Why Some People in Online Networks Hate Me

I had to take a break from online networking because it was driving me nuts. Actually, it was more of a sabbatical as it lasted about 2 years.

The problem was that I was tired of dealing with selfish people who had no concept of the word networking.

I’ve gotten into plenty of heated debates over my views. People have said I’m not open to the spirit of community, people have accused me of only thinking of myself, and some people have just said things that I won’t dare repeat.

Despite that, my views haven’t changed and in fact they’ve only be reaffirmed.

What the heck am I talking about?

Well recently I decided to hop back into the online networking game.I signed up with a few networks on Ning. It only took about 5 minutes for my profile to be inundated with sales pitches, link dropping, and all others kinds of spam.

Yes, I call it spam and that’s where some people take issue.

I’m all for networking, I’m all for learning about your business, but first let’s make this a two-sided exchange instead of a tired sales pitch that 50,000 other people are spewing.

My first instinct was to gracious thank all of the people for spamming my wall and ask them to contact me again when they learned the definition of networking, but you catch more bees with honey, so instead I wrote this on my profile.

I’ll admit it, I’m kind of immune to sales pitches. I’ve heard so many of them throughout my time in business that I immediately clam up as soon as I hear one coming.

Thanks but no thanks.

Networking on the other hand is something completely different.

I think a lot of people fail to realize that the key to successful networking is building relationships. No- wam, bam, lets do business, thank you ma’am. Instead you have to take time to build mutually beneficial relationships.

It always makes me sad when I encounter entrepreneurs who immediately focus in on the me, me, me instead of taking time to get to know the person they are talking to.

Most of the time, the wise thing to do is to think about the bigger picture. Instead of thinking “how can I get a quick sale from this stranger”, entrepreneurs should be thinking “how can I build a relationship so that this person will become a great referral partner for my business.”

Referrals come from building loyalty and trust. It’s not easy, it takes time, but in the end it’s worth it.

But that’s just how I do business.

Proceed as you see fit, but always keep the bigger picture in mind.

Think about it. How much creditability does that add to your business when people can see that you have left the same message on everyone elses profile? Does it make you look like a professional business person or do you give the appearance of a Myspace sex spammer?

Sure, if you drop enough Skittles on the ground someone is bound to pick one up, but overall its not a good long term strategy.

I’m open to networking and I always will be, but always remember that networking is a two way street.

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