I really needed a way to sync my outlook contacts (and calendar) synchronized to both Gmail AND my blackberry (with out having to plug my blackberry into my computer).

Here are some ways to sync your outlook with your Google Account:

1) Google Business members can use Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook ($50 per user a year).

2) Blackberry users can sync your BB contacts with outlook contacts (using BB Desktop Manager). THEN use the free Google Sync mobile software, sync your BB contacts with your gmail account. (Requires you to plug your blackberry into your computer.)

3) Companion Link: A variety of sync products including Outlook to Google. $free 14 day trial to make sure it works for you then $39.99 to buy. Reports of doubling contacts and extensive time to sync large volume of contacts.

4) Soocial: Soocial is very upfront stating they are a BETA project when it comes to syncing with Outlook.
They clearly list possible conflicts and suggest backing up your contacts before syncing. A few fields will be overwritten. “Are you aware the Outlook client has issues? ONLY DOWNLOAD IF YOU THINK YOU ARE UNAFFECTED OR YOU CAN LIVE WITH THE ISSUES.”

Soocial is only for contacts. I am going to test Google Calendar Sync to see if these TWO options together will work for keeping Google updated with both my outlook calendar and outlook contacts. A possible solution to my outlook/google/ blackberry contact syning issues….

If you are in the process of creating a site or redesigning a site you need to watch this (it’s only 4 minutes long)

I have worked with a few Internet companies going through ‘updating their websites from web 1.0′, designing ad servers with a client admin, and many WordPress CMS sites and this video is bang on.

1) You need to design your site for your USER. Not because it looks pretty. Not because it’s the ‘in thing’ or because YOU think it’s cool (are you really your target user?)

2) Your design team needs to work directly with your developer, your marketing team, and your customer support. Everyone should be part of planning, the development process, testing, and launch. If not, you ARE going to miss some vital components and GREAT ideas that could have made your site better then your competitor.

3) Web sites can NOT be stagnant. Do not be afraid to try new things. If your users like it, build on it. If your users don’t then pull it. Don’t be afraid to launch things in beta. Your users will provide you with the input needed to make new features better.

The site allows you to create both a personal and business profile, list all of your blogs, websites, and social media profiles (twitter, linkedin, facebook, myspace).

Here’s what the founder  Donna Marie’s profile says about why she created She’s Connected:
‘I have been blogging and using social media sites for women for a few years now and my friends had to listen to me complain from time to time about how difficult it was to manage both the personal and professional sides of my life. So, I thought, wouldn’t it be great if there was a place where I could create two profiles but only I knew the two were connected?’ more

She’s Connected is affiliated with an advertising network that appears to help bloggers earn revenue with advertising on their blogs. This of course allows for the free networking site (someone has to pay the bill).

It’s a great idea and reminds me of BlogHer and it looks very promising. I will blog later about the network. Right now I will share a few features about the She’s Connected network;

Message Center | Connections (aka friends) | Groups | Photos |  Journal | To do list | Calendar | Articles | Event Calendar

A few things I think the site is missing:

1) Ability to pull in your Google Calendar (I don’t need another calendar I need a way to stream line the internet’s BEST free Calendar into my current social media profiles.

2) Open ID platform

3) A way for user feedback (important in a beta program – such as Get Satisfaction)

4) Ability to pull in your Twitter feed into your updates

5) A way to include your RSS feeds into your profile

She’s connected (a networking site for women in business combined with a social media network for women and bloggers)  is in beta and it looks really promising. Go create your profile and add Her Media as a friend.

Before you go be sure to grab your FREE copy of Website Magazine – delivered to your home or office

Last night I discovered a hand PING FM Firefox addon: Ping Fire

It has all three of the items I need and the developers also have a Pingfm Blackberry application that I will download later today.

However, it is not working with any firefox versions above firefox 3.0  Hopefully they will update it soon. You can get an unofficial version at Alex’s site (it’s working for me).

You will also need your PING FM application key. To get this log onto PING fm and go to: http://ping.fm/key/

The Ping FM firefox addon ‘Ping fire’ allows you to update your ping fm status from your firefox toolbar with a handy button.

It also allows you to highlight the content of any website or blog and quote it to Ping FM. The selected text and the current URL will be added to your message.

Here’s a quite screen shot of the post dialog box:

Ping Fire’s Ping FM firefox add on supports:
* all of Ping’s content types.
* your own custom triggers.
* posting shortcuts. Such as @tt for Twitter and @fb for Facebook.

It’s a great handy Firefox addon for those of you looking to update all of your social media networks quickly using Ping FM.

Get Ping Fire Via Fire Fox Addons

Visit the developers website

My Blackberry contacts Sync to my Google Contacts which syncs to my Outlook contacts to ensure I always have my contacts with me. However, how can I pass your business on to a potential lead for you if I don’t have all your contact details ?

Here is an example; there are about three SEO consultants that have taken the time to offer to help me with my site for free (if you are reading this , please contact me again;). Yet none of them attached a full and complete outlook contact to the emails they sent me.

Providing me with a completed Vcard or Outlook contact would have ensured I had their full contact details readily available in my blackberry when the father I was speaking to at the water park was asking me how to get more people to his business website last weekend.  I can offer general advise but I am no SEO expert.

Judging by his vehicle, he could afford to pay a quality SEO consultant for their help but I didn’t have any-one’s information to give out.

There are many people out there who would be happy to help you promote your business through referrals, however it shouldn’t be their job to hunt down all of your online contact information and type it into a Vcard or OutLook contact for you.

So how do you make sure your Vcard is complete ? How do you create a Vcard? How to you distribute your contact details to those potential networking opportunities easily ?

You can create your own Vcard using outlook and attach it by email (some people don’t like attachments), or you can upload your Vcard to your business website or blog allowing you to provide a link to your card. Or you can use an online Vcard service such as GetMyVcard to store your Vcard so that others can easily download it.

For instructions on how to create a Vcard in Outlook visit the Productivity Portfolio .

I suggest ensuring you list all of your Social Media Profile URLS in the notes of your Vcard along with a brief description of your services. Be sure to include a photo and possibly your company logo in a web resolution.

I have blogged about the importance of creating a Vcard for your small business in the past.

Remember to consider the value of your contact details being easily accessible to potential clients (if you post it on your website)  and weigh it with any spam you may receive as a result.

Looking for a list of the top Social Networking services? I thought I’d share my list of Social Networking sites for everyone.

If you don’t have the time to register for all of these Social Media Networking sites there is an affordable solution over at Her Social Media Services. We will register you on all of the Social Networking sites listed below.

AIM http://www.aim.com/
Bebo http://www.bebo.com/
Blogger http://www.blogger.com/
Bright Kite http://www.brightkite.com/

Delicious http://delicious.com/
Digg http://digg.com/
Diigo http://www.diigo.com/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/
Flickr http://flickr.com/
Freindster http://www.friendster.com/
Frind Feed http://friendfeed.com/
G Talk http://www.google.com/talk
Google http://www.Google.com
Hi5 http://www.hi5.com/
Ident Ca http://identi.ca/
Imeem http://www.imeem.com/
Jaiku http://jaiku.com/
Koornk http://www.koornk.com/
Kwippy http://www.kwippy.com/
Laconi http://laconi.ca/
Linked In http://www.linkedin.com/
Live Journel http://www.livejournal.com/
Mashable http://my.mashable.com/
Multiply http://www.multiply.com/
MySpace http://www.myspace.com/
Name URL
Orkut http://www.orkut.com/Signup.aspx
Ping FM http://ping.fm/networks/?new
Plaxo http://www.plaxo.com/
Plurk http://www.plurk.com/
Present.ly http://present.ly/
ReJaw http://rejaw.com/
Seesmic http://seesmic.com/
Shoutem http://www.shoutem.com/
Street Mavens http://www.streetmavens.com/
Tumbler http://tumblr.com/
Twitter http://twitter.com/
TypePad http://www.typepad.com/
Utterli http://utterli.com/
Vox http://www.vox.com/
Wordpress.com http://www.wordpress.com/
Xanga http://www.xanga.com/
Yahoo 360 http://360.yahoo.com/
Yammer http://yammer.com/
You Are http://youare.com/
YouTube http://www.youtube.com/

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Manage your tweets like a pro – click here to register for free at tweet later

Blackberry’s web browser will log into my WordPress Admin panel however it was time consuming and cumbersome. Of course WordPress has plugins for everything just as BlackBerry has applications for everything.

Here’s HerMedia’s list of WordPress blogging via your BlackBerry solutions:

Mo Snaps is a BlackBerry WordPress Application that allows you to upload photos and images directly to your WordPress Blog (and other networks as well).

Wphone is a WordPress Plugin that creates a BlackBerry friendly WordPress admin panel. Allowing your to blog with your BlackBerry. *not fully supported anymore though updated last month (3/09)

WordPress Mobile Edition is a blackberry friendly WordPress plugin – one of Alex Tangs great WordPress Plugins. It creates a mobile friendly version of your blog.

Imoblife has a BlackBerry Application that allows you to update your WordPress blog. It supports more then one blog. Watch it update a WordPress blog on a BlackBerry by visiting the Demo Page . This is a premium BlackBerry Application and it costs 17.99

Our free online Twitter how to workshop runs once a month and we are taking names for the March Twitter workshop, though only three spaces are left.

If you are beyond the basics feel free to complete the form and let us know what you need to know about twitter and we just may cover your concerns in a blog post or future class.

The next free online twitter workshop is Tuesday March 17th, 2009 and is limited to 15 participants.

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I spent some time this evening researching my Twitter usage and that of a clients.

TW Influence is a handy tool to see where you and your competitors are in the Twitter world. Using Twitters API, TwInfluence will measure your influence in the Twitter realm. The results are not based on the number of followers you have. Your influence is measured on three levels;  velocity, social capital, and centralization. (Learn more here)

If you have a moment be sure to share your TW Influence results by commenting below.

“OpenID eliminates the need for multiple usernames across different websites, simplifying your online experience.”  Openid.net

I have heard some buzz around the Internet about Facebook Connect this week. Is it the same as open ID ? All three (Open Id, Facebook Connect, and Google Friend Connect) allow users to interact with third party sites.

Google Friend Connect uses Open Social Facebook harnesses the power of a known interface.

Read Write Web’s Marshall Kirkpatrick has a great mind map outlining Facebook Friend connect and open Id features and merits.

I personally feel Open ID is great for blogger and social media applications. However it will be interesting to watch Google’s more easily integrated solution ( a few lines of code to insert) and Facebook Connect ( more complicated) .

If building a strong referral system is what you are looking for, you should check out Facebook connect and consider the power Facebook connect. Facebook takes accountability and their user base seems to contain more real users (less spam and trollers) who interact with their connections. This means more quality referrals and testimonials for your business.

Just a few of my thoughts on Facebook connect and Google Friend Connect. Please share yours as well by commenting or Digging the post.