Diane Darling's Blog

Skating in Fenway Park // Happy Solstice

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Photo taken from a friend's balcony

Fenway Park after the blizzard on Sunday, December 20th



Check out photos of people skating at Fenway Park!

































































Greetings!



It's here .... happy winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere. (Hello to all my friends down under!)



It's been quite a year ... thank you to the many friends and fans who have helped champion me both personally and professionally.



In April 2010 the revised edition of my book, The Networking Survival Guide, will come out. Many thanks to those who sent stories. Sorry I haven't been able to get back to everyone.



I kick off the year as the commencement speaker at

MIT's Charm School! It'll be a hoot.



More next year!



Warm regards for a wonderful holiday season! ~ Diane

p.s.

You're invited to become a fan of Effective Networking on Facebook.











































































Now I might be able to stay up on skates if I had two helpers!



They're pulling Bobby Orr - a legend from the Boston Bruins.





























Having fun skating at Fenway Park!



On January 1st, the Boston Bruins play the Philadelphia Flyers.















Former Boston Bruins take to the ice at Fenway.















Here are some fun and useful links:

How to Work a Room - Web version - The link is now fixed! Sorry!

99 Ways to Cope with Stress

Things We Can Learn from a Dog

 











Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek gives it a try!















This is the light in the morning.

If you look to the right of the red billboard, you'll see the rink to the right just beneath the seats.















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Open office hours on Wednesday

I'm inspired by Scott Kirsner, columnist for the Boston Globe. He is hosting "open office hours" and has invited others to do the same.

So here's the invitation .....

• Wednesday, November 25th
• Open time from 9 - 9:30 (I'll talk with whomever is there)
• 10 minute appointments from 9:30 - 10:30 am
• Please sign up - http://www.doodle.com/w58as36yrksyy94z
• Starbucks at Fresh Pond

Here's the technical address .... it's AFTER Dunkin Donuts, in the same building at the Best Western, BEFORE you get to Fresh Pond Mall with Whole Foods (aka Whole checkbook).

222 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA 02138

$1.96 networking mistake

Yesterday I met someone for a cup of coffee. We met a few weeks ago at a networking event, he said he might have some leads for me. Sure, what the heck.

I'm not sure if he mentioned he was job hunting at the time ......

He gave the address, I put it in my GPS and was off to meet him. I must have made a mistake because there wasn't a coffee shop there so I called, he gave me directions, I anxiously drove feeling awkward that I was late.

Turned out the address wasn't 876 it was 130 on the same road. Oh well! I made my apologies, said hello, and went to get a cup of coffee to be courteous to the shop.

I barely sat down when he started telling me what's wrong with so many companies and how they waste time not to mention money. He could do such a better job .... if only he could get one.

Which brought up his target list of companies where he wanted to interview.

Hmmmm - why did I agree to this? Oh yeah, he had leads for me. We'll see if they pan out but here's my two cents .....

• If you're looking for a job, say so!
• Don't bad mouth companies or industries unless you REALLY know someone well. Even then it's dicey.
• If you invite someone for a cup of coffee AND you give them the wrong address, pay for the coffee. Mine was only $2. Never mind my time and I probably won't invest time with this person again!

Wow I was lucky!

Networking tips for techies

Thank you Mass High Tech ....

I'm definitely in the Midwest! :-)

How to alienate visitors to your church

I stopped in at my Weight Watchers meeting at noon. I decided to stop for a bit since I'll be traveling like a crazy woman over the next month or so and I'd rather spend the money on healthy groceries. I wanted to say goodbye to the amazing team that has championed me over these past six months and fewer pounds.

The meeting is held in a church in the neighborhood which has special meaning since it's where I hosted my mother's memorial service. Sometimes I'll stop in the church and say a prayer. Sometimes it's just too painful. But today I decided to stop in, sit down, and not do my typical rush, rush, rush stuff.

The chapel (where the service was held) was dark and lonely. I walked over to the sanctuary which was light and open. As I sat down I heard someone talking and turned around to find a woman on her cell phone ... IN THE SANCTUARY. Not really the quiet I had in mind.

I opted to walk back over to the chapel to continue some quiet reflection. On my way I was stopped by someone who said, "We don't usually have people roaming in there. What you are doing?"

I was completely shocked. How about, "Welcome, I see you are interested in our church." I was so stunned I tried to explain that it was where I had my mother's memorial service, but I burst into tears and just walked out.

How bizarre that a simple difference in words - welcome vs. what are you doing - can alienate someone so fast. All I can say is that I hope the next visitor is treated with more respect and courtesy. Why not ask the woman on her phone to leave? Or at least talk somewhere people aren't trying to pray.

If you see someone you feel is suspicious (guess my business suit looked too alarming), of course you want to inquire about what they are doing. It's how you approach them that matters.