Ripping the Mask Off Online Networking
‘The New Normal,’ ‘Zoom me,’ ‘let’s do a screen share.’ There’s no doubt that the patois – and much of our behavior – has changed in the last several months, but some things don’t, such as the importance of ‘getting out there’ and networking and staying connected.
There’s no excuse not to. You may be sitting at home, but let’s be honest: you have the world at your fingertips, so instead of wasting even more time on TikTok (and head’s up: Apple Caught China-Owned TikTok Spying on Millions of iPhone Users) or posting yet again to the gram or checking out what everyone else is doing, one of the most invigorating activities in which you can engage is meeting new people. Here are a few suggestions for doing that:
- Events these days are taking place virtually. Find the ones that appeal to you and participate. Ok, so you’re having a bad hair day. Most of the world has been having a bad hair three months, so don a cap, post your photo instead, and even post simply your name or initial, if you must. But remember: the web – and video conferencing – is visual. Fine to retreat behind a little black box, but at some point – especially during introductions – remember that the importance of networking is to literally show your face.
- Find online networking groups in your areas of interest. While in some events, you can participate in the chat only and are more or less a fly on the wall, there are those in which the attendees are actively engaged with each other and the host, en masse, or in breakout rooms. Good way to meet new people, and since people from all over the country and all over the world have the ability to participate, these are opportunities you might not have ordinarily gotten. Ever.
- Behave yourself. Play nice with the other kids/attendees. Participate, but refrain from using this as an opportunity to get up on a soap box or your high horse. People are participating because they want to reach out, not be shut out or shouted down.
- If you’re participating because you have a particular need – looking for work, employees, investors, whatever – don’t start with that or use your agenda to monopolize the conversation. Find out who everyone is first. Participants usually also post their emails or LinkedIn information in the chat – which you can save. Establish a relationship first, and continue the conversations later – or via email or phone call or LinkedIn chat or a separate video chat. Just because it’s a video conference doesn’t mean you need to get in everyone’s faces.
- Participate in online activities, too. Trust us, there’s something for everyone out there – chess, yoga, cooking, karaoke, even cocktail hours. You name it, you can find it. Good time to develop an interest or pursue one that you’ve been putting off – and you never know who you meet that way. As for the cocktail hours: you may be holed up in your apartment, but no reason why you should have to imbibe alone.
- Good ice breaker rather than the usual, ‘who are you and what do you do?’ Try, ‘so where in the world are you at the moment?’ Many people are away from their usual home base. Always interesting to know where they’ve gone off to and how that has altered their lives. It’s a much more interesting way to connect in this age of the New Normal.
- LinkedIn. You may have a ton of connections, some of whom you know and some of whom you decided to connect with out of the blue for whatever reason and for whatever reason, they accepted. Good time to check in with some of those connections. Say hello. See how they’re doing and what they’re doing. Not everyone updates their profile all the time, so you never know what might have changed. Drop them a note. Or look for people/former coworkers with whom you might have lost touch. You might even want to look at some of your connections’ second degrees and perhaps introduce yourself to them. You at least know someone in common: that second degree may also have common interests or be able to help you push the envelope forward a bit – or vice versa.
We are admittedly a compulsive networker, as we enjoy meeting new people and you just never know whom you might encounter just by showing up, even if it means moving just a bit out of your comfort zone. It can be energizing. It can be thought-provoking. It may help you to look at something you’ve been thinking about/stressing over with a new perspective. If you’re working on something/need something in particular, it might even help you to move the needle forward.
