High-Performance Social Networking - Part I: The 8 Basic Networking Styles Wednesday, January 10, 2007
I confess I did glaze over a little with this piece which is almost a scientific analysis of networking.
In essence, if you network you've got people you've just met but have yet to do much with (not figured out where to take things); people you're actively talking with regularly; and your black book of old friends/colleagues/acquaintances who get activated from time to time when something relevant pops up.
Sometimes people move quickly into the black book, after an initial flurry, but that's often because you are trying to churn through lots of ways you might collaborate as you get to know the person before becoming more selective about your discussions.
The piece did prompt me to think how much easier it is to keep in touch with a larger network thanks to technology. For instance, I have a large number of people in my IM contacts and it's quick and easy to say hi etc when they come online and strike up a casual conversation (what I think of as the coffee machine chat in some cases).
For me, IM has replaced email, which is a more impersonal but still useful occasionally, albeit it's somewhat unconventional to email with no reason.
Reading blogs of friends/acquaintances is a great way to remain informed about what they are up to (haven't got into Twitter yet - not sure I care what people are up to every minute!).
I realise that I rarely just ring someone up for a chat/gossip. This is something I perhaps did 10 years ago, back when the thought of writing letters seemed bizarre.
Perhaps the only thing that hasn't been replaced by technology though is the chance meeting. I confess I love working in the City ("Square Mile"). Its' fabulous history aside, it remains a remarkably "small" community in many ways and remarkably incestuous. Everyday, it's a great delight to bump into people you know in the business community as you walk between meetings. It was for that reason that I abandoned getting cabs around the City - the few moments saved between meetings was usually at the expense of chance meetings as you walked between locations. Most places in the City can be easily walked to in 10 minutes or so. Not only is it better for my health, but has the potential to be better for my wealth as chance meetings convert people from black book to current!
I'm sure I am not alone in this experience.
Labels: networking
posted by John Wilson @ 7:39 PM Permanent Link
newsvine
reddit
1 Comments:
-
At 8:16 PM,
said...
-
I'd agree totally with you - and it's nice to take in some of the more hidden parts of the city. Mind you it can be a long walk from Aldgate St.Pauls.
MH
