Even if you think you know - Click the picture below to learn…

Who is going to win the battle, the explosive online networks with millions of members or the strong local network group that meets up once a month? The answer is easy, there is no battle, there is no one or the other if you are a true networker. Nothing will replace the connection and trust that can be generated in meeting people face to face, and no local network will ever be able to give you the access to the same number of people that an online network can. The trick is to use the online and the “offline” network to compliment each other for maximum effect.

Example; As a DABGO member you have access to many more people than you have time to meet with in person. But it gives you the option of searching and finding just the right people for you to connect with, and then establish offline meet ups or events where you invite a number of people with the same interest. With the power to choose your offline network, it is no longer up to coincidences at a local network meeting if you happen to meet the right connections. With an online network it’s all up to you to make that happen.

This is not to say that you should quit your local network and just start your own network of only like-minded people, because it’s at the local network meeting (chamber of commerce, local Danish club etc.) that you meet diversity and personalities which are just as important to grow a strong diverse network.

Are you a passive or active networker, or are you just wasting time?

A large percentage of business people today have an online business network as well as a social one. Which one do you spend more time on and how effective is it?

Social Networkers generally have a broad group of connections whom they chat with and send messages to. They may share holiday photos with them and discussions are of a social nature rather than a business nature. It doesn’t really matter if you have 5 social contacts or thousands. How many of them are bringing you more business?

Passive Business Networkers have an online profile which they fill out well, and then wait for someone to contact them. This works provided you have uploaded your photo and filled in at least 85% of your data. This includes listing your summary and your specialties. There is no point in just listing yourself as a “interested in career opportunities” without listing your attributes. Make online business networking really work for you by providing enough information for others to learn more about you. How can you add to your online business profile?

Active Business Networkers have an excellent online profile including a photo, past experience, summary and specialties. They use online networking as their online business card which introduces them effectively to others. They join and create Groups and connect with others who have common interests. They also start inviting other business contacts to join them on Linkedin and DABGO so they can network together. Active networkers quickly create their own micro-networks by daily involvement, persistence and dedication. Online networking for active networkers is smart business practice.

Successful Business Networkers make online business networking an active part of their daily business routine, anything less is time wasting. How can you make your networking more effective? Start by updating your profile, see how to here…

When companies experience organizational pain, their first response is often a structural fix, such as decentralizing, breaking down silos, or shifting to a matrix organization.

* Many such efforts have only limited success because formal organizational charts mask the invisible networks that employees use to get things done.
* Investing time and energy to understand networks can help companies measure the effectiveness of major initiatives and make organizational changes stick.
* In many cases, a key to success is focusing on “brokers,” who serve as bridges across a number of subgroups in a network and are easy to overlook because they occupy the “white space” of organizations.

Read the complete article by subsribing to the The McKinsey Quarterly

This article from the Management Issues website discusses a report from the consultancy Watson Wyatt, which argues that employers are missing a trick by trying to clamp down on the use of social media in the workplace. Michael Rudnick, global intranet and portal leader at Watson Wyatt who writes the report, suggests

“..employers that avoid social media altogether are missing an important opportunity and running the risk of alienating Generation X-ers and Millennials. Embracing the technology with proper planning, guidelines and change management for its use are effective approaches to ensuring success”

Instead of restricting Generation X employees from using tools they are familiar with, engaged in and enjoy using, it discusses how social media can be used to fulfil the important internal communication objective of engaging employees.The article touches upon ways that employers can use social media to communicate information & memos to employees, and also encouraging them to participate in company-wide discussion through the use of blogs, blog feedback, wikis, podcasts and so on.

When building the foundation for your network, remember to always focus on one very important word “help”, this is the part which will define the success of your network and put the word ‘work’ in ‘network’ to its test. There are three fairly simple rules which revolve around “help”, in becoming a successful business networker:

1. Forget about yourself at network events. Talk as little about yourself as possible, even when asked about what you do, keep to your 30 seconds elevator pitch and then asked sincerely and interested to what the other party does.
2. Genuinely care about helping others. When you positively care about helping others, you start learning as much about their business to see how you can help. You start asking questions. You start learning about his competitors, customers, employees. As a genuine networker, you’re driven to help others reach their goals.
3. Provide value. Now that you understand the other persons business needs, you can start helping him/her generate value. That could be taking time to personally introduce key people, help with a business proposal free of charge, or something as simple as emailing relevant article links to help their business. The key is to provide value, freely.

Follow these simple rules, and you will soon experience the very essence of the win-win philosophy. The great thing about human nature is, we always return favors. So the secret to a successful network is to just that, helping people.

DABGO is a free network, where helping is the key foundation and the main reason for the network’s increasing popularity.

If you want an example of how not to be, then read this post at Okdork.com

Everybody, networking will benefit the company and employees and it can be used at all levels. Executive officers should focus on understanding how they, and the company’s employees, can benefit from the use of the network. People can achieve extraordinary results when they team up with other people and engage in active networking. The skills in networking will also add value to the management of social capital within an organization. It should be managed and funnelled through the organization not only by the CEO, but also by functions like “VP of Business Development,” “Director of Human Resources,” “Chief Information Officer,” and “Business Relationship Manager.”

As evolving companies begin to better manage their social capital and understand the value of tapping into the networks of their employees, changes will take place. Major considerations when hiring will be based upon whom the prospective hires know. Networking skills will become a new “must-have” for getting the best jobs, as computer skills have been it for many years.

Networking is an art that can be learned. You don’t have to be inherently gregarious and outgoing. Just have a genuine curiosity and interest in others. The result can be rewarding in your work and in your personal life. Here are a few tips on how to network effectively and, for those who may have difficulty networking, rather painlessly. Read the 10 ways at Blog Forward.

It takes time, effort and patience. The payoff will accelerate the achievements of your goals. A network can help remove the natural barriers between strangers, and give the members a possibility to interact more freely. People trust other people, not large anonymous organizations. One person’s word to another can influence more actions, get more things done, and make more sales than a massive advertising campaign.
Viral marketing is the perfect spin-off on the fact that “people trust other people”.

Sorry, back to networking again, it’s hard work, so stop reading this blog, and write an e-mail to an old friend/colleague/family member, update your Linkedin profile, write a recommendation for someone who matters, call a friend, set a new well defined goal, make lunch plans for Tuesday etc. You gotta reach out.

The acclaimed queen of networking Jill Lublin who phrased the sentence “It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you”, has put together some amazingly simple tips on how to work your next networking function, take a look at the article, called The Anatomy of Networking Events.