Networking is like making love...

At the risk of sounding like a pervert I thought I'd share a couple ideas that came to me after a recent discussion with friends about networking. These ideas apply to traditional networking as well as what has come to be known as online social networking.

It's not about numbers it's about quality.

Run around trying to desperately make a connection with everyone you meet is a sure recipe for being known as "that guy". You may make a connection or two. But you'll ruin your reputation in the process.

Do it well and more opportunities will come your way.

An honest, authentic connection and everyone's happy. A needy desperate one and someone feels like they've been #@*%$!. Real connections are based on getting to know one another and aligning interests. It's something very natural that thanks to so many people doing it so badly has become confused with something dirty. Maybe instead of calling it "networking" should call it "getting to know people". Maybe then it would have less of a negative connotation.

There's connections, and there's connections.

The more you let yourself be known, and the more you really know others, the more value your network has to you, and you to it. The real value of a connection is in long term relationships.