The Best Business Networking Products
These eight offerings can boost your business by making your network more secure, increasing its reach and efficiency, and turning it into the backbone of a powerful, cost-saving interoffice phone system.
Knowing the business end of your small business is hard enough but not good enough. The corners poorly illuminated by your understanding can conceal ugly surprises. If they concern the data and communication systems you depend on, they can be particularly unpleasant. To give your knowledge about those networks a quick boost, we've plowed through scores of our recent hardware and software reviews, sifting out the eight best products.
As your business grows, so will your network, both in size and complexity. At a certain point, your intrepid little unmanaged switch won't do the trick. When your infrastructure requirements start including voice over IP, multicast streaming, virtual LANs, a fast backbone, and the like, it's time for a managed switch. The D-Link xStack DGS-3627 is a good place to start. If you don't have an experienced networking person on staff, you'll need a consultant to make full use of this device's deep capabilities, but network applications will greatly benefit.
If the demands on your network are somewhat lighter—say those from general office networking as well as a moderate amount of VoIP and video traffic—the Netgear ProSafe GS724TS is ideal. It costs considerably less than the D-Link xStack yet has that product's most important features.
Enterprises that need management features but can get along with an eight-port device will save a bundle with the SMC EZ Switch 10/100/1000 (SMCGS8P-Smart). It costs around $300 or less yet has many enterprise-level features. That makes it one of the best deals you'll find in managed switches.
Maintaining your network is critical, but software to assist with diagnosing problems and tracking help-desk activity is often difficult to use and can strain a small business's budget. Spiceworks solves the problem. It's surprisingly easy to use, provides hardware and software monitoring, and even includes basic help-desk capabilities. Since our last review, the company has added support for Mac and Linux systems in addition to Windows PCs. We can't vouch for how well the additions work until we retest the product, and you might be annoyed by the ads that appear—but it's free, so trying it out is worth your time.
Security can be another costly headache, but it's not one you can afford to skimp on. If keeping out attackers and detecting attacks is especially important to your business, and you want a set-and-forget system, eEye Digital Security REM Security Management Appliance 1505 can provide it. You'll pay a pretty penny and the initial install can be difficult, but once installed the eEye Digital Security system provides a complete, hardened security solution.
Many, many businesses depend heavily on the Internet, but not all are in areas with reliable service (or any). The ZyXEL ZyWall 2WG wireless router solves that problem and has some other impressive capabilities. Should your wired Internet fail, the ZyWall automatically switches over to a 3G modem (you supply the card) for wireless broadband, supplementing that with a modem dial-up connection. The versatile device also functions as an entry-level UTM (unified threat management) appliance.
When you move your operation into larger quarters, you'll likely need to extend your network's reach. These days, some portion is probably wireless, and the signal carries only so far. The combination of the Ruckus Wireless ZoneDirector 1000 and ZoneFlex 7942 access points creates a robust mesh network that gives you coverage over a large area at a relatively low cost.
Are you currently spending money on two incompatible networks—one for data and another for voice? You might not need to. If your network has the extra bandwidth, stop wasting it—switch to a VoIP PBX, such as the RingCentral DigitalLine VoIP Service. For far less than an analog system, you'll get as many powerful features (probably more), along with a system that's much easier and cheaper to install, maintain, and reconfigure.
Monday, August 3, 2009
17 Cheap or Free Marketing Ideas
How can you get your business noticed? And, what's more important in these tough economic times, how can you get noticed without breaking your budget?
Buzz up!on Yahoo!
In this economy, you need all the help you can get to ensure that your business is noticed amid all the noise. Marketing is key, but which approach to take? The first thing that may pop into your mind is to send out e-mail blasts or hire a consultant. While these are good ideas, everyone's already doing the first, and the latter can be pricey. Besides, there are lots of things you can do on your own that are cheap or free.
So get creative! Use the Web and other resources at hand to try to rise above the fray.
Increase visibility in your community.
Join local organizations that provide business networking opportunities, or start your own. Do volunteer work for a large charity. You'd be surprised at the marketing support such activities can bring.
Participate in online marketing groups.
Search Twitter and other social-networking sites for groups meeting to discuss marketing. For example, Understanding Marketing holds a chat and Q&A session on Twitter that focuses on small-business marketing. It's live each Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. eastern time. Search #smbiz on Tweetgrid.com.
Submit information to blogs.
Blog writers are always looking for content for their sites. Target appropriate ones and send them press releases or descriptive e-mails.
Reward existing customers.
Offer an exclusive incentive to your regular customers—only your regular customers. Notify them via e-mail or other contact methods, and direct them to an otherwise inaccessible page on your Web site where the offer appears.
Get your customers to bring in new customers.
Offer an incentive like a discount to customers who get a new customer to make a transaction with your business.
Spruce up your Web site.
Stale sites don't attract business. Fresh, frequently updated Web sites show your customers you're a vibrant and active business. Let users subscribe to get update notices, then update frequently.
Provide free, helpful information to your customers.
Such content should be related to your type of business and can include tips, hints, reviews, and other information that can help drive sales. For example, a business selling paint can provide a guide to selecting the best paint for different uses. Such informative content is often available from suppliers. Use it.
Offer your noncompeting business customers a link exchange.
A link exchange is much like a bulletin board at your business that holds your customers' business cards. The more links your business has to its Web site, the better your search engine placement, and the greater the number of people who see your business's links, the more will visit you.
Use downtime for marketing.
When times are slow, keep employees busy contacting customers. Create e-mail marketing documents your employees can send to individual customers. Personal contact with customers gets results. Mass e-mails are less effective and, given today's e-mail spam filters, may not be seen by many. Go for quality contacts rather than quantity.
Visit your own Web site frequently.
Look for ways it can be improved. Too often, small business Web sites load slowly, are poorly organized, and are difficult to navigate. Fix bottlenecks that impede customers and look for ways to get customers to act. Make sure all links work and lead to up-to-date content. Test campaigns with printable coupons and other incentives. For more tips, see our story "Build a Better Web Site."
Get active in the online community.
Encourage employees to do the same. Don't spam discussion forums or other social sites, but don't be afraid to use signature lines containing links to your Web site. Establish common-sense rules for yourself and your employees regarding these social-networking and discussion sites, and always strive to be positive and helpful on them.
Check out your suppliers' Web sites thoroughly.
Add links on your site to informative and helpful content on those sites. Many corporate sites offer instructional videos and other material that can inform your customers and lead them back to you, ready to do business.
Get a toll-free phone number.
It makes you look more professional and encourages business—and the fees aren't as high as you might think.
Launch a blog on your site and update it daily.
Nothing reads "I don't care" like a blog whose most recent entry is days old. Assign this task to employees who can write and spell—an illiterate blog is worse than no blog at all. Introduce people to your company and its staff. Highlight products. Run contests and give away company swag. Announce specials and upcoming product-line changes. Establish a "customer-of-the-month" tradition and do regular write-ups. Surely there's something you can say to your customers daily.
Yes, use Facebook and Twitter.
Having a Facebook page may not earn you any new business, but not having one may cause customers to ask why you don't. Take some good pictures of your offices and your employees (unless you'd rather leave those details to your customers' imaginations), or, in some fashion, put a more human face on your company identity. Twitter is a young technology, and everyone's scrambling to figure out useful applications. In the meantime, let your customers at least follow you, and implement a strategy similar to what you're using in your blog. In 140 characters, that is.
Visit online marketing sites.
Good Marketing Ideas is an excellent site, with plenty of useful tips. The suggestions here cost little or nothing to implement, and will likely lead you to resources you might never have thought of on your own.
Never surrender.
Getting new and potential customers to notice you is an ongoing—and sometimes uphill—battle, and one you can't ever stop fighting. Pick a new idea every week or two and implement it, no matter how small it is. Call a meeting of employees, order a pizza for lunch, and brainstorm; offer an incentive for ideas you implement. Before long, your marketing might just pay off in new sales—and happier, more involved customers.
Buzz up!on Yahoo!
In this economy, you need all the help you can get to ensure that your business is noticed amid all the noise. Marketing is key, but which approach to take? The first thing that may pop into your mind is to send out e-mail blasts or hire a consultant. While these are good ideas, everyone's already doing the first, and the latter can be pricey. Besides, there are lots of things you can do on your own that are cheap or free.
So get creative! Use the Web and other resources at hand to try to rise above the fray.
Increase visibility in your community.
Join local organizations that provide business networking opportunities, or start your own. Do volunteer work for a large charity. You'd be surprised at the marketing support such activities can bring.
Participate in online marketing groups.
Search Twitter and other social-networking sites for groups meeting to discuss marketing. For example, Understanding Marketing holds a chat and Q&A session on Twitter that focuses on small-business marketing. It's live each Tuesday from 8 to 9 p.m. eastern time. Search #smbiz on Tweetgrid.com.
Submit information to blogs.
Blog writers are always looking for content for their sites. Target appropriate ones and send them press releases or descriptive e-mails.
Reward existing customers.
Offer an exclusive incentive to your regular customers—only your regular customers. Notify them via e-mail or other contact methods, and direct them to an otherwise inaccessible page on your Web site where the offer appears.
Get your customers to bring in new customers.
Offer an incentive like a discount to customers who get a new customer to make a transaction with your business.
Spruce up your Web site.
Stale sites don't attract business. Fresh, frequently updated Web sites show your customers you're a vibrant and active business. Let users subscribe to get update notices, then update frequently.
Provide free, helpful information to your customers.
Such content should be related to your type of business and can include tips, hints, reviews, and other information that can help drive sales. For example, a business selling paint can provide a guide to selecting the best paint for different uses. Such informative content is often available from suppliers. Use it.
Offer your noncompeting business customers a link exchange.
A link exchange is much like a bulletin board at your business that holds your customers' business cards. The more links your business has to its Web site, the better your search engine placement, and the greater the number of people who see your business's links, the more will visit you.
Use downtime for marketing.
When times are slow, keep employees busy contacting customers. Create e-mail marketing documents your employees can send to individual customers. Personal contact with customers gets results. Mass e-mails are less effective and, given today's e-mail spam filters, may not be seen by many. Go for quality contacts rather than quantity.
Visit your own Web site frequently.
Look for ways it can be improved. Too often, small business Web sites load slowly, are poorly organized, and are difficult to navigate. Fix bottlenecks that impede customers and look for ways to get customers to act. Make sure all links work and lead to up-to-date content. Test campaigns with printable coupons and other incentives. For more tips, see our story "Build a Better Web Site."
Get active in the online community.
Encourage employees to do the same. Don't spam discussion forums or other social sites, but don't be afraid to use signature lines containing links to your Web site. Establish common-sense rules for yourself and your employees regarding these social-networking and discussion sites, and always strive to be positive and helpful on them.
Check out your suppliers' Web sites thoroughly.
Add links on your site to informative and helpful content on those sites. Many corporate sites offer instructional videos and other material that can inform your customers and lead them back to you, ready to do business.
Get a toll-free phone number.
It makes you look more professional and encourages business—and the fees aren't as high as you might think.
Launch a blog on your site and update it daily.
Nothing reads "I don't care" like a blog whose most recent entry is days old. Assign this task to employees who can write and spell—an illiterate blog is worse than no blog at all. Introduce people to your company and its staff. Highlight products. Run contests and give away company swag. Announce specials and upcoming product-line changes. Establish a "customer-of-the-month" tradition and do regular write-ups. Surely there's something you can say to your customers daily.
Yes, use Facebook and Twitter.
Having a Facebook page may not earn you any new business, but not having one may cause customers to ask why you don't. Take some good pictures of your offices and your employees (unless you'd rather leave those details to your customers' imaginations), or, in some fashion, put a more human face on your company identity. Twitter is a young technology, and everyone's scrambling to figure out useful applications. In the meantime, let your customers at least follow you, and implement a strategy similar to what you're using in your blog. In 140 characters, that is.
Visit online marketing sites.
Good Marketing Ideas is an excellent site, with plenty of useful tips. The suggestions here cost little or nothing to implement, and will likely lead you to resources you might never have thought of on your own.
Never surrender.
Getting new and potential customers to notice you is an ongoing—and sometimes uphill—battle, and one you can't ever stop fighting. Pick a new idea every week or two and implement it, no matter how small it is. Call a meeting of employees, order a pizza for lunch, and brainstorm; offer an incentive for ideas you implement. Before long, your marketing might just pay off in new sales—and happier, more involved customers.
CEO ACADEMY HOLDS IN GHANA
2009 CEO ACADEMY
LIVE IN GHANA(ACCRA & CAPE COAST)
14TH -20TH SEPTEMBER 2009
REGISTRATION FEE- #15,000 (TRANSPORTATION, ACCOMMODATION, T-SHIRT, MOFLA AND DELEGATE FEE)
PLEASE MAKE YOUR PAYMENT TO:
Bank: INTERCONTINELTAL BANK Number: 0253110000013107
Name: Akomolafe Afolarin (Dir. Int. Affairs)
PLEASE CALL OR TEXT -07032669008, 08023912002 OR
08033889342, 08072097545. AFTER YOUR PAYMENT
TEXT THE FOLLOWING DETAILS TO 07032669008 IF YOU ARE WILLING TO GO:
NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
E-MAIL
PET NAME OR NAME YOU WANT TO BE WRITTEN BEHIND YOUR T-SHIRT.
THANKS
N.B
DEADLINE FOR PAYMENT IS 28TH AUGUST 2009,LIMITED SPACES ARE AVAILABLE. HURRY NOW.
YOUR RECENT PASSPORT PICTURE WILL BE NEEDED TO PROCESS YOUR PASS THROUGH THE BORDER.
IF YOU WANT TO USE YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT ADDITIONAL CHARGES WILL BE PAID.
THIS YEAR PROMISES TO BE MORE EDUCATIVE, FULL OF FUN AND A MEMORABLE TIME TO NETWORK.VISIT TO DIFFERENT TOURIST ATTRACTION.
AKOMOLAFE AFOLARIN
IPP OAU
DIR.INTERNATIONALIS M AND TWINING 2009(AREA A)
THANKS AND GOD BLESS
LIVE IN GHANA(ACCRA & CAPE COAST)
14TH -20TH SEPTEMBER 2009
REGISTRATION FEE- #15,000 (TRANSPORTATION, ACCOMMODATION, T-SHIRT, MOFLA AND DELEGATE FEE)
PLEASE MAKE YOUR PAYMENT TO:
Bank: INTERCONTINELTAL BANK Number: 0253110000013107
Name: Akomolafe Afolarin (Dir. Int. Affairs)
PLEASE CALL OR TEXT -07032669008, 08023912002 OR
08033889342, 08072097545. AFTER YOUR PAYMENT
TEXT THE FOLLOWING DETAILS TO 07032669008 IF YOU ARE WILLING TO GO:
NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE NUMBER
PET NAME OR NAME YOU WANT TO BE WRITTEN BEHIND YOUR T-SHIRT.
THANKS
N.B
DEADLINE FOR PAYMENT IS 28TH AUGUST 2009,LIMITED SPACES ARE AVAILABLE. HURRY NOW.
YOUR RECENT PASSPORT PICTURE WILL BE NEEDED TO PROCESS YOUR PASS THROUGH THE BORDER.
IF YOU WANT TO USE YOUR INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT ADDITIONAL CHARGES WILL BE PAID.
THIS YEAR PROMISES TO BE MORE EDUCATIVE, FULL OF FUN AND A MEMORABLE TIME TO NETWORK.VISIT TO DIFFERENT TOURIST ATTRACTION.
AKOMOLAFE AFOLARIN
IPP OAU
DIR.INTERNATIONALIS M AND TWINING 2009(AREA A)
THANKS AND GOD BLESS
Nokia launches its N97 'mobile computer' in Nigeria
By Benjamin Amu
July 22, 2009. Nokia yesterday launched the highly-anticipated N97 mobile phone touted by the Finnish technology company as a "mobile computer" into the bustling phone market in Nigeria.
Equipped with a tilting 3.5” touch display screen, a QWERTY keyboard and a fully customizable home screen, the Nokia N97 will offer integrated access to the newly opened Ovi Store.
General Manager Nokia Nigeria, Philip De La Vega , said at the Lagos launch that “the Nokia N97 is an important step towards our vision of delivering a highly personalized Internet experience, fuelled by a multitude of media and applications through the Ovi Store. The Nokia N97 transforms the internet into an experience that’s completely tailored to the tastes and interests of its users”.
The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with Ovi Store, a one-stop shop for a full catalogue of applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services and features. Ovi Store has paid and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Facebook, Hi5, Paramount Pictures and Qik, as well as Twitter applications.
According to the Nokia executive, the beauty of the device is taking it out of the box just like the desktop PC as people can constantly improve and refresh their Nokia N97 with new features, functions and fixes so they can do even more with the device.
Nokia added that an exciting roadmap of new features and functions is planned to roll out in the second half of 2009, including software updates for Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality, an integrated Skype application and extended kinetic scrolling.
The Nokia N97 also has direct access to the huge catalogue of music in the Nokia Music Store. With multiple high-speed connectivity options and 32GB of storage (up to 48GB using a microSD card) it is possible to directly download and store tens of thousands of songs on the handset.
High-quality images and video clips at 30 frames per second (fps) can be captured using the 5 megapixel camera with integrated Carl Zeiss optics. Images can also be geo-tagged to specific locations and shared instantly with friends or uploaded online via Ovi Share, Twitter, Flickr or Facebook.
Other features includes free application downloads, N-gage games, Nokia Maps and Navigation are some of the services available on the N97.
The N97 comes with 12 months warranty and is available in leading Nokia retail outlets in Nigeria .
July 22, 2009. Nokia yesterday launched the highly-anticipated N97 mobile phone touted by the Finnish technology company as a "mobile computer" into the bustling phone market in Nigeria.
Equipped with a tilting 3.5” touch display screen, a QWERTY keyboard and a fully customizable home screen, the Nokia N97 will offer integrated access to the newly opened Ovi Store.
General Manager Nokia Nigeria, Philip De La Vega , said at the Lagos launch that “the Nokia N97 is an important step towards our vision of delivering a highly personalized Internet experience, fuelled by a multitude of media and applications through the Ovi Store. The Nokia N97 transforms the internet into an experience that’s completely tailored to the tastes and interests of its users”.
The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with Ovi Store, a one-stop shop for a full catalogue of applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services and features. Ovi Store has paid and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Facebook, Hi5, Paramount Pictures and Qik, as well as Twitter applications.
According to the Nokia executive, the beauty of the device is taking it out of the box just like the desktop PC as people can constantly improve and refresh their Nokia N97 with new features, functions and fixes so they can do even more with the device.
Nokia added that an exciting roadmap of new features and functions is planned to roll out in the second half of 2009, including software updates for Voice over IP (VoIP) functionality, an integrated Skype application and extended kinetic scrolling.
The Nokia N97 also has direct access to the huge catalogue of music in the Nokia Music Store. With multiple high-speed connectivity options and 32GB of storage (up to 48GB using a microSD card) it is possible to directly download and store tens of thousands of songs on the handset.
High-quality images and video clips at 30 frames per second (fps) can be captured using the 5 megapixel camera with integrated Carl Zeiss optics. Images can also be geo-tagged to specific locations and shared instantly with friends or uploaded online via Ovi Share, Twitter, Flickr or Facebook.
Other features includes free application downloads, N-gage games, Nokia Maps and Navigation are some of the services available on the N97.
The N97 comes with 12 months warranty and is available in leading Nokia retail outlets in Nigeria .
Virgin Mobile Launches Prepaid Broadband
Virgin Mobile USA today announced a prepaid mobile Internet system called Broadband2Go, which offers very inexpensive plans for relatively light users.
Broadband2Go runs on Sprint's national EVDO Rev A network and gives Windows XP or Vista PCs download speeds around a megabit. Unlike other national systems that sell monthly bucket plans and charge for overage, Virgin Mobile will sell chunks of megabytes on prepaid cards, like a prepaid phone top-up system.
Virgin will offer one modem, the Novatel MC760, a small USB device which got excellent results when we tested it on Sprint and Verizon. It will cost $149.99.
Virgin will offer four options for topping up your data account: $10 for 100MB, which expires in 10 days; $20 for 250MB, which expires on 30 days; $40 for 600MB, for 30 days; and $60 for 1GB, for 30 days. If you don't use the network for awhile, you don't pay anything. If you go over your limit, your Web browser will be redirected to a page asking you to buy more megabytes—you won't be automatically charged overage.
"Prepaid mobile broadband is ideal for students, families on the go, freelancers, anyone who needs wireless Internet access…and wants to pay only when they use it," Bob Stohrer, CMO, Virgin Mobile USA said in a press release.
For light users, this is a great deal. For heavy users, it isn't. Most other carriers charge $60 per month for a 5GB bucket; Cricket charges $35 or $40. Verizon charges $40 per month for a 250MB bucket. So, if you intend to use just a few hundred megabytes a month, or won't use your broadband every month, the new Virgin system may make excellent sense for you.
There's no credit check and no subscription involved. Since this is a prepaid, top-up-based system, customers can even buy additional megabytes at retailers with cash.
The system uses Novatel connection management software that includes a usage meter, so you can tell how close you are to your limit. A Web-based account portal also gives clear details of how much time and data you have left. Initially, there will be no Mac or Linux support, but Virgin Mobile told us that support for both of those platforms is coming soon.
The system's terms of use are similar to Sprint's, Virgin Mobile execs told us. That means you're not allowed to use it to run a server or peer-to-peer applications, but you can use it to stream video—though you'll use up your data allotment pretty quickly if you're streaming video.
Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go will be available exclusively from Best Buy stores starting in late June.
Broadband2Go runs on Sprint's national EVDO Rev A network and gives Windows XP or Vista PCs download speeds around a megabit. Unlike other national systems that sell monthly bucket plans and charge for overage, Virgin Mobile will sell chunks of megabytes on prepaid cards, like a prepaid phone top-up system.
Virgin will offer one modem, the Novatel MC760, a small USB device which got excellent results when we tested it on Sprint and Verizon. It will cost $149.99.
Virgin will offer four options for topping up your data account: $10 for 100MB, which expires in 10 days; $20 for 250MB, which expires on 30 days; $40 for 600MB, for 30 days; and $60 for 1GB, for 30 days. If you don't use the network for awhile, you don't pay anything. If you go over your limit, your Web browser will be redirected to a page asking you to buy more megabytes—you won't be automatically charged overage.
"Prepaid mobile broadband is ideal for students, families on the go, freelancers, anyone who needs wireless Internet access…and wants to pay only when they use it," Bob Stohrer, CMO, Virgin Mobile USA said in a press release.
For light users, this is a great deal. For heavy users, it isn't. Most other carriers charge $60 per month for a 5GB bucket; Cricket charges $35 or $40. Verizon charges $40 per month for a 250MB bucket. So, if you intend to use just a few hundred megabytes a month, or won't use your broadband every month, the new Virgin system may make excellent sense for you.
There's no credit check and no subscription involved. Since this is a prepaid, top-up-based system, customers can even buy additional megabytes at retailers with cash.
The system uses Novatel connection management software that includes a usage meter, so you can tell how close you are to your limit. A Web-based account portal also gives clear details of how much time and data you have left. Initially, there will be no Mac or Linux support, but Virgin Mobile told us that support for both of those platforms is coming soon.
The system's terms of use are similar to Sprint's, Virgin Mobile execs told us. That means you're not allowed to use it to run a server or peer-to-peer applications, but you can use it to stream video—though you'll use up your data allotment pretty quickly if you're streaming video.
Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go will be available exclusively from Best Buy stores starting in late June.
George Bush Encourages Service through Organizations such as JCI
George Bush Encourages Service through Organizations such as JCI
On Saturday, May 21, 2005, the President of the United States, George Bush, while delivering a commencement address at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, encouraged graduates to make a difference by joining organizations such as “Jaycees” (JCI). He referred to them as "armies of compassion and "great engines of social change":
… Finally, we must understand that it is by becoming active in our communities that we move beyond our narrow interests. In today's complex world, there are a lot of things that pull us apart. We need to support and encourage the institutions and pursuits that bring us together. And we learn how to come together by participating in our churches and temples and mosques and synagogues; in civil rights associations; in our PTAs and Jaycees; in our gardening and book clubs, interest groups and chambers of commerce; in our service groups -- from soup kitchens to homeless shelters.
All these organizations promote the spirit of community and help us acquire the "habits of heart" that are so vital to a free society. And because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of America. Our faith-based and community groups provide the armies of compassion that help people who wonder if the American Dream is meant for them. These armies of compassion are the great engines of social change, they serve individual and local needs, and they have been found at the front of every great movement in American history...
President Bush praised “social entrepreneurs” such as JCI Members:
… From abolition societies and suffrage movements to immigrant aid groups and prison reform ministries, America's social entrepreneurs have often been far ahead of our government in identifying and meeting the needs of our fellow countrymen. Because they are closer to the people they serve, our faith-b ased and community organizations deliver better results than government. And they have a human touch: When a person in need knocks on the door of a faith-based or community organization, he or she is welcomed as a brother or a sister.
No one understood this better than another 19th century visitor to America whose name is well known to Calvin College: Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper was a Dutchman who would be elected his nation's prime minister, and he knew all about the importance of associations because he founded so many of them -- including two newspapers, a political party, and a university. Kuyper contrasted the humanizing influence of independent social institutions with the "mechanical character of government." And in a famous speech right here in Grand Rapids, he urged Dutch immigrants to resist the temptation to retreat behind their own walls -- he told them to go out into their adopted America and make a true difference as true Christian citizens.
The President encouraged Calvin College graduates to become involved:
… As your generation takes its place in the world, all of you must make this decision: Will you be a spectator, or a citizen? To make a difference in this world, you must be involved. By serving a higher calling here or abroad, you'll make your lives richer and build a more hopeful future for our world.
At Calvin College, you take this call to service to heart. You serve as "agents of renewal" across the Earth. … As the Class of 2005 goes out into the world, I ask you to embrace this tradition of service and help set an example for all Americans. As Americans we share an agenda that calls us to action -- a great responsibility to serve and love others, a responsibility that goes back to the greatest commandment…
On Saturday, May 21, 2005, the President of the United States, George Bush, while delivering a commencement address at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, encouraged graduates to make a difference by joining organizations such as “Jaycees” (JCI). He referred to them as "armies of compassion and "great engines of social change":
… Finally, we must understand that it is by becoming active in our communities that we move beyond our narrow interests. In today's complex world, there are a lot of things that pull us apart. We need to support and encourage the institutions and pursuits that bring us together. And we learn how to come together by participating in our churches and temples and mosques and synagogues; in civil rights associations; in our PTAs and Jaycees; in our gardening and book clubs, interest groups and chambers of commerce; in our service groups -- from soup kitchens to homeless shelters.
All these organizations promote the spirit of community and help us acquire the "habits of heart" that are so vital to a free society. And because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of America. Our faith-based and community groups provide the armies of compassion that help people who wonder if the American Dream is meant for them. These armies of compassion are the great engines of social change, they serve individual and local needs, and they have been found at the front of every great movement in American history...
President Bush praised “social entrepreneurs” such as JCI Members:
… From abolition societies and suffrage movements to immigrant aid groups and prison reform ministries, America's social entrepreneurs have often been far ahead of our government in identifying and meeting the needs of our fellow countrymen. Because they are closer to the people they serve, our faith-b ased and community organizations deliver better results than government. And they have a human touch: When a person in need knocks on the door of a faith-based or community organization, he or she is welcomed as a brother or a sister.
No one understood this better than another 19th century visitor to America whose name is well known to Calvin College: Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper was a Dutchman who would be elected his nation's prime minister, and he knew all about the importance of associations because he founded so many of them -- including two newspapers, a political party, and a university. Kuyper contrasted the humanizing influence of independent social institutions with the "mechanical character of government." And in a famous speech right here in Grand Rapids, he urged Dutch immigrants to resist the temptation to retreat behind their own walls -- he told them to go out into their adopted America and make a true difference as true Christian citizens.
The President encouraged Calvin College graduates to become involved:
… As your generation takes its place in the world, all of you must make this decision: Will you be a spectator, or a citizen? To make a difference in this world, you must be involved. By serving a higher calling here or abroad, you'll make your lives richer and build a more hopeful future for our world.
At Calvin College, you take this call to service to heart. You serve as "agents of renewal" across the Earth. … As the Class of 2005 goes out into the world, I ask you to embrace this tradition of service and help set an example for all Americans. As Americans we share an agenda that calls us to action -- a great responsibility to serve and love others, a responsibility that goes back to the greatest commandment…
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