Wednesday, September 30, 2009

I started my career reading this book & after #Growsmartbiz need to read it again to brush up

My dad first read this book and thought it important enough for me to read. The principles and discipline that I read in this book have helped me in my career. Even without a refresher I can recollect :
a) We is more important than !
b) Always keep smiling
c) Greet everyone whether you know them or not
d) Networking and relationships are important.

Today I was at a seminar organized by Reston Limo CEO Kristina Bouweiri "Designing the Exceptional Life" where Dr. Tom Hill spoke. he is a good speaker and has very actionable steps for everyone to follow. I think I am going to exercise more now. Thank you Kristina - Reston Limosine is more than a Limousine company, you are making your community efforts a large part of your business.

Monday, September 28, 2009

#GrowSmartBiz Conference Sept 29th Links

Event Live webcast : http://livestream.com/networksolutions

Facebook App : http://apps.facebook.com/growsmartbiz/

HashTag : #GrowSmartBiz

Metro and parking :  http://www.shashi.name/2009/09/growsmartbiz-conference-parking-and.html

#GrowSmartBiz Conference : Parking and Metro tips

Some tips if you are coming to the GrowSmartBiz Conference on Tuesday, September 29th in Washington DC a educational and networking conference for small businesses hosted by Network Solutions. A couple of people asked about Metro and parking. Renaissance  has Valet parking if you want to use it . I  recommend using the Metro.
Subway/Metro : Gallery Place Chinatown (.2 miles S )
Directions from Metro :
1.Head north on 7th St NW toward H St NW
2.Turn left at H St NW
3.Turn right at 9th St NW ( hotel will be on the right )

Parking Choice :
City Center Parking Lot
900 9th Street, NW (between N I St & N K St)
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 265-0010
Source : yelp

INTERPARK HOLDINGS INC
999 9th St NW Washington, DC 2000 ( Entrance on I Street) $15 for 9 hour
This is a paid parking garage underneath the building. There are two entrances: one on I (Eye) Street and one on 7th Street. Both entrances identify the garage as “Park Tech.” Wind down the entrance and take a ticket at the cashier booth. Turn left and proceed to Level 2, 3 or 4. Level 1 is reserved parking.

Disclaimer: I researched these on the internet and please take it as advice with no guarantees :) Hope to see you there


Technorati Tags: ,

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Breaking News : Watch the #GrowSmartBiz Conference Live on LiveStream (pls RT) http://cli.gs/gsblive

The GrowSmartBiz conference is taking place on Tuesday 29th September at the Renaissance Hotel Washington DC and the tickets are selling fast. The GrowSmartBiz conference is a premier one-day event featuring renowned small business leaders and well-known industry experts, including keynote speaker Chris Anderson and Sen. Mark Warner. There is some great news for folks who are far away and cannot make it in person. You can watch the conference live and most sessions will also be online for viewing on demand later.

Use the player here or go to http://cli.gs/gsblive to watch the LiveStream.

How to watch the webcast live :

1) Go to http://livestream.com/networksolutions

2) Refer to the Agenda /Schedule for timings http://cli.gs/smartbizagenda

3) Chat in the LiveStream chat room 

4) Join and watch the Twitterstream at : http://twubs.com/growsmartbiz/

How can you help spread the word.

  1. Add this link to your Facebook or LinkedIn Page
  2. Inform your Blog readers. if you want to embed the player into your own blog just click on the “embed” button on the bottom left of the player above
  3. Email your friends and small business folks you know as this conference will be useful to them

Other useful Links:
Details of the conference: http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz
Hope you are coming to the Pre event tweetup on Sept 28th at the Clydes of Gallery Place Details at : http://cli.gs/rNp22d

Twitter Twub: #growsmartbiz

#GrowSmartBiz Tweet up Monday 28th Clydes of Gallery Place 7:30 p.m (pls RT)

The Unofficial  pre-conference tweet-up for #GrowSmartBiz Conference  will be held the , Monday, September 28, 2009, at Clyde’s Restaurant on 707 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, at 7:30pm. Clyde’s is two blocks from the hotel and offers a delicious menu! Please visit the site for more information: http://www.clydes.com/main/RestaurantsDetail.cfm?Restaurant=Clydes_of_Gallery_Place&Section=Main.

Thanks for Co-ordinating  Jill Foster (@jillfoster) and Joanna Pineda (@jpineda), as well as sponsor Grant Wickes (@gwickes) of WaspBarcode.

Here are the details of the meet-up from Grant Wickes:

Overview:

Prior to the all day GrowSmartBiz, let’s get together at a pre-event gathering on Monday night… an informal get together of speakers, panelists, sponsors, press, bloggers and friends that are in town Monday night prior to the Tuesday event.  See details below…

Location:

Clydes of Gallery Place (www.clydes.com)

- comes highly recommended by concierge at the Marriott

- they’ll set up a location in one of the bar areas for us… and will put up a sign GrowSmartBiz to direct folks

- Yelp reviews (it also a great restaurant): http://bit.ly/HQesu

Time:

          7PM start… till 8:30 or so 

Address:

707 7th St NW
(between N G St & N H St)
Washington, DC 20001

(202) 349-3700

Directions from hotel:

4 blocks or so… 1/3 mile away… 5-10 minute walk max

Here’s a quick map: http://bit.ly/UBFy5

Drinks and food available:

          Folks are responsible for their own drinks and any food

First posted on http://www.shashi.name

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Phishing Warning – be careful of DMs on Twitter

As a general rule if you get some link unexpectedly from a friend it may be better to check with them to see if the message is genuine before clicking on the link.  Mashable and  a few sites like SCMagazine posted warnings about this new threat that comes to you through DMs from people who you are foillwoing. . What phishers do is to entrap you with a link and when that opens up you get the same look and feel of a genuine site maybe looks like Twitter itself . If you are not careful you may enter your login info into this fake page and may innocently give your login info away to these phishers who will then use your account to defraud you or in Twitter’s case will start spamming your followers.

If this has happened to you please login and change your password immediately. If you have received messages like these, you may be better off just deleting them.

Example : hey, i made $484 yesterday . this website showed me how http://gglcash4u.info

Twitter maybe actively working to shut this down. This is not a Twitter problem alone. It could happen to anyone who requires a login – your bank, social network, instant messenger and othersAs always be careful of the links that you click specially if they are unexpected.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Run and Educate a kid Sept 26th Fairfax Corner & 5 cities in the US

I met Sekhar Puli for lunch on Friday. I had heard of Asha Jyothi as a organized that helped people in need in case of unexpected emergencies/tragedy. He told me the organization has evolved and has more global motives starting with helping underprivileged kids in India get a decent education and tapping the folks of Indian origin here who want to give a helping hand to their ancestral heritage.  Another surprising thing was that this volunteer run 501 c (3) organization prides itself on the ability to put 100% of the proceeds to the cause.

On of the events they are organizing is a 5k run to raise funds and awareness for health and education for underprivileged kids in India. They started with one venue Fairfax city Virginia and then found calls for support from other cities so it has now turned into a 5 city run on September 26th 2009.

Cities – Fairfax VA, Kansas City.KA,  Charlotte .NC,  Houston.TX , Dallas.TX, San Francisco.Ca.

Details of the cities : http://asha-jyothi.org/ashajyothi/ajrunusa/

Fairfax Run:
WHEN : Saturday, September 26, 2009
Start Time: Kids I Mile @ 8:00 AM
5K Run/Walk @ 8:30 AM

WHERE
4035 Ridge Top Rd
Fairfax VA – 22030
Click here for Map

Register here: http://www.active.com/page/Event_Details.htm?event_id=1779857&assetId=db0fb0f1-ee02-4385-948a-ec3848c3e97c

Hope to see you there – its a good cause and this will only make you healthier .

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The audience rocked at the Cleveland Park Library - CPCUG ECSIG meeting

CPCUG meeting in the Cleveland Park Library
Today at the Enterprise and Consultants Special Interest Group of the CPCUG ( read about the CPCUG here http://cli.gs/dbZEBU ) Barbara Conn (@cpcug) welcomed the folks about 50 of them and then everyone got a minute to introduce themselves.

CPCUG meeting in the Cleveland Park Library

I was amazed at the variety of folks who were there. NIH, Montgomery College, American Red Cross and many others. I met my friends Barbara Halpern and Alice Marshall (@prestovivace) and Jo Golden @jogolden (http://www.chaostoclarity.com/blog/) who will be presenting on Saturday, December 12, 2009, 12:30-3:00 pm (Note: 2nd Saturday) on Research Skills and Strategies for Business

I laid out the Social media tools and the audience asked a lot of questions. Since Cleveland park does not have good parking garages a lot of people seemed to move in and out to move their cars and get back. The problems does not exist in the evening for restaurant goers it seems. Anyway Metro is the best for this meet up. Pamela Dunning from American Red Cross came up and told me we have a mutual friend @shonali who blogs at http://www.waxingunlyrical.com/. Network Solutions raffled two admissions to the GrowSmartbiz conference taking place in DC on Sept 29th and also we gave away A signed copy of Debbie Weil's The Corporate Blogging book.

In a hour or so after the event I was impressed to get a Linkedin Invite from one of the attendees. Nice job folks . And as I told the audience that if all of the media created from this event is tagged #cpcug09 it will show up in Google in a few hours and here it is http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHNG_enUS334US334&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=cpcug09. If you attended the event or you have any questions after reading this post please comment here and we can have a conversation.

CPCUG meeting in the Cleveland Park Library

Great places to network

The after event meetup was at Nannys Obrien across the road. I managed to sneak into a Network Solutions ‘ Small Business customer’s restaurant Indique and have a great meal of Roti and Dal Makhni. I enjoyed presenting in front of this fantastic audience and hope to meet them all again. To get more info on This group meeting go to http://entrepreneur.cpcug.org/index.html#meetings



My presentation posted on SlideShare

Monday, September 14, 2009

Potomac Gas Leak and Kudos to Montgomery County Fire Department

Potomac Gas Leak

The knock on the door was urgent. I opened it to find a firefighter who said there was a gas leak and they were asking all the neighborhood to evacuate while they detected it and fixed it. He asked me to go to the community center. I immediately asked him if I had time to get my wallet and my phone and he said that was fine but I had to hurry. Coming out of the house I smelled gas and I knew the source of my misery. The whole day workers from a telecom company were laying cables. The previous week I had seen other utility personnel marking underground cables and knew some kind of maintenance was on the way.

Montgomery County Fire Department thinks of everyhting

Fire department snack truck woohoo #potomac gas leak

The timing was bad , this was the time when the school buses make their way into the neighborhood and I wondered about kids who would be home alone till their parents came back.

Helicopters Overhead

Potomac Gas Leak

News Crews arrive

Ok. Its all clear and we can go home again #potomac gas leak

I need not have worried. The fire department was on the case. A fantastic team took charge of the kids who did not have their parents and kept them occupied in the community center. Senior students helped little kids with their homework. The principal of the school came to make sure that all the kids were safe and accounted for. Surprise Surprise ! The Gaithersburg Fire Department sent a snack van and the kids got to drink water and have some snacks. The Montgomery County Police Department stood by to help with the kids. It took  roughly about 2 hours for the gas leak to plugged and the cleaning up process to be finished. I see cables still lying around so the telecom company crew will be back. Human error happens yet I wish this had never happened and I had my 2 hours back. Atleast i got to meet some cool firefighters and spent some time with the neighbors.

See pictures here http://www.flickr.com/photos/drbeachvacation/sets/72157622246317783/ Any experiences you want to share  ?

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Do You listen to NPR?

I am a confirmed NPR junkie. In 2007 I posted a poll on my blog and at that time 55% of my community said they listened to NPR. A lot has happened since then, media has begun to adopt different models. NPR has adopted new media tools very well. See today's news about NPR's iPhone app They are active in the social media and my friend Andy Carvin @acarvin works as the NPR's Social Media Swami :). MY evening commute is usually timed to Marketplace.

I want to see how my network feels about NPR so help me understand and
Take this poll:
Some of the programs I love are : Marketplace, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Splendid Table. I am not surprised that in this economic crisis NPR has actually gained audience. I love the fact that they cover world events. A few day's ago I was listening to a program about Mongolian Horses ( I wish someone would invite me to Mongolia to talk Social Media - I love the country of Genghiz Khan)

Some facts I found online:

Broadcasts of NPR’s flagship newsmagazines — Morning Edition, All Things Considered and their weekend siblings — reached 20.9 million listeners, a 9 percent gain. (Source: Current.org)
-------------------------Small Business Conference-------------------------------
This Weekend only DC Small Business Conference - Sept 29 Register for $99 & bring a friend free - code GSB999 http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz - please share with friends. After this weekend the code is still good for $200 off the conference price of $299 i.e $99.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

NPR audience demographics (http://iowapublicradio.org/download/npr_fact_sheets.pdf)

Friday, September 11, 2009

DC/MD/VA Small Business Conference #GrowSmartBiz Sept 29th – Special offer this Weekend

This Weekend only DC Small Business Conference - Sept 29 Register for $99 & bring a friend free - code GSB999 http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz - please share with friends. After this weekend the code is still good for $200 off the conference price of $299 i.e $99.

Along with Chris Anderson the list of panelists includes several of my gurus and absolutely smart folks who have succeeded against all odds. Did you know our keynote speaker Chris Anderson runs 3 small business along with his day job? I am looking forward to him telling us about using technology smartly and may be for FREE. See a list of all the speakers here http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Custom.aspx?cid=17&e=41e08ae3-2ded-4c35-9c3a-67144406dfbe

Any help in spreading the word on this conference is appreciated.GrowSmartBiz Conference DC Sept 29th in DC. Please help spread the word by sending this to your friends.

Here are some things that will go a long way to help me and I appreciate it :
1) Mentioning it on your blog ( attached a blurb and a badge)
2) Adding it to your Facebook or LinkedIn profile and tweet the URL http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz
3) email or message to any networking group you are part of I know you are a member of a lot of networks.
4) Any other fantastic idea that comes to mind

Appreciate it very much.

Shashi

Thursday, September 10, 2009

How to FORD the traffic and talk to your car?

The FORD Taurus SHO has several cool features including one that reads text messages to you when you are driving.

I am sitting in traffic on the Washington beltway and my N95 phone is going off with DMs ( Dms= Direct messages on Twitter) delivered to me by SMS. As the phone goes “beep beep “ I am tempted to look at my messages and keep an eye on the car in front while traveling at 5 miles per hour. At that moment I remembered a conversation I had with Ken Ken Czubay Ford Motor Company’s, Vice President, U.S. Marketing recently in DC where FORD held a tweetup to show people their 2010 Ford Taurus SHO. The FORD SHO using Microsoft Sync can read text messages to you ( How cool is that !).

Summer of Taurus : Washington DC

When talking about the car Ken Czubay told me the safety features first:

  • Blind Spot warning indicator
  • Adaptive Cruise control
  • Adaptive headlights that automatically decrease brightness when there are oncoming cars
Summer of Taurus : Washington DC- Ford Taurus SHO & me

I drove the car a few blocks around DC and it reminded me of a Volkswagen Passat in how comfortable it was to drive. Leather was cool and soft touch and my wife would have loved that. When I reversed the car you see the camera and also a indication of the feet and lines that indicate how far you can go 0 see picture below.

Summer of Taurus : Washington DC Summer of Taurus : Washington DC

The engine is a EchoBoost 3.5L Duratec V6 engine and gives you a rapid acceleration and according to Popular Science magazine cranks out 355 HP more than many large V8s and also 25% better fule consumption. I like the capless fuel tank opening so you don;t spend much time opening caps and have to find soap and hand cleanser speically when you are going to an important meeting and shaking hands. I beileve premium gas is optional which again is a great way to save.


It comes with a push button start ( I have that in my current car a Toyota Camry Hybrid and love it) and memory adjustable brakes. Another cool feature is that the valet key does not give access to the full engine capacity so anyone you give that too cannot race the car.

According to the Car’s website http://www.fordvehicles.com/cars/taurus/trim/?trim=sho the price is around $37,170. I like the car and I one of the good cars I have driven recently. If the car has to pass the Shashi test it will have to score well on these points:

  • Excellent resale value in 3 years
  • other than regular oil changes and normal wear and tear no repair expenses in 3 years.

The word on the street is that FORD has really worked hard to assure quality on this car so who knows in 3 year’s time I will be driving a FORD Taurus SHO. America’s automaker’s way back to the heart of Americans.

Other pictures of the car and the event

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

090909 Is A Lucky Date: Get Married, Enjoy Rock Band Or Get A Great Deal On GrowSmartBiz Conference

For a limited time – buy one, get one free! If you  register 9.9.09 (using promo code GSB999), you will only pay $99 to attend AND be able to bring a guest with you for FREE!

090909 is making news all over the world , while some couples consider this a auspicious day to get married a Malaysian Newspaper The Star reports that “is a day that will be full of success as the number 090909 symbolizes longevity.” And the new video game featuring the Beatles - Rock Band is releasing on that day Recognizing that Small Business need all the help in jumping through the hurdles this economy is putting them through, Network Solutions® – will offer a one-day special registration fee allowing two people to attend for just $99 total, the GrowSmartBiz Conference – being held on September 29th at the Renaissance – Washington DC.

The Small Business conference I am helping organize is called GrowSmart Biz conference on Sept 29th at the Renaissance Washington DC. Chris Anderson the Editor of WIRED is the keynote speaker and our aim is to get answers to small business to do better in this economy. Details of the conference are at http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz .

I am looking for help to promote the event from all of you. Here are some things you can do:

1) Mentioning it on your blog ( let me know if you need a badge)
2) Adding it to your Facebook  or LinkedIn profile and tweet the URL  http://tinyurl.com/gsbiz
3) Email or message to any networking group you think will benefit from this conference

Other reasons to attend :

  • See Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of The Long Tail and Free, as the conference keynote.
  • Walk away with executable, cost-effective ways to market, promote and grow your business.
  • Find out what others are doing to weather the current economic storm – and pick up strategies and tactics you can apply to your own business.
  • Learn how to navigate your way through what can be a financial maze from people who have done it – and succeeded. 
  • Expand your marketing arsenal – figure out how to enhance your current promotional efforts by integrating social media.
    Score lots of free stuff – including a free domain n
  • me from Network Solutions®, a copy of Chris Anderson’s best-selling book, Free, and business planning software from Palo Alto Software.

Social Networks before Social Networks – CPCUG

Honored to be part of the Washington DC CPCUG’s - Entrepreneurs and Consultants SIG (E&C SIG)

cpcug_bl

I am thrilled to give a talk at the Entrepreneurs and Consultants SIG (E&C SIG) meeting on September 19, 2009. This gives me a feeling of both honor and nostalgia . Honor becuase this a body of peers and gurus who were meeting and helping entrepreneurs long before there were the social networks we know of today.

CPCUG's nearly 30-year-old motto is "Users Helping Users." Technology novices join to learn from techies, and to help each other as their knowledge grows.

Nostalgia because when I was contemplating changing careers this was a organization that was on the forefront and presented me with an opportunity for both learning and networking. I went to meetings at NIH where speakers educated you on a myriad of topics. Over the past ten years I have been a subscriber to the CPCUG mailing list and gained by it. I interviewed Barbara Conn who is a board member of CPCUG and also details of the event are below should you choose to attend.

Event Details:
Saturday, September 19, 2009, 12:45-3:15 pm
How To Get Business With Social Media
Check-In: 12:45 pm. Program: 1:00-3:15 pm

Cleveland Park Library
, 1st Floor, Large Meeting Room

3310 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Wash., DC

Details : http://www.cpcug.org/user/entrepreneur/index.html#meetings

Barbara Conn founded and chairs the Entrepreneurs and Consultants Special Interest Group of the Capital PC User Group, planning monthly event programs and workshop "extras," booking speakers, facilitating meetings,and creating and updating Web pages (http://entrepreneur.cpcug.org). She is also the volunteer Director of Communications for CPCUG, publicizing CPCUG events, training offerings, and community services via e-mail,Twitter (@cpcug), Web pages (http://calendar.cpcug.org), and flyers.

Increasing the impact of clients through writing, and related services, is Barbara's goal as a communicator, and also the mission of her company,Beacon Writing Services Corporation. As a magazine editor, she has planned theme issues, assigned stories, reported news, reviewed and edited manuscripts, and managed design, illustration, typesetting, layout,proofreading, indexing, and printing. Barbara has received awards for editorial services from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Among her many eclectic interests, she enjoys watching a good movie and Washington Wizards basketball games, and reading about advances in science and technology.

In another lifetime, Barbara earned a B.S. in chemistry from Bucknell University. She started her career by applying for and receiving a National Science Foundation grant for work in the Chemistry Department laboratories at American University. Barbara may be reached at bconn@cpcug.org. Her Twitter.com username is b_conn. For more information, visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/bconn.

A) How was CPCUG founded?

Barbara : Early in 1982, at a Rockville, Maryland, computer store, a notice appeared on an actual, physical bulletin board about an upcoming evening gathering for personal computer buyers. Rich Schinnell, one of the original members of the Capital PC User Group, who later served several terms as president, reports that he attended and participated along with seven or eight others. Mike Todd was elected president of the new Capital PC User Group. Jimmie Faris became the treasurer, Ted Landberg became the newsletter editor, and Wes Merchant became the bulletin board system (BBS) director. This group of four was the original Executive Board. Several special interest groups (SIGs) were organized and met regularly: Software, Medical, Games, Micronetwork, and Group Purchase.

General meetings with speakers on a variety of computer hardware and software topics were held monthly in the auditorium of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda. CPCUG members were encouraged to share knowledge by writing for the Monitor, CPCUG's monthly print newsletter. A software exchange was established for sharing public domain software programs among members before and after general meetings. Capital PC User Group, Inc., was incorporated in Maryland in 1982 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization. Its purpose was and is to provide a forum for sharing information, experience, and resources among computer users, from novice to advanced. Although the group serves primarily the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, members are found around the world.

B) Would you consider this one of the earliest social networks?

Barbara :
With its in-person general meetings, Q&A sessions, SIG gatherings, and bulletin board system (BBS), the 1982 CPCUG was a social network in both the modern and classic sense. The Source and CompuServe provided earlier options for computer-based social networking.

C) Are there any plans to expand CPCUG?

Barbara: CPCUG will be surveying current, former, and potential members as part of the process of evaluating our membership benefit package. We do this periodically to keep up with changing times, changing technology, and the changing needs of members and potential members. After the survey process is completed, and the results tabulated and reported, we'll consider changes in our benefit package and possibilities for expansion.

D) What is the CPCUG Entrepreneurs and Consultants SIG?

Barbara : The CPCUG Entrepreneurs and Consultants SIG was founded in 1997 for a cross section of CPCUG members: computer consultants and entrepreneurs using computers. It welcomes those involved in small businesses either as owners or managers, independents, those just starting to think about venturing out on their own, and anyone interested in business, technology, and computer hardware and software selection, setup, installation, maintenance, and upgrade. Event attendees include new and seasoned business owners, new graduates starting their careers, those retiring from one career and considering a second career as a business owner, and others interested in the topic of the day.

Our monthly meetings are free and open to the public. Most take the form of a presentation or workshop with a guest speaker. We have occasional book talks by authors, or reviewers from our SIG. To encourage face-to-face networking, we have additional gatherings in a more social setting, such as a restaurant or pub. We also have occasional workshop "extras." These are usually on niche topics or topics nominated for repeat presentations. These are open to nonmembers as well as members and usually have a small fee, from $15 to $30.

E) What kind of folks would you advise should join CPCUG?

Barbara : Anyone who uses technology, or who might want to use technology, can benefit from membership in CPCUG. CPCUG is no longer just about computers, it's about all types of technology, including TV show production, student robotics competitions and science fair support, and mobile phone hardware, software, backup, and synchronization. As new leaders emerge, CPCUG transforms itself to meet the technology needs of new and potential members.

CPCUG's nearly 30-year-old motto is "Users Helping Users." Technology novices join to learn from techies, and to help each other as their knowledge grows. Techies join CPCUG to share information with and learn from other techies. A techie in securing computer hardware and software, for example, may be a novice needing help if called upon to produce a file requiring expertise in Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or another industry-specific advanced software application. In the process of helping others with technology, users enhance their teaching and mentoring skills and can benefit from valuable networking opportunities. CPCUG is also an excellent platform for developing resume-enhancing leadership skills and successes. CPCUG members who are the most active are likely to benefit the most.

Participation can take many forms, including asking and answering questions on e-mail lists and the helpline, attending face-to-face meetings and participating in Q&A sessions, networking and socializing after meetings, organizing meetings, taking a class, teaching a class, and repairing computers for Project Reboot, CPCUG's community recycling project.

F) Is there any membership fee?

Barbara: The membership fee for CPCUG, which provides free consulting services as part of the membership package, is still a bargain at just $42 per year. For more information about benefits, visit http://members.cpcug.org/benefits.html.

Register for the Grow Smart Biz Conference and hear Chris Anderson Speak and get great tips on how to grows your business in this economy.

GSB-ConfComing on September 29, in Washington, DC, Network Solutions is hosting the Grow Smart Biz Conference where you can see keynote speaker Chris Anderson speak. The Grow Smart Biz conference is a premier one-day event featuring renowned small business leaders and well-known industry experts. If you haven't registered, then click here to learn more and register now. Tickets are going fast!


For a limited time, we are offering a special registration package – buy one, get one free! If an attendee registers on or before 9.9.09 (using promo code GSB999), he or she will only pay $99 to attend AND be able to bring a guest with them for FREE!

Thursday, September 03, 2009

What I saw yesterday on the Hill

This was a great pic for a hot September Day and i wished i could have jumped in - jacket, shoes and everything on

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

CamiMcCormick - Our prayers and Best Wishes are with you


Watch CBS Videos Online

Cami McCormick is the CBS radio correspondent from New York and was on assignment in Afghanistan when a IED exploded and she was injured. I have heard she is stable and is being flown to the US  and my prayers and good wishes for a fast revovery.

I know Cami from my days in Moscow when I did an interview for her on Radio Maximum “ Moscow in the morning Chef’s Corner maybe 18 years ago. We have been in touch and she is really a great person.

AI generated summary of 60 minutes AI edition

In a 60 Minutes interview that aired on April 17, 2023, Google CEO Sundar Pichai warned that artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapid...