Colleagues Are Good, Friends Are Better! Networking On Social Media
One of the things I love best about social media is connecting with other people in my field. Many of us can feel isolated, working at a lonely desk, wondering how other people are dealing with such-and-such issue, wishing we could bounce ideas of someone else who does what we do.
You can always go the traditional route of joining professional organizations, asking colleagues and friends to connect you with people, or going to conferences and exchanging business cards. But social media makes it so much faster and easier to make the same, sometimes better, contacts.
Nonprofit people are so generous with both their time and expertise. It’s one of the reasons I love working in the sector, and it makes it so easy to make meaningful connections.
When trying to network with colleagues online, some simple tips can smooth the way:
- Determine which platforms you want to be your public, “work” platforms. A lot of people use LinkedIn or Twitter for this purpose (I like both); Instagram is also an option, especially if you post a lot of photos from your work life. Keep this platform 75% work-related, 25% personal. You want to share who you are, but if your primary goal is to connect with others in your field, you should provide content that’s relevant to that aim.
- Think about your profile. Be sure to say what kind of industry you work in, or at which organization you’re currently employed. If you need a profile picture, make sure you have one. An actual photo of you works better than a logo.
- Start by following folks you do know: people you’ve worked with in the past, current colleagues, organizations you admire. See whom they follow, or if they’ve made lists or groups you might be able to search through for interesting folks. When I worked in the museum world, there were a few museum organizations and bloggers who started tracking all the museum people on Twitter, and it was a great way to find like-minded people.
- Join a conversation! I check #musesocial regularly to see what my colleagues are saying about museums and social media, and I’m not afraid to jump into a conversation in progress or answer someone’s question. I love Tweet-ups – they can be chaotic, but you can learn a great deal and meet some cool people. I probably found 20 new museum folks to follow after the last #musesocial online chat. Plus, if you offer your own smart advice and opinions, others will want to follow you, too.
- Now you’re following people, and hopefully they’re following you! Hurray! It’s time to keep in touch. This is actually easier than it would be in the “real” world. You don’t have to make a date for coffee or lunch – you can get to know each other gradually, on your own time. Don’t be afraid to start a conversation or comment on one already in progress. Ask questions – people love to give advice. Re-tweet. Over time you’ll build relationships.
- Once you’ve made some online acquaintances, it’s surprisingly easy to connect off-line, too. Let’s say you want to find out how another soup kitchen handles year-end solicitations. If you’ve been interacting with someone from a food bank in Omaha on Twitter or LinkedIn, send her a direct message to see if she’s willing to chat with you on the phone. Chances are she’d be happy to. If you’re going to a conference, you’ll probably “know” people who’ll be there, even if you’ve never met in person. You might consider putting together an offline meet-up for folks in your region, as a brainstorm session around a specific issue or just a chance to have a beer and get to know each other better. Colleagues are good, friends are better!
A quick note about using social media to stay in touch with people you first meet in person – check out Bix’s previous post on following up after conferences for some great advice in this area. Social media makes it really, really easy to nurture these connections.
On that note, catch me on Twitter if you want to chat about nonprofit communications (@kestober) and be sure to follow @Take2Services as well!
