Using Social Media For Real World Networking
How strong is your social network? How many people can you pick up the phone right now and call right now? How many would answer?
If you are networking online, are you translating to your activity offline?
Transactions are made out here, in the real world, with real people.
- Meetings
- Conference Calls
- Presentations
I tell my students all the time:
- Get offline.
- Talk to people.
- Develop a relationship.
- Add value to the marketplace.
- Be helpful.
- Befriend people with skills that you don’t have.
Use social media to create the openings for real conversations offline.
Real transactions occur out here.
So my advice for those who are using social media…
Get away from your computer every now and then. And, talk to people outside of the chat box.
Filed in Social Media For Business by David Bullock
Comments on Using Social Media For Real World Networking »
All very good advice, and often forgotten techniques. I especially like the "befriend people with skills that you don't have" comment.
David, you are echoing the same sentiments that I communicate to my followers on a regular basis. As a matter of fact, I take it a step further. When I get an invitation to connect on LinkedIn, I actually reply before accepting and *interview* those who want to connect. My network is relatively small compared to those who have hundreds upon hundreds of so-called connections, but I have spoken to, traveled to visit and personally emailed every single one of them so my smaller network reaps more value than some that are 10 times larger than my own.
You and I must connect and collaborate on some things. I'm always pleased when someone else gets it explicitly and you clearly do. My platform is not social media but networking in general. If we're only considering connections to be numbers in our profiles and icons on the screen, we are wasting a lot of time and missing out on valuable relationships.
I would very much like to interview your in my Interviews with Influence column and I look forward to your acceptance. (Come on, you know you should!)
Cordially,
Patricia
@billf – Thanks for the support. Every now and then a moment of clarity surfaces and the world moves.
@Patricia – That is a great vetting process. 100 good relationships are all that we need to create a rich life in many ways. We will conntect soon.