Thanks, Rickey, for referring me to the CW-Network … The Chicago Women’s Network, http://www.cw-network.org/

I attended the CW-Network October meeting, and ran into Amy Zagroba (http://www.linkedin.com/in/amyzagroba), who I had met previously at a BNC (Business Network Chicago) gathering. After the CW-Network meeting, Amy sent me a helpful list of networking groups and resources, which I’m passing along here:

http://www.jacobsohn.com/Home.html - this is a great reference and resource site focused entirely on networking and is run by a friend of mine named Jason Jacobsohn. He has a blog that you can subscribe to (I do) that will give you constant tips and ideas.

http://www.cw-network.org/ - this is another free networking group that is geared towards women. They have monthly networking events - both men and women are welcome. You can sign up for their daily digest which is a great way to get advice, leads, help, etc.

http://www.bnchicago.org/ - this is an organization that was founded in 2001 and has grown to over 2000 members. They have events that are geared towards the entire group and then there are several smaller groups within that are focused on a particular industry (i.e. IT, Venture Capitalists, Sales and Marketing, Entrepreneurs, Healthcare, International, etc.). The smaller groups often hold luncheons and educational events each month as well. Every month there is an evening social networking event that I host - lots of fun!

www.networkingforacause.org - this is an organization founded by a friend of mine, supernode Mark Carter. Designed to help NPO’s create word of mouth marketing by connecting them with socially conscious young professionals. This is also a place for young professionals to learn more about the NPO’s and build business relationships. Mark is Chicago’s networking guru and has been hired by many companies and area professionals to teach networking. If you felt you wanted a networking coach I would be happy to put you in touch with him.

www.gogreenmanagement.com - great group spearheaded by Steve Green. Steve owns Go Green Management which is a marketing and promotions firm. He started holding eco-friendly “green” networking events that have a great turnout every time. His events are always great opportunities to get to know many of the businesses he is working with - you can also contact him about using one of his events as a chance to showcase your business.

www.execulife.com - this is a fairly new group but their events are great. Usually about 150-200 people. Great atmosphere, lots of professionals, fun environment. Definitely worth it!

www.networkingmonkey.com - this is a fairly new site that just launched that focuses solely on networking events in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Great for finding some not so traditional networking events/opportunities as well as seminars.

www.speednetworking.com - this is run by master networker Michael Slater and is truly a revolutionary way of networking. Formatted like speed-dating you have the opportunity to have timed, purposeful meetings with people based on the criteria you give in advance of the event. Think speed dating but for business people who want to partner, learn, buy, sell and mingle. You really leave feeling like you have done some solid professional networking.

www.windycitysocial.com - run by networking whirlwind Hope Bertram this is a unique networking group in that Hope holds both professional and personal networking events. It allows you opportunities to connect on whatever level you are looking for whether it be social, intellectual, or professional. She hosts events that are aimed at being truly diverse, different and lots of fun. This is perfect if you are looking to connect with people for many different reasons.

Amy also suggested joining the LinkedIn Chicago group, as they also have a daily email digest along with monthly networking events. Another great resource.

And, she mentioned a really good book on networking that was also recommended to me, which I have read, called “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi. The book gives a lot of tools and advice on building your network.

Amy also recommends reading anything by Tim Sanders - his books focus on self-improvement to build your business and your network. “The Likeability Factor” is very good with lots of exercises to help you improve - it can prove very helpful if you are new to networking.

Our July meeting focused on web sites we love: sites that help us meet the right people, sites that help us communicate our messages, sites that help us build a client base…we talked about so much! Here’s a recap of the sites mentioned and some general notes. If I missed something, please add it in the comments below.

Facebook: Some members use this for both personal and professional networking.

LinkedIn: One of our member favorites, a great tool for professional networking.

MySpace: A few of us are still using it, mostly because we have a history with it or readers or followers who still use it.

Twitter: Some of us are devotees, others are poo-poo-ing the tool. But it’s fun and useful for keeping track of friends or promoting yourself.

Plaxo: A few of us have been invited, but most have turned it down. General feeling: another social networking site? How many must we keep track of?

Naymz: See Plaxo. This site looks like it’s trying to be more like LinkedIn than Facebook.

Biznik: We do love its slogan, Business Networking that Doesn’t Suck, but wonder how it fits in the bigger picture. Some are using it to promote ebooks and webinats, and membership is free.

Meetup: A cool way to gather groups of people and organize events. Many of our members belong to at least one Meetup group.

Ning: A tool to create your own little social network, with forums and chat rooms and photo sharing, oh my! And it’s free. A couple members are exploring it.

Fast Company: Terrific business resources, and you can become a member and join groups, blog, etc. It integrates the old Company of Friends that some members were active in.

Agency Pimp: Advertised as “The List of Chicago Creative Agencies: 340 and Counting,” this could be a great tool to market your services to agencies.

Create Magazine: Which seems to have morphed into something a little different, but still has a forum for creatives. (Folks who suggested this…care to comment on the redirect?)

Colour Lovers: Follow color trends and use them in your work - and for your clients.

Freelance Switch: Designed for those in transition, but full of useful info for all of us independents.

MediaBistro: Join its AvantGuild and get the inside scoop on job opportunities, use the forum, read up on the latest media trends and news, attend an event or seminar, or check out their member health insurance benefits (!!!). Some members feel its news is more current than Bulldog Reporter, below…

Bulldog Reporter: “Media news and intelligence for PR pros” and extremely useful for many of us.

Freelancers Union: Insurance (!!!), advocacy, events, discussions, news…what’s not to love?

EzineArticles: Post some original articles in your area of experience and folks with web sites and enewsletters can use your content - giving you full credit, of course. A great way to increase your exposure.

Writers Weekly: The scoop on the publishing biz for freelance writers - and book authors.

OK, so obviously this is not a complete list of the sites we use as resources. But these are some of the most popular - or they’re on our minds right now. Please comment below to add any additional sites; each comment will only accept one URL, so you may need to add a few comments if you have a list. (Or email it to me and I’ll add them.)

President David Bullard pulled off a quick turn of business cards for me even though one of his machines went down temporarily. Very important to me with multiple trade, speaking, and travel engagements in June! Good price, good service, in business since 1944. What more do you need? lazareprinting.com

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately (in fact, I’m on the road now) and it’s tough to feel connected. Here are a few of the things I do:
Twitter, which is highly addictive. While I travel I sometimes turn on notifications on my cell phone so I can keep up with what folks are doing while away from my computer.
Blackberry, which is a new addition to my arsenal, and lets me send text messages and emails to folks. I don’t receive emails on it because it would cause an overload, and the price would skyrocket (I get upwards of 150 emails a day).
Remember the Milk, which Matt Mayes just turned me on to. It’s a great way to make and keep to-do lists, and I use their little program MilkSync to sync it up to my Blackberry.
GoToMyPC, which lets me access my desktop computer at my home office whenever I want. That way I can peek at my outlook, send and receive emails, find files I need, etc. Love it!
CNN Headline News. Nuff said.

So, how do you stay connected? Tell us!

You may want to consider this update I received from colleague and Kyle Shannon mystery series author, Linda Mickey. An excerpt:

“Happy Spring. There is some big news in the publishing world that has a direct impact on me and thousands of other writers.

Amazon announced that unless certain publishing companies (mine included) use Amazon’s printing company, Amazon will not sell the book. An article in Business Week points out that Amazon’s real goal is to print ALL the books it sells on a print-to-order basis. Why? Because warehousing is costly. If Amazon switches to a print-on-demand business model, it will save millions of dollars. It’s a smart business move on their part and they have the marketplace muscle to pull it off.

There’s only one problem. Amazon’s print company, Booksurge, is not a good printer. iUniverse (my publisher) and others switched to Booksurge’s competitor because of quality issues. The Internet is full of complaints about Booksurge’s quality. (Some copies of my first book, Greased Wheels, had green pages that matched the cover.)

Why am I telling you all this? Because I want to assure you that my books are available at www.bn.com and www.powells.com and many other book selling sites. If they order from Amazon, I cannot guarantee the books will ever ship. Barnes and Noble also has a $25 free shipping program.

As always, thank you for your support. Keep reading!”

Attending SXSW was an incredible experience, and one of the most fun things was discovering a whole new world online. So many web sites, so little time! Here are a few that are new to me and SO worth checking out:

• AllTop: Guy Kawasaki’s creation, it collects high-quality resources on a ton of topics in eight categories: work, living, people, interests, culture, geekery, good, news.
• Unclutterer: Tons of tips to keep your workspace, home, car nicely organized and simplified.
• Twitter: Never thought I’d jump on this bandwagon, but I love feeling connected to folks and this really does the trick.
• Blurb: Make your own book. Gorgeous!

You know what an RSS feed is, right? If not, Wikipedia explains it pretty darn well. Many sites put out little feeds, and it’s nice to have a feed aggregator to capture the feeds of all your favorite sites into one place.

I’ve been using Bloglines for a while now, and really like it…but fresh off the plane from SXSW Interactive, I’ve got more recommendations floating around my brain, and I’m curious: What’s your favorite feed aggregator, and why?

The Trib featured ideaxchanger Jackie Sloane this month discussing the benefits of virtual networking. If you would like to learn more about e-networking and e-marketing, come to my presentation tonight. Hosted by Independent Writers of Chicago, I’ll be highlighting the work of several ideaXchangers in a discussion titled “Writing for the Web: How to Find, Get, and Do Your Next Writing Gig Online.”

On Thursday, mix your virtual and physical networking at the mediabistro.com Chicago party for creative, content, media, and publishing pros at D4 Irish Pub & Cafe, just in time for the holiday. My cohosts and I enjoy getting to know your professional endeavors and introducing you to people with similar goals. Hope to see you at one or both events!

An ideaXchanger asked me this question, so I thought I’d post here for everyone to get in on the discussion, especially for those who are into GTD.

First, I’ve been in goals partnerships of some sort for over 5 years and have found them indispensable. In short, a goals partnership helps two or more people achieve their goals in a mutually supportive and accountable arrangement. It’s a two-way exchange, whereas professional coaching is better if you need to focus solely on your own goals. You can set it up in any number of ways. Some are more organized and linear; some are more brainstormy and collaborative.

Curious? Check out the power of goals clubs and this online goal-setting community.