People have long joined groups and associations to find the right tribe to network with. One of the joys of online networking is that you can be part of groups to which you may never have face-to-face access, but you can still benefit from the power of the crowd. And, usually there is no cost to join.* Let’s take a really quick look at some online group options – groups you can join for the purpose of networking. Groups on Twitter Twitter doesn’t lend itself to Groups like LinkedIn and Facebook do (see below). However, groups have been set up at www.twibes.com so take a look and see if there’s a Twibe you want to be a part of. Groups on LinkedIn Joining groups increases your visibility within LinkedIn without you having to add ‘contacts’. Once you’ve joined a group you can search that group to find people to connect to.
Groups on Facebook If you search ‘Groups’ within Facebook, you’ll find the thousands of groups that exists. Many groups are not particularly active and depending on whether the Group Admin has allowed the ‘Wall’ and ‘Discussion Board’ to be open to your contribution, you may or may not be able to use the space for (appropriate) networking. You can also become a ‘fan’ of a company on Facebook, which is not exactly the same, but does allow you to see the contribution of other ‘fans’ and thereby handpick people you want to connect with on Facebook. Here’s a link to the Australian Businesswomen’s Network Page. We’d love you to join us there. Should you start your own group(s)? You can, of course ,start your own groups. But, should you? I recommend not jumping into it. Managing a group takes a commitment of time and energy beyond what may be obvious to recruit, engage and keep group members active. I’ve had a bit of personal experience in starting and running both online and offline groups and will share what I learned in a future blog post. OFFLINE (FACE TO FACE GROUPS) There is a LOT of value in being part of traditional networking groups. It may be important (in some cases required) that you belong to your industry association in order to be kept informed on changes that impact your business. In addition, belonging to a networking group can give you:
- community and a network
- a place to share ideas
- support as you grow
- access to potential clients, advisors, resources
- education/knowledge (access to experts)
- exclusive member- only benefits for being part of that group
CASUAL PARTICIPATION vs MEMBERSHIP TO GROUPS Whether you casually participate in a group or sign up as a member really depends on what value you can derive from membership. Here is a video I did a while back on 6 Reasons to Join A Business Network.
*My personal opinion is to pay up and get committed once you find a group that is right for you. There is almost always way more value for members than non-members of any organised group. TODAY’S TASK
- Join an online networking group. This will like be at no cost to you.
- Search on LinkedIn or Facebook, or Twibes.
- Reach out to at least one other person in the group. (Remember we are looking to add value rather than to broadcast what WE do.)
- Tweet to share the news. e.g. I just joined [name of group] for networking. [insert link to group]
