First, you need to have access to your BlackBerry Enterprise Server…or be friends with the IT department. This is a cool feature to have if you use Facebook like I do. All the pictures, phone numbers, and events will have access to your phone. If you don’t like what it does, you always have the option to turn it back off.

The directions are so spread out across multiple BlackBerry forums and BlackBerry’s actual website. I thought I would make one nice set of instructions here.

1. Grab the “Value Added” IT Policy here. At the bottom of the article is a link to a zip file that you will need to download the the BES server. Obviously, extract the contents.

2. Open BES Manager. On the left, highlight BlackBerry Domain then click Global tab. Next, along the right, expand Service Control and Customization. Click the Import IT Policy Definitions link. Navigate and find the XML document you extracted in #1 above.

3. Considering you only have 1 default IT Policy, it’s now time to modify it. While still on the Global tab in BES Manager, click Edit Properties in the tasks menu on the right. A new window will pop up. Now click IT Policy on the left and double-click IT Policies on the right. You will see your default policy listed, double-click it. Scroll down until you see RIM Value Added Applications. Find Disable organizer data access for social networking applications and set it to false.

4. For good measure, restart the Microsoft Exchange System Attendant service, which will also restart all the BB services.

Give your BB about 15 minutes and the Facebook options will no longer be grey. Now you don’t have to remember calendar events or anyone’s birthday; your BlackBerry will do it for you! For corporate setup, click on Chicago IT Consulting Company.