Susanne’s post on networking rings so true. I’ve been invited to speak about the success of the Connecting Women in Technology network that I created whilst I was at Microsoft. The topic is all about whether women’s networks work or not. What makes the network successful? What makes it fail? Can women network?
I particularly like the way that women network. They tend to view networking as a social event, catching snippets of information from the people they meet. They have a broad view of what’s going on around then, catching snippets of conversation from other women, collating and expanding their circle of friends and acquaintances.
Men seem to be much more focused.
When men network they tend to have a specific agenda in mind They focus on getting their message across and they focus on their target. The term ‘social butterfly’ doesn’t spring to mind when thinking about the way that men interact. I’ve seen this on LinkedIn too. Several times, after I’ve joined a LinkedIn group, I’ve received requests to connect from people I’ve never met. These people are using LinkedIn for the purpose of ‘people mining’, getting new connections to add to their contacts.
But this can lead to issues.
If you use your network with the primary goal to get work, then you’ll lose your connections quickly. Your connections will turn away.
If you use your network with the primary goal to socialise and interact then your network will recommend you to others. Your 2nd tier network will prove much more valuable to you as your connections have given a personal recommendation of your work. That’s valuable.
So what doesn’t work with the way women network? I’ve been told that they can’t quickly close the deal. But in my experience, they get to form long lasting relationships from their business contacts. Relationships that bear fruit over and over again.
A one night stand or a long term engagement? Both have their merits in business. Both can be profitable. But which one is best? You decide…
Eileen's Digital Technology 
Interesting post! I have to say that I have seen both men and women add people to their networks just to sell. I find that very annoying and that makes me want to leave social media(though I do not). I agree thatr the goal is to find like minded people and build relationships with them. I think that “people mining” as you put it-is a waste of time and not a way to ever advance in a career.
Sarah,
I so agree with you. You need to choose who to network with really carefully 🙂 Building the relationships with the right folks pays off and adds to both your friends network and your professional network. Much more valuable…
And if you have any tips on how to get rid of these people miners effectively – do share 🙂
Interesting viewpoint and whilst I agree in some respects, I disagree in others. I don’t necessarily think that men are more focused and have more of a sales agenda than women. I think this has more to do with their environment, background and/or upbringing.
From what I’ve seen, the “unknowns” that attempt to network with me via LinkedIn all seem to be headhunters; men and women alike who only have the agenda of knowing when this new connection can make them some money. [I think I know more headhunters than I know even people in my own profession. Oddly, none of them ever seem to be useful when *I* need them to be. I could go on a rant here about headhunters, but I’ll save it for a blog post of my own ;)].
Those that *I* network with on the other hand tend to be more social and more driven towards what’s interesting, fun and potentially world changing – again these are both men and women. I guess my “agenda” is more in line with women in terms of your observation – but then, so are a lot of guys (and girls) I network with on a daily basis. I network to enrich my life socially and to learn from those I network with – and everyone has *something* they could teach you. If sales happen to come from it, fantastic, but that’s a fringe benefit for me.