eNetworking 101: The Blog: Tips for 2008 -- #5 -- Connect and reconnect

We are social people. We need other to talk with, bounce ideas off of, and get things done. Nothing we do is truly a solo activity. It is likely that you have a defined circle of friends and colleagues, yet you actually know many more people than that. Take some time in 2008 to connect and reconnect with those other people.

If you have connected to them through LinkedIn, take time to look at their profiles and drop them a note. Consider sending notes to a couple people per week, so the task is not overwhelming.
Do the same for the others social networking sites that you are involved with.
Use the search function of the social networking sites to find old friends and colleagues, or people with similar interests as you. But remember that you need not connect with everyone -- it is okay to be selective.
Don't forget about those contacts you have stored in your contact management software (like MS Outlook) and in your Rolodex. If it is unreasonable to think about contacting them all, at least go through these "cards" and eliminate those that are not needed. (Hint -- if you can't remember who the person is or why you have his card, you're never going to contact them.) Along the way, you may find a few people that you will want to contact.
If you have a newsletter, blog, or other content that you want your contacts to know about, this would be a great time to remind them about it.
If you are going to attend any conferences this year, use those to meet face-to-face with colleagues and friends. Consider arranging an informal "happy hour" where everyone can gather at the same time. Not only will you see everyone, but your colleagues will get to meet each other and possibly form new relationships (thanks to you).
Schedule informal meetings (think breakfast, coffee break or lunch) with those colleagues locally that you want to build a better relationship with. In order to be kind to your calendar, consider doing only one a week. Also consider setting a defined length for the meeting so that it doesn't last longer than you're comfortable with. (You do have work to do!)
Finally, try not to see this as a chore. Find ways to have fun with it.

So this is the last tip to get your started with 2008. Could there be more? Yes! However, we don't want to overwhelm the start of the New Year.

By the way, if you use these tips and want to provide feedback, leave a comment on these posts or send an email message.

Related posts: