Are You Referral Ready?

Plaxo, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Ecademy are just a few online social networking sites that allow users to connect with each other around the world.

LinkedIn is the #1 business networking site with 15 million active users. MySpace reaches 39% of all adults, and Facebook has the fastest-growing demographic in the 25+ age group with 30 million active users and 350 million users overall. Because the online landscape changes so rapidly, these numbers are bound to be obsolete by the time you read this.

Social networking will never replace what you can do face-to-face, but it can extend your networking capabilities to a degree never before imagined. Without it, your networking activity will never be operating at full capacity.

Review some of the sites mentioned above or ask around to find out which ones people are using. Sign up this week for at least one site, adding your profile and contact information to facilitate discussion with other people or online communities. Like any networking strategy, involvement is what drives results. Rather than spread your time and energy across several sites, choose one and become a fluent and diligent user.

Whether you are networking for referrals, a job, a new recipe, or a strategic alliance in another country, social networking sites can help you cross geographic and cultural boundaries with the click of a mouse.

Networking will always involve human skills that can not be automated, but a networking professional in today’s electronic age should have at least one online resource in the tool kit.