(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

Since the beginning of this year, we’ve been working with The 99 Percent – a group of very dedicated New Yorkers who are passionate about helping creative workers execute better. At the helm is Scott Belsky, author of “Making Ideas Happen” – a great read for ANYONE with ideas!

Recently, The 99 Percent’s Jocelyn Glei wrote On Keeping it Simple – explaining three different practices that can help simplify everyday tasks, distractions and as Jocelyn writes “brain clutter”.

With all the brain clutter around mobile solutions, we thought we’d simplify things a little bit by creating two new videos explaining how the BlackBerry® solution can help you and your business communicate better. “Start Your Business” and “Grow Your Business” are each tailored to talk you through the different mobile tools that can help you get more done, and simplify your communications.

(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

Hope you’ll check them out and let us know what you think!

Anita Campbell, Founder, CEO and Editor in Chief of Small Business Trends

Since I’ve been at Research In Motion® (RIM®), I’ve been very lucky to be able to work directly with quite a few small business owners and small-medium business (SMB) experts. At the moment, RIM is the premiere sponsor of the Top 100 SMB Influencers Contest, being conducted by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.com. Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends and Ramon Ray of SmallBizTechnology.com have been writing articles, creating tools and speaking at events for years, with a mission to make it easier than ever for small businesses to thrive in today’s economy. I’ve watched their work from afar for quite some time, so I’m thrilled to interview Anita about the SMB Influencer contest.

Anita, can you give our readers an overview of what the Top 100 SMB Influencers contest is all about?

The Top 100 Small Business Influencers contest recognizes the companies, people and organizations that support the small business community in the United States and Canada. The requirements to be nominated are that the person, company or organization must have accomplished or produced something that positively impacts a group of small businesses. I am thrilled with the response — so far there have been nearly 400 nominations.

After nominations close, there will be a voting period to choose the Top 100 Small Business Influencers.

How do you think it benefits the small business community to have these SMB Influencers?

A lot is said about small businesses being the lifeblood of the economy and unsung heroes – and that’s true. But the entities and people who make it their missions to serve small businesses sometimes get even less recognition. My partner in this initiative, Ramon Ray of SmallBizTechnology.com, and I thought we should do something about that.

Ramon and I had actually been kicking around this idea for 18 months. We both follow the players in the small business market closely, due to providing the information to small businesses that we do. Initially we were planning to create a list of who we (and a few others) thought were key influencers of the small business market, to recognize them. But then we got to thinking about it, and decided we’d get better results if we allowed the public to nominate. And are we glad we did! We’ve already seen much more diversity in the nominees than if we had tried to create a list on our own. There have been dozens of fascinating nominations. More heads really are better than a few.

Who can nominate a SMB Influencer? When is the deadline to do so?

Anyone can submit a nomination. You don’t even have to register. The deadline to nominate is July 8, 2011, at 11:59 pm Los Angeles time. Our team reviews all nominations to make sure they meet minimum requirements and are complete.

How will the top 100 SMB Influencers be selected? What do they win?

There are two parts to the selection: the community gets to vote (counts for 40%) and then our expert panel of judges will vote (counts for 60%). This way, we get the input of the community – who THEY think is influential. We also have the input of our expert judges who live, breathe, eat and sleep “small business.”

What do they win? Much deserved recognition. We’re planning an awards gala on September 13, 2011 in New York City to honor as many of the top influencers as can attend.

We also have some great stuff we’re giving away – some to the influencers and some to the community helping with the initiative. For instance, we just gave away two of the new BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets on Twitter®.

Have you, in your own business, had an experience with an influencer that really made an impact on your outlook or way you approached a challenge?

I have been influenced in hundreds of ways. Consider the technology products we use in my business. We couldn’t have built the business and achieved the success we’ve had, were it not for inexpensive yet powerful technology. We run websites and online communities as a business – I couldn’t imagine doing so without reliable hosting, a dedicated Web design and development team, open source software such as WordPress™, savvy Internet marketers and social media. Behind all of that technology are companies and people with vision – they ultimately made it possible for my business to thrive.

Just imagine if we’d had to launch this initiative in the days before social media such as Twitter and Facebook®. There’s no way we could have built up this level of community support in the space of a month, without social media. We’d have needed a multimillion-dollar TV deal, plus a magazine and newspaper ad campaign to spread the word.

Just because I’m curious – you went from being a lawyer, to being a small business owner. What do you think your biggest challenge was as you made the transition?

Luckily I had a lot of corporate business experience in between. But I’d say the biggest challenge is also the biggest attraction: making decisions everyday that will either make or break my business. Sometimes the decisions weigh heavily – yet I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having the freedom and independence to create a business and see my vision take shape is exhilarating. I may not be sure if a decision will be a huge win or a colossal mistake. Decisions have an element of risk. But I have the profound satisfaction of creating something from nothing – and I love to do that. That makes it all worthwhile.

Thanks so much for this interview, Anita! Readers – we’d love for you to nominate someone that has influenced you and your small business, so head over to the contest website to get started and for complete details!

(YouTube link for mobile viewing)

A few months back, we took the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet on a tour across the US, introducing small and medium sized businesses to what a tablet could do for their business.

It was awesome hearing all of the different business problems a BlackBerry PlayBook tablet might solve, so we decided to capture some on the video above! Check out these customers from Salt Lake City talking about how they see the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet helping their businesses day-to-day.

Have a specialized use-case for the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in your environment? Tell us about it!

Just something quick I’d like to pass on today – info about the BlackBerry® Trade Up Program!

From now until August 27, 2011, if you’re based in North America, you can trade up to a new BlackBerry smartphone, and in return, get up to $100 for your old one! You can trade in any old (but still working!) BlackBerry® Pearl™, BlackBerry® Curve™, BlackBerry® Bold™, BlackBerry® Storm™, BlackBerry® Tour™, BlackBerry® 8700 Series or BlackBerry® 8800 Series smartphone.

This deal’s not just for individuals – if you’ve got BlackBerry smartphones deployed in your business, find out how to trade up six or more devices.

So if you’re about ready to get a new BlackBerry smartphone, get started with your quote (Canada or the United States) right away! If you’re looking for additional details about the BlackBerry Trade Up Program, check out our FAQ page.

Have a question about the program that’s not answered through the FAQ page? Just ask by posting a comment below!

Today, we’re very excited to announce BlackBerry® Balance™* technology!

We’ve built BlackBerry Balance with everyone in your company in mind. Employees will be happy knowing they can carry the BlackBerry® smartphone that best suits their needs and personality; your Chief Risk Officer and IT admins will be relieved knowing that they can now secure business information on personal devices; and everyone will be more connected knowing that one device lets you access both personal and corporate data.

BlackBerry Balance is part of the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3 release and also BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express, and we see it as a major step forward for today’s IT managers who are responsible for BlackBerry smartphone deployments.

Other features of BlackBerry Balance have been designed to allow you to:

• Manage IT policies that define a line between work and personal data: Applications and data pushed to BlackBerry smartphones from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server are identified and restricted from being accessed by personal applications (if the IT policy is set to this restriction) to help keep business information secure. Personal applications cannot access business information, and business information cannot be copy-and-pasted into personal applications or email messages.
• Use your existing BlackBerry Enterprise Server infrastructure, so there’s little or no need to add to your current architecture.
• Keep data secure and protect the network: BlackBerry Balance technology allows business information to be removed from smartphones while leaving personal information intact. If an employee leaves the organization, administrators can remotely wipe only business information from a BlackBerry smartphone. Or, if a device is lost or stolen, an administrator can wipe all information from the device to help ensure both the business’ and the user’s personal information don’t fall into the wrong hands.

As always, click here if you’d like to find out more about BlackBerry Balance technology – also, be sure to check out the official press release from the BlackBerry World™ conference!

But I’d love to hear from you – what are your current policies around employees bringing in their own devices?

* BlackBerry Balance technology requires BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5.0.3 or later, and a BlackBerry smartphone with a supported version of BlackBerry Device Software version 6.0 or later.

Hey, IT administrators – are you the seasoned veteran when it comes to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server experience, or are you a newbie just starting out? No matter what your skill level may be, we’ve got a comprehensive suite of BlackBerry Enterprise Server version 5.0x courses that can help you get the most out of your product.

Overall, our BlackBerry platform training takes a “roll up your sleeves” approach to learning, which is a great fit when it comes to sharpening your skills with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. As a participant, you’ll get to train with a simulated BlackBerry Enterprise Server environment and have access to an array of hands-on labs and classroom activities. It will also provide a fantastic opportunity to interact with fellow BlackBerry Administrators, so you can exchange tips and tricks you might have picked up!

Available to all of our participants is the choice between our core BlackBerry Enterprise Server courses – Essential & Comprehensive v5.0x – to give you the complete fundamentals of the latest software, which is great for both beginners and experienced users alike. Additionally, you can learn how to effectively troubleshoot your environment using log files by taking our newest course – BlackBerry Enterprise Server Advanced Troubleshooting using Log Files (ATL). Also, our Essential course has been expanded to include everything you need to know about BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express – we’ll show you how to go beyond email integration and utilize the many possibilities of this product.

All of the BlackBerry® platform training courses have class sizes limited to 12 students, and are developed by experts from Research In Motion® (RIM®) and trainers that are skilled at helping participants understand, absorb and retain knowledge. If your goal is certification, our experience and training along with self-study will help prepare you.

If any of the above interests you, courses are available via our Open Session program in several regions and countries. Check out the Open Session schedule to see when we will be in your area! (Please note that these are priced at $1275 per two-day Open Session, subject to discounts depending on levels of T-Support.)

Have you attended a BlackBerry Training course in the past? What did you think?

We recently launched an application for enterprise users that’s free to download that allows wireless activation for personal devices on BlackBerry® Internet Service plans to connect to BlackBerry® Enterprise Server Express and MDaemon® Messaging Server, BlackBerry® Edition.

In a few simple steps, users can activate their personal BlackBerry® smartphones over their employer’s wireless network, giving the IT administrator a simple way to support employee-owned smartphones. And since smartphones can be activated without having to connect them to a computer, it’s easier than ever for personal use devices to be securely connected to corporate mail, calendar, contacts and more.

To activate, you will need to:

Step 1: Enter the BlackBerry App World™ storefront from your BlackBerry smartphone and download the “Enterprise Activation” application. (Did we mention it can be downloaded for free?)

Step 2: Once it’s completed downloading, open the application.

Step 3: Enter your email address and password (this will be provided by your company’s IT department).

Step 4: Hit Activate and you will begin getting your work data within minutes!

Note: For this wireless enterprise activation app to work, you’ll need to be running BlackBerry® Device Software version 5.0 or higher, and be on a full BlackBerry Internet Service plan from your carrier, a compatible version of either BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express or MDaemon Messaging Server, BlackBerry Edition, and a supported BlackBerry smartphone.

We’re excited about what this means for businesses of any size – we’ve seen firsthand how powerful people within a business can be when they’re connected. Download the app today and let us know what you think!

If you’re like me, you probably spend a lot of time on conference calls – and if you’re on the go, a lot of those calls are done on your smartphone. With work days being so hectic, we’re always looking for a solution to make connecting easier – so we’re happy to announce that BlackBerry® Mobile Conferencing is now available (and FREE!) in BlackBerry Beta Zone.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing was designed to offer the following features:

• Calendar Integration: The BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing application integrates with the Calendar application on your BlackBerry smartphone for maximum convenience.
• One Click Join: When it’s time for your meeting appointment to begin, you get a pop-up display that can dial into the meeting without you having to remember or dial lengthy phone and access code combinations.
• Reconnecting: If your call accidentally drops from the conference, the application allows you to reconnect with one easy click.
• Smart Number Selection: When there are multiple phone numbers in the invitation for participants in different locations, the application is designed to choose the most appropriate number for you (limited to North American phone numbers only). You can also choose to change the suggested dial-in number manually.
• Easy Conference Scheduling: Turn almost any meeting invite into a conference call with just a single click. You can also store reservationless or recurring conference information to your conference profile on your BlackBerry smartphone so you can include it in conference call meetings you schedule from your device.
• Protect Your Host Codes: When sending conference call meeting invitations using conference profile information, participants see only the information they need to join the call. Moderator codes are kept hidden and only used to join the meeting organizer into conference calls in cases where the code is required to open the conference bridge.

Note: The BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing application requires BlackBerry® Device Software version 5.0 or later, and is only available for US and Canada users at this time.

BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing is designed to make scheduling, joining and rejoining conference calls from your device quick and easy. Plus, because it’s an app, it’s easy to deploy and manage for the IT admin in your life!

Hope you’ll check it out and let us know what you think!

Today, I’m very excited to announce that we’ve launched a fourth BlackBerry® for Business social media channel – SlideShare!

SlideShare is the world’s largest community for sharing presentations and we’re happy to be a part of it. To launch our channel, we’re sharing three presentations about our business:

• The BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet – what it means for Enterprise
• Managing the Risks for a Successful Mobility Deployment (from Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2010)
• Using Mobility to Unlock the Value of Enterprise Collaboration Tools (from Wireless Enterprise Symposium 2010)

We’ll be adding more presentations from our subject matter experts as well as our Developer, Help and Product Teams. But if you’d like to see something specific, just let us know and we’ll do our best to find it!

We invite you to check us out on SlideShare and leave a comment, follow us or share a presentation you’ve enjoyed through Twitter® or LinkedIn!

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

We’ve been having a great time at HIMSS (Healthcare Information Management Systems Society)! HIMSS is the annual Healthcare Industry show, where we go to meet with current and future customers, demo our new products and applications, and see what’s new in the healthcare industry.

This year, we’re exhibiting with a few of our solution partners: Vocera, Connexall®, and AmCom. We’re also happy to be showing off the upcoming BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet and its many uses within Healthcare.

We are also joined by some outstanding customers sharing their BlackBerry® solution success stories: Stony Brook University Medical Center, UPMC Mercy Hospital, Integris Health and CSC. Additionally, we’re excited to be premiering the above video that we’ve created featuring our customer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, showcasing the BlackBerry solution for Nursing.

If you’re at HIMSS, come check us out at our booth #2519. If you’re following the show from your office, check us out @BlackBerry4Biz, where we’re live-tweeting! You can also follow the hashtag #HIMSS11 for complete show updates.

Are you a healthcare professional? Are you attending HIMSS 2011? What do you think of the show so far?