According to my friend, Lorie Gonzales, networking is more than just “working a room”. It is about forming honest sincere relationships that benefit you, the other person, your careers and your lives. It allows you to connect not only with other people, but with new ideas and information, better business practices, job opportunities, potential customers and vendors. The following are ten steps to effective networking. I have added how each step should be achieved in the virtual world of “social networking”.

•  Adopt an attitude of self-confidence and start with a positive attitude.
  • ¨       “Meet the people, meet the people, and meet the people.” In other words, mingle; don’t spend all your time with just one or two guests.
  • ·         ONLINE: In social networking, if you aren’t having conversations with your new connections, then you are just standing in the corner. If you wouldn’t do that in a live networking event, then don’t do it online either.
• The number one rule is “Attraction vs. Promotion”.
• ONLINE: Set yourself up to “attract” the right people. You do this by “wearing the right clothes. Oh yeah, we are online. So you do this by sharing the right information. Share info about YOU, not about what you do.