I had an awesome conversation on IM this morning with Sara from SuburbanOblivion about networking and bloggers and with her permission I’ve shared this gem of segment with you guys.

Sara: who says we have no power? 😉

me: nobody did

The problem lies with the definition of “we”

Sara: ?

do tell

me: We is a collective term

99% of individual bloggers have no power

Sara: very true

me: So really.. that 99% have no right to the term we

It’s that 1% that they latch on to 😉

LOL

Sorry.. just taking a provocative stance here

Sara: lol

nothing new

me: because it fits with what’s going though my brain at the minute

Sara: and I will say, one this this ‘collective’ is good at is networking and community

its not a matter of latching on, its a matter of building relationships

me: LOL.. 90% of bloggers do not build relationships

They latch on

Like junk floating in space

they latch onto the nearest big object that stays still long enough

Sara: maybe in your experience

me: The problem is that most bloggers just want to be heard..

They do not want to do the networking

they invest neither the time nor the work needed

The people who attend conferences and actually network are the minority

Sara: that doesn’t have to be done at conferences

me: No it doesn’t I never said that

Sara: I have a buttload of bloggers I email back ad forth with on a personal basis regularly

me: Yes you do.. and so do I..

get the point yet?

Networkers tend to network

Sara: and sites like Facebook and twitter make it even easier to get to know and keep in touch

me: They tend to be connected to other networkers

It doesn’t matter that the tools are there to be used..

Look at facebook, twitter, myspace, linked in..

friendfeed etc..

Look at your contacts

Sara: ok..

me: I’d wager that 75% or more of your contacts are the same on all of these networks

Networkers tend to network with other networks

er.. networkers

You have to look beyond that sphere

Sara: to a degree

me: You’re a networker and are connected to other networkers

Sara: never thought of it that way

I’m a blogger, and I like to get to know people

readers, potential readers

other friends too though 🙂

me: Yeah I know..

At the end of the day it really comes down to that old saying .. “birds of a feather flock together”

Sara: it IS networking, and I swear moms are a natural at that, but I’ve always thought the term ‘networker’ more as a business thing

if that makes any sense at all

likely not

me: Yeah I know

Sara: lol

At the end of the day, those of us that are part of the conversation are those of us who have the mind-set to network with and converse with others.

Everybody else, no matter what title they assign themselves is just another piece of flotsam washed up on the shore of the community they claim to be a part of.

Published by Paul O'Flaherty

I help Small Businesses and Medical Practices reach their potential! I have over two decades of professional experience in the I.T. field (including teaching, implementation, support, and training), and developing professionally in web design, media, webcasting, SEO, community building, marketing, and business development. An Irish entrepreneur living in South Alabama, I'm happiest when exploring new projects and helping small businesses reach their full potential.

2 thoughts on “Dear Bloggers: Networkers Network. Everybody ElseJust Dhouts!”

  1. That is a lively conversation. I believe that the word networking has lost all its original meaning or intention. It has now become a cacophony. There are just too many networking sites and opportunities, that you do not really find any sincerity, except in the very rare instance. I think, blog communities offer more scope to communicate effectively.

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