Quote:
Originally Posted by jhubbel
For certain generations, this is a great option- for baby boomer women, this is less attractive, and for many women in general, online networking doesn't work as well because women really value the in person connection. To wit: when males talk, they can sit side by side and only occasionally look at one another. Women will move their chairs or sit uncomfortably to allow themselves to face each other directly-- in order to study the up to 250,000 facial expressions the human face is capable of making. Online doesn't give you that; only in person. I will grant you some generational differences but for the most part women want to see their networking partners. They aren't the ones typically bragging about 10,000 Linked In members in their network, about whom they know very little. In fact, most of the women I speak to say they will not participate in Linked In precisely because they cannot speak to and get to know the members. It's something to keep in mind.
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Frankly (and maybe it's a generational thing), as a woman in business, I'd rather get things done efficiently on my own time online, than do a lot of face-to-face stuff. With my busy schedule, it's nice to be able to drop a line at 2am via email, instead of worrying about time zones and whether it's dinner time where I'm calling. This is especially true with my east coast contacts, as we are on mountain time.
I think linkedin and other online networking sources are a valuable tool, because it allows me to find connections I wouldn't have thought to ask about.
-Kristie