Online Networking Best Practices and Success Stories

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• 
  Ross Nixon

  The company name is only visible to registered members.

  Speaking of Best Practices

  Speaking of best practices, I am not a shy guy but sometimes I wonder if there is a certain etiquette for establishing contacts. I try to just be myself when making contact with other openBC members but sometimes I really wonder if there is some kind of guideline out there (or in here, the openBC).
  Any ideas?
  
  Ross Nixon
  adventure9
  
  • 05 May 2005, 10:42 pm
  Ross Nixon wrote: > Speaking of best practices, I am not a shy guy but sometimes I wonder > if there is a certain etiquette for establishing contacts. I try to > just be myself when making contact with other openBC members but > sometimes I really wonder if there is some kind of guideline out > there (or in here, the openBC). > Any ideas? > > Ross Nixon > adventure9
• 
  Scott Allen    Premium Member   Group moderator

  The company name is only visible to registered members.

  Re: Speaking of Best Practices

  On 05/05/2005, 10:42 pm, Ross Nixon wrote:
  I wonder if there is a certain etiquette for establishing contacts.
  You could write a book on this topic, so I did. :-)
  
  I obviously can't reproduce the entire book in response to this post, but here are a few tips:
  
  - Make focused connections, not random ones. You may have a lot of time on your hands, but the recipient may not. Give a good reason for the connection, more than just "your profile was interesting". What do you have in common? How do you envision you might be able to be of service to each other? Spell this out when you initiate contact. Establish the common ground.
  
  - What's in it for them? How can you be of service to them? Maybe you don't have any idea, in which case you ask/offer.
  
  - It's OK to ask for something for yourself. People are usually very willing to help if they can in a way that is low-risk and/or low-effort, but they need specifics. Articulate your request clearly.
  
  - Don't ask for referrals right off the bat. Make sure that there's not even an implied obligation. Realize that you may not be the only person in your profession this person knows -- someone is not going to send you, a new contact, referrals when they already have established contacts in your industry. The exception to this is if you have a brand new product/service that most people might not be familiar with.
  
  Those are a few just off the top of my head. If you have some specific questions, I can go into more detail.
  
  Great question!
  
  • 06 May 2005, 5:38 pm
  Scott Allen wrote: > On 05/05/2005, 10:42 pm, Ross Nixon wrote: > > I wonder if there is a certain etiquette for establishing contacts. > > You could write a book on this topic, so I did. :-) > > I obviously can't reproduce the entire book in response to this post, > but here are a few tips: > > - Make focused connections, not random ones. You may have a lot of > time on your hands, but the recipient may not. Give a good reason > for the connection, more than just "your profile was interesting". > What do you have in common? How do you envision you might be able to > be of service to each other? Spell this out when you initiate > contact. Establish the common ground. > > - What's in it for them? How can you be of service to them? Maybe > you don't have any idea, in which case you ask/offer. > > - It's OK to ask for something for yourself. People are usually very > willing to help if they can in a way that is low-risk and/or > low-effort, but they need specifics. Articulate your request clearly. > > - Don't ask for referrals right off the bat. Make sure that there's > not even an implied obligation. Realize that you may not be the only > person in your profession this person knows -- someone is not going > to send you, a new contact, referrals when they already have > established contacts in your industry. The exception to this is if > you have a brand new product/service that most people might not be > familiar with. > > Those are a few just off the top of my head. If you have some > specific questions, I can go into more detail. > > Great question!
• Post visible to registered members
• 
  Ross Nixon

  The company name is only visible to registered members.

  Re^2: Speaking of Best Practices

  Hi Scott, Hi Yann,
  thanks for the replies.
  
  I went back and looked through some of my received messages to give you a sample of interaction. I only focused on the ones I had initiated, mostly for expanding my networking itself and of course for potential partnerships. Here is a small range of reactions:
  
  1) The interested:
  Gruezi Ross!
  
  Thanks for contacting me. Your programmes really sound great.
  I am always looking for new ideas
  
  2) The why are you talking to me?
  
  Hi Ross Nixon,
  
  thanks so far.
  
  But what should I respond? What do you expect me to come back with? What's your intension?
  
  3)The happy:
  
  Hi Ross!
  
  I have to say that I'm very pleased that you decided to write to me.
  
  
  Scott and Yann great tips but I would add one: be yourself! Just because you're hidden behind the cover of the net don't try to be who you're not. It's likely to backfire.
  
  Ross Nixon
  adventure9
  
  BTW Yann, I have had some interesting feedback from people regarding my contact photo. Because I don't have any photos of myself I chose the one of my best buddy, my son. I'm sure it will do even in a business environment for now.
  
  • 22 May 2005, 10:57 am
  Ross Nixon wrote: > Hi Scott, Hi Yann, > thanks for the replies. > > I went back and looked through some of my received messages to give > you a sample of interaction. I only focused on the ones I had > initiated, mostly for expanding my networking itself and of course > for potential partnerships. Here is a small range of reactions: > > 1) The interested: > Gruezi Ross! > > Thanks for contacting me. Your programmes really sound great. > I am always looking for new ideas > > 2) The why are you talking to me? > > Hi Ross Nixon, > > thanks so far. > > But what should I respond? What do you expect me to come back with? > What's your intension? > > 3)The happy: > > Hi Ross! > > I have to say that I'm very pleased that you decided to write to me. > > > Scott and Yann great tips but I would add one: be yourself! Just > because you're hidden behind the cover of the net don't try to be who > you're not. It's likely to backfire. > > Ross Nixon > adventure9 > > BTW Yann, I have had some interesting feedback from people regarding > my contact photo. Because I don't have any photos of myself I chose > the one of my best buddy, my son. I'm sure it will do even in a > business environment for now.
• 
  Naina Redhu

  (not a XING member)

  E-Mail Best Practice

  Hi Scott, Yann and Ross!
  
  I am so glad that we finally have a forum to discuss online business networking! Quite a coincidence since I too just started writing a blog on online business networking - http://biznetworking.blogspot.com
  
  I have been networking on openBC since October 2004 and have had a lot of success with it - have had meaningful exchanges, have done business and made money and ofcourse have had my share of good and bad experiences.
  
  Although it is difficult to define a "fixed" etiquette for every exchange that you have on an online business network, some simple guidelines can be followed.
  
  The keyword in every exchange should be "Professionalism". "Professionalism" would be associated with words like "concise", "sharp", "thought-catching" etc. One must be brief and to-the-point. If the exchanges are very long e-mails and on top of that, not relevant to me, then I would lose interest and probably not even reply.
  
  When I started networking I too had a lot of questions regarding how to get started and how to ensure that I was successful at networking - at that time I was unable to find any forum which could answer my questions. This Forum is a great place to share experiences and hopefully my blog should also be able to help.
  
  I recently posted a PDF file on my Blog to help newbie networkers write their profiles well on openBC. I would be more than glad to help figure out answers to questions about online business networking!
  
  • 09 Jun 2005, 5:31 pm
  Naina Redhu wrote: > Hi Scott, Yann and Ross! > > I am so glad that we finally have a forum to discuss online business > networking! Quite a coincidence since I too just started writing a > blog on online business networking - http://biznetworking.blogspot.com > > I have been networking on openBC since October 2004 and have had a > lot of success with it - have had meaningful exchanges, have done > business and made money and ofcourse have had my share of good and > bad experiences. > > Although it is difficult to define a "fixed" etiquette for every > exchange that you have on an online business network, some simple > guidelines can be followed. > > The keyword in every exchange should be "Professionalism". > "Professionalism" would be associated with words like "concise", > "sharp", "thought-catching" etc. One must be brief and to-the-point. > If the exchanges are very long e-mails and on top of that, not > relevant to me, then I would lose interest and probably not even > reply. > > When I started networking I too had a lot of questions regarding how > to get started and how to ensure that I was successful at networking > - at that time I was unable to find any forum which could answer my > questions. This Forum is a great place to share experiences and > hopefully my blog should also be able to help. > > I recently posted a PDF file on my Blog to help newbie networkers > write their profiles well on openBC. I would be more than glad to > help figure out answers to questions about online business networking!
• 
  Sandra Handley

  The company name is only visible to registered members.

  Re^2: Speaking of Best Practices

  Hello everyone,
  
  I totally agree with the concept that being professional is the best way to keep a correct netiquette, but professionalism may differ from one culture to the other, and it is quite amazing to see the effect of culture in this globalized world.
  
  The more the frontiers dissapear, the more we hang on to cultural identity (which we shunned away about 15 years ago). In my humble opinion and own experience in cross-cultural virtual contacts for the last 4 years, showing respect (even interest?) in other people's culture and identity, the closer you can get to the real person at the other side of the monitor.
  
  Talking about netiquette itself, I find very assuring to brouse (did I write that correctly?) around and get the overall feeling of the site.
  
  Regards,
  Sandra Handley
  
  
  Yann Mauchamp wrote:
  > cultural differences and sharing points have to be considered)
  
  • 05 Aug 2005, 02:33 am
  Sandra Handley wrote: > Hello everyone, > > I totally agree with the concept that being professional is the best > way to keep a correct netiquette, but professionalism may differ from > one culture to the other, and it is quite amazing to see the effect > of culture in this globalized world. > > The more the frontiers dissapear, the more we hang on to cultural > identity (which we shunned away about 15 years ago). In my humble > opinion and own experience in cross-cultural virtual contacts for the > last 4 years, showing respect (even interest?) in other people's > culture and identity, the closer you can get to the real person at > the other side of the monitor. > > Talking about netiquette itself, I find very assuring to brouse (did > I write that correctly?) around and get the overall feeling of the > site. > > Regards, > Sandra Handley > > > Yann Mauchamp wrote: > > cultural differences and sharing points have to be considered)
• Post visible to registered members
• 
  Roger Panton

  The company name is only visible to registered members.

  Personal Introduction

  I am Roger Panton, and Mehul Shah suggested I check out this site. In fact, Mehul has dragged me into the 21st century computer world and I am now networking comfortably. I offer the following to those who might confuse my mediation with meditation and choose not to read further. (Folks have confused both words).
  
  Mediation
  by Roger Panton
  
  If you are shying away from pursuing a contractural dispute because of the legal costs and hassle of doing so, or because a tribunal or court action will make it very difficult for you to maintain your commercial relationship, then Mediation could be for you.
  
  Your worries may include having to pay the other party’s costs if you lose the case. In addition, you may fear the attempt of the other party to discredit you in court knowing that when the Judge says “strike it from the record”, it’s just a little bit too late. Mediation can take care of that too. This is how it works.
  The Mediator, an independent, neutral third party, acts as a go-between and helps the parties reach a solution in private, behind closed doors with each party paying their own costs, agreed beforehand. Unlike a court with the possibility of many adjournments, mediation hardly ever goes beyond a day. Parties may be accompanied by legal or other advisors.
  The parties meet with the Mediator at an agreed time and venue convenient to all. After the briefing, the Mediator meets with each side in separate rooms, moving back and forth between the parties, clarifying points, exploring possibilities and narrowing the differences before helping the parties reach a settlement. The Mediator does not impose his own solution nor does he give advice to either party. The agreement reached is that which the parties themselves are content with.
  Mediation can take place even after litigation has started and it is supported by solicitors and accountants who value the wellbeing of their clients. The report to the judge in a court-based mediation is simply whether the parties have reached a settlement. The details remain confidential to the parties and the mediator.
  This post was modified on 21 Jun 2007 at 12:42 am.
  • 18 Jun 2007, 7:00 pm
  Roger Panton wrote: > I am Roger Panton, and Mehul Shah suggested I check out this site. > In fact, Mehul has dragged me into the 21st century computer world > and I am now networking comfortably. I offer the following to those > who might confuse my mediation with meditation and choose not to > read further. (Folks have confused both words). > > Mediation > by Roger Panton > > If you are shying away from pursuing a contractural dispute because > of the legal costs and hassle of doing so, or because a tribunal or > court action will make it very difficult for you to maintain your > commercial relationship, then Mediation could be for you. > > Your worries may include having to pay the other party’s costs if you > lose the case. In addition, you may fear the attempt of the other > party to discredit you in court knowing that when the Judge says > “strike it from the record”, it’s just a little bit too late. > Mediation can take care of that too. This is how it works. > The Mediator, an independent, neutral third party, acts as a > go-between and helps the parties reach a solution in private, behind > closed doors with each party paying their own costs, agreed > beforehand. Unlike a court with the possibility of many > adjournments, mediation hardly ever goes beyond a day. Parties may > be accompanied by legal or other advisors. > The parties meet with the Mediator at an agreed time and venue > convenient to all. After the briefing, the Mediator meets with each > side in separate rooms, moving back and forth between the parties, > clarifying points, exploring possibilities and narrowing the > differences before helping the parties reach a settlement. The > Mediator does not impose his own solution nor does he give advice to > either party. The agreement reached is that which the parties > themselves are content with. > Mediation can take place even after litigation has started and it is > supported by solicitors and accountants who value the wellbeing of > their clients. The report to the judge in a court-based mediation is > simply whether the parties have reached a settlement. The details > remain confidential to the parties and the mediator.