5 Tips For Students Going To Networking Events Like #W2E

DISCLAIMER: The video and audio are not synced correctly, I don't think any are. Anyone got advice about that.

So I went to the Web 2.0 Expo in NYC and learned a ton about an array of topics such as venture capitalism, growing your business on the web, and public speaking.

Anyway for anyone out there who is a student, whether college or high school, there are 5 things about networking I learned and recommend to others (all pretty cliche).

1.Get Business Cards-(Obvious)

2.Talk to People

3.Ask Questions

4.Leverage Your Student Tag

5.Everything is A Networking Event

I hope this stuff is useful for students out there but for those who want more or aren't a student, check out this post by Matt Wilson (from Under30CEO).

I just have too much work...will post more next week.

ALBANY VS. SYRACUSE

Joke of the Day- A gorilla escapes from the zoo and after 3 weeks, the zoo keepers give up looking for him. Some time later, a man calls the zoo complaining of a gorilla in a tree in his back yard. The zoo keeper rushes right over. When he arrives, he has a net, a baseball bat, a shotgun, and a Dachshund.

The man asks what the items are for. He's told, "I'm gonna climb the tree and hit the gorilla in the head with the baseball bat. When he falls out of the tree, you throw the net over him, and the Dachshund will go straight for his balls." The man asks, "But what's the shotgun for?"

The zoo keeper answers, "If I miss the gorilla and fall out of the tree, you shoot the Dachshund."

Movie Quote of the Day-[Discussing Vanessa's new senior citizen boyfriend]

Vanessa: He has a five year plan.
Sonny: What is it? "Don't die"? (Big Daddy)

Sports Picks- Sabres over Flyers, Cavs over Knicks, Blazers over Spurs, Boise State over Lousiana Tech

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Joke of the Day-It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon while Moses, Jesus, and another guy were out playing golf. On the first tee-box, Moses pulls out his driver and blisters a shot up the right side of the fairway, rolling fast towards a water hazard. Moses quickly raised his club, parting the water while his ball rolls through to the other side safely.

Next up on the tee, Jesus hits a really long drive right towards the very same water hazard. His ball came to rest dead center of the pond, hovering just over the surface of the water. Jesuscasually walks out onto the pond, and chips it up onto the green within a couple feet of the flagstick.

Not impressed, the third guy steps up to the tee without taking any time and just randomly whacks at the ball. Rightfully so, the ball is hit with a nasty hook that clears the left OB markers and goes over a fence into oncoming traffic. It bounces off a truck’s windshield hitting a nearby tree, bounces onto the roof of thegreenkeeper’s shed, back out onto the fairway and towards the same pond that Moses and Jesus hit. Before it gets wet, the ball ricochets off a small rock and bounces onto a lily pad on over the water when a bullfrog jumped up and ate the ball. Right at that moment, a bald eagle swoops down and grabs the frog, flying away. As it flew over the green, the frog squeals with fright and drops the ball right next to the flagstick, taking one bounce and landing in the cup for an astounding hole in one.

In disgust, Moses then turns to Jesus and says, “I hate playing with your Dad.”

Movie Quote of the Day-Po: [standing before a training dummy] Hey, what you got? You got nothing because I got it right here. You picking on my friends? Get ready to feel the thunder. Come out with the crazy feet. What you goin' to do about the crazy feet. I'm a blur! I'm a blur! You never seen *Bear* style! (Kung Fu Panda)

Sports Picks-Cavs over Bulls, Spurs over Jazz, Bruins over Canadians, Kings over Pens, Va Tech over East Carolina

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YOUR MAJOR DOESN'T MAKE YOU!

For all of you out there who are either a senior in high school or a college student, picking a major or career can be a difficult task. In high school, you might think you want to be a doctor and decide to take a pre-med route or a major science like chemistry or biology. All of these majors probably would allow you to get into a prominent medical school if you get good grades. The important part to know about college is something you may of heard "you only get what you put in." So if you have a career in mind when you pick your major you will have to put 100% effort into your work to get the grades/career that you want. (Also good grades do not equal a guaranteed job.) Now once you've gotten into college and gone through your introductory classes (bs) you really do have to pick a major. Your last two years of college is when you will have an official major. (Every time you switch your major you will likely have to stay for an additional year or two). By now your 20, you haven't found a certain subject you really love so you pick something you think will get you a good job. Majors don't equal jobs. (Ok, about here you stop reading this and decide this guy's an idiot of course my major will get me a job. Maybe your right. You put in the hard work, get the grades, build a monster resume and land a job. Well you earned it not your major.) The rest of your college career could go one of three ways. One, you don't work too hard at looking for opportunities you get good grades though and you graduate and you head out into the job market, but you can't find that great job you thought you would. Option number two is you do great getting good grades, build that fantastic resume and get a good paying job. This option doesn't sound too bad, unless you hate your job. If you hate what your doing, (and you can feel this way as a freshman or sophomore in college) you probably be doing something else. (If financial responsibilities outweigh job satisfaction than option two is alright.) Now look at option three. You take a look at yourself and think what do I love to do more than anything else. What is my passion? It could be sports of some sort, teaching/helping others, being fashionable/fashion, or partying. Take your passion and think of ways you can turn them into careers. (Maybe, you'd rather make 150,000 dollars a year working for the man than doing what you love for 75,000, but thats kind of a sad statement). So, you chose to major in Biology but what you would really like to do is design clothes. What's stopping you from trying? You picked the "wrong" major and you graduated so now you need a job to pay back debt and live on your own. Fine get a job, put in 40-50 hours a week and pay the bills. There are 168 hours in a week, 50 hours are spent working and 40 or so sleeping. That leaves more than 70 hours too work on your passion. CRUSH IT! Put in the time and do what you love. Here's another option. Your a college student now, and you have two or three years left before you get a degree. YOU CAN START NOW. Ya, your major might not fit your passion but that can't stop you from learning more about it, trying to meet people/professionals who work within the realm of your passion, or even trying to get a job/internship. This CAN be done. Go out there and try it. There are people out there who would love to help/mentor you. If you like something but don't think there's a career in it tell me about it and I will prove you wrong!

GOOD LUCK, HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE

Joke of the day-Two college students, Frank and Matt, are riding on a New York City subway when a beggar approaches them asking for spare change.

Frank adamantly rejects the man in disgust.

Matt, on the other hand, whips out his wallet, pulls out a couples of singles and gladly hands them over to the beggar with a smile.

The beggar thanks him kindly and then continues on to the other passengers.

Frank is outraged by his friend's act of generosity.

"What on earth did you do that for?" shouts Frank. "You know he's only going to use it on drugs or booze."

Matt replies, "And we weren't?"

Movie Quote of the Day-Matthew (Jonah Hill): I have a question for you real quick. What did you think of my demo? Did you get it?

Aldous Snow: I was gonna listen to that, but then, um, I just carried on living my life. (Forgetting Sarah Marshall)

Sports Picks- Yankees get it done, Sabres get revenge, Wizards over Heat, Nuggets over Nets, and Mavs over Hornets

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Joke of the Day-Nun And Cabbie
A nun got in a cab n tha cabbie sed: "sorry, but i've alwayz wondered wat kissin a nun wud be lyk..."

n tha nun sed: "well, r u single n christian?"

n tha cabbie sed: "yhh"

so they kissd...

n tha cabbie sed: "i hav a confesssion - im married n im jewish"

n tha nun sed: "well, my name's kevin n im goin 2 a halloween party"

Movie Quote of the Day-Lou Redwood: You calling me a jive turkey? (Semi Pro)

Sports Picks- Cavs over Wizards, Magic over Pistons, Mavs over Jazz, Red Wings over Bruins, Ducks over Pens

Connect www.twitter.com/tbill81

THE STUPIDITY MATRIX: WHERE DO YOU FALL?

Looking Stupid vs. Being Stupid

I created the Stupid Matrix with the Ansoff Product-Growth Matrix and the BCG Growth-share Matrix in mind. If your familiar with marketing concepts you've heard of these. I truly believe every person will fall into every category sometime in there life. Now being stupid doesn't mean you actually are stupid. You can be the smartest person in the world, be a great person but if you lose your cool and try to fight a waiter in the middle of a restaurant, causing a scene...you are an IDIOT. You have acted stupid and now you are looking stupid. (IDIOTS include people who commit stupid crimes (maybe any crime), people who you laugh at for getting hurt in YouTube clips, people who don't work hard but blame others for their failures.) IDIOTS are everywhere. The opposite of idiots might be you. You may have a great job that you love and every day you go to work and do great things for your employer. You are not being stupid or looking stupid so you are GIFTED. (GIFTED people include people who rise to the top through hard work, repeated failures, and doing what they love. However, you turn into the guy causing a scene doing something stupid and you look stupid. You know what you are.) Next lets say you are becoming a doctor because your parents were doctors, but all your life you wanted to be a gym teacher. You work hard but you're not happy with what your doing. You are being stupid but i'm sure you don't look stupid in the eyes of others. You are a CONFORMIST. (CONFORMISTS include people who do something they hate but may be achieving success, people who do something they know is wrong but are afraid to stand up for what is right, and people who coast through life living off others success before they reach a point where they realize they've been doing things the wrong way.) Finally, look at someone like Jack London (the guy who wrote "The Call of the Wild"). He recieved 600 rejection slips before he sold his first story. Now I don't know much more about him as a person but I can imagine how his life was going. He REALLY wanted to be writer and thought he could write. Six hundred people told him he couldn't. I'm thinking around rejection number 200 he looked pretty damn stupid. His parents may have said "Son, you've given it your best shot now go work in that factory." Well, I don't know what he did but he apparently tried 400 more times. He was being an EXPERIMENTER. (EXPERIMENTERS include people who know they can do what they love but have not yet achieved success, people who stand up for what is right in the face of adversity or opposition, and people who use unconventional methods to try to reach success.) And why isn't this considered being stupid? He was RIGHT in thinking he could WRITE. So eventually by the time he wrote "White Fang" everyone though he was a great writer and saw him as GIFTED.

The idea behind this is not to look at people and automatically categorize them but look at what they do. Every action that someone does can fall under one of these categories. In my life I feel I have fallen into every category more than one time. Take a minute to think about your life goals and think about the way you try to accomplish them.

This is the STUPIDITY MATRIX: WHERE DO YOU FALL?

Joke of the Day-A pirate was talking to a "land-lubber" in a bar. The land-lubber noticed that, like any self-respecting pirate, this guy had a peg leg, a hook in place of one of his hands, and a patch over one eye. The land-lubber just had to find out how the pirate got in such bad shape. He asked the pirate, "How did you lose your leg?"

The pirate responded, "I lost me leg in a battle off the coast of Jamaica!" His new acquaintance was still curious so he asked, "What about you hand. Did you lose it at the same time?"

"No," answered the pirate. "I lost it to the sharks off the Florida Keys." Finally, the land-lubber asked, "I notice you also have an eye patch. How did you lose your eye?"

The pirate answered, "I was sleeping on a beach when a seagull flew over and crapped right in me eye." The land-lubber asked: "How could a little seagull crap make you loose your eye?"

The pirate snapped, "It was the day after I got me hook!"

Movie Quote of the Day- Lieutenant Jim Dangle: This is the stupidest group of people I've ever worked with who are not legally retarded. (Reno 911!: Miami)

Sports Picks- Saints over Falcons, Yankees over Phillies, Nets over Bobcats, Hornets over Knicks

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Joke of the Day-10 Things That Sound Dirty On Halloween, But Aren't...

1. So...What'd you get in the sack?

2. Once you get under the sheet, start moaning and groaning!!!

3. Just hop on that broomstick and ride it!

4. Those small suckers are gone in a few licks!

5. I got the best piece from that house.

6. Quit screwing around on the porch!!!

7. Stick your hand in and guess what you're feeling....

8. It was so filled and heavy, I had to use TWO hands!!

9. They'll suck you dry if they get their teeth in you.

10. I bobbed and bobbed, but couldn't get my mouth around it!

Movie Quote of the Day-Alan Garner: Not at the table, Carlos! (The Hangover)

Sports Picks- Yankees, Sabres, Knicks over Sixers, Oregon over USC, Texas over Ok St,

Follow Me, CRUSH IT!, Connect

Crush It! Follow Me, Comment, Connect

Joke of the Day-Two fellas are fishing in a boat under a bridge. One looks up and sees a funeral procession starting across the bridge.He stands up, takes off his cap, and bows his head. The procession crosses the bridge and the man puts on his cap, picks up his rod and reel, and continues fishing. The other guy says, "That was touching. I didn't know you had it in you."The first guy responds, "Well, I guess it was the thing to do - after all, I was married to her for 40 years."

Movie Quote of the Day-Topher Grace: Fellas! Fellas! Check this... all... red!

[Lays down his hand, which is revealed as two diamonds and three hearts, as everyone at the table congratulates him on his "flush"] (Oceans Eleven)

Media Pick of the Day- Its Halloween all week-end.

Sports Picks- Sabres over Maple Leafs, Celtics over Bulls, Lakers over Mavs, South Florida over West Virginia,

Twitter: Why You Should Be On It

I was saving a blog about this for later but after the book I read last night I have to talk about this now. A lot of you who aren't on Twitter think people don't want to know that "I'm doing laundry", "watching The Hills", or "brushing my teeth." Maybe your right. However, if you fall under the category of looking for a job, plan to look for a job in the future, or have uncertainty whether you might look for a job in the future, you should be on Twitter. I'm no Twextpert (twitter-expert i'm following 90, 47 people follow me) but already I've seen the power of what Twitter can do. In the (very near) future all businesses will turn to social media as their primary platform of media. This is your chance to (almost) get ahead of the curve. If you join Twitter now you will be part of what marketers call "The Late Majority." Don't get any further behind then you already are. Sure, you go out today sign up for Twitter you're not sure what to do or how to use it or what to say. Just start with those simple status updates you post on your Facebook. Eventually the people you connect with will @reply you which is like a shout-out to you or a post on your wall. The reason you really should use Twitter is because you want to stand out (if you don't want to stand out you should). Everyone will send out resumes or use job search sites to get a job. Twitter can allow you to become noticed and differentiate yourself and that is the key to getting a job today. I'm willing to bet you ten years from now everyone will have to be on Twitter and it will be even harder to differentiate yourself than it is now. If you go to Twitter.com you may not like the way its set up. I only go if I'm trying to find a person I know I want to follow. Make it easy on yourself and download TweetDeck. It's a free program that allows you to see all the tweets of the people your following, all the tweets that mention you, as well as your Facebook newsfeed. Twitter will become a necessity for business/job applicants in the near future. Get your name out there now, there is no reason to wait. It may be hard starting out but I promise you this will be a tool that won't let you down. If you're having any trouble, questions, or aren't sure how to use it just ask me. And if you want your first follower, follow me I will follow you. DON'T WAIT, MAKE YOUR OWN OPPORTUNITIES.

Media Pick of the Day- CRUSH IT!: Why Now is the Time to Cash in on your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk...This book was awesome, it made me 100% confident that starting this blog was the right thing to do. If I haven't convinced you on Twitter read this book. It may change your life! I have a copy if anyone wants to borrow it hit me up.

Joke of the Day-A man escapes from prison where he has been for 15 years. He breaks into a house to look for money and guns and finds a young couple in bed. He orders the guy out of bed and ties him to a chair, while tying the girl to the bed he gets on top of her, kisses her neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom. While he's in there, the husband tells his wife:"Listen, this guy's an escaped convict, look at his clothes! He probably spent lots of time in jail and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck." If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain, do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is probably very dangerous. If he gets angry, he'll kill us. Be strong, honey. I love you."To which his wife responds: "He wasn't kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He told me he was gay, thought you were cute, and asked me if we had any vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom. Be strong honey. I love you too!!"

Movie Quote of the Day-Harold Lee: After all the shit we've been through, I don't... I don't know if we can trust our government anymore.

George W. Bush: Trust the government? Heck, I'm in the government and I don't even trust it. You don't have to believe in your government to be a good American. You just have to believe in your country. (Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay)

Sports Picks- Yankees over Phillies, Spurs over Bulls, Nuggets over Blazers, VTech over UNC

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GOOGLE: NEW TOOLS, FEATURES, BUSINESS

Many of you are probably familiar with classic Google products such as Google Web and Google Images. You probably also know of Google Earth, Maps, and Video. Google continues to produce new products all the time and has an assortment of tools that may be useful to you. First off, check out Google Profile. Google Profile is like any profile you might have for Facebook, Youtube, or Yahoo. Profile allows you to control what people see when they google your name. This tool can be extremely important if you are looking for a job, internship, or applying to/for a college or scholarship. Recruiters, employers, and admissions officers more than likely will google the names of its applicants. If your name is Dan White, for example, you might not want people to find that the first hit on Google is a Wikipedia entry about Daniel James White, the man who assassinated Harvey Milk. Though it's probably obvious that a criminal of that degree would probably not be on the streets again looking for a job, you still may have a negative association with your name. Differentiate yourself by using a middle initial, middle name, maiden name or nickname. Another cool new Google product is Google Voice. Google Voice is essentially a phone service on the Internet. You can call, text, and receive voicemail on your computer. Google Voice is currently invite-only but you can request an invite here. Other cool Google products to check out are Picasa, SketchUp and Orkut. Go to google and see what they have to offer, most products are free and easy to sign up for.



Joke of the Day- Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, "My friend is dead! What can I do?". The operator says "Calm down. I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead." There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says "OK, now what?"

Movie Quote of the Day- Columbus(Jesse Eisenberg) : [to Tallahasse(Woody Harrelson)] I swear, you're like some type of cock-blocking robot developed in some secret fucking government lab. (Zombieland)

Media Pick of the Day- WORLD SERIES PHILLIES@YANKEES 7:57 ON FOX. Also, check out Rihanna's new song "Russian Roulette" its kind of slow but its not that bad.

My Sports Picks: Sabres over Devils, Spurs over Hornets, Nuggets over Jazz, and YANKEES!

Check out the polls, Comment, Follow Me, Start a blog yourself!

Why Blog?

Most of you probably think blogging means writing a diary of your day/week/month and hoping people will read it. I'm not into knowing about some blogger's love life, fashion sense, or bad gas. My goals for this blog are to inspire people to do something different, stand out, or just do whatever they want. Hopefully if you read it you will interact with me or other readers through the interactive media included. If you only read the blog once I hope everyone to laugh at least once and maybe learn something too. Enjoy reading and please tell me what you think (comment, vote in the polls, follow me).

Joke of the Day:Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was
really pissed.She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the
driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE !!"
The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke
up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box
gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway.
Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought
the box back in the house.
She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Movie Line Of the Day:Jerry Ferro (Adam Carolla)- You guys sure seem to love Nicaragua except for the part where you risked your lives not to live there any more. (The Hammer)

Media Pick of The Day (book, movie, sporting event, song)- Obviously its got to be start of the NBA season. I got Cleveland over Boston, Lakers over Clippers, Mavericks over Wizards, and Blazers over Rockets.

Vote in the Polls!