Networking - North and West Wilts FSB Style

For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))

It's a very long time since I attended a local branch meeting of the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses), not for any particular reason except that there haven't been all that many truly local to me, and that those that have been held have clashed with my diary which has got much busier over the years. But it happened to be a networking night tonight, following on after the AGM, so I popped along to Corsham.

It's interesting to compare networking approaches. There's the "free for all, mingle" which I find very difficult - and I think others do too. There's the speed network approach which we've taken so successfully in the past (and are doing again on 16th January) in which you meet everyone, but really for just a brief time and you need to follow up later. And there's the approach the FSB took, where everyone does a 20 second introduction (some rather significantly more than 20 seconds!) and they arrange for you 1, 2 and 3 meetings with three others. Bit of a scramble in the setup, bit of an imbalance - but it generally worked quite well.

Outcome? I came to realise just what a lot of us are in "business to business" trades. I guess they're the natural ones for such events anyway, but I found the evening reminding me that each pound of VAT is collected and refunded between 6 and 7 times such is the amount of times that products and service swill around before ending up with their end user. And I got to thinking about wording, English and clarity on my blog, computer and physical security and backups, and the cost of services such as gas and electricity - things I don't think about on a day by day basis. I'm relieved to report that I came out of that feeling reasonably happy with our position ... but still reminded to be aware of some issues. Nothing earth shattering, but a worthwhile evening. It's good to see the local FSB branch making some gentle comeback steps, even if not quite yet local to Melksham ...
(written 2011-11-15, updated 2011-11-27)

Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles

Z401 - Federation of Small Businesses
  [1078] Wiltshire - multicultural community - (2007-02-13)
  [1097] Train and business balls all in the air! - (2007-03-02)
  [1133] B-2-B Networking, 20th April. Useful for YOUR business? - (2007-04-03)
  [1157] Speed Networking - a great evening and how we arranged it - (2007-04-21)
  [1246] An oddball day. Strange experiences! - (2007-06-27)
  [1249] Is this how to run a business for businesses? - (2007-06-27)
  [1278] West Wilts Show - (2007-07-26)
  [1284] An update on the West Wilts show ... - (2007-07-30)
  [1286] A wasted evening? - (2007-08-01)
  [1350] FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) Western Region - (2007-09-13)
  [1479] FSB leaves its members feeling like mushrooms - (2007-12-20)
  [1512] Summer Ball at Bowood - Saturday 12th July 2008 - (2008-01-19)
  [1515] Keeping staff up to date on hotel room status - (2008-01-22)
  [1544] FSB, EGM, AGM. - (2008-02-18)
  [1654] The old sayings are the best (FSB) - (2008-05-26)
  [1823] FSB - an update. - (2008-10-07)
  [1855] Volunteer v Employee - a skewed balance? (FSB) - (2008-10-25)
  [1880] Melksham Chamber of Commerce, or the FSB - (2008-11-12)
  [1937] Getting hold of the wrong end of the stick - (2008-12-12)
  [2517] Blogging accuracy - open invitation for any corrections - (2009-11-29)
  [2524] An update on legal changes from the FSB? - (2009-12-03)
  [3032] Coincidence, or Conspiracy - a wrong email address - (2010-11-06)
  [3214] Melksham Campus - any last minute inputs from Melksham businesses? - (2011-03-26)

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Some other Articles

Melksham has a Heart - Montage picture for sale
Melksham has a heart - come and see the pictures. Sunday, 11 to 3, Assembly Hall
Metaclasses (Python) and Metatables (Lua)
When competition is not a good idea - Melksham Bus Absurdity
Networking - North and West Wilts FSB Style
Emergency First Aid at Work (HSE) training in Melksham - places available for 19.1.2012
Quintessentially English - scenes from our Wiltshire town
Python - current versions and implementations (CPython, Jython, IronPython etc)
Melksham House / Melksham Campus - Seniors Input Sought
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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