Blog posts this week have focussed on basic good manners in the world of online networking. To round this off I have found an excellent site called Netmanners. It touches on a wide range of topics concerning Netiquette.
The article on when to send thank-you e-mails is basic stuff that we can all sometimes forget.
Friday 5 November 2010
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Netiquette
A whole host of advice on business networking is to be found on the internet, hopefully some useful stuff has also appeared on this blog. E-networking using twitter or LinkedIn provides its own set of possible pitfalls for the unwary. Here are three tips I have gleaned from colleagues recently.
1. Make sure you actually know someone before inviting them to make a connection. Having someone's e-mail address is not the same as having met them. If I meet someone for the first time I invariably follow up with an e-mail. If they reply I invite them to link-in. If a friend or colleague passes my details to someone else, I wait for them to invite me or asks our mutual acquaintance to approach them on my behalf. An invitation from a virtual stranger is like SPAM.
2. Be honest about why you are asking for an introduction. If you want an introduction to someone who may be a potential client or link to a potential client then tell your mutual contact that's why. Nothing worse than being linked to someone on false pretenses and trust can evaporate just as quickly as links are built.
3. Reciprocate before receiving. Offer recommendations to people who have helped you or offered you a good service. They will be inclined to affect introductions for you and won't feel taken for granted. Spend one period a week going through your contacts to see if you can offer an introduction to a friend. Showing a pro-active interest in a colleague's needs will always make them think about you.
1. Make sure you actually know someone before inviting them to make a connection. Having someone's e-mail address is not the same as having met them. If I meet someone for the first time I invariably follow up with an e-mail. If they reply I invite them to link-in. If a friend or colleague passes my details to someone else, I wait for them to invite me or asks our mutual acquaintance to approach them on my behalf. An invitation from a virtual stranger is like SPAM.
2. Be honest about why you are asking for an introduction. If you want an introduction to someone who may be a potential client or link to a potential client then tell your mutual contact that's why. Nothing worse than being linked to someone on false pretenses and trust can evaporate just as quickly as links are built.
3. Reciprocate before receiving. Offer recommendations to people who have helped you or offered you a good service. They will be inclined to affect introductions for you and won't feel taken for granted. Spend one period a week going through your contacts to see if you can offer an introduction to a friend. Showing a pro-active interest in a colleague's needs will always make them think about you.
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