Networking Know How

Home
>
Networking
>
Networking Know How

Networking Know How

Networking, even to a seasoned professional, can seem intimidating or scary at times. The reason for this is due to the fact, that networking can be positive or negative! We don't often think of "negative" networking. Not knowing what constitutes the difference between the two makes it easy to network in a negative manner.

I am sure that you will agree that the term "networking" is one of the most over-used and misunderstood words in our vocabulary. To give you an idea of how the term came to be misunderstood, lets first look at the dictionary definition. To paraphrase the dictionary, networking is defined as "the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions." What we don't see included in the definition is the purpose of networking. We need to view networking in a much broader concept than the dictionary definition. If we view networking as the process of developing and maintaining quality relationships that are mutually beneficial, it won't take long to realize that networking is an ongoing process. The continual building of relationships that can last a lifetime is what makes networking an ongoing process. When we lose touch with someone, then call on them when we are in need, we have just created a negative networking situation.

Positive networking needs to become a way of life. As the old saying goes "It's not what you know but who you know." This is true more than ever in today's competitive world. Networking is not something that comes easily to many people. You may be basically a shy person, possibly feel you don't have the resources, or as most of us are today, just plain busy. You may feel you just don't have the time to network. The fact is that every time you meet someone new, you are given the opportunity to network, learn new things and enrich your life. Because we have broadened our definition of networking to include its purpose, we really don't have time not to network.

Building relationships that will help you reach your potential is easier than you may think. Welcome new opportunities to meet new people. Don't save your networking for specific situations or places. Networking can be done any place, any time. Learn about the other person you are networking with and how you can help them. Help others connect to the people you know can help them, keep your promises and stay in touch. These are all important aspects that are often overlooked when developing network relationships that are mutually beneficial.

Networking takes time and will be ever-evolving. You will always have opportunities to meet new people to add to your list of contacts. Once you have established a relationship, identify the people who can help you, stay connected, and keep your network growing. Identify the organizations and activities where people you want to know gather, get involved and become known.

To give an example of how this works, identify a group that you would like to join. Attend two meetings before joining. While at the meetings introduce yourself to two people and exchange business cards. Arrange two follow-up meetings for coffee or lunch. Now you will know if you truly want to be part of this group and you will have expanded your network by two.

Networking does not have to be difficult, in fact it can be fun. Keep in mind that it is something you will need to constantly work at and before you know it, you will have a strong network behind you to back your efforts

About The Author

Karen is a graduate of of Cleveland State University and is a freelance writer. Visit her website at http://www.womenatthesummit.com - A site of general interest to women. Topics include: Pregnancy, Children, Parenting, Health and wellness, Diet and Fitness, Relationships, Money, Travel and more.

webmaster@womenatthesummit.com

In The News:

Bradford Networks Partners With Zycko for European Distribution
MarketWatch (press release)
CAMBRIDGE, MA, May 25, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Bradford Networks, the best choice to enable secure network access for corporate issued and personal mobile devices, today announced that it has partnered with pan-European distributor Zycko.

Phoenix networking calendar for week of May 25
Bizjournals.com
To submit networking meeting or event information, or to update these listings, email phoenixcalendars@bizjournals.com. Arizona International Growth Group, first Monday of the month, 7:30 am, SkySong, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Ste. 200, Scottsdale.

Networking as the Next Great Opportunity for the Channel in the Cloud
Channel Insider
The next great bottleneck is going to be the networking layer in the cloud. A recent survey of 1300 IT professionals conducted by Cisco finds that the one of biggest inhibitors to cloud computing adoption is the readiness of the network According to ...

Cisco Ends Investment in Cius Tablet in Face of BYOD, Cloud
eWeek
The networking and collaboration vendor instead will focus on growing its software efforts, such as the Jabber UC platform and WebEx online meeting solution. Cisco Systems' Android-based Cius tablet has become a victim of the rapidly growing ...

and more »

Kiwibox.com Enters Spanish and Latin Markets -- Launches Spanish Language ...
MarketWatch (press release)
NEW YORK, May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The Kiwibox network proudly announces the integration of Spanish language versions on its social networking websites. The US based platform Kiwibox and the European KWICK! now each support Spanish ...

and more »

TIME
The Best Social Networks for Kids Under 13
TIME
By Jo McClelland (Tecca) | May 24, 2012 | + It's no secret that social networking is a large part of our culture. Facebook and other social networking sites have minimum age requirements that some kids get around by lying about the year they were born.

Big Switch Networks Releases Tool to Promote OpenFlow Interoperability
MarketWatch (press release)
PALO ALTO, Calif., May 24, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Big Switch Networks, the leader in Open Software-Defined Networking (SDN), released OFTest, a framework for testing OpenFlow switches to insure standards compliance and interoperability.

and more »

Smart Grid Networking and Communications
Sacramento Bee
As such, the communications networks and equipment used to construct them are shifting from the high unit volume and less expensive nodes used in smart meters, to somewhat lower unit volume, yet higher value, networking equipment and communications ...

and more »

VentureBeat
Microsoft's social networking site So.cl now open to all users
Computerworld
By John Ribeiro IDG News Service - So.cl, an experimental research project from Microsoft, that combines social networking and search to promote learning, is now accepting all users interested in joining the site. The social networking site, ...
Is this the next Facebook? Microsoft unveils so.cl social networkFox News
Microsoft silently launches So.cl, its attempt at a social networking siteVentureBeat

all 237 news articles »

IT Winners and Losers
Barron's
These names include Cisco Systems (ticker: CSCO), Juniper Networks (JNPR) and Polycom (PLCM). In our view, F5 Networks, Radware (RDWR) and Qualcomm are stocks with positive secular trends in application networking and mobile. For the defense industry, ...

Google News