Just back from my favorite place on earth.  Yes, favorite place on earth, don’t question me!  Ruby Montana has set herself up pretty sweet, in a cozy little pink bungalow resort called “The Coral Sands“.  You must go there, NOW! Git, git to yer phone, ring her up, book yourself the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Suite or the Liberace Suite.  Grab yer gal pal’s (or the fam, men like it too!)and fly down to PS for a little R & R with the Ruby Girl, and her trusty companions Ms Lola Falana & Ms Dusty Springfield (poolside pups for your petting pleasure). Why I never, I mean never, have I felt so happy, so warm, and had such an overall feeling of contentment while away from home, as I do poolside at The Coral Sands Resort in lil Ol’ Palm Springs, California.

If you read my 1st Social Networking blog it was focused on an amazing new networking group I have discovered in my area called The Heartlink Network.  Well, I feel I must give due props to my other favorite & fabulous networking group; Executive Women International.  Established in 1938 as Executives’ Secretaries, Inc in California by a woman name Lucille Perkins.  Her vision was to form an organization where working women and their executives could promote their firms and improve their communties.  I  was introduced to this group by my best gal pal Linda, and I am so happy she did.  EWI Seattle is an organization that brings together individuals from diverse business’ in their area to promote their firm, enhance personal and professional development, & encourage community involvement.  This really does spell it out very well, BUT, of course I have to my quirky little spin on it.  Why else would you read Katie Kay’s Blog, Duh! OK so here’s my spiel;  Do you love other brilliant, hard working, fascinating, funny, diverse, beautiful, heartwarming women?  How about a nice sit down dinner once a month with these fabulous women, high atop Seattle’s Columbia Tower?  How about fabulous field trips to members firms? Walk for cancer with your buddies?  Baseball games and Casino nights?  Sound fun?  What about quality speakers and other business professionals to encourage and motivate you in your business? We all need a little of that these days!  EWI is a classy and professional networking group that has a fun, easy and enriching atmosphere. I look forward to my monthly meetings so much that I agreed to be on the EWI Seattle board, Yikes!  Take a look at the EWI national website and check out the chapter in your area, you will be pleasantly surprised by this nationally beloved women’s organization.

Social networking, hmmmm…I never even knew what social networking was up until a year ago.  Now I am becoming a networking snob.  Oh! don’t get me wrong, I was networking years ago, if you consider meeting my girls for drinks or attending a fabulous girl party,and of course, Facebook and Myspace, and they are all very cool.  But seriously face to face networking, for women, is the most effective and meaningful form of  networking.  Lately I have been attending all different kinds of networking groups, BNI’s (Business Networking International), Chamber of Commerce, CRAVE Party, Executive Women’s International, launch parties, blogging and whew, I am exhausted!  Some of the events were really fabulous, and some of these gatherings were just not for me.  I definitely get a better connection in the women’s groups.  But here is the clincher, it all brought me to The Heartlink Network, well actually my workout buddy Kim did, “Thanks Kim!”.  The Heartlink Network is a very unique networking concept.  Women meet in the privacy of a hostess’ home, enjoy a meal together, mingle a little, awkwardly make greetings to strangers, and then IT’S TIME! you have 3 minutes to stand up and tell us about yourself, and you will be timed, literally! Yes, it was scary at 1st, but then the laughter rolled in, the tears ran down our faces, sad and happy. It was a fabulous experience.  Some women talked about their families, their careers, their struggles, their path to where they are now, their current business venture.  In the end you have just made 25 new friends and business contacts, that you really feel like you  know and can trust, and genuinely feel good about recommending to your closest friends and family.  The Heartlink Network is popping up in your neighborhood soon, check their website for your area and take a chance, take a look, open your mind and heart.  You too will become a Networking snob, in the best way possible.

*A social network service focuses on building communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Some social network services are web based and provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services and blogging*