at: http://www.socializr.com/user/chriswilliams

I look forward to seeing this become a success and look forward to people connecting with me on it.

Social Media and Telvision

2007-03-02T05:58:00.000-08:00

Finally they are starting to merge these two medias properly.

You have seen the ad campaigns they are everywhere.

"If I wanted to become more literate I would watch a book"
"I watch slice but don't tell anyone, this isn't going to be in an ad is it?"

This website is awesome, I am addicted to it already, be sure to check out the
latest gossip, have a little fun playing games and doing quizzes, you can even check out some advice but my favorite are the videos.

Here is my favorite clip so far: Three Takes hosts and their vices

I guess you could say my vice is slice.

MyBlogTVEvents Blog

2007-02-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

As you know from reading my Social Networking Portal, I am very excited about this new BlogTV.ca website. They are getting a lot of exclusive content and its very exciting. But posting it to my social networking blog is a little off topic. That is why I decided the postings would be better served on its own blog . Be sure to check it often for more BlogTV Events.

http://myblogtvevents.blogspot.com/

If you have any questions about blogTV.ca please contact Moddy Blaze at moddy.blaze@blogtv.ca

Social Networking and Politics - Obama

2007-02-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered that Barack Hussein Obama has created his own social networking website. Cudos to him for being so up with technology and where people are at.

I thought I would pass on this link so others could check it out.

http://my.barackobama.com/

You may also be interested in a different type of social media, here is a link to
some Obama clips in the media:

http://www.funkylist.com/ViewList.aspx?id=91

Thanks for the feedback and offering of the correct spelling, instead of barrack obama that I had originally. If you have any suggestions for postings let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Luke Fair Performs Live On BlogTV

2007-01-31T05:23:00.000-08:00

It seems BlogTV are getting some very exclusive talent appearing on there.
First Henri Rollins and now Luke Fair.

I don't know a lot about this, I just found the ad posted on Showcase. It says he is going to start broadcasting at 10 PM EST Friday February 2.

Here is the link to his show:

Luke Fair on BlogTV

I know I am one person really looking forward to this.

I highly recommend you register early and login early to get a spot. I am sure a lot of people are going to want to take part in this.

If you have any questions about blogTV.ca please contact Moddy Blaze at moddy.blaze@blogtv.ca

Lamplight and Social Networking

2007-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

A charitable organization that gives teens access to accurate information to make valid sources is making the jump into the places teens are hanging out online.

From their recent posting of their commecials on youtube, to their myspace page coming soon,
they are pushing forward using social networking to connect with teens.

You can check out their video clips on youtube at the following urls:

Lamplight Commercial - The Mirror (On YouTube)
Lamplight Commercial - Headbanger (On YouTube)

Check out their website at http://www.lamplight.org for the most up to date information.

Henry Rollins and BlogTV - video clip links

2007-01-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

For those that missed out you on the chat, you can still view the video in 3 parts:

Henry Rollins on BlogTV Part 1

Henry Rollins on BlogTV Part 2

Henry Rollins on BlogTV Part 3

I hope you enjoy watching the clips as much as I did taking part.

Henry Rollins and BlogTV

2007-01-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of Henry Rollins and his rants. That is why when I heard he is going to be on BlogTV for an exclusive interactive chat I thought I would pass on the word.

Here are the details right from the source:

"Exclusively on www.blogtv.ca Wednesday January 17th from 3:30-4:30PM (EST) there will be an interactive chat with HENRY ROLLINS and we want you to be a part of it!

Be prepared to participate in a bold and undaunted discussion as Rollins never shies away from the difficult questions. Although Henry Rollins will be on at 4:00PM (EST) be sure to sign-in on blogTV.ca early to ensure your questions get answered. (If you have not already registered please do so before the event.)

Rollins, the articulate and opinionated front man of the Rollins Band and former lead singer of Black Flag, actor, author and spoken word artist, takes an uncensored approach to talk show programming with a voice that strikes a balance of humour, angst, art and intellect.

Henry Rollins heats up Saturday nights exclusively on IFC with an edgy, indie alternative to late night programming. The Henry Rollins Show is airing Saturdays at 9 p.m. ET and repeating Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.

I highly recommend you register early and login early to get a spot. I am sure a lot of people are going to want to take part in this.

If you have any questions about blogTV.ca please contact Moddy Blaze at moddy.blaze@blogtv.ca

Specialty Channels and Blogging

2007-01-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

Even specialty television channels are getting into the blogging realm to reach their audiences. Alliance Atlantis has two specialty channels with blogs and this is only going to expand. Here are a list of their specialty blogs:

Sideshow" - Showcase.ca Blog

Food For Thought - FoodTV.ca Blog

I will keep you posted on new blogs as they are created and point out postings I find interesting.

Go Transit Safety

2007-01-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

I have created a new blog that I hope will help Go Transit realize the safety risk they
are putting us at by reducing the number of engineers per train from 2 to 1. What if
something happens on the trip to the one locomotive engineer does the train crash?

The blog is available at: http://go-transit.blogspot.com/

Please pass it on to those you know that take Go Transit.

Music and Social Networking

2006-12-12T06:26:00.000-08:00

Wallop is attempting at combining music sharing and social networking. This got me interested. Can you tell a lot about a person based on the music they are listening to? Can music be a good icebreaker in starting a relationship. If you would like to share your musical selections and network with people be sure to check out Wallop. I have a couple invitations for those interested.

My friends have provided me with a few music sharing links. Some are simple playlists, others
allow you to create your own playlists based on others choices.

http://www.indie911.com - A good place to find indie artists and check out some of their tracks. Be sure to check out Joshua Cross

http://www.jamendo.com/us/ - Find a playlist and have a listen, if you like a track add it to your playlist.

http://www.dimvision.com/musicmap/ - Find an artist or album and find other things you may like to listen to

http://www.webjay.org/ -
http://www.songbirdnest.com/
http://www.merchboss.com/home
http://www.myvideokaraoke.com/ - For those into karaoke
http://radioblogclub.com
http://shoutcast.com

Please send on any links you would like added here to chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will check them out and possibly add them.

Youth Information Resources

2006-12-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

It is very easy to find resources for kids and adults to find accurate information about
virtually anything but its a lot harder to find these types of websites that cater specifically
to teens. Below are a list of resources I have found that do this.

Lamplight

Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project

Please pass on this information to any teenagers you know and by all means if you have
a link that would be good to place here email it to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

BlogTV - The next genereration of social media

2006-12-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

I have been hearing the hype about BlogTV for many months now. But as the British say in the famous Tea commercial "Only in Canada, Pity". For you Americans on my list you will have to wait.

But for those Canadians wanting to check it out you can go to http://www.blogtv.ca for details. It is in beta so possibly you will see some hiccups but from what I have seen they are minor. So get out your webcam or video phone and have fun.

I figure by the new year you will be hearing as much about blogtv as you do now about podcasting possibly even more. Its going to be everywhere. I thought I would take this opportunity to share this with my network while its in the early phases.

If you would like to connect with someone over at BlogTV you may contact the Community Development Manager at moddy.blaze@blogtv.ca

You can check out Mr Mugatu, my 30lb cat with a 21 inch waist in his blogtv debut at:

http://www.blogtv.ca/ShowVodsListPage.asp?VodId=b2ZrZeXG&page=hp&list=PV&param=0&s=1&pos=ancr

This clip is really funny. Its all about technology and how we love it LOL.

http://www.blogtv.ca/ShowVodsListPage.asp?VodId=ZmPrZeVG&page=hp&list=PV&param=0&s=1&pos=ancr
This should give you a couple starting points. There is a lot of good content here. This posting will hopefully turn into a top 10 list of the top blogtv.ca links.

I have 10 wallop invitations with most of you know are hard to come by. The first 5 people to email me with a link to their entry on blogtv.ca will get an invitation to join my network on wallop. Both websites are leading edge technology, both are in beta and both are going to be huge next year. I look forward to connecting with you on wallop and voting for your entries on blogtv.

If there is a blogtv link you really find funny be sure to vote for it and maybe it will appear here. Also, be sure to email me them to me as well at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Churches, The Bible and Social Networking

2006-11-08T15:29:00.000-08:00

A lot of churches are realizeing they need to reach out to the community.
Also a lot of people are realizing they need to fill the spiritual void but are not
comfortable in the church environment.

I came across this link to a United Church in Toronto I pass on a daily basis.
Check out their online website, it has blogging, video, polls and much more.

The link is http://wondercafe.ca/

One thing great about the church I go to (The Sanctuary is that the sermons are about issues we are interested in. When Davinci Code the movie came out we discussed it on 3 sundays and during the week the pastoral team went with some of the congregation to the movie.

I came across an article that lead me to this church, Southwood Lutheran and they realized that their youth congregation was watching Greys Anatomy and that the show brought up some good questions. They did a series of sermons on it. Kudos to them. It is in hopes more churches will do this possibly with other shows, music kids listen to etc. God finds relevant teaching in the oddest places you just have to look closely.

Hopefully this trend will continue on these sites and at other churches.
Someone sent along a link to a site that has a list of great church websites you can check it out at: http://www.greatchurchwebsites.org/

But its not just about church sites though, people are creating their own sites, blogs etc in order to reach out and network to find the answers they need. One example that just started but I am sure will be a big hit is http://www.BlogTheBible.com This site just started but from connecting with the creator of this site I know its going to be a much talked about site in 2007

Even television is getting revolutionary with new religious comedys like Little Mosque on the Prarie. I know I am going to be watching it tonight. Be sure to click on the Watch Clip tab for a good laugh.

Thanks to those who have sent me links. I am going to start posting these at http://www.funkylist.com but here is a ist of some of the one I have been sent:

Community Mobilization: Social Network Analysis in the Bible
http://como.typepad.com/community_mobilization/2007/01/social_network_.html

Social Network and Bible Names
http://pagitt.typepad.com/pagittblog/2007/01/social_network__1.html

Social Networks in the Bible
http://www.chrislott.org/2007/01/29/social-networks-in-the-bible/

eBible Launches - Social Network for Bible Study
http://mashable.com/2006/09/11/ebible-launches-social-network-for-bible-study/

If you have a link to a really cool church website or a list of them email me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will post it here.

Introduction To Wallop

2006-10-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

A lot of people are hearing the hype about a new Social Networking website called Wallop. There is a lot of rumors
flying around that this was a Microsoft initiative but they dropped it and others continued the project.

The truth is that Microsoft has an equity stake in Wallop but they are an independant company. I am impressed so far with what I have seen of the beta version. I love the contact grouping functionality in fact I have been bugging LinkedIn for this for a couple years now. The network view is also quite revolutionary as I can visualize which contacts are in my realm and see a thumbnail picture of people so I can more quickly find the person I am looking for. I love that you can share music and pictures with others but also limit them to the groups you create as well.

Firstly, to get invited you need to either find someone else who has an invitation or go to www.wallop.com and on the home page is a place to request an invitation. I got mine through the latter.

The first thing to do once registered is to upload your picture to your profile. Right now this process is not fully intuitive so you may have to play with your uploaded picture a little to get it as your profile picture. Once this is done you will get 5 invitations to send.

For those trying to compare this experience to another Social Network, I would tend to compare it more to MySpace than LinkedIn but I feel that comparing this to MySpace is not a real fair comparison as I think Wallop is going places MySpace is only dreaming of.

They even have an API to allow others to customize their experience and create mods to share with others.
I have only just downloaded the API, but I am hoping to create my own mods soon.

Over the next couple months I am hoping more of you will get connected to Wallop and send me a link to your favorite mods along with other tips and tricks on how to use wallop.

As more invitations become available to me I will try and share them with the group.

Happy Neworking.

Recruiters and Sourcers Links

2006-07-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Recruiters and Sourcers have a great need to network. If you have a link that would be useful for these groups of networkers that you would like to recommend, please let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

The following are links to help recruiters and sourcers create and develop your network:

FEATURED LINKS:

My Good Friend Shally Steckerl has done a lot of research on shortcuts to help recruiters network better. You can access some of his cheatsheets at: Recruiter Cheatsheets

RECOMMENDED LINKS

Recruiters and Sourcers (Yahoo Group)

Sourcers Unleashed (Yahoo Group)

Networking Trainers, Gurus and Coaches

2006-05-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Networking has been around for a long time and people are at different levels in the learning process. Some are just beginning, some just need a few tips, others have been doing it for a while and need a fresh look, while others have been doing it for many years and have lots to share.

This is where trainers, gurus and coaches come in. They can help mentor and train up other networkers or simply create a spark or introduce something new to other seasoned networkers. Below I have listed some people with this gift. This is by no means a complete list.

If you know a trainer, guru or coach you would like to recommend, that would help people learn to network please let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

The following are people I personally get my training and spark from:

FEATURED PEOPLE:

Mark Freeman has a strong networking presense in Dallas Texas and a passion for networking. You can check out is Wiki at MyLinkWiki. The DallasBlue Business Network is a powerful network containing the best of the best in Texas. You can check out the
DallasBlue Executive LinkedIn Group to connect with Mark and others power networkers from Texas
Vincent Wright has a passion for everything he does personally and professionally. From first meeting him on MyLinkedInPowerForum I was in awe of his passion for helping others, to paying it forward, to building people up.

This is why I recommend strongly that you check out MyLinkedInPowerForum along with LinkedIn Venture Capital and even more strongly that you connect with him. Your life will never be the same.
Dan Williams is a networking guru, he travels the world helping people network better. Please check out his The Networking Community

Ray Van den Bel coachs people in communication styles,
profiling and networking using web 2.0 tools. He just wrote a new 2-day
course. It is about communication styles which lead to effective
profiling and networking on the net. I highly recommend checking out his blog at http://newnetworking.blogspot.com/

For more information please contact Ray at vandenbel@gmail.com
John MacKinnon trains professionals in sales and business development roles to improve their selling and client relationship management skills. Please check out his website for more details at http://www.mackinnongroup.ca/splash.asp

Networking Tools

2006-05-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Building a network can take a long time, that is why it is important to optimize it where you can through the use of various tools. Some tools will be as simple as Postal Code/Zip Code lookup tools, while others such as Personal Brain are meant to help you keep track of your thoughts.

If you have tool you would like to recommend, that would help people network more efficiently, please let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

The following are tools to help your create and develop your network more efficiently:

FEATURED TOOLS:

Social Networking Resource List - This is a list of social networking resources on FunkyList.com. Check it out and create your own lists for whatever topic interests you.

Web 2.0 Directory - This site was recommended to me by a colleague and its awesome.

Social Network Lexicon - This site has definitions for various terms related to Social Networking

RECOMMENDED TOOLS:

Name Generation Tools

hrca website

Online Lookup Tools

Zip Code and Area Code Lookups

US Map With World Time Zones

Country Code Lookup

Blogging Tools

blogger.com

feedblitz

Search Engines

Multi Domain Google Search

IceRocket Search Tool

Event Planner Tools

eVite - Online Event Inviter Tool

Social Networking Efficiency Tools

LinkedIn Lion Tools
These are tools specifically for LinkedIn Lions. To become a LinkedIn Lion go to LinkedIn Lions

Network Organization/Analysis Tools

http://www.mindjet.com/us/

http://www.orgnet.com/inflow3.html

http://www.huminity.com/

http://www.thebrain.com

LinkedIn Specific Tools

LinkedIn Contact Manager (Bottom Right Corner of the Page)

Website Statistical Tools

StatCounter - Free Website Statistics Tool

Document Creation/Conversion Tools

PDF Generation Tool

chrisw_88@hotmail.com

Online Networking Websites

2006-05-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

Online networking websites, such as LinkedIn, SoFlow and many others can be great sources of meeting new people with similar interests. I recommend joining general purpose social networking sites such as LinkedIn as well as others that meet your specific network needs.

If you have an online networking website you would like to recommend, that would help people learn to network please let me know at

The following are online networking groups to help your create and develop your network:

FEATURED ONLINE NETWORKING WEBSITES:

Squidoo OneNetworking, - Anita Cohen-Williams has an extensive link of social networking sites, I recommend you check it out.

Wallop - This site is the new kid on the block but it looks fabulous. Being a .NET Developer, I am very excited about this site. Look for an article to come soon.

MommyBuzz - This site caters to moms who wish to social network with other moms.

BakeSpace - This site caters to chefs wanting to social network with other chefs to share recipes and tips. You don't have to be a professional chef to join

LinkedIn With over 6 million users this site is bound to have people that are from your country or have your interests. If you would like to join my network simply send me request at chrisw_88@hotmail.com. I am open to helping others with their networking needs.

Open Networkers Collective X Group To join this group you need to first check out the open networkers group.
Social Networking Portal Collecive X Group This group requires an invitation. Simply email me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will invite you.

RECOMMENDED ONLINE NETWORKING WEBSITES:

Coaching Communities

Coachville Community The world's largest hub for life, business and executive coaches. They provide resources and training for the world's best coaches.

Business Networks

amodus - Strategic Networking an international community of business leaders, innovators, academics, artists, writers, journalists and politicos.

Build Your Networks - Jon Williamson's open networking website.

Circle Of Experts Nitron Advisors' Circle of Experts works to connect senior industry experts with premier professional investors.

CustomUnity Social Networking Website but also Scalable Platform.

DealMap - Expose your services and search for others providing a service you need.

ecademy - Main Site

Epoch Strategic Ventures

eWomenNetwork The number one resource for connecting and promoting women and their businesses.

FastPitch Networking

go BIG network

iKarma
Jambo Networks

InfoWorld IT Exec-Connect The latest to online networking site. This one is a little different than linkedin in that it seems more interactive and is focused specifically on IT.
To find me on here look for fastcpu88.

Linked In - With over 5 million users, you have a large chance of finding some people you are looking for.

openbc

Orkut

Plaxo - Keep your address book synchronized and accessable

ryze.com

SoFlow

Viaduc - French Language Networking Site

VShake

ziggs.com

Spiritual Networks

Churchster

Missionster

Friends Networks

Friendster

EveryonesConnected

imeem - (NEED TO DOWNLOAD) Uses .NET Framework

Insert Online Networking Website Here - Now its up to you. Do you have any online networking groups for me to add? If so, email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this posting Let's help each other make good use of online networking websites so we can help each other succeed in networking.

Entrepeneurs and Venture Capitalist Links

2006-05-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

Entrepeneurs and venture captialists have a great need to network. If you have a link that would be useful for these groups of networkers that you would like to recommend, please let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

The following are links to help entrepeneurs and venture capitalists create and develop your network:

FEATURED LINKS:

Only two out of a hundred new venture business plans written with the objective of raising seed finance succeed in doing so. Yet all investors, from business angels to large-scale investment houses report a shortage of worthwhile projects. The reason for this perceived paradox is that entrepreneurs fail to create a compelling presentation to potential investors. ClearStartup is a special programme, created for people that want to develop a compelling business opportunity into a fundable wealth-creating and sustainable business. It will prepare you to cover the aspects required to prepare a business model and business plan and create a compelling presentation that will get the attention of professional investors. Their objective is to foster your entrepreneurial culture and where possible to contribute to the success of your venture.

RECOMMENDED LINKS

ClearStartup

My 1st Business - (Paid site but also free resources)

LinkedIn Groups

2006-05-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

LinkedIn Groups can be a good way of expanding your network without having to invite a large number of people directly to your node. If you have a LinkedIn Group you would like to recommend, please let me know at chrisw_88@hotmail.com

The following are LinkedIn Groups to help your create and develop your network:

FEATURED LINKEDIN GROUPS:

Being a Canadian, I have to feature these groups.

LinkedIn Ontario

LinkedIn Canada

Forbes magazine recently created a cross-promotion with LinkedIn creating
as series of groups on the LinkedIn website. You can access them at:
http://www.linkedin.com/static?key=promo_forbes

RECOMMENDED LINKEDIN GROUPS

Below I have listed a set of LinkedIn Groups I personally belong to. This is by no means a definitive list.

Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance (CATAAlliance)

LinkedIn Ontario

LinkedIn Canada

MyLinkedin Power Forum

LinkedIn Chicago

LinkedIn Contact Manager

LinkedIn Interims

Linkedin TNC Direct Connect

DallasBlue

Dallas Professionals

Forbes - New York

Forbes - San Francisco

Forbes - Entrepreneurs

Forbes - Personal Technology

Forbes - Life

Antal International

RFID Tribe LinkedIn Group - You must be a member of the RFID Tribe to join. Check out the RFID Tribe at http://www.rfidtribe.com/

Insert LinkedIn Group Here - Now its up to you. Do you have a LinkedIn Group for me to add? If so, email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this posting Let's help each other make good use of LinkedIn Groups so we can help each other succeed in networking.

LinkedIn Links

2006-05-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

With the LinkedIn website changing it seems almost daily it is really hard
to find some of your favorite places. Vincent Wright has supplied a link that
you may find quite useful, a
LinkedIn Sitemap

Insert LinkedIn Link Here - Now its up to you. Do you have any useful LinkedIn Links for me to add? If so, email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this posting. Let's help each other make good use of linkedin so we can help each other succeed in networking.

Online Networking Groups

2006-05-01T20:07:00.000-07:00

Online networking groups can be a good source of meeting new people with similar interests. I recommend joining some of the groups such as MyLinkedIn Power Forum (Yahoo Group) to meet others who are starting out in networking. If you have an online networking group you would like to recommend, that would help people learn to network please let me know at

The following are online networking groups to help your create and develop your network:

FEATURED ONLINE NETWORKING GROUPS:

For those who love recipes, I came across this Online Networking tool that allows
people to share recipes, get introduced to other chefs. You can check it out at
bakespace.com
Diana Lindstrom, based in Arvada, Colorado, and I've been involved with LinkedIn for about 2 years. She runs an Online Networking Group for Project Managers who are on LinkedIn. If you are a project manager, I highly recommend checking it out at: http://www.sdbpluspm.com
Kevin Banks recently introduced me to his networking groups on http://www.yorz.com. There is a wide variety of groups here that will match your profession. This will help you network with others and build each others skills up.

RECOMMENDED ONLINE NETWORKING GROUPS

Below I have listed a set of online groups I personally belong to. This is by no means a definitive list. I recommend looking at The MyLinkWiki LinkedIn Groups List. It lists a large number of groups that may be suited to your networking goals.

MyLinkedin Power Forum

LinkedIn Lions - Also known as the 500+ club

open networkers group - This Open Network group is for people who want to be invited to networks on LinkedIn, OpenBC, Ryze, Ecademy etc.

ConnectorNET.com - Weaving a web of social connectors using the Internet

LinkedIn VCs

cool tech club - Specifically Silicon Valley Developers

Dallas Blue - The best of the best Dallas, Texas Networkers

Dallas Professionals

Early Stage Entrepreneurs

HR Nation

Boston Recruiters

Calgary Alberta Canada Immigrants

IT In Calgary

Matters Of Plaxo

LinkedIn Business Schools

Startup Play - Startup Club in the Bay Area

Yahoo Groups - There are literally hundreds of LinkedIn related groups on yahoo. If you do a search you will find the ones that best fit your needs. I have listed just a few of them above. For a full list you will need to check out Yahoo Groups yourself.

Insert Online Networking Group Here - Now its up to you. Do you have any online networking groups for me to add? If so, email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this posting Let's help each other make good use of online networking groups so we can help each other succeed in networking.

Blogging and Networking

2006-03-20T11:33:00.001-08:00

Blogging can be a good way to express your opinions and get feedback on new products or ideas. They can be a good source of meeting new people with similar interests.

I recommend joining some of the blogging groups such as the LinkedIn Bloggers (Yahoo Group) to learn more about blogging and how people are using this medium for networking.

If you have a blog you would like to recommend, that would help people learn to network please let me know at

The following are blogs to help your create and develop your network:

FEATURED BLOGS

For those interested in food I recommend checking out the FoodTv Blog at http://www.foodtv.ca/blog

Ray van den Bel, in my opinion is a Web 2.0 Guru, please check out his blog below you will not be disappointed.
- newnetworking.blogspot.com

Jeff Pontes has a strong passion for networking, please check out his blog below you will not be disappointed.
- U R Success Blog

Vincent Wright has a passion for everything he does personally and professionally. From first meeting him on http://mylinkedinpowerforum.com I was in awe of his passion for helping others, to paying it forward, to building people up.

This is why I recommend strongly that you check out www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.com along with www.LinkedinVentureCapital.com and even more strongly that you connect with him. Your life will never be the same.

His latest project is the http://www.linkedinbusinessdiscussionindex.com/ is a blog that contains lots of information on how to use linkedin.

RECOMMENDED BLOGS

LinkedIn Blog Lists

I have listed a select amount of LinkedIn related blogs. For a more extensive
list, please check out the MyLinkedIn Wiki Blog List. This is a good resource for LinkedIn related blogs.

Social Networking Blog

Another Social Networking Blog
LinkedIn 'N' 37 <-- Check out David Regler's Blog as there is lots of info here

LinkedIn Users Manual Blog

LinkedIn Notes Blog
LinkedIn Business Discussion Index

General Blog Lists

Teten blog list (Author of Virtual Handshake)
TravelPods (Travel Blog To Communicate while travelling)

KBCafe

Insert Blog Here - Now its up to you. Do you have any tips for me to add?
If so, email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this posting

LinkedIn Profile Optimization

2005-12-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

As Collins Denny, a fellow MyLinkedIn Power Forum member, pointed out it is very important to optimize your profile to become more visible to those on linkedin looking to connect with opportunities.

The following is a list of some of the things you can do to make your profile stand out:

Write endorsements - When we write endorsements for people they will remember you. Some will write one for you too, others will recommend you to others when an opportunity arises. This is part of the pay it forward approach.

Ask connections to write endorsements - Some people would love to endorse you but maybe don't know how to do it. Being proactive is a good thing. Endorsements is one way to sort the results of searches.

Build a list of relevant key words into profile - This helps you in two ways:

Firstly, when someone searches for you and types in keywords in the top it finds you.
Secondly, if you place the proper keywords in your profile then you will end up in the proper category under Find Services. Click HERE to find out more about making your profile appear in services
Get more connections - The more connections you have the more people can see you on linkedin to find you. Also, one of the search options is sort by number of connections

Say something compelling - I changed my linkedin description to "Everybody Knows A Chris Williams" and I got a lot more people inviting me to join them so they could know one.
Get Others To Review Your Profile - A good way to do this is to join The MyLinkedIn Profile Group. They have lots of tips and tricks and can critique your profile to help you make it better.
Insert Tip Here - Now its up to you. Do you have any tips for me to add?
If so, email them to me at chrisw_88@hotmail.com and I will add them to this posting

Let's help each other create solid profiles so we can help each other succeed in networking.

2005-09-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome To The Social Networking Portal Blog.

This blog alongside the Social Networking Portal website, will connect you with all the resources you need to create your own personal network.

As a first step in improving your network, I would highly recommend joining
My LinkedIn Power Forum. Its founder is Vincent Wright, the nicest guy you will ever know. His group contains some of the cream for the crop of networkers who are sharing their knowledge of networking and building up fellow members.

Another resource I would like to highlight is The Networking Community. I highly recommend subscribing to the Dan Williams' newsletter. He is a powerful networker and I have learned a lot from this resource.

If you have any questions or would like some guidance on where to begin, you can join our mentoring program. This program will look at your specific networking needs and assist you to create the network that would be most effective for you.

For more information, please contact us at snresources@gmail.com