Since the publication of the Heart of Networking, Second Edition, it has been gratifying to read what others are saying about the book on Amazon. I wrote the books to share ideas I've had over the past 40 years. I tell people that I never intended to make money selling books (or through my speaking engagements) and so far, it has worked out great.

I am amazed that more people do not take advantage of the opportunity to speak about their passion. There are many groups hungry for a new speaker or a new topic. I speak as often as I can on networking. 75% of the speeches are "free" but I do get paid from time to time. I do the same amount of work for either speech. I love sharing what I have learned over the past 30 years. And as far as free speeches, some of my largest clients at Hunter Technical Resources were met at a "free" speaking engagement. I do not sell or promote my company but if people feel connected from my presentation, a number of them will come up after my speech to chat. Many of these folks want me to help them in some way and I do my best to help them. Many of those conversations have turned into great friendships. Many have turned into clients. I will share more on this subject when the second edition of The Heart of Networking is published later this year.

I want to thank my good friend, Urvaksh Karkari, for his kind words about Hunter Technical Resources and me personally. I am blessed beyond measure with friends like Urvaksh.

May 8th, 2010 was the 10th anniversary of the Digital Ball which is the Black Tie extravaganza benefiting TechBridge. This was one of the finest of them all. A stellar crowd of Atlanta's technology who's who were present. To learn more about TechBridge and the great work they are doing in our community, go to www.techbridge.org.

I am fortunate to be a pretty good networker. Some folks say that I am one of the best in the Atlanta area. I don’t know about that but I do know that anyone can become a good networker if they are willing to work at it. The root word of networking is WORK and you will not succeed at becoming a good networker if you don’t work. I am amazed when I meet someone who says, "I am not afraid of hard work". I figure that I am talking to someone who has never really done any. Hard work is just that but it is the foundation of successful networking.