ETP Manhattan

by Michael Canfora

The Westchester New Rochelle Networking Group held their event on June 17th at TNT Classic Cars in the Bronx.

Carl Reid, CSI of Savvy Intrapreneur and Phyllis Shelton, CEO of iPower Global Solutions as always put on an excellent event. Not only did they welcome me, but treated me like family. Remember we are all are part of the ETP Family! I enjoyed getting a chance to talk to Carl and Phyllis having them share their wealth of knowledge both on networking and being entrepreneurs as they are business owners of several companies. I also had an opportunity to talk with Denworth Billy, CEO of Bolt Consulting another powerful ETP member. Excellent tasting food was provided by Sports Plus Cafe.

On a side note, TNT Classic Cars had some amazing cars and I have to be honest I fell in love with the red Acura they had. I am not a car person but this is a must see showroom for anyone.

I highly encourage you if you are in Westchester area to make a point to attend The Westchester New Rochelle Network Group events. And even if you are not, you should definitely stop by and broaden your network. I traveled almost two hours each way but the knowledge was well worth the trip.

As the weather gets warmer, I encourage you to continue to work on keeping your connections hot on the trusted network. Attend regional events and have lunch and dinner with fellow ETP Members. I hope to see all of you in the coming months at events and remember to make future Westchester events a must attend on your calendar.

Michael Canfora
President, Vision Business Services
President, MBHS Alumni Association
Event Leader, Manhattan Networking Group
"We take the work out of the networking"

As we know the world is an event, our ETP Network partner organization, Westchester New Rochelle Networking Group, is hosting a business networking social June 17, 2008 at New York City's #1 collectible car dealership TNT Classic Cars. This is a unique venue where people can travel back to yesteryear viewing vintage cars from the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's, while connecting with like minded career professionals and business owners. Ahhh . . . they don't build cars like that any more.

Although this opportunity to network may be a hike from your neck of the woods, you can still network long distance. Maybe you have family, friends or associates in the New York, New Jersey or Connecticut area. [Re]Connect with them by letting them know about this event. Use the email or phone call about this networking event as an excuse to catch up with someone you haven't spoken to in a while. It doesn't matter, if they go to the event or not. You're just letting someone know you were thinking about them and you care about their success. This simple gesture is a networking home run!!

Click here for details on this networking opportunity.

By Christine Sobek | Waubonsee Community College President

Published: 6/1/2008 12:08 AM

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about 70 percent of all Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 have posted profiles on one of the online social networks. These online communities, including MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and others, are changing the way students communicate, and the impact of this Web 2.0 movement has filtered into the classroom on college campuses nationwide.

MySpace has a particular emphasis on high school and junior high students; Facebook focuses more on college students. Both online communities connect people with classmates, friends and those with similar interests. And they started out with a younger focus but now have members from all age groups.

LinkedIn has always aimed to reach an older, more professional target. It is a networking tool for colleagues to stay in touch, provide recommendations and make connections for job opportunities. The online video content resource YouTube, recently purchased by Google, is fast-becoming the place where many people find their entertainment. They don't watch television anymore -- they watch YouTube.

These Web sites all relate to one another through the broad "Web 2.0" designation, which refers to the fact the content is predominately user-generated, rather than the early Web pages that relied on paid or sponsored content. This has spawned a new way of teaching and learning, broadly defined as "Classroom 2.0."

Classmates can connect via Facebook and MySpace. Instructors from a wide variety of disciplines can show appropriate content from YouTube in class. Thus everyone can interact virtually on everything from homework to class projects using the power of these social networking sites.

In the classroom, however, some of these technologies may not always be the instructor's best friend. More and more faculty report technology-based distractions are growing, including the instructor's new pet peeve of students who covertly text message in class. Also, the resources on which today's students rely are often less authoritative and may include the Web 2.0 information site Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia that anyone can update and therefore experts do not often verify the information. Many professors now ban Wikipedia from student research papers.

While these social networks can have a tremendous positive upside, parents and students alike should be aware dangers exist.

New awareness is being raised about the tangible harm caused by "cyberbullying." One less frequently mentioned negative for the Facebook generation is the Internet never forgets. The less-than-professional videos on YouTube or photos on Facebook have a tendency to resurface during a student's job search or even when applying to college. These images can literally follow a student for a lifetime.

While every new technology has its benefits, users have to be aware of its drawbacks and realize a learning curve is required to maximize the positives.
Educators continue to find new ways to utilize these social networks to enhance student learning. Students continue to push the envelope themselves and connect with their peers in new ways to increase their overall knowledge and skills. With technology changing at lightning speed, we all have to be ready for the "next-new-thing" and how it will inevitably affect our professional, personal and educational lives.