http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

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Job Seekers Forum

Why is my job search taking so long?

Date: Monday, September 26, 2011

Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central Time, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Dial-in Number: 1-940-287-4000 (new number)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

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BDPA iRadio Show - September 27, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders. We have an exciting line-up for our show on September 27.

Todd Q. Adams, Co-owner, Visibility Marketing

Paulette Johnson-Davis, VP-Member Services, National BDPA

Wanda Gray, Chapter President, BDPA Cincinnati

Lahesha Williams, Founder, Career Help for Christians

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-iradio-show-september-27-2011.html

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Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 9/21/2011 (BDPA Twin Cities)

BDPA Twin Cities Place 5th at National Computer Competition. The Twin Cities Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) Minnesota teams won first and fifth place at the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition, which was part of the 2011 33rd Annual BDPA Technology Conference held August 3-6 in Chicago.

The members of the High School Computer (HSCC) team were Cedric Cyrus (Como HS), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS). The Twin Cities Chapter High School Competition Team took fifth place out of 45 teams. The Rochester team won first place, Detroit team placed second, Columbus, Ohio team placed third, and the Atlanta team placed fourth.

Click here for more:

http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/?p=6269

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President Profile: Allison Aheart (BDPA Hampton Roads)

BDPA Hampton Roads chapter was founded in February 2009. It is one of the youngest chapters in BDPA with only two chapter presidents in its history. The current chapter president is Allison Aheart.

Allison Aheart has over 14 years of leadership and management experience in corporate and non-profit business environments with special focus on budgeting and resource management, business process improvement, technology implementation, business & research analysis, software application management & administration, and project management across multiple disciplines. She is diplomatic, an effective communicator, a problem solver, a relationship builder, and brings value to any leadership team.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-profile-allison-aheart-bdpa.html

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Take Five: Barbara Allen (BDPA Cleveland)

BDPA is transitioning its governance to include regional representatives. Barbara Allen became the first-ever BDPA Midwest Regional Vice President when she won the election held last month at the national conference in Chicago.

Barbara moved to Cleveland in January 2007 after spending the previous 27 years in northern California. She served as an officer in the past for both BDPA Bay Area and BDPA Cleveland chapter. We asked Barbara to share her insights as part of our 'Take Five' interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-five-barbara-allen-bdpa-cleveland.html

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Obama's Weekly Address: Strengthening the American Education System

President Obama explains that states will have greater flexibility to find innovative ways of improving the education system, so that we can raise standards in our classrooms and prepare the next generation to succeed in the global economy.

I think that President Obama is absolutely correct when he talks about the need for us to significantly improve our educational system if America ever hopes to 'win the future'. It is disappointing to hear the Republican presidential candidates talking about abolishing the Department of Education. Don't they understand that our nation's future is tied to the improved competitiveness and education of our young people?

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/obamas-weekly-address-strengthening.html

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bdpatoday - September 2011 Issue

bdpatoday

(September 2011 Issue)
http://www.bdpatoday.org/11/SEP11-Newsletter_Final.pdf

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Open Source Tools in a Web 2.0 World (BDPA Atlanta)

PHP! MySQL! Joomla! Drupal! Wordpress! What are these Open Source tools that have taken the online world by storm? How do they relate to the Blogosphere? What is their role in Web 2.0? How can adopting an open source strategy affect your company's IT road map? How can an IT professional personally migrate from novice to experienced practitioner?

Join us as noted IT entrepreneur Andre' Barnes defines these topics and more during an informative and interactive session on Wednesday, September 21, 2011.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/open-source-tools-in-web-20-world-bdpa.html

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http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Geeks Gone Great Chats with National BDPA President Yvette Graham

Yvette Graham has grown up in Black Data Processing Associates, BDPA, and is currently enjoying the crest of her term as national president of the premiere organization for African Americans in Information Technology.

A BDPA leader since the early 80’s, Yvette Graham has made an indelible impression throughout the organization since her early years of service with the Chicago chapter, up through recent years, to emerge as spokesperson and chief executive officer representing over 40+ chapters across the United States.

I had the opportunity to chat with Ms. Graham, just after the August 2011 BDPA Technology Conference in Chicago. She shares her perspective on attaining success with BDPA as well as key values she ascribes to. It was a very special space shared...

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/YvetteGraham.aspx

Job Seekers Forum

Why is my job search taking so long?

Date: Monday, September 26, 2011

Time: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Central Time, 8:30-9:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Dial-in Number: 1-940-287-4000 (new number)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

BDPA Dallas HSCC Team (2011)

Gilbert Mfitumukiza, Bridget Mfitumukiza, Kiera Robinson and Kayla Rhodes

These are the young people trained by BDPA Dallas chapter to compete in the 2011 national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship held last month in Chicago.

BDPA Dallas created their Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program to expose young people to the fields of computer science and IT. The chapter seeks to increase the understanding and accessibility of science, technology, engineering and math in historically disenfranchised communities. The SITES curriculum focused on industry standard programming languages, problem-solving techniques and conceptual design.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-dallas-hscc-team-2011.html

Take Five: Kelly Hill (BDPA Los Angeles)

BDPA is proud of its efforts to advance the careers of its members from 'the classroom to the boardroom'. One of real-life examples of that effort can be seen embodied in the person of Kelly Hill. Kelly is a Clark Atlanta University graduate (Class of 2008) who currently works for Lockheed Martin.

As a youngster Kelly represented BDPA Los Angeles chapter in the national high school computer competitions held in Chicago (2001), Orlando (2002) and Philadelphia (2003). She is a positive example of the power of our student information technology education & scholarship (SITES) program. Kelly was kind enough to participate in our Take Five interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-five-kelly-hill-bdpa-los-angeles.html

Why Technology Networks Are Important to African Americans

by Kai Dupé

The lack of support networks has been identified as a critical aspect to involving more African Americans in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). While I agree that this is very important, I do not agree that African Americans lack technology support groups. I assert that the problem is that the African American community at large is not aware of the networks that do exist.

There are three that I have worked with over the years. I am sure there are others and I am even more certain that most of our people, particularly our young people are not aware of these groups. I know this because I do quite a bit of public speaking around the country. When I ask students if they are familiar with The Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA), BiTWiSE, or Blacks In Technology the answer is invariably no.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/why-technology-networks-are-important.html

Job Hunters – A Resource Guide to Landing the Job

Samantha, a student at the Coastal Academy in California, found a really nice resource website for job seekers. It’s got links to resources and tips on resume/curriculum vitae, cover letter, interview etiquette, follow-up, career websites and staffing agencies. Thanks Samantha!

Finding a career you enjoy is a worthwhile endeavor, but it does take some legwork on your part to get the job of your dreams. Today’s employers want to get a comprehensive look at their potential employees before they make a hiring decision. As a job seeker, understanding the information that businesses are looking for can mean the difference between getting hired and just adding your resume to their files. It is essential to understand the process and know where to look for the job that will be the right fit for you.

Click here for more:

http://www.businessdegree.net/resources/job-hunters-a-resource-guide-to-landing-the-job/

Confidence is King: One Day in a Job Search

One day a call will come from a networking friend. Someone I’ve shared coffee with and someone who knows my job search objectives. Turns out that a job has opened up with one of my target companies.

One day my resume will be walked into a hiring manager whose eyes will sparkle as they read about my background.

One day I will get a call from that same company who thinks I might be a good fit for their new position. They will be right.

Click here for more:

http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2011/09/09/confidence-is-king-one-day-in-a-job-search/

Microsoft Tour and Demo (BDPA Los Angeles)

We encourage all of our BETF-Blog readers in Southern California to join BDPA Los Angeles chapter on October 4, 2011 for a tour of the newly opened Microsoft Store in the Westfield Century City Mall. Join the chapter's leadership as they check out the latest technologies from Microsoft and network with others.

The tour will include a personal demonstration of the new Windows 7 phone.

Microsoft Tour and Demo:

October 4, 2011

7:00 - 8:30 pm (PST)

Westfield Century City Mall

10250 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90067

You can click here to RSVP for the tour:

http://bdpala-oct2011.eventbrite.com/

Two Simple Questions To Avoid Value-Free Change

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Mark E. Calabrese

Often times we’re tempted to add new processes, new templates or tools, modify existing procedures, re-organize – you name it. Sometimes such changes are called for, but other times they’re performed for the sake of performing them. Change for its own sake is never good. It can be a drain on time, resources and on morale.

When confronted with such ideas – whether your own or from others – try asking these two simple questions:

Click here for more:

http://mecmusings.com/2011/09/17/two-simple-questions-to-avoid-value-free-change/

Blacks In Technology Podcast #19: Kellep Charles (SecurityOrb.com)

This blog seeks to support the efforts of the Blacks In Technology folks as they interview remarkable IT professionals of color.

In this podcast Greg Greenlee along with guest co-host Ronnie Hash, speak with IT Security consultant and guru Kellep Charles. Kellep operates and is also an IT Security consultant for SecurityOrb, an information security knowledge based website for security members. The flows into information security, latest data security threats and an interesting review of the log management tool Splunk.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/blacks-in-technology-podcast-19-kellep.html

bdpatoday - September 2011 Issue

bdpatoday

(September 2011 Issue)
http://www.bdpatoday.org/11/SEP11-Newsletter_Final.pdf

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Job Seekers Forum - September 12, 7:30 pm Central

Agenda:

Introductions

--Come prepared with your elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics:

--The Pierson Method--Job Search Work Teams (http://www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com/teams-orgs/jobsearchworkteam.htm)

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Roundtable:

--Good News

--Upcoming events

--Volunteer Opportunities

Date: Monday, September 12, 2011

Start Time: 07:30 PM Central Daylight Time, 8:30 PM Eastern

End Time: 08:25 PM Central Daylight Time, 9:25 PM Eastern

Dial-in Number: 1-213-289-0500 (Los Angeles)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

Top Three (3) Ways to Build Your IT Community

September 6th, 2011

By Ricardo Wilkins

As IT Professionals, we spend many years developing our crafts and investing in our careers. Along the way, we have all been fortunate enough to get help from many sources, including colleagues and mentors who decided to take the time to share their knowledge and experience with us.

As a result, we grow in our profession. Most of us inevitably ask the question – what can I do to give back and make the same investment in others someone made in me? Fortunately, there are many ways in which we can ‘return the favor’ in the IT Community while making a positive impact on our industry.

Click here for more:

http://www.itmartini.com/columbus/stories/ways-of-giving-back-to-the-it-community/

BDPA iRadio Show - Youth Technology Camp Students (August 25, 2011)

BDPA iRadio Show host Franne McNeal hosted a Special Edition of the Internet radio show that featured student participants in the 2011 BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC) held last month in Chicago. This annual event provides interactive, hands-on workshops, seminars, and activities for students seeking to gain valuable exposure in leading edge technology topics. This event gives students the opportunity to network with young entrepreneurs and other youth from around the country who are pursuing academic and professional futures in the computer technology industry.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-iradio-show-youth-technology-camp.html

BDPA Philadelphia HSCC Team (2011)

L-R: William Morgan, Samuel Gonzalez, Brian Stempin (trainer), Norman Morrison, Hayward West (chapter president) and Pedro Soto

The Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) program hosted by our BDPA Philadelphia chapter covers a variety of topics in the world of information technology. Instruction is provided in creating databases using MySQL, programming, Java, Linux and web development. The training not only prepares students to compete in regional and national competitions, but also provides them with skills in team building that can be valuable as they enter into the workforce.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-philadelphia-hscc-team-2011.html

How Many Mobile Apps are Produced by African-Americans?

Article by Kai Dupé, Cross-posted from Atlanta Post

There are over 425,000 mobile apps available on Apple’s App Store for the iPhone. The Android Marketplace now has well over 30,000 apps for their devices. According to the website TechCrunch, there has been more than 1 Billion downloads from the App Store as of April 2009. Here is a question? How many of these apps are produced by African Americans?

I would venture to guess we are producing very little. Mobile phones are the most ubiquitous way people communicate and interact with information. With more than 5 billions users communicating and interacting on these devices, the lack of African Americans producing mobile apps has to change.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-many-mobile-apps-are-produced-by.html

Congressional Black Caucus: 'African Americans Joining the Leading Edge of the High Tech Boom'

Soulclap to the folks at Black Web 2.0 for letting us know that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation will dedicate some time in their annual conference to talk about a topic that is increasingly popular by the day, technology. Technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, along with members of the African American tech community will take part in the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

During the Annual Legislative Conference, held on September 23rd from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) will host an issue forum, entitled 'African Americans Joining the Leading Edge of the High Tech Boom'.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/congressional-black-caucus-african.html

6 Tips to Make a Great Impression in an Interview

Interviews can be daunting, but you can rock them with a little preparation and practice! Not sure how to make a great impression in an interview? Impress your future employer with these interview tips:

1. Prepare for the interview
2. Dress well
3. Arrive on time
4. Act confident
5. Ask intelligent questions
6. Say "Thanks”

Read more on the Simply Hired Blog:

http://blog.simplyhired.com/2011/08/6-tips-to-make-a-great-impression-in-an-interview.html

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Happy Birthday: Curtis Jenkins

One of the most accomplished BDPA leaders in our history is Curtis Jenkins. He celebrates his birthday today!

Curtis has been an active member and leader of the BDPA Philadelphia Chapter since 2002. Curtis Jenkins served as the Immediate Past President for 2008 and 2009 and also the Corporate Advisory Council Chairperson for BDPA Philadelphia. In his duties as Immediate Past President, he served as an ambassador, mentor, and voting member of the BDPA Philadelphia Executive Committee sharing his experiences as a President and member of the National Board of Directors for BDPA. As Corporate Advisory Council (CAC) Chairperson, Curtis is primarily responsible for the solicitation of CAC membership, scheduling and facilitating the quarterly meetings, maintaining the CAC Charter and serving as the focal point for information between the CAC and the BDPA Executive Board.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/happy-birthday-curtis-jenkins.html

Chronicles of an IT Job Seeker-Job Search is a Team Sport!

by Milt Haynes

This has been an exciting week! I joined a Job Search Work Team where I learned about thePierson Method. Now I'm convinced that finding a job is a team sport. It's like basketball, football and soccer, it takes a group of people working together toward common goals to win on the field.

What is a Job Search Work Team?

A job search work team is:

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/09/chronicles-of-it-job-seeker-job-search.html

Job Seekers Forum - September 12, 7:30 pm Central

Agenda:

Introductions

--Come prepared with your elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics:

--The Pierson Method--Job Search Work Teams (http://www.highlyeffectivejobsearch.com/teams-orgs/jobsearchworkteam.htm)

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Roundtable:

--Good News

--Upcoming events

--Volunteer Opportunities

Date: Monday, September 12, 2011

Start Time: 07:30 PM Central Daylight Time, 8:30 PM Eastern

End Time: 08:25 PM Central Daylight Time, 9:25 PM Eastern

Dial-in Number: 1-213-289-0500 (Los Angeles)

Participant Access Code: 671366

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx

Take Five: Jamesetta James (BDPA Greater Columbia)

Jamesetta James has worked the past few years as the national coordinator of the BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC). Earlier this year she provided her review of the 2011 YTC experience in Chicago. She has had a positive impact on hundreds of young people over the years and we thought it would be good to hear from Jamesetta as part of our Take Five interview series:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/take-five-jamesetta-james-bdpa-greater.html

BDPA Philadelphia Supports Pennsylvania MESA Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

BDPA seeks to advance the careers of African Americans in the Information Technology (IT) industry from the classroom to the boardroom. An important element of that process is ensuring that our young people have exposure and experience to as many STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs as possible.

As such, it was a no-brainer for our BDPA Philadelphia chapter leadership to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the nationally-recognized Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) initiative in Pennsylvania. MESA is an academic preparation program for K-12, community college and university-level students that was originally created in 1970. The program provides academic support to students from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds throughout the education pathway so they will excel in math and science and ultimately attain four-year degrees in STEM fields. The program has successfully been replicated in over a dozen other states.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/bdpa-philadelphia-supports-pennsylvania.html

"Should-hood”

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Mark E. Calabrese

A friend of mine out in Baltimore used to tell me, "Should-hood leads to Shit-hood”. This is particularly applicable to those of us in management roles. Whether you’re managing a project, a team or even your own life, focusing on the ‘should’ can be a good thing or a bad thing.

"Should-hood” – the mindset of focusing on what should be – isn’t bad in the right context. Focusing on what ‘should be’ is how we apply our core values to our own words and actions. ‘Should’ is a very powerful mindset…..when applied to oneself. The problem comes when we focus on what ‘should be’ when it comes to the words and actions of others.

Click here for more:

http://mecmusings.com/2011/09/02/should-hood/

Cloud Brokerage is Gaining Ground

by Daryl Plummer | August 31, 2011

All of a sudden, everyone is interested in cloud services brokerage. Well, by everyone, I mean end customers looking for an easier way to integrate cloud computing into their plans and vendors seeking a new set of markets to mine. But no matter the interested party, one thing is clear. The options for doing cloud brokerage are growing steadily.

When we introduced cloud services brokerage in 2009, we described a concept about intermediation between services. The value was in having a third party take on a lot of the work of aggregating, integrating, customizing, or governing (nee managing) cloud services on behalf of the end consumer. In a subsequent update last year, we did a number of reports, including a piece called "Cloud Services Brokerage: Taking Intermediation to the next Level” that described the concept in even more detail. But through all of that, the activity around cloud brokerage remained mostly at the application and platform level of cloud services. Companies like Appirio and Jamcracker were getting a lot of attention for integrating or aggregating cloud services into new application solutions. GXS, Hubspan, and Liaison were among the B2B networks starting to see interest grow – a case study on Mohawk Fine Papers that we recently published illustrates this. And this week, Dell has announced its plans to broker Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and other cloud SaaS solutions by aggregating and integrating using the Boomi brokerage enabling technology which they acquired. This is part of the steady growth at the applications level. But now, we are beginning to see the rise of brokerage at the infrastructure level as well.

Click here for more:

http://blogs.gartner.com/daryl_plummer/2011/08/31/cloud-brokerage-is-gaining-ground/

Gates Millennium Scholarship Program

The Gates Millennium Scholarship Program will select 1,000 talented students next year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. The deadline for submitting an application is January 11, 2012.

Scholars will also be provided with personal and professional development through their leadership programs, along with academic support throughout their college career.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/09/gates-millennium-scholarship-program.html

Hundreds of U.S. Data Centers Closing

To save money, the U.S. government will shut down hundreds of data centers across the country and consolidate their services into its remaining data centers. The White House Office of Management and Budget recently announced that it would be shutting down 373 U.S. government data centers by 2012.

Over the last two years, the number of U.S. data centers has quadrupled, and yet they are running at only about 27 percent utilization, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The maintenance costs of these data centers, including backup power supplies, air conditioning, fire-suppression and special security devices, has been astronomical, causing them to consume 200 times more power than the typical office space. By more fully utilizing the remaining data centers, the White House hopes to maintain current service levels while drastically cutting costs

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/08/hundreds-of-us-data-centers-closing.html

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Chronicles of an IT Job Seeker - The Pierson Method

by Milt Haynes

I attended a Job Search Work Team (JSWT) meeting and found it very enlightening. The JSWT team follows the Pierson Method found in the book "The Unwritten Rules of the Highly Effective Job Search” by Orville Pierson.

The Pierson Method is a job hunting system that uses a Project Plan and Progress Measurements. It guides you step-by-step through a highly effective job search in three phases:

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/08/chronicles-of-it-job-seeker-pierson.html

BDPA Detroit HSCC Team (2011)

Wayne Askew, Daniel Rothchild and Austin Little are the three young squires trained by BDPA Detroit chapter to participate in the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship held in Chicago, IL. They took home the silver medal!

Click here for more:

http://www.bdpa.org/group/DE

National BDPA Election Results (2012-2013)

National BDPA conducted its bi-annual elections earlier this month. Here are election results for the organization's board of directors. The two-year terms of the newly elected board members will begin January 1, 2012. Election results for the National BDPA Board of Directors are as follows.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/national-bdpa-election-results-2012.html

Message from Hampton Roads Chapter President

Allison Haymore didn't win the election for National BDPA Vice President ... however, she demonstrated her skills, talents and aspirations in this nomination speech. I hope that she stays on board as a strong chapter president taking BDPA Hampton Roads chapter to unreached heights in 2012 and beyond...

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/message-from-hampton-roads-chapter.html

Take Five: Allison Haymore (BDPA Hampton Roads)

Allison Haymore is a BDPA leader with vision. She was the founder of a BDPA student chapter when she attended college in Virginia. Currently she serves as the BDPA Hampton Roads chapter president. She was a nominee for the National BDPA Vice President vacancy earlier this month. Although she didn't win the election I think it is fair to say that we will be seeing more of Allison in the coming months and years!

We asked her to become part of the Take Five interview series. Here is what Allison had to say:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/take-five-allison-haymore-bdpa-hampton.html

Pieces of Gold in Those Job Postings

fromBDPA Detroit TACbyCliff Samuels Jr

Job Postings are "pieces of gold.” They are your customer’s wish lists.

Any sales person would tell you that in order to sell someone something you have to know what they need.

Read through job postings to find out what your customer (the employer) is looking for – what is the need?

By familiarizing yourself with the language of the job posting you will be able to not only read the words and the content, but you will be able to read between the lines.

Here’s an exercise that will help you find the "gold” and make good use of it once you discover it.

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/08/pieces-of-gold-in-those-job-postings.html

Job Seekers Forum - August 29, 7:30 pm Central

Agenda:

Introductions

--Come prepared with your elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics: --Job Seekers Success Mindset Training (part 2)

--Job Seekers Checklist

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/08/job-seekers-forum-august-29-730-pm.html

Help Launch a Student’s Future. Become a Making It Count Speaker.

Do you enjoy public speaking? Are you interested in helping students succeed in high school, college and beyond? Do you think you have what it takes to empower and entertain? If the answer to these questions is "yes,” then becoming a speaker for Making It Count might be perfect for you!

Making It Count Programs, a division of Monster Worldwide, is the largest public speaking force in the country, and has been providing live, in-school success presentations to more than 2.5 million high school and college students each year since 1998. Their presentations provide students with valuable information on how to succeed in high school, college and career, in an "edutaining” format that includes interactive on-stage activities and audience participation.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/help-launch-students-future-become.html

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Job Seekers Forum - August 29, 7:30 pm Central

Agenda:

Introductions

--Come prepared with your elevator pitch!

Discussion Topics: --Job Seekers Success Mindset Training (part 2)

--Job Seekers Checklist

--Q&A

Bring your tough job search questions to the meeting.

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/08/job-seekers-forum-august-29-730-pm.html

Review: 2011 BDPA Youth Technology Camp

National BDPA Youth Technology Camp (YTC) coordinator Jamesetta James and her team provided a comprehensive program of hands-on activities and workshops for about 100 middle- and high-school students during the national BDPA conference held earlier this month. Jamesetta has high expectations for BDPA youth. As she wrote,

"I fully expect young IT professionals and entrepreneurs to emerge from this conference. Let me tell you why:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/review-2011-bdpa-youth-technology-camp.html

BDPA Southern Minnesota HSCC Team (2011)

These are the smiling faces of the 2011 National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Champions. The team hails from Rochester, MN. The gentleman in the middle is Zack Garbow. Zack has been training the BDPA Southern Minnesota chapter HSCC teams for the past decade or so. His teams have now won 6 out of 7 national HSCC championships ... and 5 in a row! Zack shared his HSCC insights on the August 9th episode of the BDPA iRadio Show.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/bdpa-southern-minnesota-hscc-team-2011.html

BDPA Twin Cities HSCC Team (2011)

These are members of the 2011 HSCC team trained by BDPA Twin Cities chapter. This team earned Jesse Bemley Scholarships due to their 5th place finish at the 2011 National BDPA HSCC Championship held in Chicago IL.

The members of the team are shown in the above photo (L-R): Cedric Cyrus (Como HS), Samantha Spears (Woodbury HS), Jorian Wulf (St. Paul Central HS) and Douglas Callahan (St. Paul Central HS).

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/bdpa-twin-cities-hscc-team-2011.html

BDPA Cincinnati Students Shine at 2011 BDPA Conference in Chicago

HSCC Team & Founder Earl Pace

Stock market gyrations, debt ceiling debates and the worries over the upcoming Cincinnati Bengals football season have dominated local headlines in recent weeks. Few in our city were focused on the remarkable achievements of Cincinnati-area high school students in a national computer programming competition, or appreciate the training it takes to excel in this intellectual effort.

So the 13th-place finish of Cincinnati's team (out of 45 BDPA chapters) in the National High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship sponsored by BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) didn't draw a lot of attention. But the four team members went through a comprehensive training program with the local BDPA chapter before they pitted their skills against other teams at the national BDPA technology conference in Chicago.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/bdpa-cincinnati-students-shine-at-2011.html

BDPA Middle Tennessee HSCC Team (2011)

These are the BDPA Middle Tennessee student members (C.J. Stewart, Marques Jackson Tabb and Xavier B. Thaxter) who participated in the national High School Computer Competition Championship during the 2011 BDPA Technology Conference in Chicago, IL. [Photo Credit: V. Charlene Christmon]

Click here for more:

http://www.bdpamiddletn.org/

NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing

Calling all digital divas, web chix, and coder girls!

The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) is a coalition of more than 200 corporations, academic institutions, government agencies and nonprofits working to increase women’s participation in IT.

NCWIT seeks high-school-level young women to apply for the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing! The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors young women active and interested in computing and encourages them to pursue their passion for technology.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/ncwit-award-for-aspirations-in.html

Fundraising Tip: How To Bring More Donors To Your Cause

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is convinced that our cause is a worthy one. After all, if our nation is to win the future then STEM-based programs like we have in 45 cities around the nation are a key component. As such, our challenge is getting IT professionals and other African Americans to see what we're all about. How can we attract more eyeballs to our online message?

I think that the following fundraising tip provides some excellent ideas for getting more donors to check out your nonprofit organization (or local BDPA chapter).

Apply for a Google Grant

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/fundraising-tip-how-to-bring-more.html

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA Columbus earns 3rd Place in national competition!!!

Posted by Ricardo Wilkins on 7 Aug 2011

The results are in! As we close out the 33rd Annual BDPA National Conference and High School Computer Competition, I’m proud to announce that the BDPA Columbus high school team scored THIRD PLACE this year out of 19 participating teams!

Click here for more:

http://www.rixbits.com/2011/08/bdpa-columbus-earns-3rd-place-in.html

Take Five: Monique Berry (BDPA Philadelphia)

National BDPA president-elect Monique Berry has been a leader for many years. She is now only a few months away from becoming the national president of the most dynamic association of African American Information Technology professionals in the universe.

We asked Monique to share some insights with us as part of our ongoing 'Take Five' interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/take-five-monique-berry-bdpa.html

Bemley Scholar Courtney Elzy Heads to Illinois State University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has given out hundreds of college scholarships over the year. It never gets old! There are BETF scholarship winners attending major colleges and universities all over the nation.

Today we learn that Courtney Elzy -- a member of the 2008 BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Championship bronze-medalists trained by BDPA Chicago chapter -- plans to use her Jesse Bemley Scholarship to study graphics design at Illinois State University.

Courtney shared insights on her BDPA experience with us:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/bemley-scholar-courtney-elzy-heads-to.html

Fundraising Tip: How to Raise Money on Facebook

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) first joined Facebook back in May 2008. We have discussed Facebook in one way or another quite often via this blog. However, we have never been able to raise any serious money on Facebook. Has your nonprofit organization or local BDPA chapter had success raising money on Facebook?

I think that the following fundraising tip may be a helpful reminder to all of us nonprofit advocates who still think that Facebook is for kids.

Create and Tap Your Social Network

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/fundraising-tip-how-to-raise-money-on.html

Facebook Marketing

by Kai Dupe

A couple of weeks ago I was having breakfast with a friend at a restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. The food was delicious. I remember thinking to myself I can’t wait to tell my friends about this place. So after we finished eating I decided to ask the proprietor if he had a Facebook page.

His answer was "Yes, but it is more trouble that it’s worth”. Translation; He does have a Facebook page but he does not do anything to manage the content. How tragic! I was so shocked by this statement that I could not stop ranting to my friend on the drive home about how we continue to miss out on opportunities in business because we are not taking advantage of important technologies like social media.

Click here for more:

http://whereareblacksintechnology.blogspot.com/2011/08/facebook-marketing.html

Reflections on BDPA Dignitaries Reception

I spent a few hours yesterday at the BDPA Dignitaries Reception sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. It was a remarkable gathering of IT talent. BDPA founder Earl Pace began the evening with a poignant toast to the work being done by BDPA volunteers and Corporate America in the efforts to advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/reflections-on-bdpa-dignitaries.html

Fundraising Tip: How To Raise More Money Online

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) exists to raise money to support BDPA programs all over the nation. Our story of helping young people win the future by working with them on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs is a powerful one. Our challenge is turning the power of that story into donations to our nonprofit. We need to do a much better job in meeting our fundraising goals.

I think that the following fundraising tip may be a helpful reminder to all of us that work with nonprofits that are doing good works.

Make Your Donation Button Shine

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/fundraising-tip-how-to-raise-more-money.html

Fundraising Tip: Map Donations to Impact

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) spends so much time interacting with the students, volunteers and IT professionals that participate in our programs ... sometimes we take it for granted. One thing that we're learning is that we cannot take for granted the impact that our BDPA programs and services are having on the lives of real people around the country. In fact, we need to do a much better job of documenting the impact we are making if we want to do better in meeting our fundraising goals.

I think that the following fundraising tip may be a helpful reminder to all of us that work with nonprofits that are doing good works.

How to Build Loyal, Happy Donors

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/08/fundraising-tip-map-donations-to-impact.html

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Cloud Computing: 2011 NBDPA Technology Conference‏

This year we have the three presentations on Cloud Computing at the National BDPA Conference.

Thursday – 08/04/2011 from 2:15pm to 3:45pm

Is Your Future Cloudy?

James Miller, PMO Project Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Professional / Career Development - Open Source Development and Solutions - Enterprise Technology & Trends

Thursday – 08/04/2011 from 4:15pm to 5:30 pm

Private Cloud Computing: The Real Story

Karl Scott, Principal Consultant, Akili Systems, Inc

Business Intelligence, Enterprise Technology & Trends

Friday – 08/05/2011 from 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm

The Value of the Cloudin the Business Technology Ecology

Jambey Clinkscales, Program Manager, HP

Business Intelligence, Enterprise Technology & Trends

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/cloud-computing-2011-nbdpa-technology.html

BDPA iRadio Show - July 12, 2011

The BDPA iRadio Show creates a vibrant communications platform that speaks to all BDPA stakeholders. We have an exciting line-up for our show on July 12.

Guests

1. Earl Pace, Founder BDPA; Chairman of the Board BDPA Education and Technology Foundation; CEO Pace Data Systems
2. Marybeth Gasman, Professor, University of Pennsylvania
3. Wesley Williams, Student Programs Director, BDPA Atlanta
4. Pablo More, Chapter President, BDPA Orlando

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/07/bdpa-iradio-show-july-12-2011.html

Blacks Gone Geek Live! 2011 National BDPA Conference

Careers in Technology and much, much more

The objective of this workshop is to inspire you to embrace and effectively use Information Technology inyour academic pursuitsand professional career.

Careers in Technology and much, much more

Who:Milt Haynes, Founder, Blacks Gone Geek [bio]

Date:Friday, August 5, 2011

Time:2:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.

Where:Hilton Chicago

Room:TBD

Address:720 South Michigan,Chicago, IL 60605

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/blacks-gone-geek-live-2011-national.html

President Profile: Toni Love (BDPA St. Louis)

BDPA St. Louis chapter was founded in January 1989. It is a chapter for which we have very little documented history. One thing we do know is that the chapter has done very well over the past few years under the leadership of its current president -- Toni Love.

Toni has been a BDPA member for over 20 years. She served as president of the BDPA St. Louis chapter since 2009. Under her leadership the chapter has been very active with program meetings, youth education programs and annual banquets to honor its members, students and volunteers. Toni works closely with the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to raise scholarship funds for the student members in her chapter.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/07/president-profile-toni-love-bdpa-st.html

Gregory Morrison- BDPA Epsilon Award Winner

Gregory Morrison, senior vice president and chief information officer, Cox Enterprises is the winner of the 2011 Epsilon Career Achievement Award presented by National BDPA.

BDPA Epsilon Awards recognize individual achievement by technologists who are nominated by BDPA chapters or corporate sponsors.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/07/gregory-morrison-career-achievement.html

BDPA Legacy: Wesley Williams (BDPA Atlanta)

BDPA created the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) over 25 years ago. There have been thousands of students taking part in regional and national championships since that time. There have been hundreds of HSCC coordinators and volunteer instructors. However, there may be only one person who has participated in the HSCC for as long or as well as its founder, Dr. Jesse Bemley. That person is Wesley Williams.

Wesley Williams has been a proud member of the BDPA organization since 2001. His membership originated with the Memphis chapter, as a student in the HSCC program. He worked his way up through the rank to become a member of the Memphis HSCC team. In fact, Wesley was part of the first-ever HSCC championship won by BDPA Memphis chapter.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/07/bdpa-legacy-wesley-williams-bdpa.html

Grant Recipient: BDPA Los Angeles ($5,141)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) works hard to raise money to support BDPA programs and services around the nation. One of the local chapters that works hand-in-glove with BETF over the past few years has been BDPA Los Angeles. This year is no exception.

That is why it feels good to announce that BETF approved a $5,141 funding request from BDPA Los Angeles chapter president John Malonson and chapter VP-Finance David Malonson. The Malonson brothers indicate that the funding will be used to provide airfare, lodging and registration for the chapter's national high school computer competition (HSCC) team.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/07/grant-recipient-bdpa-los-angeles-5141.html

Hustle Hard

by Milt Haynes

If you are unemployed or underemployed, this post is for you.

I was laid off from my job on in mid-January of this year and I’m still looking. It’s been 6 months but I’m not worried. I’m willing to put in the extra time and effort to find my ideal job. Are you in a dead end job? Are you unemployed and worried about finding your next job? Is your money running short? Check out ourIT Job Seekers forum (http://blacksgonegeek.org/JobSeekerFocusGroup.aspx). Help is only a click away!

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/hustle-hard.html

BDPA National Conference Career Fair Registration Now Open

Are you taking your career in a new direction?

...or are you just entering the workforce?

...or are you undecided about your career path?

Then this EXPO is for you!!

August 5-6, 2011

Chicago Hilton

720 S. Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60605

Click here to download the Career Fair Flyer to give to a friend:

http://www.bdpa.org/resource/resmgr/2011_National_Conference/2011Flyeronly.pdf

Click here to register for the Friday event:

http://www.bdpa.org/event/Career_Expo_Friday

Click here to register for the Saturday event:

http://www.bdpa.org/event/Career_Expo_Saturday

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Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA Detroit Chapter Wins 2011 Midwest Regional HSCC Championship

In the new global economy, America needs a workforce with the knowledge and skills to compete. A new workforce of problem solvers, innovators and inventors who are self-reliant and able to think logically is one of the crucial foundations that drive innovation capacity in the nation. A key to developing these skills is strengthening science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competencies in every student and worker.

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/06/bdpa-detroit-chapter-wins-2011-midwest.html

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/06/bdpa-midwest-regional-high-school.html

Cincinnati students excel at BDPA Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition

Contributed By: Wayne Hicks | BDPA Education and Technology Foundation

BDPA Cincinnati chapter (www.bdpa-cincy.org), a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals who advance the careers of African Americans from the classroom to the boardroom, stepped up to the challenge by hosting a BDPA Midwest Regional High School Computer Competition (HSCC) and IT Showcase held at Cincinnati State Technical College on June 11, 2011.

Students from Cincinnati, Columbus, Detroit and Los Angeles gathered for an opportunity to compete in oral exams, written tests, presentations and web-based design/programming projects.

Click here for more:

http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=182197&cid=100211

BDPA iRadio Show - June 14, 2011

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) successfully produced its first Internet radio show! BETF is extremely grateful toFranne McNeal who served as the host of theBDPA iRadio Show.Frannewas able to smoothly handle all of the challenges of bringing the BDPA message out to an international audience via BlogTalkRadio.

Our plan is to produceBDPA iRadio Showon the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. We hope that you will support our efforts. Here isthe first showfor your enjoyment!

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/06/bdpa-iradio-show-june-14-2011.html

BDPA Member-Get-A-Member Drive - Grand Prize is an Apple iPad

BDPA recently launched its new 2011 Member-Get-A-Member Recruitment Drive with an Apple iPad as the grand prize! Current members are the ideal ambassadors to communicate the advantages of joining BDPA to prospective members, and those who participate by telling friends and colleagues about BDPA may be eligible for valuable gifts and special recognition. BDPA's Online Member-Get-A-Member program is interactive, easy to use, and rewards members for helping to recruit new members. The drive ends December 31, 2011.

Welcome to the 2011 BDPA Member-Get-A-Member Drive-- your opportunity to share the value of a BDPA membership with your friends and colleagues, and receive free gifts in the process!

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/06/bdpa-member-get-member-drive-grand.html

Are Blacks More Likely Than Whites to Support Causes Online?

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has established a number of online fundraisers via social networks in the past few years. As such we were intrigued by a new survey that claims ethnicity is a factor in how people perceive charitable and political causes they encounter on social networks and whether they go on to get involved with those causes. [SOURCE]

Out of 2,000 participants in the survey, 30 percent of Black adults and 39 percent of Hispanics said they were more likely to support online causes rather than causes they encountered offline; 24 percent of whites said the same.

The study was released by Georgetown University’s Center for Social Impact Communication and Ogilvy PR, a public-relations company.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/06/are-blacks-more-likely-than-whites-to.html

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Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

STEM Education Needs a Makeover

from BDPA Foundation Blog by Wayne Hicks

Faye Anderson lays out a compelling argument for the makeover that needs to take place in science, technology education and math (STEM) education if America hopes to win the future. I encourage you to check out her blog post.

Do you agree with her analysis? What STEM education changes would you like to see made in BDPA at local or national level?

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/06/stem-education-needs-makeover.html

How Google Increased Your Gmail Security

from Clark Thought Leadership by Julius Clark

In January of 2010, Google made HTTPS encryption a default security setting for Gmail users email session via a webpage. (See Link Below)

• http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/default-https-access-for-gmail.html

This was a positive move, because it greatly reduces the risk of someone eavesdropping on your communications with Gmail. Gmail users privacy was increased significantly, which will cause a reduction in personal information breaches.
Note: Now this enhanced security can be defeated if you are using a computer that has malware that can steal your keystrokes or clicking on unfamiliar links on websites and in email that can hijack your computer and use the HTTPS security to protect their misdeeds.

Click here for more:

http://clarkthoughtleadership.blogspot.com/2011/05/how-google-increased-your-gmail.html

Behind the Scenes of My Interview With Keisha Jordan

Posted by MartyBLOGs

Dare to be different. Change your life with an "actionist” attitude.

Our final project assignment for my DC489 "The Big Picture” class was to interview a person in the field of entertainment. I organized my project by prospecting my LinkedIn connections list for potential interview candidates. I specifically researched some of the artists that I have reached out to via social media and found a couple of candidates with interesting profiles whose careers I wanted to know more about. Senior Art director Keisha Jordan of Common Ground Marketing was one of those who responded.

A couple of things stood out about Keisha. First, her artsy profile picture caught my attention. Instead of a head shot she uses a hand sketch of her face as her profile picture on LinkedIn. That instantly made her stand out from pretty much everyone else on my list (See why you should never leave your profile picture space blank?). It was proof enough to me that she was a serious artist so she was an immediate candidate. The other factor was that we could talk shop about the digital tools we use for our different artistic pursuits. Here’s the interview. Take a look and I’ll continue on the other side.

Click here for more:

http://www.martyblogs.com/2011/06/02/youtube/behind-the-scenes-of-my-interview-with-keisha-jordan/

BDPA National Conference Career Fair Registration Now Open

Are you taking your career in a new direction?

...or are you just entering the workforce?

...or are you undecided about your career path?

Then this EXPO is for you!!

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

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Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Announcing BDPA 2011 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology Award Winners

The National BDPA, Black Data Processing Associates (www.bdpa.org), and WorkplaceDiversity.com (www.WorkplaceDiversity.com), the source for diversity talent, announced the 2011 Best Companies for Blacks in Technology Award Winners.

• Allstate Insurance
• American Airlines
• BlueCross BlueShield of IL, NM, OK, & TX
• Intel
• Johnson & Johnson
• Merck
• Northrop Grumman
• State Farm Insurance
• Wal-Mart Stores
• WellPoint
• Wells Fargo

Click here for more:

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?2011CorporateEpsilon

Announcing 2011 BDPA Individual Epsilon Award Winners

BDPA Epsilon Awards Recognizing Individual Achievement are awarded to technologists who are nominated by BDPA Chapters or sponsor government organizations, companies and corporations.

Nominees were selected for awards in following categories:

1. Professional Achievement,
2. Career Achievement,
3. Outstanding Technical Contribution,
4. Community Service

2011 Individual Epsilon Award Winners

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

Vince Edwards, Architect, State Farm Insurance Company

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT

Gregory Morrison, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Cox Enterprises

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION

Stephen Paskel, Assistant Vice President, Technology Manager, Wells Fargo

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Millie Liggins, IT-Implementations Lead, Walgreen Company

Michele Cheatham, Vice President, Technology Manager, Wells Fargo

Click here for more:

Black Family Technology Awareness Week (New York)

BDPA New York chapteris truly reaching out to the community in their effort to provide access to technology education for everyone. This was never more evident than earlier this year when the chapter had the most powerful BDPA program in the nation during Black Family Technology Awareness Week (BFTAW).

Here is avideo reviewof the chapter's BFTAW program:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/black-family-technology-awareness-week.html

President Profile: Michael Tyson (BDPA Baltimore)

BDPA Baltimore chapterwas chartered in June 1987. Some of the most accomplished BDPA Baltimore chapter members include past national presidentDenise Holland(Amtrak) and current BDPA Education and Technology Foundation directorJohn Eckenrode(CPSI). The chapter also trained a team of high school students who finished in 6th place at the2009 national High School Computer Competition championshipsheld in Raleigh, NC.

The best is yet to come for BDPA Baltimore chapter... they are the proud host of the2012 National BDPA Technology Conference. The leader of BDPA Baltimore chapter is its president --Michael Tyson.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/president-profile-michael-tyson-bdpa.html

Take Five: Steve Gutter (BDPA Cincinnati)

We are reaching out to various volunteers to get their thoughts on BDPA. One of those volunteers is Steve Gutter. Steve is a developer for The Kroger Company. He joinedBDPA Cincinnati chapterin 2002 as a volunteer for weekend technology training provided to local high school students. He took the leadership role in the annual BDPA Midwest Regional conferences held in Cincinnati, OH from 2003-2007. He was elected by the membership to serve as the chapter’s VP-Finance from 2006-2010. Steve has won a number of awards with BDPA, includingMember of the Year, Executive Officer of the Year and a Community Service Award.

Steve was recently appointed to serve as BDPA Cincinnati chapter's VP-Strategy & Planning. He shared his thoughts as part of ourTake Five interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/take-five-steve-gutter-cincinnati.html

The Ugly Truth About Jobs

My previous post on Congressman Jessie Jackson Jr's remarks regarding the iPad produced a few very interesting comments. I enjoyed reading them very much and I invite others to join as I think this is the conversation we need to have.

At at time that we are constantly hearing from the Urban League that unemployment among African Americans are at record highs, and that President Obama needs to focus on jobs and job creation we need to understand what job creation means in the 21st century.

Click here for more:

http://whereareblacksintechnology.blogspot.com/2011/05/ugly-truth-about-jobs.html

BDPA National Conference Career Fair Registration Now Open

Are you taking your career in a new direction?

...or are you just entering the workforce?

...or are you undecided about your career path?

Then this EXPO is for you!!

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

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Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA National Conference Career Fair Registration Now Open

Are you taking your career in a new direction?

...or are you just entering the workforce?

...or are you undecided about your career path?

Then this EXPO is for you!!

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

Subscribe to Blacks Gone Geek Blog via email:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=blogspot/BlacksGoneGeek&loc=en_US

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Eli Lilly Scholarship for BDPA Students, Deadline: July 1, 2011

The BDPA Education and Technology Foundationis proud to open up the application periodfor any graduating high school student or current college student interested in the2011 Eli Lilly and Company Scholarship for BDPA Students!

The purpose of the Lilly/BDPA Scholarship is to recognizeoutstanding minority students, with an interest in information technology, who make significant contributions to society.Applicants must excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential, and make an impact on theircommunities through service to others.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/eli-lilly-scholarship-for-bdpa-students.html

bdpatoday May 2011 Local Chapter Edition

A Media Event Royale – SEO Target Marketing

Government 2.0

TeraGrid ‘11

"Hacking” Career Day

BDPA Supports Teacher Appreciation Month

NBDPA Increases HBCU and Minority Serving Institution (HBCU/MSI) Participation

BDPA IT Institute – 2011 Enrollment Periods

Techie Camp

SiriusXM Satellite Radio Career Opportunities

Endgame for the World’s Most Wanted?

Click here for more:

http://www.bdpatoday.org/11/MAY11-Newsletter_Final.pdf

Take Five: Will Bundy (BDPA Rhode Island)

There have been thousands of BDPA leaders, members and supporters over the years. Each of them have added value to the organization. It would be difficult to name the 'top 10' of these people when it came to influencing the growth and evolution of our national organization.If asked to create that list ... methinks that I would place Dr. William Bundyon the list.

Dr. Bundy is aNaval War College Professorand a retired Navy captain. He was the first African American to rise from the enlisted ranks to command a submarine and the third African American to command a submarine.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/take-five-will-bundy-rhode-island.html

Corporate Board Census Shows Significant Decline in Seats Held by African Americans

I have served on a number of nonprofit boards in my time. I have not had a chance to serve on a corporate board in my career.It appears thatvery few people of color are getting the opportunityto serve on corporate boards.

At least that is the conclusion reached in thecorporate board censusby the Alliance for Board Diversity (ABD).

ABDreporteda surprising decline in the combined number of seats for women and people of color on the boards of the nation’s leading corporations.The largest decline was among Blacks. This year’s report found that in the Fortune 100 between 2004 and 2010,African Americans lost over 40 board seats while white men increased their presence on corporate boards, adding over 30.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/corporate-board-census-shows.html

Multiple Personalities in Social Media

Posted by Ricardo Wilkins on 15 May 2011

I recently decided to start shifting my SharePoint-related postsover to anew blog, instead of here at RixBits.com. My main concern was that I had [at least] two very different types of content that I was producing at RixBits, and I felt it was time to stop mixing them. SharePoint, while a very popular topic, certainly has a smaller and more specific audience than many of the other general techie topics I blog about. I wanted to make sure that anyone coming to RixBits to read abouttablet PCs, or about howApple is overrated, would not be confused when they see a post related toSharePoint team development using InfoPath. :)

But as I thought about it a little more, I realized how important the idea of multiple personalities is to social media……

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/05/multiple-personalities-in-social-media.html

10 Things HR Won't Tell You About Your Resume

byAOL Jobs Contributor,PostedApr 5th 2011 @ 9:57AM

You're Unemployable After ...'

The rest of that sentence is one of those things hiring managers know but won't share -- usually.

1. Once you'reunemployedmore than six months, you're considered pretty much unemployable.
2. When it comes to getting a job, who you know really does matter
3. If you're trying to get a job at a specific company, often the best thing to do is to avoid HR entirely.
4. People assume someone's reading their cover letter.
5. We will judge you based on your e-mail address.
6. If you're in your 50s or 60s, don't put the year you graduated on your resume.
7. There's a myth out there that a resume has to be one page.
8. I always readresumesfrom the bottom up.
9. Most of us use applicant-tracking systems that scan resumes for key words.
10. Resumes don't need color to stand out.

Click here for more:

http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/04/05/10-things-hr-wont-tell-you-about-your-resume/

Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion; creates new business division

Therumors were right . Microsoft announced on May 10 that it bought Skype, an Internet communications vendor, for $8.5 billion.

Instead of trying to mash Skype into an existing Microsoft business division, the company has decided tocreate a new, separate Skype business division , with Skype CEO Tony Bates as the newly minted President. Bates will report directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

In its press release announcing the deal, Microsoft played up the potential synergies between Skype and its own communications offerings, including its Lync VOIP platform, Outlook mail, Messenger instant-messaging, Hotmail Web mail and Xbox Live gaming service.

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/05/microsoft-buys-skype-for-85-billion.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

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Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Blacks Gone Geek Live! "Why Go Geek?" Survey

Please share your opinion onmy "Why Go Geek?" presentation for the 2011 National Conference.

Act now! Survey closes May 16th.

Clickhereto take the survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WhyGoGeek

Hi All,

In light of the current economic climate, how do you see the job outlook for technology workers in 2012? What is the one thing that technology workers and job seekers must do in order to successfully advance their careers in 2012?

I’m presenting new developments for "Careers in IT” at the 2011 National BDPA Conference and I’m asking for your input to tailor my PowerPoint presentation.

It’s your opinion that matters. Please take this short 3-minute survey. Survey results will be published on Blacks Gone Geek website.

http://blacksgonegeek.org/20110NationalBDPAConference.aspx

Thanks,

Milt Haynes, Founder
Blacks Gone Geek

Click here for more:

http://blacksgonegeek.blogspot.com/2011/05/blacks-gone-geek-live-why-go-geek.html

Bemley Scholar Titus Thomas Heads to Bowie State University

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has given outover 85 Jesse Bemley Scholarshipsvalued at $154,000 since 1999totalented high school studentswith a passion for science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) education. We are proud of all of these young men and women.

Titus Thomas is our next Bemley Scholar.

He is a 3-time participant in the National BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships as a member of two chapters (Northern Virginiaand Washington DC). Titus will use his Bemley Scholarship to defray expenses for attendingBowie State University.He shared his thoughts on BDPA with us:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/bemley-scholar-titus-thomas-heads-to.html

Take Five: Zack Garbow (Southern Minnesota)

Most of the people that we know are able to 'talk the talk'. Only a handful of folks are able to 'walk the walk'.Zack Garbowis a young man who has walked the walk for many years as the technical coordinator and HSCC instructor withBDPA Southern Minnesota chapter.

The students that he trained have won the national High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championship in five of the past six years ... and they won the silver medal in that other year! His students have matriculated with over $50,000 in Jesse Bemley Scholarships to educational institutions like Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, Marist College, Rice University, University of Minnesota and Washington University in St. Louis. Zack is truly a remarkable BDPA volunteer who has made a difference in the lives of dozens of our student members.

We asked Zack to share some of his thoughts on BDPA in our Take Five interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/take-five-zack-garbow-southern.html

HSCC Testimonial: Alex Tolbert (Cleveland, 2007-2009)

BDPA Cleveland chapter hasa rich history. In the past few years the chapter has made a concerted effort to teach programming and web development skills to high school students.One of the star pupils has been Alex Tolbert. Alex represented the chapter in the national High School Student Competition (HSCC) championships held in Washington DC(2007),Atlanta(2008) and Raleigh(2009). His team finished as high as 6th place.

Alex shared his thoughts about BDPA with us:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/hscc-testimonial-alex-tolbert-cleveland.html

HP Slate 500: Using OneNote on the desktop and tablet

Posted by Ricardo Wilkins on8May2011

I’ve often said that anyone who doesn’t understand what’s so cool about a tablet PC and a pen is probably someone who’s never used a tablet & pen with Microsoft OneNote. OneNote lets me store all my handwritten notes in one searchable location, including screenshots, documents, and even audio & video recordings (imagine recording the meeting you’re sitting in, and having OneNote keep track of the point in the audio at which you write each of your notes). Another way to think about – think Franklin Covey notebook without all the physical paper to keep track of. ; )

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/05/hp-slate-500-using-onenote-on-desktop.html

More Effective LinkedIn Connection Building

Published on May 7th, 2011

Posted byMartyinLinkedIn,social media

If you’re new to LinkedIn and you’re wondering how to make connections after you’ve filled out your profile, let me suggest an easy approach.

The first thing you should do is join groups (the Groups link) of interest to you, be they professional, hobby or otherwise. Just make them fit your purpose. LinkedIn allows you to join 50 groups so take the time to max them out.

As you begin to add groups take some time to look through the membership listing of each for interesting profiles of people you might want to network with. When you find an interesting potential contact send them a connection request. You can use the common group you’re in as the basis for reaching out.

Click here for more:

http://www.martyblogs.com/2011/05/07/linkedin/more-effective-linkedin-connection-building/

The Great Debate: High Tech vs. High Touch

byApril Gillespie, Catalyst for Everlasting Change

and Founder/CEO ofStarseed Consulting

In the 21st century, this age of information technology, we are surrounded by gadgets that allow us to stay connected. The question is how much connecting are we really doing?

With 2,000 friends on Facebook, 800 connections on LinkedIn and 4,000 followers onTwitter, how well are we really connecting with our fellow man?

The Great Debate has begun.How is technology affecting our relationships in our family life, businesses and with friends?

About a year ago, a mentor of mine by the name ofJeff Olsonspoke on this topic – High Tech vs. High Touch - at a large self improvement conference in Chicago. Jeff Olson is world renown for his best-selling personal development book,The Slight Edge, but he is also a leadership expert, business philosopher, motivational speaker, billionaire entrepreneur and personal development coach to those like Oprah Winfrey, Donald Trump and more. As a student of the personal development industry I quickly became fascinated by the struggle human beings are enduring today to balance technology and personal relationships.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/05/great-debate-high-tech-vs-high-touch.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

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http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=blogspot/BlacksGoneGeek&loc=en_US

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

The Tech Pioneer Who Dared to Speak out Against Racism in IT

Posted byDon Tennant

TheIT Hall of Fame, which is administered by the IT trade associationCompTIA, has bestowed the honor on Earl Pace, co-founder ofBlack Data Processing Associates and chairman of the board of trustees of theBDPA Education and Technology Foundation. I had the pleasure of conducting anin-depth interviewwith Pace a couple of years ago, and I was heartened by the fact that he had no inclination to steer away from the issue of racism in IT.

Pace said it’s probably more subtle than it used to be, but it’s still very much a problem that confronts the IT community.

Click here for more:

http://www.itbusinessedge.com/cm/blogs/tennant/the-tech-pioneer-who-dared-to-speak-out-against-racism-in-it/?cs=46346

BDPA Los Angeles Member Reviews Online Tutorial for BDPA Students

Temitope Sonuyiis a member of ourBDPA Los Angeles chapter.He joined BDPA because he saw it as an organization devoted to the service of educating young people. This fit with his personal desire to assist in the spread of knowledge to those who don't have the resources and opportunities and those thatWANTto learn.

Therefore, it is not a surprise that Temitope was interested in bringing 'best practices' from other BDPA chapters to support the efforts of training young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)initiatives within BDPA Los Angeles chapter.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/bdpa-los-angeles-member-reviews-online.html

Member on the Move: Prince Ellis (BDPA Cincinnati)

BDPAis all about the advancement in careers made by people of African descent in the Information Technology (IT) industry from the 'classroom to the boardroom'.As such, we are proud to share some news about the upward mobility of BDPA Cincinnati VP-FinancePrince Ellis.

Prince recently accepted a promotion to Department Chair of Information Technology at Brown Mackie College (BMC). Prince joined BMC in 2007 as an IT adjunct instructor and was later promoted to full-time instructor. He holds a B.S in Finance and a Master of Science in Information Systems from Northern Kentucky University. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctoral Degree from Argosy University in Business Technology. He serves on various committees at BMC including the Faculty Development Leadership Team, Professional Learning Committee, Blended Task Force Committee, and Library Advisory Committee for IT / Computer Networking.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/member-on-move-prince-ellis-bdpa.html

Kroger's Steve Gutter joins BDPA Cincinnati Board of Directors

Cincinnatti.com Article Contributed By: Wayne Hicks | Hicks Enterprises

Black Data Processing Associates' Cincinnati chapter has announced the newest members of its board of directors.

Steve Gutter, a developer in the Software Engineering Department at The Kroger Company, has been appointed to serve as BDPA’s vice president of strategy and planning.

BDPA is a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals who advance the careers of African Americans from the classroom to the boardroom.

Gutter joined BDPA in 2002 as a volunteer for weekend technology training provided to local high school students. He took the leadership role in the annual BDPA Midwest Regional conferences held in Cincinnati, OH from 2003-2007.

Click here for more:

http://local.cincinnati.com/share/news/story.aspx?sid=180304&cid=100112

BDPA Brotha on Promoting Your Chapter to Local Media

by Wayne Hicks

I have been in BDPA since 1988. Some of y'all refer to me as theBDPA Brotha! One of the constant concerns that I hear expressed by most local chapters is that they are the 'best-kept secret' in their community and industry.Perhaps it it time to remember that there are still ol' school marketing opportunities with your local media.

Media are constantly looking for new stories and information that will interest their audiences. Chances are, your town has at least one major newspaper, several smaller papers, a few TV stations, a bunch of radio stations, and at least one cable company. Here are a few things to consider:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/bdpa-brotha-on-promoting-your-chapter.html

Leadership in Information Technology – 4 Questions

by V_LAN Technologies

Social media — digital consumption is here to stay!! IT senior management must define how the enterprise will do business in a digital economy. IT initiatives can no longer have a functional/vertical implementation; but must cross all business lines. The demand to access data globally means the organization cannot "afford” to ignore Business Process Management and standardization.

Regrettably, too many CEOs are not in step with their CIOs and other senior IT executives when the long-range strategic planning begins and the question: "How to do we manage IT” is addressed. They are not just on the wrong page but often not in the same book!!! How do you get all of the executive stakeholders reading from the same script? Propose the following four critical path questions and begin to implement a strategy that will provide your organization with a high-quality Information Management plan, cost-effective service delivery that includes … data mining, mobile, social media, virtualization, blogging, posting and most importantly, "like”. Like will define your focus group for free!!!!

Click here for more:

http://vlantec.com/?p=335

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

Subscribe to Blacks Gone Geek Blog via email:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=blogspot/BlacksGoneGeek&loc=en_US

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

First Annual BDPA IT-oLogy Scholarship Awarded to Charlotte High School Student

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) and the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Managementawarded the first annual BDPA IT-oLogy scholarship to Jerron Jamerson.

Jamerson was selected based on the quality of his application, essay and letters of recommendation. In his essay, Jerron wrote, "Continuous advances in computer science have helped to make business processes more efficient and technology more cost effective for consumers, while computer applications become more and more user-friendly.”Jamerson, a senior at Phillip O’Berry Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina, plans use thisone-time $2,000 scholarshipto study Computer Science at South Carolina State University.

The scholarship was offered to student members ofNational BDPA. Applicants had to excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential and make an impact on their communities through service to others. Applicants had to be high school seniors from South Carolina or North Carolina or planning to attend a college in either of these two states.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-annual-bdpa-it-ology-scholarship.html

How Compuware Helps BDPA Detroit Help Young Programmers

by Compuware "Community Clicks”

For more than 20 years, Compuware has been a major supporter of Black Data Processing Associates, and especially the organization’s National High School Computer Competition.

Founded in 1975, BDPA is a national non-profit organization of minority professionals working in the computer science and information technology fields. There are 40 active chapters, including BDPA Detroit, which is committed to delivering IT excellence to its members, strategic partners and community.

Developing the talents of young people is a priority for Anquanette Clegg, a Compuware Service Delivery Group project manager and also the company’s national liaison for BDPA Detroit.

Developing the talents of young people is a priority for Anquanette Clegg, a Compuware Service Delivery Group project manager and also the company’s national liaison for BDPA Detroit.

Click here for more:

http://communityclicks.compuware.com/bdpa.html

Message from BDPA Los Angeles Chapter President

Dear Members,

Tired of wondering which platform is the BEST? We finally settle the argument! Whether you have a smart phone, tablet, or are in the market for one; weinvite you to join usfor this month's program meeting,'Apple iOS vs. Google Android: Mobility Smackdown'taking place on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.

Each month we celebrate the talents and services of our most exceptional members. This month, we recognizeTemitope Sonuyi, our High School Computer Competition Lead Instructor.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/message-from-los-angeles-chapter.html

Take Five: Wanda Gray (BDPA Cincinnati)

by Wayne Hicks, BDPA Foundation

I've known BDPA Cincinnati chapter presidentWanda Grayfor a number of years. She was gracious enough to serve as the chapter's VP-Membership Management back when I was its chapter president. Our chapter had the 2nd-largest number of members in the nation during her tenure. Later I worked with Wanda when she was opening up a soul food restaurant and a IT consultancy.

I anticipate great things happening under her leadership asBDPA Cincinnatichapter president. I'm grateful that she agreed to participate in our ongoingTake Five interview series.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/take-five-wanda-gray-cincinnati.html

Tech jobs boom like it's 1999

by Jon Swartz, USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Some 20 recruiters sized up Scott Mersy as they would a star high school running back. But instead of timing his 40-yard dash or checking his percentage of body fat, they were interested in his stats in cloud computing and online marketing.

Prospective employers from Silicon Valley to New York lined up for the 5-foot-11 225-pound Mersy, who weighed offers from several of them before settling on Service-now.com, a cloud-computing company in San Diego.

"It’s as close as I’ll ever get to feeling like an athlete of any sort,” Mersy, 40, says, laughing. He joined as senior director of customer acquisition and industry marketing in February.

Click here for more:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2011-04-20-tech-jobs-booming.htm

Nominations Open for 2011 Black Weblog Awards (Apr 18 - May 7)

by Wayne Hicks, BDPA Foundation

We want to encourage all of our blog readers to take a moment to support the 2011 Black Weblog Awards. You have the ability to nominate your favorite blogsabout any and every topic. The nomination service is open through May 7th. Not only do we want you to make nominations ...but, we hope that you will spread the word about this online award program to others in your sphere of influence.

Nominations:

• Nominations are open from April 18 - May 7
• The official Nomination site ishere.
• You provide the web address (URL) for your favorite blog in each category as well as your name and email address on the nomination form and that's it.
• There are 37 categories.

Voting:

• Finalists will be announced the week of May 15
• Online voting commences May 16 – June 17.
• Again, you will need to cast your vote (your valid email address will confirm you are a person and not a bot).

Winners will be announced live at the Black Weblog Awards Ceremony during the 2011 Blogging While Brown Conference in Los Angeles, California.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/nominations-open-for-2011-black-weblog.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

Subscribe to Blacks Gone Geek Blog via email:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=blogspot/BlacksGoneGeek&loc=en_US

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

Member on the Move: Coram Rimes (BDPA New Jersey)

BDPA New Jersey chapterpast presidentCoram Rimesserves as commissioner for the Orange (NJ) Housing Authority.He was recently recognized by the National League of Cities (NLC) for reaching the Platinum level in its Certificate of Achievement in Leadership program.This is a certification level reached by only a few NLC members since its inception in 1999.

NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans. As part of the NLC mission to create stronger communities, the Leadership Training Institute provides local officials, like Coram, with the professional development opportunities to assist then in promoting positive change and innovation within their communities. At the same time, seminars are designed to explore the nature and practice of local governmental leadership.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/member-on-move-coram-rimes-bdpa-new.html

Bemley Scholar James Arama Heads to Marist College

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to learn that 2-time national BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championJames Aramais using hisJesse Bemley Scholarshipto help fund his freshman year at Marist College. James is studying computer science and software development at Marist College, as well as applying his knowledge tohis own entrepreneurial venture.

We asked James to share his thoughts about his experiences as a member of theBDPA Southern Minnesota chapter.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/bemley-scholar-james-arama-heads-to.html

BETF Blog Take Five: Dalric Webb (Cincinnati)

There are many members, officers and leaders around the country who are volunteering their time, talent and energy to support the growth ofBDPA. This blog plans to take some time to ask these folks about their thoughts about past, present and future of BDPA.


Dalric Webb, an Engineering Information Technology manager at GE Aviation, recently joined the leadership teamofBDPA Cincinnatias the chapter's VP-Membership Management. Dalric is an MCSE+I and received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Hampton University, his Masters in Information Technology from Capella University, and his MBA with a concentration in Information Management from Grantham University. BDPA expects Dalric to provide the leadership and inspiration necessary to grow the membership ofa chapter with a rich BDPA history.

Dalric shared some of his thoughts on BDPA with us in the followingTake Five interview.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/take-five-dalric-webb-cincinnati.html

Computer Resource Solutions Changes Identity to The CRS Group

Computer Resource Solutions has changed its corporate identity toThe CRS Group. This change coincides with the development of several new and enhanced service offerings and capabilities of the firm, which will have a name that embraces a more global service offering.

CRS is also committed to enhancing the education of youth within the technology spectrum and has partnered with a variety of community organizations to support their goals. In addition to being involved in such organizations, CRS has been a proud sponsor ofBDPA Chicagofor their various initiatives for over 15 years. CRS employees are also active members of BDPA Chicago's Corporate Advisory Council.

Click here for more:

http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/11/04/p1003259/computer-resource-solutions-inc-changes-identity-to-the-crs-group

Record-breaking Microsoft patch day affects all versions of Windows

BDPA Detroit TAC

ByMicrosoft Subnet

As expected, Microsoft released a record-breaking, massive number of patches today that affects all versions of Windows and Office -- including its cloud apps -- and addresses some long-standing holes that hackers have been exploiting in the wild.

By the numbers: 17 security bulletins fix a whopping 64 holes. These include nine critical patches and eight important. Of the critical patches, five of them have the highest "exploitability index" rating of 1, meaning that the risk of attack is high and the impact of being pwned is also high. Today's Patch Tuesday is a record-breaker in the number of holes fixed. In December, 2010, Microsoft released 17 patches, too, but these fixed a total of 40 holes.

Affected software runs the gamut. There are patches for all supported versions of Windows, including XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and even the non-GUI WS2008 Server Core version.

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/04/record-breaking-microsoft-patch-day.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

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PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA in the News – BusinessWire Article on Earl Pace

IT Hall of Fame Inductions Highlight Final Day of CompTIA Annual Member Meeting. Induction of the Class of 2011 into the IT Industry Hall of Fame and educational sessions on opportunities for technology companies in healthcare IT, security and cloud computing highlighted day two of the second CompTIA Annual Member Meeting here this week. The new IT Hall of Fame Class inducted Thursday includes the late Phil Katz, creator of the .ZIP file format, and Earl Pace, co-founder of Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA). Both men were inducted into the IT Innovators Wing of the hall.

Pace guided the expansion of BDPA’s activities from a Philadelphia-based organization to a national initiative. Today, BDPA is the largest U.S. professional organization representing minorities in the IT industry. Pace continues to promote the mission of BDPA, telling meeting attendees the organization "gives underserved youth the soft skills and expertise needed to move up in IT industry.”

Click here for more:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110408005685/en/Hall-Fame-Inductions-Highlight-Final-Day-CompTIA

Message from New York Chapter President

Dear Members,

We are looking for volunteers to assist with the following events. You will have the opportunity to assist the chapter and to network with BDPA members and other professionals.

Events

Urban Network's - No Limits Career Day

Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011
Time: 8:30 pm - 3:00pm

• Career Table Volunteers (Shifts available)
• Workshop - "A Future Career as a Science, Technology, Engineering & Math Professional"
• Moderator and Panelist Needed
• Concurrent Sessions I: 9:45-10:45; II: 11:00-12:00

Scholarships Awards and Dinner Chairperson

Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Theme: "Using STEM to Innovate our Future"
Location: UBS
Duties: Coordinate all aspects of the Dinner - publicity, tickets, awards and journal.

Board Positions

Would you like to share your gifts and talents on the BDPA NY Board? The following positions need to be filled Recording Secretary, Fundraising and Publicity Chairpersons.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/message-from-new-york-chapter-president.html

Seeking TECHie Camp Instructors in Cincinnati, Dallas, Philadelphia and Washington DC

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) has been working with Tech Corpsto see if we could encourage local BDPA chapters toexpand their STEM-based trainingto include elementary- and middle-school students. Our planning has reached the point that we are now ready to interview andhire instructorswilling to work with these 3rd-8th grade students.

There is awonderful opportunityfor our BDPA members who are unemployed, underemployed ... or for those of you that are consultants open to a quick1-week contract opportunity... or for those of you that are college students seekingsummer employment opportunity.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/seeking-techie-camp-instructors-in.html

Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Seeks Applications for $5,000 College Scholarship

It’s our pleasure to announce the availability of the Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) scholarship for the 2011/12 academic year.

This year, BAM will award two $5,000 scholarships to outstanding high-school seniors, who are interested in pursuing careers in technology. The scholarships are renewable, so winners who continue to meet the criteria can receive an annual $5,000 award for up to four years. We encourage you to please share this opportunity with your network.

Scholarship Details

• Support Period- Academic Year 2011 - 2012
• Application Due-05/01/2011
• Anticipated Award Notification- 05/31/2011
• Awards- 2 scholarships will be awarded ($5,000 per person)
• Application Method-Apply electronically viathe Washington Scholarship Coalition
• Renewable- Yes. This scholarship is renewable for up to a total of 4 years, provided the student continues to meet the scholarship criteria of a 3.3 GPA each year.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/04/blacks-at-microsoft-bam-seeks.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

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This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA Founder Earl Pace Named to CompTIA Hall of Fame

Earl Paceis the newest member of the Information Technology (IT) Hall of Fame administered by CompTIA. Earl's selection into theIT Hall of Fame is a result of his visionary leadership that resulted in racial diversity within the IT industry.

Previous inducteesinto this IT Hall of Fame include Michael Dell (Dell), Bill Gates (Microsoft) and Steve Jobs (Apple).

In addition to Earl, the IT Hall of Fame Class of 2011 includes the latePhil Katz, creator of the .ZIP file format, and the CompTIA A+ Originators, the group that guided the development of CompTIA A+ certification, which has become the de facto industry standard benchmark for core skills and knowledge required of entry-level IT workers.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/bdpa-founder-earl-pace-named-to-comptia.html

Oracle Scholarship Winner in Baton Rouge

BDPA recently announced that11 students from around the nationwere BDPA/Oracle Scholarshipwinners this year.Melvin Givens, a BDPA Baton Rouge student member, is one of those scholarship winners.

Melvin is an active participant in the BDPA Baton Rouge computer training class. In fact, during the summer of 2010, he became one of the youngest people in the state of Louisiana to to earn his A+ Certification as a Computer Technician.

Melvin began on his list of impressive achievements at a young age. He began playing soccer at age 7, and continues to do so. At age 8, he won the state wrestling championship. He received multiple football awards during his school football career, which began in 2nd grade and continued until he opted to retire after his junior year to focus more on academics.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/oracle-scholarship-winner-in-baton.html

High School Computer Competition class back in effect

Posted by Ricardo Wilkins

We’re back again with another year of theBDPA High School Computer Competition. We’ve got some new students as well as our returning students, and we’re already well on our way to getting up to speed on web application development! Thanx toDevry Universityfor donating space in their facilities for our class.

In our classes, we learn web app development using Microsoft’sVisual Studio Web Developer Expresstool – basically, a light version of the same industry-standard integrated development environment (IDE) that many .NET professionalslike myselfuse every day. Today we took it kind of slow and eased into learning about tags in both XML and HTML. In fact, the students learned how to categorize the songs in their MP3 collection (they looked at me a littlefunny when I first tried to get them to categorize their CD collection – remember those shiny discs we used to slide into our stereos?) Not only did I help them see how to represent their music in XML, but they helped me learn the titles of some of the hot new songs that ‘the young folks’ are listening to these days. :) (says the mid-30’s out-of-touch computer geek).

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/03/high-school-computer-competition-class.html

How to Be A Player

Where are Blacks in Technology? – by Kai Dupe

When I was a student at Pepperdine University I became familiar with the work of James Paul Gee.

Gee had written a book entitled What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy.I must admit at first glance I was not interested in reading this book because I had a biased view of gaming.

My idea was that the games were meaningless. I hated the violence and I was of the opinion that these games had no redeeming value. I was wrong.

Not only did I learn plenty from reading this book, but I also began to view video games and online environments such as Second Life through a different lens. I was introduced to Gee's work in early 2006. Of course, since then video games have exploded and most computer science programs now have a degree for Game Development.

Click here for more:

http://whereareblacksintechnology.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-be-player.html

HP Slate 500: Digital Ink for Windows

Posted by Ricardo Wilkins

(images courtesy of Simple Mobile Review)

I read an article about digital ink recently over atSimple Mobile Review. I think they did a great job of comparing the handwriting features of Windows compared to some of those other ‘tablets’. ; ) In fact, they included two images that I think do a pretty good job summing up the comparison:

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/04/hp-slate-500-digital-ink-for-windows.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

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Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA Columbus Students Go Virtual in Their Computer Camp Training

by Wayne Hicks

BDPA Columbus chapter member Philena Rushis using her knowledge of virtual reality to create a new venue for computer science training for middle school and high school students in Ohio. We decided that it made sense to create avirtual reality landing place for BDPA inside of Second Life -- the major virtual reality platform on the Internet.

I asked Philena to share some insights on how BDPA supporters who have never been in a virtual reality platform could go to their computer and see what is taking place withinBDPA Columbus chapter.

This is what she had to say:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/bdpa-columbus-students-go-virtual-in.html

Earl Wilkerson Named 'Outstanding Volunteer of the Year' by Media General

BDPA memberEarl Wilkersonhas been named2010 Outstanding Volunteerfor Media General’s Richmond headquarters.The award was established to reward the employee who contributed the most time to company-sponsored events in 2010. Earl is shown in this photo accepting his award from Media General's CEOMarshall Morton.

Earl consistently and enthusiastically participated in the volunteer projects conducted last year and his dedication to volunteering led him to be nominated for the Richmond headquarters Employee Involvement Team.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/earl-wilkerson-named-outstanding.html

Sid the Science Kid

by Kai Dupe

The other day I became aware of a wonderful piece of children's television programming, a show calledSid the Science Kid.The show also has a wonderful web site. My children are 5 and 3 respectively. We do not allow them to watch too much television but when we do we try focus on educational programming. They spend a lot of time watching shows such as Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer on NickJr.

My friend who mentioned the show to me is a principal at an urban elementary school in San Antonio. He was so excited about using this show as part of the curriculum he immediately ran out on his lunch hour to purchase a DVD of the show. To his surprise, when he arrived at the local Best Buy store in his neighborhood he learned that they did not carry the DVD.

Click here for more:

http://whereareblacksintechnology.blogspot.com/2011/03/sid-science-kid.html

Navy to Build a Fleet of Robots with 3D Printers

fromBDPA Detroit TACbyCliff Samuels Jr

The Navy has proposed a project to build a swarm of micro-robots with 3D printing capabilities and other high-tech features. The robots could create programmable materials, large structures and even replicas of themselves.

The Navy has proposed a project to build a swarm of micro-robots with 3D printing capabilities and other high-tech features. The robots could create programmable materials, large structures and even replicas of themselves. We've been buzzing about robots a lot in the past year: robotsperforming emergency triage ,cleaning up oil spills and eventaking over the universe . Now, the U.S. Navy is planning on building a huge fleet of semi-autonomous robots that, among other capabilities, will be able to 3D print.

In aproposal released earlier this month, the Department of Defense (DoD) described the development of a "swarm of micro-robotic fabrication machines" that will be able to manufacture "new materials and components."

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/03/navy-to-build-fleet-of-robots-with-3d.html

IT Boot Camps Teach New Ideas and Technologies

fromBDPA Detroit TACbyCliff Samuels Jr

by Rebecca Kutzer-Rice

An IBM initiative provides no-charge boot camps to businesses, universities and other organizations for training IT staff on Big Data and other new technologies.

IBM's supercomputer Watson has been making many headlines lately by competing on "Jeopardy! " and helping to makecomplicated medical decisions . Now the underlying technologies of the Watson computing system are being used to createboot camps for IT and management training.

Click here for more:

http://bdpadet-tac.blogspot.com/2011/03/it-boot-camps-teach-new-ideas-and.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

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Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

bdpatoday – Chapter Edition – March 2011

WORD PROBLEM:How manyteams that were on the "bubble" in 2011 could have benefited from a stronger RPI if other factors such as 'margin of victory' or 'winning percentage of last 5 road games' were included?

Read more about Math+Bracketologyin this month's print edition ofbdpatoday.

Click here for more:

http://www.bdpatoday.org/11/MAR11-Newsletter_Final.pdf

Message from BDPA New York Chapter President

It’s 3 months into the new year and I, along with the rest of theBDPA New York Executive Board, have been working very hard to make sure BDPA is no longer the 'best kept secret' in New York.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/message-from-new-york-chapter-president.html

Message from BDPA Richmond Chapter President

Members and Friends,

I enjoyed sharing our progress so far with theRichmond chapter. We talked about the three main areas of member benefits (networking, education, and community). We talked about some of the waysNational BDPAand local chapters such as Richmond produce rich programs to serve our stakeholders. We also shared exciting new changes to our on-line member presence spearheaded by National BDPA, and I expressed my commitment to make sure members are informed of all programs and services that will enrich and benefit them. Finally, we shared the status of our Q1 goal execution (making good progress!), volunteer needs, and upcoming events.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/message-from-richmond-chapter-president.html

Message from BDPA Atlanta Chapter President

BDPA Atlanta Members and Friends,

Every year as part of our community outreach efforts, Atlanta Chapter sponsors a High School Computer Competition Team (HSCC) program. The HSCC program teaches high school students concepts like computer concepts, relational database design, web design (i.e. HTML/CSS, PHP, MySQL etc) tools, teamwork and project management. Our HSCC team meets with a group of dedicated instructors every week for 7 months. At the end of this program, the students are then taken to compete at our National Technology Conference for scholarships and computer prizes.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/message-from-atlanta-chapter-president.html

BDPA Cincinnati Announces New Board Leadership

BDPA Cincinnati chapter, a nonprofit organization made up of racially diverse information technology professionals who advance the careers of African Americans from the classroom to the boardroom, today announced a new officer and member of its board of directors.

Dalric Webb, an Engineering Information Technology manager at GE Aviation, in Evendale OH, has been appointed to serve as the BDPA Cincinnati chapter vice president of membership management.BDPA Cincinnati chapter is the 8th largest (out of 45) chapters in the nation. Dalric is responsible for the recruitment and retention of members to the chapter.

Dalric, a retired US Army major, has a wide and diverse background in Information Technology spanning more than 30 decades covering multiple IT related areas including programming, system design, database management, teaching SQL as an Adjunct Professor, webpage design & hosting, IT consultation, and PC repair.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/bdpa-cincinnati-announced-new-board.html

How to Export Your Facebook Contacts To an Email Address Book

by Clark Thought Leadership

Have you ever wished you had your Facebook Contacts in an easy to use email address book?

Well your wait is over! Follow my simple steps with easy and simplicity using Yahoo's email service.

Click here for more:

http://clarkthoughtleadership.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-export-your-facebook-contacts-to.html

Multicultural Youth Study

by Kai Dupe

Yesterday in the midst of South By Southwest (SXSW) in downtown Austin I was part of a Multicultural Youth Study. I was invited by Maria Madrigal who learned about my work in education and technology with communities of color from my presence on the web. The goal of the study was understanding how Latino and African Americans identify and relate to technology, fashion, music and content.

Click here for more:

http://whereareblacksintechnology.blogspot.com/2011/03/multicultural-youth-study.html

HP Slate 500: Touching & Rubbing on Windows 7

by Ricardo Wilkens

Well, it’s been a few weeks since I became the owner of anHP Slate 500, and I’m still pleased at its performance. In fact, I realized that all the people who I’ve heard say that Windows isn’t meant to be a Touch interface probably haven’t given Windows 7 a fair try. I had low expectations about its ability to provide a decent multi-touch experience, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how it’s been performing so far. For example:

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/03/hp-slate-500-touching-rubbing-on.html

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

Subscribe to Blacks Gone Geek Blog via email:

http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=blogspot/BlacksGoneGeek&loc=en_US

Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BDPA

Find the buzz on Twitter BDPA: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=BDPA

This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team: http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet

Contact the BDPA Social Networking Team: socialnetworking@bdpa.org

PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_Insider_Archive

BDPA Legacy: Ollie Morgan (1944-2009)

BDPA Foundation Blog pauses to share memories of one of our fallen leaders, Ollie Morgan, who passed away on Monday, March 2, 2009 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Ollie Morgan is a legend within the BDPA family. Ollie served on the national BDPA board of directors for a number of years as BDPA Chicago chapter president, national president and immediate past president. Over the past decade he was an author and photographer living out his dreams in New Mexico.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2009/03/bdpa-legacy-ollie-morgan-1944-2009.html

BDPA HSCC Testimonial: Francisco Nunez (Washington DC, 2006-2010)

Francisco Nunez holds a unique position within the 25-year history of the BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) championships for two reasons. First, he may be the first student to ever compete in five (5) different HSCC championships. Second, he is the only student to ever represent 3 different BDPA chapters in the national championships.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/hscc-testimonial-francisco-nunez.html

BDPA High School Computer Competition (HSCC) Testimonials

Syed Azfar (HSCC Alumni, 2004-2006) created this slideshow of testimonials from a variety of HSCC Alumni who competed in the national high school computer competition championships between 1998-2008.

A number of these students earned Jesse Bemley Scholarships from the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).

There are over 50 testimonials available on the BETF website ... and we would love to add more.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2010/03/high-school-computer-competition.html

BDPA HSCC Testimonial: Nazir Hassan (Greater Tampa Bay, 2000-2001)

Nazir Hassan was part of the High School Computer Competition (HSCC) team trained by BDPA Greater Tampa Bay chapter. He participated in national championships held in Washington DC (2000) and Chicago (2001). He agreed to share his memory of the HSCC experience with us.

My memory is not the greatest, but I do have some advice. I do remember that it was quite an amazing experience and that it was one of the first times that I had gone out of town without my parents so I was slightly nervous but extremely excited throughout the whole trip. Not only was it a competition but a life changing experience.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/grant-recipient-bdpa-richmond-500.html

Grant Recipient: BDPA Richmond ($500)

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) is proud to award $500 grant funding to BDPA Richmond chapter as part of the disbursement of our $25,000 American Honda Foundation grant. BDPA Richmond chapter earned this funding as a direct result of the college scholarships that they provided to Alex Elliott and Joshua Shelton.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/grant-recipient-bdpa-richmond-500.html

2011 BDPA-Oracle Scholarship Winners

BDPA is proud to announce the winners of the BDPA Oracle Scholarship. The winners will each receive up to $5,000 stipend to further their education in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) related field of undergraduate study.

The following are the 2011 scholarship recipients, including their BDPA chapter affiliation:

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/02/2011-bdpa-oracle-scholarship-winners.html

President Profile: Henry Wiggins (BDPA Cleveland)

BDPA Cleveland chapter holds the distinction of being the 3rd chapter ever created in BDPA-Nation. The chapter has a long and proud history. As such, it is truly an honor to introduce you to the 2010-2011 BDPA Cleveland chapter president -- Henry A. Wiggins.

Henry stepped in as Interim President in 2010. He agreed to carry out the leadership responsibilities until the chapter holds its next election. Over the past year, Henry brought several speakers to uplift the members, giving then information on seeking employment, social networking, technical recycling, and community involvement. Henry is also working closely with the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) to raise scholarship funds for the student members in his chapter.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/president-profile-henry-wiggins-bdpa.html

Diversity/Careers Magazine, 3/1/2011 (Renetta English)

Renetta English is This Year's BDPA New York Chapter Prez. Members of the BDPA New York chapter have elected Renetta English to serve as 2011-2012 chapter president. English has been a member of BDPA since 2004 and served in several leadership roles. In 2008 she was the New York chapter's HR director. Last year she was the chapter's VP of membership management; chapter membership grew by thirty percent during her tenure.

Click here for more:

http://bdpa-news.blogspot.com/2011/03/diversitycareers-magazine-312011.html

Women in Technology: Dr. Aprille Ericsson (NASA)

BDPA has some remarkable African American women in its ranks. We boast Nubian queens with outstanding skills operating within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields ... from the classroom to the boardroom ... from young 'uns like Brandee Lyles to full-blown technology divas like Stephanie Lampkin or Lydia Barron or Diane Davis.

However, there are many obstacles for African American women in the IT industry. African American women earned only 0.34% of Ph.D.s in computer science and 0.58% in engineering, as of 2006, according to the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/women-in-technology-dr-aprille-ericsson.html

HP Slate 500: Customized Flick Gestures

from Rix Bits by Ricardo Wilkins

Well, it’s been a whole week with my HP Slate 500 table pc, and I feel like I’m starting to get my tablet swag back. :) Initially the pen writing felt awkward because it’s been a while since I’ve used a tablet on a daily basis, but I feel my rhythm returning.

So, as any respectable geek would do, I started looking at ways to customize and personalize my Slate – in other words, what can I do to trick out my tablet pc? In addition to picking a nice subtle wallpaper for my desktop, I decided to customize the native Flick Gestures that come with Windows 7. These gestures allow me to ‘flick’ my finger quickly in 1 of 8 different directions, and perform a task as a result.

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/03/hp-slate-500-customized-flick-gestures.html

Monster Diversity Leadership Program

The Monster Diversity Leadership Program (DLP) is now accepting applications for its 2011 tour. Since 2002, Monster.com has brought together more than 13,000 college sophomores, juniors and seniors of diverse backgrounds for this unique, three-day weekend event which focuses on leadership and career development and provides attendees with the opportunity to network with some of the top employers in the country.

The cost of room and board is covered by the program sponsors, so attendees only need to pay for their travel expenses – and the DLP offers a $50 travel voucher to attendees who complete the program. This offer is not available for students with F1 visa.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/03/monster-diversity-leadership-program.html

Marist & National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarships

by Wayne Hicks

National Science Foundation (NSF) is awarding 12 full scholarships (tuition, room and board) to highly talented students majoring in Computer Science or Information Technology and Systems. Criteria for selection includes: strength of curriculum and academic performance, SAT/ACT scores, supplemental essay, demonstrated financial need, U.S. citizen, and full-time enrollment at Marist starting Fall 2010.

I hope that all BDPA high school students are encouraged to look at this scholarship opportunity!

Click here for more:

http://www.marist.edu/admission/nsfgrant/index.html

Newman Networks News March 3, 2011

Marketing Tips: The Madam C.J. Walker Awards

Thank you all for believing in the network and the power of working together. This is a great honor to be nominated in the same category as the past nominees who inspired me. I am EXTREMELY grateful for the opportunity to serve YOU and YOUR Business. My mentors (past nominees) of Elohim CleaningContractors and Top of the Clock have inspired me along with the mentors (some up close and some afar) of Della Clarke, Jacqueline Hill, Sulaiman Rahman, Melinda Emerson, and Tara Colquitt (who is also a client).

Click here for more:

http://community.icontact.com/p/newmannetworks/newsletters/socialmedia/posts/newman-networks-news-march-3rd-2011

10 Internet Shows All About Technology

The Internet has fast become the place to go to for all of our needs. Who uses yellow pages anymore? Don’t you just look it up online? How about when your kids need to write a report, do they open up an encyclopedia like their parents did when they were in school? Nope, they go to the Internet for that too. Heck, you don’t even need to watch your favorite show on the TV anymore. You can watch it on the Internet. So what do you do when you have a question about technology? Why, you go to the Internet, of course! Check out these 10 Internet shows all about technology.

Click here for more:

http://www.internetservice.net/blog/2011/10-internet-shows-all-about-technology/

10 Most Impressive College Computer Labs In the Country

Part of your college tuition grants you access to some of the most cutting-edge technology and research in the world. From journal subscriptions to reference e-books to high-tech computers, you have all kinds of resources to help you with your school work, and won’t have to pay extra for any of it. Whether you’re an online student or living in the dorms, here are 10 impressive college computer labs you’ll want to check out for inspiration. Just don’t get too jealous.

Click here for more:

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2011/02/28/10-most-impressive-college-computer-labs-in-the-country/

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

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PS: Please share this information with your friends, co-workers, church members, etc so that they can help us pass the word. The key is that we must share what we know with others so we can all grow and prosper.

Black Faces in White Places: Becoming a Game Changer in a Competitive World

by Dr. Randal D. Pinkett

Location: OSI-New York
Event Date: February 28, 2011
Event Time: 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Join Randal D. Pinkett, PhD, MBA, and leaders in philanthropy, education, community building, and social entrepreneurship as they discuss strategies for Black men and boys to "redefine the game" at work, at home, and in their communities. The event is hosted by the Open Society Campaign for Black Male Achievement, in partnership with the Association of Black Foundation Executives, the 21st Century Foundation and the Schott Foundation for Public Education Black Male Donor Collaborative.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/02/blacks-at-microsoft-minority-student.html 

2011 Nominations for National BDPA Epsilon Awards Now Open

In this economy, many African Americans in technology are concerned about opportunities for both employment and advancement. It is important to recognize exceptional companies that provide African Americans with challenging and fulfilling career opportunities in Information Technology. The Best Companies for Blacks in Technology are announced each year and recognize the outstanding achievements of companies who have demonstrated a commitment to people and an understanding that Diversity has a bottom line business case value.

BDPA Epsilon Awards Recognizing Outstanding Achievement are awarded to companies and technologists who are nominated by BDPA Chapters or sponsor government organizations, companies and corporations.

Click here for more:

http://www.bdpa.org/?page=Corporate_Awards 

Blacks At Microsoft: Minority Student Day (Charlotte)

Over 130 High School & College Students throughout the North Carolina region attended the 20th annual Minority Student Day hosted in Charlotte, NC by Blacks @ Microsoft (BAM). A number of BDPA Charlotte chapter members were in attendance, including the chapter president Julius Clark and chapter president-elect Markus Beamer.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/02/blacks-at-microsoft-minority-student.html

Message from BDPA Triangle Chapter HSCC Coordinator

The Student Information Technology Education and Scholarship (SITES) program has been in existence for 25 years. This is an intensive program designed to identify, select and foster professional and computer programming skills of 9th through 12th graders. 

The goal of the SITES program is to teach students how to use computer software to solve business problems. Students will be coached on how to conduct themselves in a professional manner. They will learn how to analyze a problem, and design and implement a solution. They will learn how to lead and participate as effective members of a team.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/02/message-from-triangle-chapter-hscc.html 

Renee McClure Makes a Difference for Children in New York City

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) joins with the rest of BDPA-Nation in congratulating past national BDPA president Renee McClure for the recognition that she is receiving later today from the Women United in Philanthropy.

Renee is being honored at the fifth annual 'Power of Women to Make a Difference' Awards Luncheon as one of New York City’s most dedicated women working to make a difference in the lives of these children.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/02/renee-mcclure-makes-difference-for.html 

BDPA Educates with Black Family Technology Awareness

With every passing year, technology grows in leaps and bounds. From smart phones to I-Pads, it’s become a daily chore to keep up with each advance. Unfortunately, as with a host of things, those with less money are often left in the wake of such advances, playing catch up with each change. As highlighted by Aaron Smith, a Pew Internet Project Senior Research Specialist, in his September 2010 report, "Technology Trends Among People Of Color”, within the past decade, "African Americans have made up substantial ground in the last year when it comes to home broadband adoption.”

Click here for more:

Read the rest of the BlackSci-Fi.com article here 

First Annual BDPA IT-oLogy Scholarship Winner Announced

COLUMBIA, SC - February 16, 2011 - Congratulations to Jerron Jamerson, the winner of the first annual BDPA IT-oLogy scholarship. IT-oLogy is the new program of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management, a 501 (c)(3) organization formed in 2009 as a collaborative effort between IT companies and educational institutions to advance IT talent from the classroom to the boardroom.

Jamerson was selected based on the quality of his application, essay and letters of recommendation. In his essay, Jerron wrote, "Continuous advances in computer science have helped to make business processes more efficient and technology more cost effective for consumers, while computer applications become more and more user-friendly.”  Jamerson is a senior at Phillip O’Berry Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina and plans to study Computer Science at South Carolina State University.

Click here for more:

http://www.midlandsbiz.com/articles/7322/ 

13-Year Old Stephen Stafford Succeeds at Morehouse College

BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF) wants to introduce you to an amazing 13-year old African American student, Stephen Stafford. This young squire is a mathematics and science prodigy who was home-schooled by his mother before being accepted into Morehouse College. He is currently in his second year and doing quite well.

Click here for more:

http://betf.blogspot.com/2011/02/13-year-old-stephen-stafford-succeeds.html 

HP Slate 500: Finally

by Ricardo Wilkins

Well, after quite a long wait, my HP Slate 500 has finally arrived.  As I’m sure you already know, I’ve been a tablet PC user & evangelist for years.  But this latest incarnation for me represents a form factor and price point that I’ve been waiting for a long time.

Expect to see many posts in the near future regarding my Slate 500 experiences.  For now, you can start to do your research on just what the Slate 500 is by checking outHP’s promotional video.  I’ll say for now, tho, that this device is targeted at business users, and not the consumer market.  Thus, it shouldn’t be compared to the iPad or any of the other tablet ‘appliances’ coming out these days.  Nevertheless, I’ll be sure to point out some of the advantages of a Windows 7 tablet ‘PC’ over devices like the iPad, simply because I love to expose the smoke-n-mirrors marketing that has everyone convinced that Apple products are the best. :)

Click here for more:

http://rixbits.blogspot.com/2011/02/hp-slate-500-finally.html

Newman Networks News February 23rd, 2011

How do you measure the ROI (return on investment) on a business network? ROI comes in many shapes and sizes but the most common measurement techniques are time and money. These techniques work in any relationship. How you spend your time and money determines the value. If you join a network but dedicate no time - then you have thrown your money out the window. Invest in your network - that is the only way it can pay dividends!

Click here for more:

http://community.icontact.com/p/newmannetworks/newsletters/socialmedia/posts/newman-networks-news-february-23rd-2011

2011 National BDPA Conference Registration Now Open

Please accept our invitation to join us in the City of the Big Shoulders by registering for the 33rd Annual National BDPA Conference, August 3-6, 2011 at the Hilton Chicago.

Early bird registration for $350 now open!

Click here to register for the 2011 National BDPA Conference today!

http://bdpa.site-ym.com/?page=Conference2011

2011 BDPA Technology Conference
August 3-6, 2011

Hilton Chicago

720 S. Michigan Ave.

Chicago, IL 60603

Subscribe to the BDPA Foundation Blog via email: http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=649683

Subscribe to the BDPA Community Blog: http://bdpa.site-ym.com/members/blog_view.asp?id=637492

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This message has been brought to you by the BDPA Social Networking Team:  http://www.bdpa.org/?page=BDPA_SNet