1) Get a Grownup Email Address
You aren’t a teenager anymore. An email account such as sugarpiehoneybunch69″ isn’t going to help you connect with the CEO of a Fortune 1000 company or any other meaningful business contact. You will be better served by using your own name@gmail.com or your personal address at your own domain name. You can also purchase email accounts at Godaddy which offers unique you@YourPersonalDomain.com personalization. It allows you to send and receive email using popular email clients and mobile devices like Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Blackberry.
All that being said, you still need to have a “junk” email account at a free service such as Yahoo or Hotmail to use when you sign up for various newsletters or offers that you may or may not want when all is said and done. By using this account for everything other than business or strictly personal, you will avoid spending time cleaning out the spam.
2) Get With The In Crowd
Yahoo! Groups is the nexus of group online discussion, with over 10 million groups covering every topic from affiliate marketing to self employment. Search for a group that aligns with your interests and join. Be sure to be active in these groups and make sure to link back to your website if you have one.
3) Pick Your Spot
MySpace, Facebook and several other high-profile sites are a fun filled distraction, but LinkedIn is the place for “traditional” business networking, and basic membership is free. Create a profile and invite your friends to become first-degree connections with you on LinkedIn – all of you will be able to share your contacts, and vice versa.
4) Twitter Your Time on Facebook
Join Twitter and Facebook to keep your network updated on your daily doings. It uses short but effective 140-character increments. Follow other people (You will be followed also if you are doing something of interest) on Twitter to learn about cool websites and online tools, be directed to provocative blogs and generally stay abreast of what’s happening with the people you know and admire. For instance, you can follow me at http://twitter.com/thjassociates
5) No Fear
Don’t be afraid to write a quite introductory note to people you meet online. Remember it is ONLINE networking. When you do make contact mention something about the person or their organization. No matter how interesting you think you are, if you are contacting someone you would like to network with they aren’t going to want a monologue about you. Start with you how much you enjoyed their article or blog or maybe the subject they are mostly closely identified with. Also remember they didn’t wake up that morning dreaming about your resume or how much help you need so keep it light. If they ask for you resume then its ok to share.
6) Online Discussion – Not Spamming
When you meet people on LinkedIn or through a discussion group, it’s OK to contact them one-on-one in regard to a topic they’ve written about. It isn’t OK to spam people with sales pitches or add them to your subscriber lists. These communities are tightly knit despite their size and you will garner some bad publicity.
7) Appreciation is Appreciated
When a fellow networker responds to a question you posted online, write back and say thanks. “Please” and “thank you,” are just as appropriate in cyberspace as in face to face activities. In fact, with people moving through the internet at such incredible speeds, etiquette is often sacrificed for speed. Don’t make that mistake!
8) Feeling Adventurous
Check out Ning to explore social networks that Ning users have created on any topic you can think of, and join one of them to learn more about communication and advice-sharing in the social networking arena. Ning users set up their own social networks on the fly, so feel free to launch “Scooter Heaven”, “Little Dog Owners” or some other networking site once you get comfortable.
9) Proper Tag Line
If you’re going to use online networks and discussion communities, be sure to have an appropriate email signature. Don’t subject everyone to the never-changing quote, long lists of all your favorite websites, or any other information that’s more than three lines long. Keep it interesting, and above all, pertinent.
The PCP – Plan Communicate Prosper newsletter covers career building tips, Life Management, and networking.
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