Face to face networking is very important because you can look someone in the eyes and pick up non-verbal cues. Interacting in person is a necessary step to gain trust and comfort with people. Don’t let technology overtake face to face networking. Technology is great for maintaining and building relationships but not encouraged as the first and only way of interacting.
With the younger generations, such as the Millennials, they primarily utilize tools such as MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. to initially connect and build relationships. My concern is that they don’t spend enough time interacting face to face with people.
Nothing beats human interaction! Don’t become too comfortable with technology that it prevents you from meeting people in the flesh.
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Jason, I agree with you! In fact, this is a major premise of the third edition of "Breakthrough Networking: Building Relationshps That Last" that will be available in October 2008.
Web 2.0 tools are a good supplement for maintaining relationships. They will never replace the verbal and nonverbal information that is transferred through a handshake and F-2-F exchange. This is especially true if you have honed your skils through the use of the DISC behavioral assessment tool and the interpretation of body language, and you know how to "read" people when you meet them.
Posted by: Lillian Bjorseth | September 04, 2008 at 03:43 PM
Thanks Lillian for your additional perspective. I can't wait until your new edition comes out.
Posted by: Jason Jacobsohn | September 04, 2008 at 10:23 PM