by Audrey Julienne, Raison d’Etre

The principle of networking

Networking is only as effective as the network you have, so you need to grow that set of contacts as much as possible. The larger your net, the more fish you can catch.

Your network stats

• Check out your network stats to get an idea how many people are in your network out of the overall LinkedIn population which is currently over 40 Million.
• If your network is less than 1M you have some work to do.

People you already know: Webmail contacts

• LinkedIn’s Webmail Contacts Importer can automatically check 15+ webmail providers for potential connections.
• The webmail-contacts importer works well. Look to the right of each contact name for a small , which signifies the person is already a LinkedIn member. De-select the ones that don’t have this icon — unless you want to send them a message asking them to join.

People you should know: Colleagues and classmates

• On the bottom of the home page is a section devoted to people you may know from companies you used to work or schools you’ve attended. This is a great way to pick up 5 to 10 connections per week.
• You can also search your past companies and schools.

People you should meet: Open networker

• An Open Networker is a person who uses professional networking sites not just to keep in touch with contacts they already know, but also to create new contacts, connections and new business opportunities. Open Networkers therefore gravitate toward professional networking sites to take advantage of the speed and efficiency the internet has enabled them to make new business connections.
• LinkedIn’s user agreement prohibits users to, “invite people with whom you have no prior relationship to join your network.” What that means in practice is up to you to decide.
• Connecting with someone is equivalent to exchanging business cards, and sharing partial visibility to the names and titles of people in your rolodex. It doesn’t imply you trust them with your life.
• Hundreds of LinkedIn groups have popped up to support the needs of LinkedIn Open Networkers. Joining these groups gives you access to discussion boards.
• Join these LinkedIn Open Networker groups and find new connections. In a group you can start a new discussion thread introducing yourself, and other members will send you invites to connect.

Nourish your network

Your LinkedIn network is a living and growing entity that needs to be nourished regularly.

Take a moment to type into the LinkedIn search box the new people you met along the way. Nine out of 10 times you’ll find them, and you’ll both increase each other’s network.