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.

As our personal contact database increases, it becomes a challenge to manage. Here is my 2 cents on how to create a well functioning personal contact management set-up for your private use:

- Install Plaxo + the Outlook toolbar
- Create a Linkedin account + install the Outlook toolbar
- Use Outlook to its full extend. Check the presentation “Outlook Features for Contact Management - 7 Steps to Success“
- For quick overview of contacts directly in your inbox install “Priasoft Outlook Contact View Add-in for Outlook“

With this set-up you will gain a quick overview of a contact directly in your Outlook Inbox view and automated update functions combined with easy to import/export/update/edit contacts.

Share your contact management solution by making a comment.

Most people acknowledge that networking - creating a fabric of personal contacts to provide support, feedback, insight, and resources is an essential activity for an ambitious manager. Indeed, it’s a requirement even for those focused simply on doing their current jobs well. For some, this is a distasteful reality. Working through networks, they believe, means relying on who you know rather than what you know, a hypocritical, possibly unethical, way to get things done.

But as INSEAD’s Herminia Ibarra and Mark Hunter point out in this article published in the Harvard Business Review (January 2007), even those who understand that networking is a legitimate and necessary part of their job can be discouraged by the payoff because they are doing it in too limited a fashion. On the basis of a close study of 30 emerging leaders, the authors outline three distinct forms of networking.

Read the short version at the Havard Business Review or the complete article here.

A new study circulating through hedge funds and university campuses points to the powerful role that old-school ties play in the world of investing.

To join, you need to be invited by a trusted member.

Dopplr is an online service for frequent travellers. It was created by an international team of world travellers as a tool for our own use. We liked it so much that we decided to open it up to our global friends.

If you travel more than five times a year and have friends who do as well, then Dopplr is for you.

How does Dopplr work? It lets you share your future travel plans with a group of trusted fellow travellers whom you have chosen. It also reminds you of friends and colleagues who live in the cities you’re planning to visit. You can use the service with your personal computer and mobile phone.

Interested in joining Dopplr? Then click here

Meetup.com helps people find others who share their interest or cause, and form lasting, influential, local community groups that regularly meet face-to-face.

I recommend that you sign up to the meetup.com list in your city. It’s a great way to meet new people and broaden your professional and personal network. If you cannot find a group that has your interest, then create your own.

Networking and gaining new knowledge is all about thinking outside the box, and doing something you might not usually do. So go meet up…

In an article written on ABC News, Tory Johnson writes about taking control of your digital identity. Create a free digital identity to advance your career. By raising your online profile, you can make yourself more employable. If you’re an employee or entrepreneur looking for a job, a promotion, new clients or better business opportunities, there are several smart ways to create and enhance your digital identity.”

Tory gives some good tips:

Three tips for maximizing your success with LinkedIn:
1. Select “full view” of your “public profile.”
2. Claim a “vanity URL” using your name.
3. Invite friends and/or desired professional contacts to link to you.

- create a free profile at ZoomInfo.com
- Subscribe to Google alerts
- Create a blog
- Post expert opinions

Read the reasons behind the above tips and more at ABC News

After you meet someone for the first time, you should immediately write some notes on the back of this person’s business card. It is important that you remember some key take-aways from your conversation. Things to write down could be the person’s birthday, family information, interests, or Website mentioned. Read more at networkinginsight.com (also check the comment below the article about Asia).

The following is an excerpt from The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, a new book from David Teten and About.com Entrepreneurs Guide Scott Allen on building business relationships online.

How to Use Online Networks for Marketing

Here are some of the ways that you can use social networks to market your company and you:

Research your market. You have two ears and one mouth; listen more than you talk. Through participation in these communities, companies can learn about consumer interests and reactions with a candor rarely found in focus groups and surveys.

Create Competence. If becoming an expert in your field is part of your marketing strategy, social networks give you a much more accessible outlet than the media. You can speak up in a mailing list, discussion forum, or blog, and reach hundreds or thousands of people. Say something useful, original, and profound, and you will get quoted and linked to, reaching even more people.

Build and reinforce your brand. Every signature in an e-mail or on the Web, and every profile online, is an opportunity to reinforce your brand.

Unveil a human voice. Networked markets demand openness from the companies who want to sell into those markets. Organizations should have more people participating virtually than just professional marketers. A happy employee is a more powerful brand evangelist than almost anyone in Marketing. This is one reason why Microsoft has approximately 1,200 bloggers out of 55,000 employees.

Associate yourself with a not-for-profit cause. People are much more willing to gather around a cause than a company.

Microtarget. If you have identified a particular narrowly-defined groups to target, the odds are good that you can identify a virtual community where they are already gathered. Are you selling consulting services to independent bookstores? If it doesn’t already exist, just create a virtual community for your target pool, seed it with your closest relationships, and watch it grow.

Ignite word-of-mouth buzz. If you have a new product or service, word-of-mouth—satisfied customers talking about you—is one of the most effective ways to establish your Competence. Word-of-mouth flows through social networks; Leaders of networks are excellent lighthouse customers. If the most prominent blogger in your field likes what you sell, you will create a powerful evangelist.

A common mistake many marketers make when dealing with online communication is in thinking that it can be turned on and off like an advertising campaign. Online networks are generally not very receptive to marketing messages from brand new members. You must earn the right to talk about your product through participation in and contribution to the community. Similarly, you cannot simply leave when the campaign is over, or you will be seen as shallow and a “user.” People do not want to be used; please do not use people.

ROR - “Return On Relationships is about maximising your Reputation in the Marketplace through the effective use of your network of contacts - and vice versa. It’s about building a network of people you Like, Trust and Respect, who will advocate you - and you them.” Writes Mr. Murray on his blog

Here is a few more good tips from Return on Relationships:

ROR as a Sales Tool
making yourself memorable – helping people to remember who you are and what you do….. if you want them to help you, you have to help them(!) and the first step is being memorable……Let’s face it, if I can’t remember who you are and what you do, how am I ever going to recommend you? Even worse, if you tried a hard-sell on me, even if I remember the horrible experience, why would I recommend you anyway……?

ROR – The Essential Elements for Success

1. A clear personal proposition
It’s important that people you meet and network with, both face-2-face and online “get you” – understand who you are and what you stand for. This is basically your Personal Brand.
2. A clear value proposition
If people are going to recommend you, they obviously need to understand what you do, what you’re good at.
3. Invest Your Time Wisely
“Like, Trust and Respect”, it’s critical that you invest your time with people who fulfil these criteria and, if your network’s any good, there should be a steady stream of new people being introduced to you by others who already meet the “standards”.
4. Make the effort with everyone you meet
In the same way you are always improving your own messages and your network, take the time to do the same for others – help them with their propositions and share your experiences to ensure that they remember you and feel they gained value from your time.
5. Invest time in maintaining your network
Updating, refreshing, cleansing and contacting your network should be something you actually spend time on and schedule into your diary on a regular basis. Remember that your network can become the vehicle that carries you throughout your career – like any vehicle, the better you look after it, the more reliably it will serve you.
6. Your network is your Route to Market
You should never consider your network to be your market, it is your route to market – never try to sell to your network……. If you explain what you do and someone wants to buy, that’s different! But don’t SELL! You are unlikely to make an advocate of someone you have “pitched” and lost.
7. Network internally as well as externally
Networking is just as important inside your organisation as it is outside, whether you’re an employee, contractor or consultant. Take the time to build strong relationships and to assist people whenever you can. The better people understand what you do (and you, them) the more effective and valuable you will be within that organisation.

I can recommend spending some time reading Rory Murray’s blog, he has a lot of good networking Need to Know advice.