Out of all the various National Holidays and 'Internationals Days of...' I think by far my favourite would have to be April Fools Day. It is surely the purest of all such celebrations, with no commercialisation or cause, just plain and simple fun.

This week was no different. I managed to fool a number of my friends on Facebook with the news that I have been booked to speak in North Korea; while other friends joined in the fun with various attempts of their own, some more convincing than others.

UK readers may have enjoyed the Huffington Post's story that the Liberal Democrats have recruited Piers Morgan to advise them on their media strategy in the run up to the General Election, with the news that he had secured Nick Clegg a guest judge spot on Britain's Got Talent.

At least I hope it was an April Fool!

It's so easy to take ourselves too seriously at times, particularly when trying to impress on social media. Sometimes it's just good to have permission to be a Fool and laugh along with everyone else. Read on for some more examples of this week's prize pranks.

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After a false start due to a crash in Google Hangouts a couple of weeks ago, we finally managed to broadcast the latest edition of The Global Networking Show yesterday.

Ivan Misner and I were joined by Susan RoAne, author of How to Work the Room, and Stanley Kong to discuss best practice in networking skills. If you missed the show, you can view it now below.

Make the Room Work for You

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I had a wonderful week in Sweden last week and welcome to all the new readers who I met on my travels. I'm always made to feel welcome in Stockholm and hope to be back again very soon.

My travels continue next week with a trip to Irkutsk in Siberia, where I'll be giving three talks and workshops at a Conference next weekend and, for good measure, demonstrating to an invited audience how to make Chocolate Truffle Torte.

Never a dull moment!

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I hope you enjoy the newsletter and look forward to your feedback. Please do check out the blogs listed on the right hand side of the page for lots of extra ideas, tips and thoughts.

Let me know what you think.

If you're serious about developing a networking and referrals strategy that can take your business to a new level, or you are interested in booking me for a speech or training session for your team, find out more details on our website or you can contact me on:

Tel: 07930 417833

Email: andy@lopata.co.uk

Skype: andylopata

I look forward to hearing from you.

Andy

Video Tip: Why Connecting is not Enough

Have you ever wondered where this e-zine derived its name from? I explain in detail in this short talk I gave for Unique Speaker Bureau in Johannesburg a few weeks ago.

Why Connecting is Not Enough

Interviewing the Experts: Why Klout matters

During my trip to Vancouver just before Christmas I had the pleasure of catching up with former Global Networking Show guest Terry Brock. Terry co-authored the book Klout Matters, which came out late last year, and he took some time to explain just why the social networking tool Klout...well... matters!

Why Klout Matters to your Social Networking Influence

Just for Fun: The best April Fools 2014

Keeping the April Fool spirit going, here are The Independent's favourite pranks from Tuesday. From fracking at Buckingham Palace, through square eggs and fried Dodo with chips to North Korea banning One Direction unless the band model Kim Jong-Un's hairdo, there are some great stories here.