A few posts ago, some clever readers came up with these suggestions for posts:

Social Networking Power Strategies

AND

Leora’s Essential Guide to Effective Social Networking

So, please consider this part one in a series on Networking.

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Here are a few suggestions for networking online:

Small Business Network

To get to the Small Business Network, click on the box on the sidebar. Or go to http://www.smallbusinessnetwork.co/. Larry Brauner is the host, and there are such a variety of business people one can meet.

Small Business Bonfire

I joined the Small Business Bonfire a few weeks ago. Alyssa and Jason Gregory make it easy to meet others on the site. The kindling level is free. Here’s a post by Alyssa Gregory on Four Simple Ways to Reduce Small Business Stress.

Make Better Use of Twitter

There are many people you can meet on Twitter – you just have to know how to find them. Then, once you follow them, talk to them and respond to them, as though you were having a conversation with a real person (after all, there is a real person behind that Twitter profile). You can use Twitter to Build a Local Network, or you can connect with people from Australia to San Francisco to England and chat with them every day (assuming you and they share common interests worthy of a chat).

Update: Twitter chats are a great way to network online. Last night I visited #smallbizchat – I hadn’t been on that chat in a long time. Here’s a post about #smallbizchat with host Melinda Emerson (written two years ago, that post could use an updated version!).

Utilize LinkedIn for Networking

The short answer to How to Use LinkedIn for Networking is – join as many groups as you find relevant to your business. Then join in the conversation. You can learn more about how to use LinkedIn with 100+ Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn or Using Linkedin for online PR.

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Upcoming: Ideas for networking locally
Upcoming even sooner: Does your site Bing? Optimize your site for the Bing search engine.

Would you like to do a guest post on networking? – here’s an opportunity for you to tell your version of how to network and get links back to your site, too.

1. You have plenty of work already. Who needs to take time to network?
2. You are so new at doing what you do that you are afraid you will sound unprofessional.
3. You have been doing the work you are doing for so long that you are bored of it. And you don’t really want to talk about it.
4. You have nothing to wear. You would rather wear your pajamas all day. You don’t feel like putting on your “good” shoes.
5. You still haven’t changed your business cards from ten years ago when you started to your business. You keep delaying, even though you know there are perfectly good deals for business cards.
6. Last time you went you got stuck in traffic.
7. You remembered how shy you were in first grade. Somehow, that image of being afraid of the other “kids” sticks in your head.
8. You are afraid you will know nothing compared to the others in the room. You will open your mouth and small birds will fly out instead of clever words.
9. You are afraid you will know more than everyone else in the room. You will be bored by their talk and complaints.
10. You just don’t feel motivated.

What’s your reason excuse?

Coming soon: Learn about a new social media program at Rutgers.

If a networking event is only one hour or so long, it is an art form to get what you want from attending. Last week I went up to Morristown, New Jersey for a Meetup; unfortunately, as happens in New Jersey, I got stuck in traffic for half an hour two minutes before I got to the Morristown exit. So I missed the beginning of the meeting, the part where everyone introduces themselves and hands out their business cards. Then I had to leave early due to an appointment.

So here’s my takeaway from this meeting:

When attending a networking event, be sure to come early, stay late or do both.

I could have postponed my appointment and stayed later; I didn’t have a lot of control over the traffic. Will I attend another meetup in Morristown? Maybe. Will I attend more networking events in New Jersey? Certainly! I did get a chance to hand out my own business cards and received two in return, but I didn’t really have the opportunity to meet others in the room, which had been my main goal in attending.

A few posts on making the most of networking:

• Barbara Lopez: Don’t over-think your introduction
• Gaylene Xanthopoulos: Strategic Networking Tips

Do you have any suggestions on how to make the most of a networking meeting, especially a short one?

What are some reasons one might want to meet others in person?

1. You might get a new client.
2. You might learn something that will help your business.
3. You might help someone in the group get a new client or help them with their business.
4. Your work involves staring at a screen all day or talking into the telephone (mine certainly does!), and you love the idea of talking about your work in person, with real live people.
5. You like meeting new people.

Any more suggestions for why one would attend a face to face meeting?

I also ran a Twitter Research Workshop at the Highland Park Public Library on Monday night, so it was a good face-to-face week for me. It was great to have Dhaval Jani and Haim Cohen at the workshop, as they helped answer some of the participants’ questions.

Do you have opportunities to network in person where you live? How have you found the experience? Eva Abreu organized the tweetup on Friday, and she used http://www.meetup.com/ for the invites and feedback. If you want, you can use it to join our Central New Jersey group or to organize your own in your area.

If you have suggestions on how the audio for Skype can be improved, feel free to say so in the comments.

Update: See Eva’s video -