What would you add or change about 'Never Eat Alone' if you were writing it today?

Watch my answer and share what you would add.

But if you're looking for the next big ideas and the entrepreneurial spirits that will turn them into fast-growing companies, get your butt there two weeks later for Big Omaha (May 13-15, 2010) – a little bit of Silicon Valley in the Midwest.

The guy who got it all started, Jeff Slobotski, is one of Never Eat Alone's earliest and most enthusiastic fans. Now he's an impressive success story straight out of Never Eat Alone's Chapter 27: “Build It And They Will Come” about starting communities and conferences.

I asked Jeff to share a few tips with you about the surprising power of sharing your passions and connecting people craving connection.

Strong communities grow from strong purpose. What was your motivation for starting the Silicon Prairie News blog, which we've heard people call “the TechCrunch of the Midwest” and the Big Omaha conference?

I was working for a technology company based on the east coast. Through traveling for work, I noticed the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in cities like San Francisco, New York, Austin, and Boulder...and I knew that we had the same talented and creative people in the Midwest, too.

Too often in the Midwest we’re “siloed” – each of us working on unique ideas or companies, but doing it under the radar. For us to create a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, we need to build the community and support systems here like you see in those cities known for entrepreneurship.

I wanted to do something to connect and inspire the entrepreneurs in cities like Omaha, so I initially launched a blog called "Midwest to Manhattan.” A few months later, it became Silicon Prairie News.

How did people in the Midwest first receive the idea of Silicon Prairie News? What barriers did you encounter in the process and how did you overcome them?

When I decided to change my focus to people in my city, Omaha, and surrounding cities, and started to turn the camera onto them to capture their stories, one barrier I faced was convincing people to share their story.

Not many people enjoy going on camera the first time, especially for a group of hardworking, humble Midwesterners. So one of the biggest challenges was getting my friends and others comfortable with the idea of talking about themselves and their businesses – myself included.

A few years ago, I'd shy away from sharing my story and successes with others out of fear of seeming cocky or arrogant. But one thing I've found – and Never Eat Alone helped me with this, too – is that you can be confident in sharing your story and goals, while at the same time, truly listening to others and figuring out how you can help one another push things farther along.

Big Omaha has a speaker lineup that could measure up to any conference out there, with names like Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library, and Jason Fried of 37 Signals. And you even have a few speakers returning for a second year. What advice would you give to people who are just starting out and wanting to get access to such high-profile, aspirational contacts?

One key lesson I took from Never Eat Alone is that people are just people. We are the ones that build people up to a level at which they seem unapproachable. You might think, "Why would they ever agree to meet with me?" But that's such a misconception and will only be a self-imposed barrier to your success. Once you overcome those doubts, the sky is the limit.

Gary Vaynerchuk has always been someone I've looked up to for his passion, energy, and dedication to business, family, and life. I reached out to him on several occasions to bring him in for our first Big Omaha event in 2009. When Gary said yes, it took things to another level for the conference.

Since then Gary and I have continued developing our friendship, and he's done a lot to support our mission and help us get other highly influential people on board. It's just like the idea of “Anchor Tenants” for dinner parties in Never Eat Alone.

The best connectors are always trying to improve how they build and strengthen relationships, to connect more, to connect deeper. What's something you're doing now or going to try in the future?

Never Eat Alone continues to be instrumental in the way I live and do business, and it has so many tips that I find myself going back to it as a reference and to remind myself of things I should be doing.

One thing I've been doing recently is just pulling a handful of contacts from my Rolodex every other week and setting aside some time to call them for no other reason than to ask how they're doing and how I can help them with anything. I've been blown away by the response of the person on the other line when you call with the simple goal of checking in and showing them that you care.

For more info, visit SiliconPrairieNews.com, BigOmaha.com, or ping Jeff Slobotski at jeff@siliconprairienews.com

Big Omaha 2010 is May 13-15 in Omaha, Nebraska. To register, visit BigOmaha.com

I love the quote below - a strong reminder at how important it is for friends and fellow employees to have  each other’s backs:

“Last year, researchers studied 34 students at the University of Virginia, taking them to the base of a steep hill and fitting them with a weighted backpack. They were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. Some participants stood next to friends during the exercise, while others were alone.

The students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill. And the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared.”

    From Inc.:

The link to apply is here.

For those of you who don't already know, it was an Inc. article that lead to Random House suggesting I write a book -- the book that turned into Never Eat Alone.

5 Little Things That Will Make a Big Difference In Your Post-Grad Job Hunt

If you’re a graduate, you’re up against a lot of competition to get an entry-level job.  The NACE reports that there are 22% less jobs for the 2009 graduating class.  Don’t get down on yourself and do not lose hope.  No matter what you read in your daily newspaper, trust me; there are available jobs for you.  The difference is that you need to be creative with your job search and you can’t rely on a single method to obtain a job, or you’ll be at a major disadvantage.  You’ve been told by your parents, college advisers and your friends that applying to jobs through eRecruiting, Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com and corporate websites is the best route to getting a job.  The sad reality is that the chances of you getting a job on these sites are very slim because most of the posted jobs aren’t even available and some don’t exist!   Today, I’m going to reveal five things you need to do to get the job you want post-graduation.

1. Listen to yourself instead of everybody else:  One of the major problems I’ve seen with recent graduates is that they have been brainwashed.  Your parents have convinced you to become a lawyer, accountant or doctor, when you aren’t interested in being any of those three.  You need to take a good look at who you are and decide what you want to do, without having people influence you.  Otherwise, you’ll be at career crossroads, where your current job is making you miserable and it’ll be challenging to reposition yourself.  Write down on a piece of paper your ideal job description and find jobs that match that or start a company around it.  Life is about being happy, not just taking a job for the sake of it.

2. Have a focused job search:  Don’t apply to 1,000 jobs because you’re desperate or you’re really wasting your time.  Instead, narrow your job search to your top three to five companies that you’d actually want to work for.  Then decide the type of job you’d want at those companies and find employees that work there.  You can do that by searching through social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook.  Connect to these employees in a genuine and honest way, asking for more information about what they do.  You’ll have much better results that way.

3. Start a blog:  Even though there are 200 million blogs out there, most graduates don’t have a blog and even some graduates have never read a blog before.  Blogging is a great way to stand out, showcase your abilities and allow employers to get to know you better.  It also helps increase your visibility in search engines and is a great networking device that can help you meet people in the industry you want to be in.

4. Clean up your social networks:  Employers are reviewing your social network profiles as part of the recruitment process, so be smart and review what photos and information you currently have on there.  It’s also important to note that your managers and coworkers will try and friend you on Facebook, so it’s best to set privacy controls.  One in every five hiring managers uses social networks for backgrounds checks and that number isn’t going to decline anytime soon, so take the initiative to maintain a positive presence on your profiles.

5. Network like crazy:  Networking is the single best way for you to get the job you way because people hire people.  Everyone in your world is in your network.  This includes your parents, teachers, friends and all the acquaintances you meet throughout your life.  It’s not just this first degree network, but it’s who they know, etc.  You need to tap everyone in your network after you figure out what you want to do, so they can help you.  Attend networking events, connect with people online and don’t stop networking, even if you get a job.

One of the lessons of my upcoming book (new web site with all the info soon!) is that to make change happen - and then make it stick - we absolutely need a tightknit circle that provides support AND accountability for all our initiatives.

It takes work to change, and that means that -- in addition to good economic policy and smart decision-making from the top -- down here on the ground we need people we trust kicking our butts, day in, day out, so we keep it up.

“Confidence has nothing to do with perfection. It has to do with a quality of deep self-acceptance that leads us to do things in a masterful way, as it allows us to speak our mind and our hearts.”

That day at the gym I ran into my friend Wilson, a movie guy who just released a big picture nationwide, so I was excited to see him. He was with a friend, Steven, a photographer who I had never met. Spur of the moment, I invited Wilson to come to the reception I was throwing for Mayor Cory Booker.

Steven piped up and said, "Can I come too?"  Of course, he didn’t just ask to come over, he also generously offered to take pictures at the event.

Steven's audacity and spirit of generosity were contagious.  He invited me to his photo exhibit and also to his church, which brought me to the Noel Jones Ministry.

What a great serendipitous encounter - a reminder to be open to those around us, always!

Here are some highlights from the Corey Booker Brunch.

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