January 31, 2005

Are You Effectively Networking Online

Via my online networking I found someone to interview for an upcoming panel I'm moderating; got some legal advice; helped people with computer problems; got advice for a move from NY to NJ; got a partner for a seminar I did last year and so much more.

What about you? Are you using online networking to effectively grow your business?

Online networking is not a one time event but is a way of life. It's a powerful tool for connecting with other people YOU can help and who can help YOU. (See this article I wrote to online networking last year)

Maybe you need advice or insight or want to find someone for an even deeper business relationship - online networking can help.

I use Fast Company Magazine's Company of Friends, other networking sites are Linked In and Ryze.

StartupJournal.com writes Making new business contacts is the third-most-popular feature of online networks -- after contacting friends and looking for jobs -- says Nate Elliott, an analyst at Jupiter Research, a unit of Jupitermedia Corp. of Darien, Conn. A total of 15% of all online users are interested in using networks to make business contacts, Jupiter's research shows.

Using Ryze.com, a business networking site run by Ryze Ltd. of San Francisco, is "like going to a business networking party," says Steve Vachani, managing partner of Serendipity Ventures LLC, a seed-stage venture-capital firm also based in San Francisco. "I've been contacted by many people for investments and partnerships through Ryze."

From the entrepreneur's side, online networks "are a great place to find resources and others who will share information about investors" and perhaps provide a critical introduction, says Craig Elias, founder and chief executive of InnerSell Inc., a San Francisco start-up that runs a Web site where salespeople exchange leads. "Without that introduction, it's not likely you're going to get an investor."

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