Networking - Technology vs. Principles
By Jason Alba
Last week I had the opportunity to go to Silicon Valley to do a variation of a book tour. It was exhilarating to be in the heart of technology, and driving by company headquarters was like driving in the Internet itself.
I was sure that I would be “preaching to the choir” during my entire trip there, however, I found many professionals and executives who still haven’t been able to wrap their brains around the technologies available. Lucky for me, since that meant my message could be well-received.
One of the interesting questions that kept surfacing was about the amount of time needed to participate in any technology (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogging, JibberJobber, etc.). I found it interesting that everyone had various preconceived ideas of what the technology was for (usually more for romance or non-professional networking), and missed the boat on what they could get out of the technology.
I find immense value in minimal participation in LinkedIn. I find great potential in a strong Facebook strategy. I highly regard professionals who blog, to portray their breadth and depth and passions. I’m impressed with those who Twitter effectively, and have been able to improve their personal or corporate brand in that medium.
Companies are doing it, and there are plenty of CEO’s of “Me, Inc.” who are doing it also.
But, keeping everything into perspective, remember you have to have real relationship skills in order to have an effective technology strategy. Things like “giver’s gain,” follow-up and other networking principles have to be a part of your online strategy.
Imagine networking without principles. Or networking without technology. Now, imagine both principles and technology in your networking strategy – very powerful! Here are some things to consider:
Regarding principles, pick up a copy of Never Eat Alone (by Keith Ferrazzi) and Some Assembly Required (by Thom Singer). These two books will help you understand principles and give you plenty of techniques and tactics as you find and nurture professional relationships.
Regarding technology, seriously consider developing your LinkedIn and Facebook strategies, and figure out where blogs fit in (check out my You Get It category to see who I think is doing an excellent job of portraying their personal brand with blogs). There are plenty of other technologies to consider, but I would say these are the three essential technologies you need to have as part of your strategy.
You may have been putting too much emphasis on one of these areas (principles or technologies) – I challenge you to balance your strategy more!
