That sounds odd because why would anyone purposefully ineffectively network?! That’s the main criticism of social networking sites though – people add friends & then say, nothing’s happening. Well, there’s more to it than just clicking ‘approved’ for a friend request.

What needs to happen next if you’re going to effectively network:

1. Get Involved – if you don’t nothing will happen – no matter the platform, you need to participate!

  • on blogs – comment
  • Facebook – if they added you, write on their wall or send a message, a nice little note of thanks. I do it immediately & have it correspond to their reason for the invitation to add
  • Twitter – I publicly welcome @them

2. Check in periodically – connect for whatever reason is applicable

  • usually my connection happens immediately (that happened today); it’s a result of browsing their Facebook profile or commenting on their Twitter bio info.
  • Drop a note to ask how things are going? not only when you need something (it’s not all about you)
  • Provide value to your network – consider what you can do for them?
  • Participate in groups – you’ll be surprised when you start seeing the same people

3. Participate on their blogs, networks, etc – oh! this was #1

My philosophy is that participation & showing interest is key. How do you feel when others enquire about things that interest you? An excellent example is the meme that Jeremiah started on Social Media Snacking. When I saw that I was tagged, it was late, but I took a few minutes to post my response. Who would’ve known that the meme would become so viral? The names kept being added to it. People from all over the world have responded (I tagged two in Singapore) & I saw a post by a friend from Greece.

Brian Solis writes about snacking, but it summarized my thoughts here too.

There’s a shift taking place in how certain groups of people discover and share information, and if you’re in the world of publishing, marketing, or sales, you should probably pay attention. With every new channel that gains momentum, a new bridge can also be built between you, peers, and your customers to foster healthy and dynamic communities based on conversations and relationships.

And you’re saying to yourself, that takes time. Yes, I agree it does. But isn’t that the point? To get to know people, you need to interact in a genuine way. The result is huge though. Having a network (community if you will) of people who trust your opinion & know that you’ll help them is invaluable.

If you are a friend first, then it will come back. My UK Twitter friend, Nik Butler, posted a Social Startup Pack for Twitter & I was humbled to see my name on the list. That’s a good place to start if you’re interested in Twitter.

Feel free to add me on Facebook too. And if you’re hesitant about networking, I posted awhile ago about Overcoming Social Network Shyness. Start there & ease yourself in.