BlackBerry users are tech-savvy, on top of their tasks, well organized and always connected. If not, those are usually the traits that they aspire to. Why else would they shell out hundreds of dollars for a phone and then a similarly expensive amount every month for a data plan?

For most BlackBerry users, myself included, it is about more than just being organized. It is a way of life--a culture.

There is a community, facilitated both online and through the smartphone itself, of dedicated BlackBerry fanatics.

"Yeah, I definitely think there's a bit of a cult going on with the BlackBerrys. I don't know how to explain this.

I guess there is, yeah. There is a bit of a community," said Jacky Chui.

Chui is the main contributor for the Web site CelebrityBlackBerrySightings.com. This site feeds the addictions of diehard BlackBerry users by providing them with celebrity eye candy. On any given day there are around 2,000 to 5,000 page views as people go to the Web site to gawk at their favorite celebrities sporting the smartphone.

Smartphones, in general, seem to be popular among the rich and famous. But if you pay attention to magazine photos, celebrity news programs and Web sites it seems that BlackBerrys outweigh other popular smartphones among the Tinseltown set.

"Well, I think most celebrities use BlackBerrys, instead of like the iPhone or anything

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else, is just because, I think, it's sort of a statement to show that they're more powerful slash serious, in a way. Because I guess the iPhone or the Sidekick is a little more fun to play with. It's like a multimedia phone. Whereas the BlackBerry is more of a, you know, business-type of phone. And it shows that they're owning a little empire themselves. Like a good example, the Olsen twins. They're like business people now, I guess. They have like their own clothing line, little movies. Same
with Paris Hilton. She has all that stuff going on in her life. And I guess it just shows--cause they always get all of this stuff about how they're so shallow and stuff, whatever. So I'm guessing the BlackBerry is sort of a way to say, 'I'm a businesswoman. I'm a business person.' You know?" said Chui.

Judging from online bulletin boards and postings of BlackBerry users on user-related Web sites, that is the image that the average, non-celebrity BlackBerry user would like to cultivate as well. BB users go to user-oriented sites and network to trade tips on how to be more productive on their smartphones, to give advice on third-party software and to help each other troubleshoot technical issues.

One of the largest online bulletin boards dedicated to BlackBerry users is called PINstack. The site's name refers to the unique PIN number that every BlackBerry handheld is associated with. This very feature greatly contributes to the sense of belonging to an exclusive club for many BlackBerry users. If you own a BlackBerry smartphone, you can communicate with other BlackBerry users by messaging them using this PIN number. There is also a chat client, exclusively for BlackBerry users, associated with the handheld called BlackBerry Messenger.

It is this exclusivity that adds to the mystique of owning the smartphone. It makes BlackBerry owners feel as though they are part of a club. And indeed they are. They are a part of several, in fact.

Here is a small sampling of

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BlackBerry exclusive Web sites:

RIMarkable.com: "The Official, Unofficial BlackBerry Weblog"
CelebrityBlackBerrysightings.com: "Famous People Use BlackBerrys"
CrackBerry.com: "The #1 Site For BlackBerry Users (& Abusers)"
BlackberryBlast.com: "BlackBerry News & Thoughts"
bbmnation.com: " a social networking tool that allows you to connect with the people around you using BlackBerry Pins."
BlackBerryToday: "The Complete RIM Blackberry Information Resource"
Facebook for BlackBerry
Dateberry
PINstack

PINStack isn't the only BlackBerry site to capitalize on PIN numbers. Pinppl.com (pronounced "Pin People") was one of the first BlackBerry social networking sites to make use of this feature unique to BlackBerrys. CBS 11 News spoke with the founder of the site, Paul Anthony, last April.

"Well PinPPL is a very niche social network. It's for users of the BlackBerry. And it utilizes some of the BlackBerry's PIN Messaging features allowing members to message one another's BlackBerrys," said Anthony.

Chui is no stranger to these types of sites. He has tried this form of social networking.

"I've been on some forums where you can like put your PIN number in the forums and people will just add you. And I have spoken with people who were 14. I've spoke to people who were like, 45. And it's pretty cool. Just talk to people around the world. I think it's pretty neat," said Chui.

Anthony explained how he first came up with concept for the site.

"Well, I got a BlackBerry and I discovered its PIN messaging features. Then I realized that I didn't have anyone to message. I didn't know anyone else with a BlackBerry. So I thought it would be really interesting to kind of set up like a crude list allowing people to just submit their PIN numbers and some other information. But that idea kind of developed into this whole kind of mini-social networking site where people can now upload photos, keep a profile and allow people to post comments by their profiles," said Anthony.

Anthony, who has experience building community Web sites, feels that smartphone social networking is the trend. The Londoner had this to say about the future:

"I just want to kinda point out that there's a growing trend of kind of mobile social networking. So I think kind of in the future, we'll see a lot more people kind of using MySpace and sites like that by their mobiles. It's a trend and I think it's going to kind of explode somewhat," said Anthony.

Anthony seems to be in agreement with the founder of Research In Motion, Mike Lazaridis. RIM is the company that makes BlackBerry smartphones. Lazaridis recently announced the launch of a software application that allows optimized mobile access to the social networking site, Facebook.

In a media statement, Lazaridis said, "Facebook is one of the fastest growing web destinations among BlackBerry smartphone users and it has become an important element in the evolving fabric of personal communications."

The "evolving fabric of personal communications" for many BlackBerry users turns into a lifestyle of obsession. It starts off innocently, with users making use of the phone's features to keep organized. Pretty soon, the BlackBerry becomes an integral part of daily life.

"I guess I wake up with the alarm. I get calls from work, from friends. I schedule all of my classes, my appointments, things I have to do, my to do list. I jot down little ideas for my own personal blog and for CelebrityBlackBerrySightings," said Chui.

For some, the smartphone goes from being useful, to necessary.

"I probably would never switch to using another phone because I like the BlackBerry so much. I just feel so attached to it that I don't think that I could ever use a different phone," said Chui.

For celebrities, often one BlackBerry is not enough. Madonna, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears are known to own more than one BlackBerry. On Spears, Chui had this to say:

"She's been switching BlackBerrys on a day-to-day basis. We saw her using a regular Pearl, a red Pearl, a red Curve, a regular Curve, um it's crazy. She switches quite a bit," said Chui.

Many BlackBerry users jokingly liken their dependence to their smartphones to being on drugs, specifically crack. In self-deprecating acknowledgement of their addictiveness, many BB users refer to their phones as CrackBerrys. Enter CrackBerry.com. This blog has comments galore from smartphone users who aren't ashamed to admit that they love their BlackBerrys maybe just a little too much.

When it comes to matters of love, some BB users only want to date someone that shares in their BlackBerry passion. If you can't communicate in "PIN" you may have a hard time getting through to some BB users' hearts. For these smartphone elitists, there is a dating service. Dateberry.com is an online dating service exclusively for owners of BlackBerrys. Users of the site set up their profiles with information typical of dating sites: name, age, interests. But unlike most dating sites, they also can add their PIN numbers.

If you are in the market for a smartphone, there are many wonderful options available to you. If you decide to go with a BlackBerry beware: what starts off as innocent curiosity...

"Well, I was interested in BlackBerrys myself. And, I guess, I found RIMarkable first. And then, after a while, I just started Googling celebrities with their BlackBerrys, and, cause I always saw them in magazines. You know, like Paris Hilton would always like hold out her BlackBerry like it's some sort of...like she's selling it or something like that. So then I just started Googling these things and I found the Web site," said Chui.

...can lead to the gateway of full immersion into BlackBerry culture.

To contact Zakiya, call 907-273-3186.