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For many of us, the word "networking" conjures up scary images of clumps of nervous strangers in a hotel ballroom, sweat beading on their foreheads and their eyes wide with the look of deer caught in headlights as they awkwardly thrust business cards on each other while stammering out rote questions. Fun!
Bloggers are notorious for often being introverts who hide behind their computer while being less comfortable at the kind of extroverted glad-handing thought to be necessary for successful networking. Although social networking on our computers has made contact-building easier in that regard, there are some simple techniques for effective networking both online and off.
1. ABC - Always Build Contacts
You never know when you will need a network. Perhaps it will be when you are job hunting or need to find an expert on a topic or are hoping someone you know can tell you the secret of how to get on Oprah. Build your network before you need it and don't try to scramble to suddenly put one together when you need one yesterday.
2. Introduce Yourself
In person, if necessary, work up the nerve to introduce yourself to people. Most likely, they will be grateful you did. In an online social networking setting, don't just follow people and hope they will follow back or send invitations on LinkedIn with the generic connection request. Send an "@" message introducing yourself or customize the connection request with a brief message about how you know each other or how you share common networks.
3. Be Prepared
Have cards with your contact information and include your preferred methods of contact, whether it is phone, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or your blog. If you are all over the interwebs, consider having a single URL where you collect all your contact information. It can be a static blog page or a service such as magnitize.com or flavors.me where you can collect all your links. If you are concerned about giving out your phone number, consider requesting a Google Voice number, which you can use as a customizable forwarding and screening service.
4. Be Interesting By Being Interested
Have some standard questions at the ready to ask people such as, "How do you know our hosts?" Or, "What brings you to this conference?" Follow up with questions about some of their hobbies or passions beyond work. People are more likely to remember you, not just because you shared your passion for tandem hang gliding or speed needlepoint, but because you enthusiastically inquired about and listened to theirs.
5. Follow Up
Probably the single biggest mistake people make in networking is not following up. When you get those cards, follow up quickly with a simple, "great to meet you, looking forward to keeping in touch" kind of message. If the person you are connecting with made a presentation, tell them it rocked or offer some thoughts on what you learned. When you are online re-tweet, like or comment on their content. Keep the relationship going by asking if you can offer help on a project or question. If you come across an article or link that might be useful, pass it along. Be of service before you need their help.
Don't fear networking by thinking about it as sleazy or obnoxious. Approach it with genuine curiosity about others and you'll build a rich network of contacts at least and at best make some friends along the way, too.
Additional Resources
Chris Fralic at TechCrunch shares The Art of the [E-mail] Introduction: Top Ten Tips.
Hashim at Hip Hop Blogs offers anti-networking networking techniques in Everybody Got A Deal, I Did It Without One:
Some of the most brilliant and creative people I know are terrible self-promoters. I've seen some of them let their career in the entertainment industry lapse and stall because they reject the Ari Gold method of getting your name out there, by any obnoxious means necessary.
There's another way. I've been living the other way. I let my social proof do the talking and I focus on doing incredible work for my current employer and for myself.
If you're as allergic to networking as I am, I hope you embrace doing cool projects that get the attention of insiders, so your career in this biz can fly.
Liz Rizzo at Everyday Goddess describes her "Truly Meet One Person" Approach to Networking:
So if you are someone who dreads or hates networking and you find yourself in a room full
