Make professional connections at your own pace
Networking the Net
Make professional connections at your own pace.
Ah, the friendly
confines of your computer desk. Here, none of your colleagues are going to
notice how much you say the word like or how often you touch your face. It’s
the perfect place to make professional connections at your own pace. Just
follow these commonsense guidelines.
Take Social Media Seriously.
Skill
with social media is one of the six strengths Jennifer
Kahnweiler, Ph.D., identifies in Quiet Influence
. Social media can lead to
closer connections. “Use social media to set the stage for offline
conversations and then capitalize on the one-on-one opportunities you
generate,” Kahnweiler says.
Develop a Public Persona.
I’m
not shy online (or off, for that matter), but I keep two Facebook accounts—a
private one for friends and family, where I can be my usual goofball self, and
a professional one, where I’m more focused on professionally relevant links and
discussions. For introverts, who often are private people, having an alter ego
can be a more comfortable way to put themselves out there online. (For
inspiration, look at Steve Martin, an introvert whose public alter ego is loud
and silly.) You don’t have to be an entirely different person; it’s more a
matter of approaching social networking as part of your job and acting as your
professional self online.
Be Generous.
If
you use social networking only to tout your own achievements, people will
quickly tune you out. Share interesting links, share the wisdom of others,
congratulate colleagues on their successes, respond to requests for help, and
do your part to assist others in promoting their good work. Networking is
all about relationship-building, so always think in terms of making
connections, not just talking at people.
Display Expertise.
“Regularly
and consistently position yourself as an expert to share your
knowledge, learn from others, gain visibility and broaden your network,” Nancy
Ancowitz says. By making thoughtful comments on others’ blogs, being generous
with advice and suggestions when solicited, and sharing resources, you publicly
demonstrate that you know your stuff.
Try Blogging.
If
you don’t have or want your own blog, offer to write guest posts for blogs you
admire. A blog is a
hungry monster and always needs good content—many bloggers are happy to have
someone fill in for them now and then. A good blog post will display your
expertise to a whole new network of people forever, because blog posts live on
in cyberspace.
Take It Offline.
Make
the most of every opportunity to meet (in real life) the people you know in the
virtual world. This serves to cement relationships and take them to another
level. If you know some of your online connections will be at a conference you
plan on attending, seek them out to say hello. You already have an entrée
because you have interacted online, which should eliminate any awkwardness you
might feel
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http://www.success.com/article/networking-the-net#sthash.tjOBcuve.dpuf
