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The Art of Networking in the Digital Age:
Less Net, More Work

By Burl W. Randolph Jr.

I love the digital age.  Not as much as I love mentoring, but the digital age has made life so much easier.  With the click of a mouse, I can transfer money across the United States, order products from around the world, and know the status of international events in near real time.  I can even expand my network in half the time it takes to cold call, hot knock, data mine, or send mail outs.  One friend or connection request, the right tweet, and the all-important ‘Like,’ and I’m in right?

I especially liked when one author wrote:

“A Facebook like is meaningless if your customer doesn’t really like you. Real social business networks reflect real-world relationships” (York, 2012).

Here are two truisms of digital networking we can all relate too:

  1. With digital networking, you can cast a wide net.
  2. Wide nets require more work.

These truisms have led me to believe that digital networking requires

Less Net, and More Work.

Digital networking requires four components to truly be effective: Connection, Communication, Cultivation, and Consideration.  A short blurb on each.

  • Connections are the friends, followers, and connections we garner from Facebook, Tweeter, and Linked In respectively. As I recently told a group: “You can’t be, where you’re not”.  Millennials are on Facebook, many people are on Tweeter, and many business executives are on Linked In.  Where do you want to be?
  • Communication is your ‘Why’ for connecting. Be upfront, bold, and even audacious about friending and connecting. The digital age requires brevity and transparency.
  • Cultivation is how the relationship is developed. Linking, following, and endorsing is not enough. Go meet somebody for crying out loud! Have a cup of coffee, share a meal, or chat on the phone.  Clicking is not the totality of cultivating.  There are more steps to determine who you want in your network.
  • Consideration is your investigation of ‘Why’ you might want to pursue the partnership. If you pursue the partnership, then reciprocation occurs, where you truly Like, Endorse, Follow, Collaborate, Instigate, and Refer your network partners.

The digital age has opened the flood gates on connecting with others, so we need to become strong swimmers, paddlers, and floaters if we want to earnestly benefit from the technology.

Just how wide are you willing to cast your net?

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