Networking, whether you are good at it or lousy at it, is a necessity in the fast-paced world of social or business engagement. It can be as simple as joining Facebook or as complicated as cold calling from a directory. For some it is as easy as breathing; for others it is frightening and nauseating.
My daughters are both unbelievably good at networking. Maybe there is a genetic code which kicks in on them, but it is almost impossible to go someplace without running into someone who knows one or the both of them. They both tell stories of being in obscure, out-of-the-way places, turning around and discovering someone they know, or someone who knows someone they know. Their social and business networks are vast. It is mind-boggling.
In a sense, networking is a way of "collecting" people. Some people collect dolls, some collect stamps, and some collect people. The levels of relationship in a social network vary, it would seem, from intimate to casual and distant. But each and every person in a social network is connected by threads.
Social networks need nurturing in order to function effectively. To that extent, the advent of social communication tools, such as cell phones, computers, Blackberries, and Twitter have blossomed into requirements for sustaining life in the 21st century.
It is fascinating (and frightening) to me to see little kids with cell phones and engaged in texting each other. We have all read the stories of the down-side of this. But there is an upside, as well. Social networks cross all kinds of barriers which previously existed and kept relationships pretty nearby and pretty monochromatic and limited. It is awesome to think about third graders texting new friends on the other side of the world as easily as one might pick up a phone and order pizza from the neighborhood pizzeria.
The implications of networking in this 21st century are endless. For someone of my generation the vision for those implications is limited to a great degree. But to social entrepreneurs who have grown up with a cell phone in their hands, there is no limit to the ways in which networking can occur and can benefit a social or employment situation.
When one goes about constructing a business plan in this decade, the identification of a network and the tools to maintain it is an absolute necessity. It involves not only technology, but socialization plans and cultural implications.
I will not go so far as to say that social networks being larger and broader than in the past is the same thing as saying that they are healthier. The accumulation of great numbers on a contact list does not equal quality of relationship. But there are variations on the norm that spark my imagination.
For instance, a friend who is Pastor of a large congregation in California has a "virtual youth group" made up of more than 750 young people who know each other only through their Internet relationship. They live in communities which are widely separated. They never meet in the same place at the same time. That which binds them together is their relationship to this pastor and her ability to teach them, counsel them, and inspire them through Online conversations and programs. Is it better than the traditional fifteen member youth group which meets on Sunday evening in the Parish House? Maybe, and maybe not. It is not a matter of being better, but of being different. It takes great skill on the part of the Pastor to maintain that virtual group in a way that breaks traditions and what were assumed as "givens."
Blogging is clearly a form of networking. In the few short months that I have been involved in this fascinating enterprise I have found new friends, re-kindled former friendships, and find myself contemplating ways of expanding the circle of people I call friend. My hope is that my network
of friends will expand in numbers, in make-up, and in purpose. Simply by reading this posting you are part of that network.
Photo credit: Netparty.com
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