July 23, 2008 79 Comments

The Vital Importance of Your Network

nets Back in June, I wrote about whether companies will value your personal network. It’s a topic I think about constantly because I’ve seen time and time again the value of my own network. I use some amount of that value every day. And I spend a portion of each day threading the social needle.

Two great posts over the last few days show me that it’s not just me thinking about this. Tim Sanders says we should refresh our network often, and Jeremiah Owyang reports on the the risks and opportunities inherent in your network. It’s all pointing towards the same thing: you’ve got to think consciously about how you use social networks, and you have to build relationships that are decoupled from goals.

Keep Your Network Alive

Christopher S Penn quotes me all the time in presentations on my saying, “You live or die by your database.” Remember that I do lots of events, and that’s partially why I say that, but it’s also true for people in all areas of business. Think about this:

If you lose your job today, how many people can you reach, and who would be helpful? Think harder about the names of those people. Have you talked with them lately in ANY form?

How do you stay connected to your network’s news? Do you watch the news stream on LinkedIn? Do you watch the updates on Facebook, Friendfeed, and other social networks? 20 minutes or less on these platforms often gives you some interesting pieces of information, and might sometimes prompt a message out to people in your network.

Some practices to consider:

  • Spend 20 minutes a day observing your network. If someone is mostly offline and not a social network user, spend a few minutes sending out a few “checking in” emails to get a read on her world.
  • Spend 10 minutes a day (I spend a bit more here) cultivating new relationships. This can be through participation on social networks, through reading new blogs and commenting, through, attending face-to-face events, or many other things. If you’re not growing your network, you’re stagnating.
  • Use an organized contact management system, but also keep frequent backup copies of those system’s files in CSV or XLS form somewhere safe. (Meaning, don’t trust online platforms 100% with your data). I’m using BatchBook right now (disclosure: they gave me a complementary license for a review, but they’re still inexpensive, even if you pay).
  • Never, never, never pound that list of names with dumb jokes, updates about your life (unless it’s something insanely profound), or other clutter. Try not to message everyone ever. Instead, segment information such that you talk to the people that matter to the topic at hand.
  • Deliver two to three times as much value as you ask from your network. This keeps people eager to be helpful when the time comes that you need them.
  • Never make a huge deal out of helping others in your network.
  • It’s okay to say no (politely!) to requests for access through your network, should you be concerned about the intent of the person asking.

Tell Me About Your Network

How has your network impacted the way you live or conduct business? Do you belong to any networks, online or off, that have driven value back to you? (My CEO is a Harvard Business School graduate and the database he can touch is astounding.) How are you keeping your database fresh and vibrant?

And finally, are you living your online life consciously with regards to building and maintaining a meaningful network?

——–

The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by [chrisbrogan.com] for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.

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Photo credit, ladybug 78

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  • http://www.mousewords.wordpress.com mousewords

    I’ve basically got four networks, I think–Art, Writing, Social Media, and Personal (family, friends, neighbors). Some are online or offline more than others; some overlap; but each has its own great personality.

    The one thing that stood out with me in this post is *back up the contacts list.* I need to work on that!

  • http://www.mousewords.wordpress.com mousewords

    I’ve basically got four networks, I think–Art, Writing, Social Media, and Personal (family, friends, neighbors). Some are online or offline more than others; some overlap; but each has its own great personality.

    The one thing that stood out with me in this post is *back up the contacts list.* I need to work on that!

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  • http://delicious.com/meryn Meryn Stol

    I read a very fearful undertone in this post. How about just doing your best (quite likely while working with others) and expect other people to value you for this (if not in the short-run, then in the long run)?

    I really dislike networking for the sake of networking, keeping friends for the sake of having friends. If you need to go alone at some point in your life, go alone.

    Of course, in most countries they let you die on the streets if you don’t have money, so it’s handy to have some money in the bank for this. But keeping your expenses low helps you remain independent to a large degree.

  • http://delicious.com/meryn Meryn Stol

    I read a very fearful undertone in this post. How about just doing your best (quite likely while working with others) and expect other people to value you for this (if not in the short-run, then in the long run)?

    I really dislike networking for the sake of networking, keeping friends for the sake of having friends. If you need to go alone at some point in your life, go alone.

    Of course, in most countries they let you die on the streets if you don’t have money, so it’s handy to have some money in the bank for this. But keeping your expenses low helps you remain independent to a large degree.

  • http://www.spokeo.com PeopleSearchExpert

    Chris,

    Spokeo.com can help you understand your network more easily. You can find updates from your friends from _all_ networks in one interface, instead of checking on LinkedIn, Facebook, Friendfeed, etc separately. It will also find activity across networks you probably don’t check, since it reaches out to 40 networks.

    Your 20 minutes a day observing your personal network will be utilized much more efficiently with this service. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

  • http://www.spokeo.com PeopleSearchExpert

    Chris,

    Spokeo.com can help you understand your network more easily. You can find updates from your friends from _all_ networks in one interface, instead of checking on LinkedIn, Facebook, Friendfeed, etc separately. It will also find activity across networks you probably don’t check, since it reaches out to 40 networks.

    Your 20 minutes a day observing your personal network will be utilized much more efficiently with this service. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

  • http://www.hooversbiz.com/ Anonymous

    @Meryn Stol: The problem with “just doing your best . . . and expect other people to value you for this” is that it assumes that others can recognize your best when you do it. It’s an easy assumption to make for as long as we’re inside our own sphere of activity, but outside polling often reveals that even our good friends aren’t really aware of what we’re doing.

    Mind you, doing your best is WAY more important than networking — but in many cases it simply doesn’t bear fruit to do the work and expect that the world will realize it without some judicious p.r. efforts on your own part.

    Maybe the old saw had it right:

    Early to bed, early to rise,
    work like hell, and ADVERTISE.

  • http://hooversbiz.com Tim (@Twalk) Walker

    @Meryn Stol: The problem with “just doing your best . . . and expect other people to value you for this” is that it assumes that others can recognize your best when you do it. It’s an easy assumption to make for as long as we’re inside our own sphere of activity, but outside polling often reveals that even our good friends aren’t really aware of what we’re doing.

    Mind you, doing your best is WAY more important than networking — but in many cases it simply doesn’t bear fruit to do the work and expect that the world will realize it without some judicious p.r. efforts on your own part.

    Maybe the old saw had it right:

    Early to bed, early to rise,
    work like hell, and ADVERTISE.

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  • http://www.topguccistore.com/gucci-sukey-medium-tote-211944-fafxg-9769-p-297.html Gucci Sukey Medium Tote

    Good post. Ilike it.

  • http://www.savetubevideo.com youtube downloader

    Spend 20 minutes a day observing your network. If someone is mostly offline and not a social network user, spend a few minutes sending out a few “checking in” emails to get a read on her world.
    Spend 10 minutes a day (I spend a bit more here) cultivating new relationships. This can be through participation on social networks, through reading new blogs and commenting, through, attending face-to-face events, or many other things. If you’re not growing your network, you’re stagnating.

  • http://www.123contracting.co.uk Accountants

    I think you have to keep working on your network but remember not everything is business be a real person!

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  • A-k-a-nhelz

    please we need a complete answer thank you =)

  • Lisacarteris

    Excellent article. A real nuts a bolts a-z.plan. Great for the beginner and the advanced. I will be sharing this at my network meeting tonight. Thanks for Sharing!!

  • Lisacarteris

    Excellent article. A real nuts a bolts a-z.plan. Great for the beginner and the advanced. I will be sharing this at my network meeting tonight. Thanks for Sharing!!

  • Chris

    Just stumbled on your Blog, through an linkedin post and i already like it a lot. I can see why the author claims you to be on the top influencing list! Cheers from Cologne, Germany!

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