online networking sites

[David Sandusky]

Online social networking site are getting more and more popular in targeted circles. Some are getting abused by spam artist so be careful of content and links. This forum is business and career oriented so, naturally, LinkedIn: Relationships Matter is my top choice. Check it out if you are not familiar. I call it permission marketing. Sign up for free, build a profile that sells with key words that you want people to find you with. Invite your network and use it to find contacts you never knew you could touch. I touch on this in on my web seminars, but if you want quality training from pros., some of my friends in Denver are putting on great training. Coming to you out of towners soon! Check out Integrated Alliances: Denver, Colorado business networking for the training times.

I also think ecademy is worth checking out for professional profiles and online networking. Classic social sites like Facebook are not just for you kids anymore!

[GoldCallingPRO]

I totally agree with you.

Kim

[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.

[David Sandusky]

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.

Online networkers CAN speak and get to know the members. Most users start with contacts they know and use the tool to generate more contact and specific needs. When new contacts connect over a job opportunity or business deal, or re-connecting - they tend to talk and meet. I personally have been found to discuss my business offering, request to speak and I found candidates for executive searches using LinkedIn.

If I had to guess, my contacts on LinkedIn are 60/40, men. Close, I would guess to the break-up in my executive contacts in Outlook. In my exerience networking in person and online, I would generally agree with the charactoristics mentioned; I wonder how many women list the number of connections in their profile. But I would recommend that women everywhere take advantage of the opportunty to be found and find others needed for the initial contact and, then, meet!

[searchguru]

I have put together a Lens at Squidoo on onlone networking ssites and books. It is http://www.squidoo.com/onnetworking

[mikeoneildenver]

Most people use LinkedIn as a tool that they combined with other networking tactics. You don't really network on LinkedIn, you find people to network with on LinkedIn and they find you. It isn't setup for chat or anything real-time and probably never will be.

In person, face-to-face interaction is far and away the best networking tactic and I think everyone here agrees. That is what makes a networking EVENT so attractive.

The power of LinkedIn is in:

1. Finding people based on some type of need/search.
2. Seeing who YOUR connections may know.
3. Getting exposure for yourself to people that you DON'T know.

To be most successful, you should:

1. Have a proper profile for your needs.
2. Know how to search most effectively.
3. Build a decent sized network so your searches can deliver results.
4. Understand the etiquettes on LinkedIn.

If you want to learn all this in one afternoon, you can visit the Integrated Alliances Web site and find out when the next LinkedIn workshop is.

Join me on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/mikeoneil

[David Sandusky]

More and more online networking sites pop-up all the time. Might be a good idea to check out a few and stick with those that are a fit and you will actually participate in. LinkedIn comes up a lot in this forum and other places. I remember when I started telling people about it in Denver four years ago - very few were actually using it and hard to find anyone that heard the name. That is happening now with ecademy. I am asked often what is the Myspace for adults or professionals. There are a few, but ecademy seems to be very solid and very few around here know. I chose to participate in this one and actually started a club, etc. Therefore, I can endorse this site. It is a great place to network online and has appropriate places to market your business (marketplace). The smart user can tie the blog, clubs and marketplace together for a great online brand! There is not yet 50 users in Denver (where I am from) of the 80,000+ users. Huge in the U.K. and making waves here now. This has huge promise - thanks to Kathy Simmons with Netshare for the invite! A great place for $100K+ execs by the way!

[Rebecca]

LinkedIn is terrific for those that are trying to reach business contacts and make professional connections. Another new very dynamic site that allows you to share goals and get help acheiving them is a site called PathConnect. www.pathconnect.com In less than 3 months they have more than 30,000 users that are helping one another achieve personal and professional goals!

If you want an example please feel free to go directly to my "page" at
http://www.pathconnect.com/footinthedoor

It has already helped me in several of my community endeavors.

[nicu101]

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.

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

[David Sandusky]

If you have not, check out ecademy Based on your preferences, you might find the combinations of blog, forum and marketplace helpful. Your niche offering is global is scope and this might give you some exposure - keep in mind you might be too niche for ecademy (and linked in for that matter) so could take longer...
Where else are you networking for your niche?