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	<description>POSITIVE NETWORKING BLOG</description>
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		<title>THE DEATH OF THE BUSINESS CARD HAS BEEN GREATLY EXAGGERATED</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We politely keep our 'trap shut' when a business guru proudly proclaims that he doesn't give out business cards--too tacky, everyone already knows them, wouldn't want the' little people'* having access to their email address... Or there's the tech guru who says that giving out a business card is so last century--get with the program people and start bumping each other electronically. We are happy to see Bloomberg Businessweek taking a stand, debunking the death of the paper business card. (*Oh, about those little people: Tom Peters says 'little people have big friends.')

But as result of all this dialogue about the business card, audiences often want to know if they should give out business cards.  Here's a recent answer to this question from a reader who had just been given advice to only exchange cards electronically:

Dear David,

We are puzzled by that advice. In our experience, most people have difficulty remembering names, so without something to remind us and to provide contact information we are hooped...   (Businessweek article click link)]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/uncategorized/the-death-of-the-business-card-has-been-greatly-exaggerated</link>
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		<title>Book Review</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Here is what one reader, Kelvin Claveria says about Work the Pond! in his review entitled Not Your Typical Networking Book.

Reason#1 It is actually fun to read. 

Reason #2 There is some scientific stuff. 

Reason #3 They know what they are talking about. 

Reason #4 The book recognizes that networking doesn't just happen at networking events. 

Reason #5 (And this is kinda related to Number 4) The book sees networking as a natural part of a fulfilled life.  

Link to Kelvin's blog on next page.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/uncategorized/review-not-your-typical-networking-book</link>
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		<title>Add More Content to Your LinkedIn Invitation</title>
		<description><![CDATA[When inviting someone to join your LinkedIn network it is helpful to give them some additional contact information.  Example: Hi Lynne,  Happy New Year! I was wondering if I could add your to my professional network.  Then put your full name, title, company, and contact information.  Use all the real estate on the page!]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/build-your-network-tips/add-more-content-to-your-linkedin-vitation</link>
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		<title>Ten Tips You Need to Know for Networking in 2012</title>
		<description><![CDATA[TIP 1. ACCEPT THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU. Recognize that if all the online connecting and the ability to work in your pajamas from home, is making you feel isolated, you are not alone. Sherry Turkle, author of Alone Together, says "We may be free to work from anywhere, but we are also prone to being lonely everywhere. In a surprising twist, relentless connection leads to a new solitude." Make an effort to be where the action is, see Tip 8 and advice from Steve Jobs.
 
TIP 2. RAGE GENTLY AGAINST THE MACHINES. Things happen faster if you talk to someone in person or pick up the phone. The good news is that people actually answer their phones. It is a novelty. Click below for the next 8 tips.
]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/ten-tips-you-need-to-know-for-networking-in-2012</link>
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		<title>How to Stand at a Networking Event</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This is a simple thing to do when networking, keep it open.  These two women and two men behind them have the right technique.  Now, all we have to do is get the two women to turn around. That's how networking happens!  The two guys at the bottom left corner do not look approachable...they look hungry.]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/how-to-stand-at-a-networking-event</link>
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		<title>Steve Jobs, The Google Walk, and the power of face-to-face connecting</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Quote from Steve Jobs: There is a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That is crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.  You run into someone, you ask what they are doing, you say Wow and soon you are cooking up all sorts of ideas. Unquote

Walter Isaacson in his insightful book about this amazing and mercurial man, says that despite Jobs being a denizen of the digital world he knew all too well its isolating potential.  While Job's way of creating innovation may have been more in-your-face than most of us would subscribe to, Apple's amazing innovations came from these face-to-face encounters.
Learn about The Google Walk as well....]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/steve-jobs-the-google-walk-and-the-power-of-face-to-face-connecting</link>
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		<title>This stuff works!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Walking into a room full of strangers, figuring how to strike up a conversation, or how to get out of a conversation are things that many people aren't really comfortable doing, but here's the amazing thing--they are skills that can be learned (see chart).  But what we teach goes beyond mere circulating and networking.  It's understanding the value of building the right kind of network and having the social intelligence skills (rapport) to build real relationships that will stand the test of good and bad times. We love teaching these skills because this stuff works!

"Thank you for the great session.  I already have lots of principles to apply and can't wait to start the book and will take it to my next conference tomorrow and read on the plane to prepare for fantabulous networking!"]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/uncategorized/this-stuff-works</link>
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		<title>5 Tips to go from Survive to Thrive</title>
		<description><![CDATA[We love these tips from Marie-Josee Scharr, MPP (Master of Applied Positive Psychology) because they are based on science. Her tips are ones we can use when we connect with one and other every day and when out 'working the pond'. Our notes are in italic.  Marie-Josee is the author of the just-released book Smarts and Stamina: The Busy Person's Guide to Optimal Health and Wellbeing.

1- Focus on your out breath. Breathing out activates the parasympathetic nervous system, or the body's relaxation response.  In fact, when we tell someone to "take a deep breath", we really should be asking them to "push a deep breath [out]".  Doing so helps by bringing about a little more stillness and calmness in our minds and bodies.  Imagine using this when you have just had a not-so-great encounter with someone in your office. Instead of reacting to them, try this technique. ]]></description>
		<link>http://www.workthepond.com/blogs/positive-networking-thoughts/uncategorized/5-tips-to-go-from-survive-to-thrive</link>
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