Social Media

Making Social Networking Matter (Authors @ Mashable)



The N Factor was written to show career-minded people and entrepreneurs that networking is imperative for one's success. Networking adds true value to your business and does not need to be all-consuming as long as you apply some basic thoughts and principles consciously rather than leaving it to chance. Using anecdotes from our careers, we take you through a guided course of the world of Networking, offering suggestions and tips on how to start building and maintaining a network consciously and proactively.

The use of modern technology is covered in one extensive chapter since we see this as a critical extension of more traditional ways of networking and one that will be used more and more in the future. With the rise of the Internet, it has become easier to find information about people. It has also become much easier to spread your business further afield than was possible in the past, but you must have a different attitude and care that whilst you cross country's borders, you don't cross cultural boundaries unwittingly. This is one of the many areas where technology can really help you prevent major gaffes... as long as you do your homework!

These days, many people are meeting each other online instead of following more traditional methods of meeting each other in person. This little shift alone has made it possible for people to maintain more contacts and find out more about them than was ever possible. But it does not take away the need to at some point meet others in person, or to get to know them more closely. Those collecting hundreds of cards at a conference or thousands of names on their LinkedIn or Plaxo address books are not truly networking - they are "collectors" rather than "connectors."

Networking is not only about the ability to connect to people - it is also about the ability to use those connections. We call it a "two-way-street" - networking is not something you do by yourself, you always need your counterparty to be in there with you, to want to help you and assist your advancement. You only achieve this willingness by doing something in return, or even before you ever ask for anything. This is true networking - there are no shortcuts, you need to invest time and effort in order to reap the benefits of the connections you have made.

Technology is great for helping you find who you wish to connect with, doing background research, as well as maintaining contacts and keeping them organized. Take your average event or conference. Rather than going there and just hoping to meet that one person in the thousand that might be of importance to you, do your research. Find out who is going, and then select no more than 10 names of people you'd like to meet with and find out as much about them as you can. This will help you get the conversation started as well as impress them with the fact that you actually took the time and interest to learn more about them.

Tell us about your networking experiences. How do you take your online relationships offline?

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