3 ways to make networking work
Jory Des Jardins from BlogHer had a great post yesterday on how to avoid bad e-networking, based on a recent experience of hers. The post resonated with me since one of my focus areas is educating our users on how to network effectively. Here are three things to keep in mind when using LinkedIn:
- Set your own guidelines: A LinkedIn invitation means “I will potentially help you with my network.” It’s an offer of value, so be judicious about who you extend them to. Here’s my own personal criteria when it comes to sending or accepting invitations: coworkers (since I want all my coworkers to be as successful as possible), friends (ditto), people that I have reciprocal business relationships with (i.e. business partners), people whom I collaborate with as part of my job (in my case, the media), people I’ve worked with and trust, and anyone else who I respect and/or want to help out. When in doubt, I hit the “Decide Later” button to give the relationship more time to develop.
- Be thoughtful: Connecting means you’re agreeing to collaborate. It’s a gesture of trust and means that you can now ask me to introduce you to someone I know. This doesn’t mean I will, but it means I will seriously consider it. A good rule of thumb for making introductions: “Is this a credible opportunity for both people? Will they thank me even if the specific business connection doesn’t happen?”
- Karma works: Give before you ask and build your network before you need it. The worst time to network is when you need something. If you find ways to help other people achieve their goals the laws of reciprocity will generally work in your favor. People who have zillions of connections and pass along requests indiscriminately don’t understand how to use LinkedIn as a trusted tool. LinkedIn’s designed to help you build upon existing relationships and leverage the trust that you have with these people to reach others.
That’s been my experience thus far. Feel free to share your LinkedIn experience in comments below.
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Patrick Lee May 17th, 2007
Well said, Kay. I agree that networking is something to work on before it’s needed. I also echo your critique of so-called open networkers. Though I have a couple in my network, I believe in only adding people I actually know.
Jenn Brown May 17th, 2007
Very true. I’ve made a point of only adding people I know well enough to be able to describe them to someone else in some fashion. I know LinkedIn has stressed the “trust” factor, which is what drew me to it in the first place.
The more my network grows, the more important it is for me to make sure that I actually have that ‘first level’ connection with those in my contacts list on LinkedIn. No one needs to link up with the entire world… and I’m still connected with people on other levels, not everyone is going to close to me, in the virtual world or otherwise.
Sheilah Etheridge May 18th, 2007
Hi Kay,
Great post and wonderful advice to the members. I believe the key to good networking is getting to know the people you are connected to. And of course never ask for more than you are willing to give. It takes a great deal of energy to build a strong network, but the rewards are worth every second invested.
Although I do connect to people I do not know, I work hard to get to know them and they do likewise. But I still feel it is important to read the profile and any Q&A’s they post before deciding on connecting.
Keep up the wonderful work Kay, you’re a Godsend to this site.
Sheilah
fortyplustwo May 19th, 2007
LinkedInblog
LinkedIn has a blog where you can find information about LinkedIn, things like new features and how-tos.
There is a post titled 3 ways to make networking work, a good post about networking valid not only at LinkedIn.
Site Search Tags: LinkedIn, …
Charlene June 12th, 2007
Hello St. Louis, MO. any bloggers out there?
Jim Turner June 12th, 2007
Kay,
Your comments/guidelines are right on target. When I first joined LI, I had no idea how to grow my network. I think I’ve finally gotten it down. After running out of folks that I personally know, I started searching for folks in my field and began reaching out to them by telling them that I was willing to help them achieve their goals. As a result my acceptance rate is well above 80%. My network has grown from the mid-thirties to now at 81 in just over a couple of weeks.
Jim Turner
Jeff Scurry June 25th, 2007
Karma is the key. I think following Jeffrey Gitomer’s advice of, “Give value first,” is the key. Sometimes you have to get before you can give – like interviewing folks for stories – but, as a general rule, if you can give first all is well!
Ann Shea February 29th, 2008
Regarding Karma and networking:
I’m a big fan of many social networking sites…my favorites are Facebook for connecting with family and friends who are not in my immediate weekly travel zone and Linked In for business and networking contacts.
I find the internet fascinating for a portal to a wider world, and I have a few contacts on the site whom I’ve never met but respect for their knowledge and accomplishments. Locally, many of the people I invite are people I genuinely want to help grow their business or share my positive experiences with for a wider audience.
For someone who’s locally committed to help entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed, Linked In has so many possibilities. It could be individualized, personal yellow pages of local service providers you’ve used, trust, and want to promote, including perhaps a local chiropractor or print shop. Linked In can also serve as a sort of virtual reference list for job seekers, perhaps more real and current than any brief list of names and numbers.
Another great application of Linked In is a way to reconnect with intellectual contacts like university profs and colleagues for those who went to college prior to the Facebook phenom.
My original thought on the Karma thing is that if you are truly interested in others, they will be interested in you. Way back in 1936, Dale Carnegie had a best seller based on the basic tenets of the Golden Rule…found your relationships on a sincere interest in others. For me, it’s really about the joy of connecting, not what I expect for myself…It is better to travel well than to arrive.
(Buddha)
Douglas Capozzalo November 3rd, 2008
Thank you, Kay. I made the mistake early on of inviting my entire Contact database to “join me” at LinkedIn. I was reprimanded appropriately by the Linkedin police…and at the time (a year ago) I didn’t understand the delicacy of the situtation. Trust is a delicate gift, not for giving away indiscriminately. So plant seeds carefully and they will bare tasty fruit.
Best,
Douglas
John Koshy November 24th, 2008
Hi Kay,
Thanks for sharing your connection philosophy! I’ve learnt a thing or two from that.
Cheers,
John
Kevin Daste March 20th, 2009
Great post, Kay!
I consider my LinkedIn networking similiar to my primary email address. I never give it out if there’s even the slightest possibility of “spam.”