Online Networking - Could This be a Valuable Alternative for Your Business Needs?

Some people like Networking, others don’t! Some people enjoy interacting on a face-to-face basis: but many find this awkward, stressful and unproductive.

What about you? Do you enjoy meeting new people, and chatting in a friendly and welcoming manner? Do you derive real benefits from Networking? Do you wish there could be another way of developing business contacts other than by having to force a conversation with someone you can tell you have nothing in common?

Online Networking could prove to be a very valuable alternative to face-to-face interactions. If you subscribe to a good Online Networking service you will probably find you can make many more contacts with people which prove to be worthwhile for both of you.

Let’s compare the advantages and disadvantages of both types of Networking. When you are interacting face to face, you get a much better ‘feel’ for the personality of the person you are talking with. You can develop a mutual respect, and maybe an ongoing business relationship will result. This is not so easy with Online Networking, where your communication is usually in electronic form, via emails.

So are there any advantages in Online Networking? Well, for a start you can be more selective as to who you want to ‘meet’. At a Networking event you tend to be spending time with someone who has approached you, or else with someone you thought (judging just from the way they look) might be of interest. When you network online you can usually learn a lot about the person from the Profile before you make the decision to contact that person or not.

To be sure, often the online contact you make won’t lead anywhere. You might exchange several emails, and then find that you or the other person doesn’t bother to respond any more. But then, how many of the people you meet at a typical Networking event do you stay in touch with afterwards?

Another advantage of Online Networking is that it is more efficient, simply because it takes up much less of your valuable time. At a Networking event you need to spend time getting yourself ready; then you need to travel to and fro; and you might only have meaningful discussions with a few people there anyway.

With Online Networking, it will only take a few minutes to send off a friendly and enticing email to someone with whom you already know you have points in common. And, providing you write the email in an appropriate manner, the recipient will probably feel mildly flattered that you have made the effort to get in touch.

This is assuming you have subscribed to a networking web site which makes these kinds of contact easy. Go to the Networking Knowledge web site to learn more.

Of course, you don’t need to make any decision to join right now .. but don’t let that stop you if you are already convinced of the benefits. Over the coming weeks I’ll be delving into some of the distinctive features and advantages of Online Networking, and there will be lots of interesting points to make.

Geoffrey Ponder is an experienced Technical Writer who has worked on contract for some of the leading Investment Banks, as well as Consulting firms such as PwC and KPMG. Recently he has been involved in Property Investment, and has built up a substantial portfolio of rental properties.

Now he is concentrating on helping people network more effectively, in order to build their business. In particular, he feels that Online Networking has a great deal to offer any business, anywhere in the world. This is often the best way of developing numerous contacts for mutual benefit.

You can learn more by going to - http://www.Networking-Knowledge.com

If you subscribe to the free newsletter you'll receive regular articles to further improve your understanding of Networking, and help you gain more from Networking.





Print this article    Tell a friend