The backstory. Years ago, I read some of Nick’s columns which were then being nationally syndicated in tech magazines and newspapers across the country. At one point in his career, he was recognized as the best recruiter in the Silicon Valley. Calling him a “recruiter” is like calling Tiger Woods a “golfer,” the description fits, but when someone is so insightful, so a master of the game…well, there ought to be another descriptive term. Maybe Master. Or The Authority on Recruiting, Golf, whatever. Nick is that good.

I reached out to him and began corresponding, even met him a few times. I would read his insights into Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs and all the ‘typical’ job boards and store his insights away. I just had a feeling…

When our team began building out LINKUP.com, those insights were often baked into the product, even if we didn’t give Nick C. credit. His thoughts about job boards resonated with all of us, and his thoughts became our thoughts, his original thinking became guideposts for us to create a great property, with the job seeker always first and foremost.

From time to time, I would show him what LinkUp was doing, how we were designing the product and so forth. Truthfully, I would show it to him because I valued his thinking and loved his quick and dirty reactions to features, and so forth.

I never-ever even once asked him to recommend LinkUp to anyone or to write about it. Never-ever.

This is the point, the takeaway for you as you begin your own networking efforts, is this: Networking is really all about discussing areas of mutual interest, of giving away before you get anything back, of giving without regard to what OR even if, you will get something back. In fact, the more you expect a quid pro quo, I am thinking the less likely you will meet with much success. The more you give out, the more you get back.

Don’t get me wrong, all of us here are pleased that Nick wrote so positively about LinkUp today. It is one thing to create something that the typical user likes and uses, which thousands of people are doing daily over at LINKUP, but it is quite another to have such an opinion leader say such positive things. Especially when heretofore, he has never found a ‘job board’ that he believed actually served job seekers.

I wish we had the resources to advertise our site on the SuperBowl; instead, we will just have to depend upon the goodwill and viral effectiveness of satisfied users.

HatTip: BTW, Nick gave me un-deserved credit for Linkup. That should go to Toby, Brad, Paul, Eric, Jake and many more on our team who are making it happen every day. We are seeking partners who want to make the LINKUP job search engine part of their own site…contact me to hear how to make this happen.

But seriously, the most recent three book reviews at this site were Snowball, Alice Schroeder’s brilliant biography of Warren Buffet, Andrew Zuckerman’s classy portrait book Wisdom (with Clint Eastwood on the cover), and hilarious Men With Balls book by a Deadspin editor. I am in good company.

A trip to Hef’s Mansion is out of the question. I asked, but they said no.

More praise by:

From Barbara Safoni at Career Management Alliance

From Dave Opton, founder and CEO of ExecuNet

From Mike Street at greasyguide.com

Deborah Brown at SurpassYourDreams

Heather Hulman at Examiner.com

Dan Schwabel at Personal Branding

Anita Bruzzese at USATODAY and GANNETT

Alexandra Levit over at her awesome blog, Water Cooler Wisdom.

Naomi Moneypenny at ManyWorlds.

Nick Reddin of Manpower, BOOK OF THE YEAR. wow, Nick, thanks.

Nick Corcodilos of AskTheHeadhunter fame, one of this industry’s most reliable voices said this about DIG YOUR JOB. Read Nick.

From Chris Russell, Secrets of the Job Hunt

From Paul Epps, one of the first bloggers that made me laugh, at EppsNet.

Lewis at Seattle Interview coach wrote a nice post on his blog about the book, too.