What is this networking stuff I hear people talk about? Is that like having more friends?

Networking is more than having friends. It is simply recognizing that you will meet a lot of people in your lifetime and often the people you least expect will have the most impact. But most people only get that impact from the people in their immediate circle of friends. What you should practice doing right now is keeping a list or a database, like a giant address book of some sort with all your contacts. Then, periodically jot them a note or an email. It does not have to be a long email, just a short note with an attachment you think they will find funny or interesting.

At some point in your future, this ever-growing list of contacts and people who have an interest in your life will somehow make your life, which will be full of random and planned events, go more smoothly. It is a valuable and rewarding habit to start right now.

There are websites that do a good job of helping you from [tag]www.linkedin.com, www.ryze.com and www.tribe.com [/tag]to more social-oriented sites like www.myspace.com. It doesn’t matter which site(s) you use or how you go about building your [tag]network[/tag], just start. And be patient. Not everyone you add to your network will have an immediate impact on your life. But the reward of meeting and interacting with a vibrant and dynamic network of people is not only valuable to your career, it is a fascinating part of the human experience.

[tags]learning how to network, meeting people at work[/tags]