Usually, networking is done face to face, live and in living colour, at various events ranging from business mixers to leads groups to full blown trade shows. Networking can also take place online, via the internet.
Virtual networking is born.
My good friend Toby Bloomberg, of Diva Marketing fame, is running a virtual networking event over on her blog. Toby is offering to have readers promote their blog via her blog. Talk about the generosity of bloggers!
Virtual networking can be done in many ways:
* Setting up a virtual networking event on a blog as Toby has done.
* Creating a series of conference calls via the popular free internet calling service Skype.
* Conference calls could be developed as a series featuring different bloggers, the same group of bloggers, rotating bloggers, or any permutation and combination you want to use.
* Developing a blog or a wiki specifically for posting business, website, and blogging information for members.
* Creating an e-mail message and support group for business people.
Virtual networking, as in the case of its in person cousin, is all about meeting other business people for mutual benefit. Think about listening to others, and getting to know about them as people, and not about your own business first.
Put other people first, and give much more than you expect to receive. The rewards of giving go far beyond mere dollars, but lead to friendships and long term business alliances. Far more valuable than short term gain, longer term goals fostered by helping others really pay off.
That payoff, in the form of friendship and goodwill, is much more valuable than gold.
Follow the lead of Toby Bloomberg at Diva Marketing.
Start a virtual networking event today!
