Networking

A new beginning
Funny that creating my first ever public post feels like giving birth to a first child (although I would not know that much about that, considering that I am a father of two grownups ;-).

I have been thinking long and hard about what I would write about, how it could possibly be of any interest at all to other people and came to the conclusion that I should do it for me as well as for others. If it does not work for me, i.e. if I do not find its content interesting, there's a good chance that nobody will bother read it. So, let's get started.

I've never been that keen on networking, until very recently I came to realize how much I am dependent on other people, at work and in the world outside. So I started to get interested in keeping track of people I know well and have used LinkedIn for about a year and a half. The first months were very quiet and I did not look a my LI account very often. And then I reached the tipping point about 3 months ago when I realized that networking could bring me the means to do what I do best, which is servicing others, i.e. providing resources to help resolves other people questions, issues or problems.

So what about my experience with LinkedIn so far?
I have reached a point where I have about invited all the persons that I know well, professionally. I sense that I need to attain another level that involves active participation to activities with my contacts so as to establish a presence on the web as well as in real life.
Actions that I have started to get involved in are:

• Contributing to LinkedIn Answers (still need to ramp up this activity)


• This blog


• Corporate blogging within the firewall of the company I work with


• Regular reading of my feeds and occasional commenting


• Publishing my profile

Recipes to smart networking
Yesterday, I was privileged to attend a webinar about ways to nurture one's network.
Here are a few lessons learned from that meeting:

• "Networking is about developing and maintaining a web of contacts that have the potential for mutual benefits"


• Never ask for a job. Instead use the AIR principles when making a request: ask for Advice, Information and Referencing.


• People will introduce you (referencing) only if it makes them look good.


• Before networking, prepare thyself: write your Personal Brand Statement.


• Have a personal business card that complement your branding such as provided by Vistaprint.

So, this is a start. The blogosphere is my oyster...