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The Internet is the ultimate business networking tool. Although I have maintained that there is nothing that can replace face to face networking, there is no debating the fact that strong relationships can be formed using the web.
Each day during lunch and usually a bit in the evenings, I spend time networking online.
Here are some of the activities I have used to create my online network:
- Sending Tweets - Twitter isn’t for everybody, but if it is used properly you can make some very productive relationships on Twitter. You simply need to regulate the time you spend on Twitter so that you don’t become an unproductive Twitter addict.
- Blog Commentiing - I use an RSS reader to keep all of the blogs that I follow in one place. This allows me to quickly scan my feeds and look for those posts that I find interesting. When I have something to add to these posts, I leave a comment. Honestly, there is no quicker way to a bloggers heart then to leave comments. Hint, Hint.
- Facebook Commenting - Communicating with people via Facebook is a bit tricky. The protocol on Facebook is more personal than on any other networking site. Be wary of this and respect the fact that Facebook (for some) is purely for friends and family. However, if used with proper etiquette, you can grow a strong network through Facebook.
- Writing About Someone - Do you have a blog yet? If not, set up your blog by using these videos. When you do so, you will open up a whole new world of networking opportunity. You can write about others on your blog and link to their business website with an endorsement.
- Connecting On Linked-In – Spend an hour or so a month (or more) doing some networking on Linked In. Recommend others and ask for recommendations as well.
- Subscribing To Someone’s Newsletter - Networking is about showing genuine interest in someone else’s work and passions. Subscribing to someone’s email newsletter shows them that you are interested in getting to know their business.
- Shooting Out Email – Did you forget about this one? I know a guy who spends a lot of time sending people personalized email. He finds relevant articles, tools and video that people would find useful or entertaining and he emails them to the person. This can be very effective.
- Addressing a Specific Problem – I do a lot of listening to the people that I network with. If I hear them expressing a problem that they are having, I will try to address that problem. If I feel like it may be a problem that my entire audience might have, I will address it on this blog and then point the person to the piece of content personally. In fact, the entire section of my site entitled WordPress U was a result of a series of questions I was hearing from my network.
None of these activities can be done for a short period of time and be effective. It takes a consistent approach to see any networking benefit from them. I would recommend picking a couple of these activities, grabbing a cup of coffee and spend an hour or so building your online network.
Image credit: luc legay
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