Village Tip: 15 Ideas to Improve Your Networking

I have shared tips on 'The Art of Networking' in the past. I thought that the time was right to be more specific. Here are 15 things you should *DO* if you want to make your networking work!

1. Do ask for what you want.  No one is there to take care of you.  Anticipate that contacts may say 'No' and don't be offended if they do.
2. Do be business-like ... always!
3. Do circulate at meetings.  Learn to introduce yourself to strangers.
4. Do continue to develop your expertise and visibility to enhance your value to the network.
5. Do deliver when you say you will.
6. Do follow good rules of social etiquette.
7. Do follow-up on leads. 
8. Do give sensitive and caring feedback to members of your network.
9. Do maintain confidentiality.  Protect your sources.
10. Do not abandon former networks as you climb higher.
11. Do not be discouraged.  If given the brush off by one contact in your network, move on!
12. Do offer to pick up the tab!
13. Do refine your 'want list' and only ask for one thing at a time.
14. Do test out the reliability of any information you receive.
15. Do try to give as much as you get from network contacts.  Reciprocity is the name of the game.  Do not wait to be asked!

These are some ideas on how you can maximize your positive results from networking. Have any of these ideas worked for you in the past? Do you have other ideas that we may have missed?

Village Tip: 10 Ways to Screw Up Your Networking Efforts

Our blog will continue to provide information that is useful to entrepreneurs and small business owners.  Frankly, we hope that these 'Village Tips' are useful to many of you!  I have shared tips on 'The Art of Networking' in the past. In fact, I recently shared 15 ideas on improving your networking results.

This time I thought that it would be worthwhile to point out ten things that many of us do to the detriment of our networking efforts. Here are 10 things you should *NOT DO* if you want to make your networking work!

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1. Do not abuse your network. Word of mouth will kill you.
2. Do not abuse your contacts. Always honor their right to privacy.
3. Do not burden your network with your problems, but, be willing to listen to advice when you ask for it.
4. Do not develop a reputation for calling *only* when you need a favor.
5. Do not ever thing anything can replace real competence.
6. Do not expect anyone to work harder for you than you are willing to work for yourself.
7. Do not expect your network to find you a job.
8. Do not give a referral without first calling ahead to alert your contact.
9. Do not offer negative feedback callously.
10. Do not talk excessively about yourself. Learn how to get your network to do this for you!

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These are some ideas on how you can maximize your positive results from networking. Have you learned the 'hard way' about any of these ten networking errors in the past? Do you have other suggestions that we may have missed?

I will continue to share these Village Tips on a semi-regular basis!

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Wayne Hicks Discusses 'The Art of Networking' at University of Cincinnati

I'm honored to be the guest speaker at the ADVANCE Networking Reception later this evening. The Networking Reception will take place on Tuesday, November 1st at the University of Cincinnati’s Myers Alumni Center form 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Located at 2906 Woodside Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221.


ADVANCE is a student focused professional development organization that assists students, primarily African American, with making the transition from college to the work environment by developing and enhancing skills in resume writing, interviewing, networking, business etiquette, and understanding corporate/world of work cultures.

This reception was created by students in ADVANCE over 24 years ago as a pre-career fair activity designed to market the Diversity Student Career Fair, and to promote students’ understanding of the “Art of Networking.” Students also benefit by receiving insight on business protocol and work world dynamics.

Art of Networking

View more presentations from Wayne Hicks

The ADVANCE organization will host the Networking Reception. Following sign-in, there will be introductions, acknowledgement of sponsors, and a brief presentation on the do's and don'ts of the "Art of Networking." Immediately following this segment, light refreshments will be served and students will begin their interactions with corporate representatives. Please bring plenty of business cards as students have been instructed to collect cards from company participants. The dress for employers is business formal or business casual.

I look forward to my participation in this year’s ADVANCE Networking Reception. Wish me luck!

LinkedIn or Not?

UPDATE: I reached my 1,500th connection earlier this weekend. I have 3rd degree of separation with over 6,870,900 professionals around the world via the LinkedIn Network!

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I must have been invited to join LinkedIn Network a gazillion times over the past few years. I never joined it ... just as I don't have an account on MySpace or YouTube. However, a few weeks ago I saw that a brother that I truly respect was on the LinkedIn Network ... so I finally took a moment to join it. Click here to see my LinkedIn Network profile.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the professionalism and grown-folks nature of the service. It is not a gossip place. It appears to be a place for serious networking. I've used it to re-connect with some of my buddies from my undergraduate days at UC Riverside. I also used it to get an answer to a question about migrating from my Outlook calendar to the Google calendar. I received six legit answers to that question within about three hours.

I'm still trying to learn how to best use the system. I would be very interested in any ideas or thoughts that you might have on the LinkedIn Network. A colleague pointed out that there was an excellent story on the founder of the network in CNNMoney.com recently.

I will probably try to use the network to promote projects or programs that I'm involved in. Currently, I'm using the complimentary ('free') parts of the network. There are regular reminders that I can upgrade my account on LinkedIn Network. Since there are few advertisements or pop-ups or banner ads ... I imagine that upgrades from subscribers to the network is a big part of the business model. I haven't seen a reason to upgrade yet. If you can share your thoughts on upgrading ... that would be appreciated.

Addendum: My LinkedIn Profile is http://www.linkedin.com/in/waynehicks

Here is update on my network connections over the course of time:

• 5/26/2008 - 1,500 connections (created groups for BDPA, CBI & The AfroSpear)
• 3/23/2008 - 1,400 connections (added many AfroSpear bloggers in past month)
• 2/14/2008 - 1,300 connections (connecting with BDPA program meeting speakers)
• 12/17/2007 - 1,200 connections (actively looking for BDPA, BETF and CBI contacts)
• 6/24/2007 - 900 connections (still rolling in from my personal Outlook contact list)
• 6/19/2007 - 800 connections (invited many in my personal Outlook contact list)
• 3/12/2007 - 600 connections (worked http://www.mybloglog.com/ hard in past week)
• 3/4/2007 - 500 connections (joined LinkedInAfricanAmericans YG)
• 2/20/2007 -400 connections (joined My LinkedIn Power Forum, MLPF)
• 2/14/2007 - 300 connections (many of them from around the globe)
• 2/13/2007 - 200 connections (most are my personal contacts in IT industry)
• 1/28/2007 - 1 connection (joined connection today)

Are you LinkedIn yet? If so, would you care to share any tips or famous folks in your network?

Ujamaa in Action

The long anticipated, new Black Business Network website launched on Saturday, June 2nd. Thousands of people all over the world are visiting the new website, logging in and checking out all of the exciting features. The new website features are elaborate. There are 14 major sections, each one large enough to be a website of their own. Not all sections of the new website are complete yet, however, there's lots for visitors to do.

We have talked about the importance of turning our Black spending power into a more positive dynamic for ourselves and our communities. One way to do that is to find Black-owned businesses to support. I encourage all villagers to log in right now to locate Black-owned businesses for a variety of your consumer needs. It is also an option for those of you that own your own business.

The Black Business Network is a membership-based organization of (1) Black business owners who are committed to selling quality products and services to Black consumers, and (2) Black consumers who are committed to buying from Black-owned businesses. The Black Business Network provides websites, training, events, publications and tools that help Black people to do business together.

The concept is a simple one --> Ujamaa, Cooperative Economics. Let us strengthen our resolve to build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together. Perhaps it is time for us to celebrate this Kwanzaa principle on the other 364 days of the year ... not just December 29.

What say u, villagers?

I've Been Schmoozed!

The blogosphere is a wondrous creation in cyberspace. Imagine a pebble dropped in the center of a still lake ... ripples growing larger in concentric circles ... impacting on more and more parts of the lake ... until massive waves come crashing down on the shore. That is how the blogosphere is at times. I entered the Blogging to Fame contest in late May. One blogger becoming famous in that venue is Anna at Box1715. Anna also is a regular contributor to our Manic Monday meme. She is a remarkable woman who is taking some powerful and proactive steps to deal with numerous life challenges.

Anyhow, Anna presented me with a Schmooze Award!

This is what Anna had to say:

"Villager has an awesome blog that serves not only to educate but to involve his community members in many valuable discussions. While Villagers blog is aimed mainly at the African American culture, his community is very diverse and he fosters that diversity through his comments and interactions with those of us from differing cultures. He has posted many wonderful stories and it is always a pleasure to see what new ideas he is writing about."

Origin of the Schmooze: Mike at Ordinary Folk and his friend Danielle have created the new Power of Schmooze award. This is an award passed on to those who foster Blogging Community Involvement.

There are I have 4 bloggers I would like to share this with, as these are all wonderful individuals who take great care to foster the community spirit.

Danielle - Modern Musings
http://www.taureandevi.blogspot.com/

Danielle was one of the first bloggers that joined our Electronic Village community. She continues to be supportive in a number of ways. Danielle is a politically conscious woman, mother, wife, student, writer, poet, seeker and member of the global human society. Her blog facilitates grassroots "Intelligence Gathering" concerning prominent issues facing America and serve as an outlet for her random thoughts and inspirations. She brings together a wide variety of people into her blogging community. She introduced a number of the regular features that we employ here on the Electronic Village. In many ways, she is my blogging role model.

Kimberly & Frederic - Young Black Professional (YBP) Guide
http://ybpguide.com/

YBP Guide is a forum of multiple perspectives and advice to support the many challenges that young Black professionals face. I used to be a YBP [sigh!]. I'm more of an OG-BP at this stage of my life. However, I appreciate what Kimberly and Frederic have done with YBP Guide. Their blogging mission is to empower readers with the knowledge and inspiration to foster progression and productivity in the Black community. Kimberly and Frederic have taken the concept of Blogging Community Involvement to the next level with the creation of rsspect.org. This new project increased the networking and exposure of blogs that feature content related to Black culture.

Bronze Trinity - Man I Need Something To Do
http://bronzetrinity.efx2.com/

Most volunteer organizations have a small nucleus of people that seem to do most of the work. Often in that small nucleus is a person that doesn't have a formal office or title ... however, based on her work she is viewed as a leader. I place Bronze Trinity in that category. She is one of the politically conscious Black bloggers working to create a movement known as the Afrosphere. Bronze Trinity saw the vision and implemented a remarkable Afrosphere newsletter that is a comprehensive portal for the Black blogger community. You can find a list of AfroSphere blogs over in the left-hand navigation bar of the Electronic Village. I encourage you to check out some of the outstanding blogs that make up the AfroSphere nation! More importantly I encourage you to pay homage to the young sister known as the Bronze Trinity. She embodies the statement, 'Lead by Example'.

Morgen - It's a Blog Eating Blog World
http://morgenfiles.blogspot.com/

I haven't interacted with Morgen very much. I'm not certain that we have alot in common. However, I appreciate the Blogging Community Involvement that Morgen engenders with his various memes such as Manic Monday or Wordless Wednesday. He was also a large influence on the peace movement with bloggers. Anyhow, it is through Morgen that I have met a remarkable variety of bloggers from all around the world. Morgen is like that pebble that drops in the lake. His blogging efforts result in large waves of diverse villagers coming to our online shores.

Well Villagers ... do you have any candidates for the Power of Schmooze Award based on your travels in cyberspace?

We are 98,648 and rising!

The Electronic Village reached a milestone today. Technorati ranks our blog as one of the top 100,000 in the world. Today (4/21/07) we ranked: 98,648. Only another 98,639 blogs to pass in order to reach the Top 10! Doesn't seem like much until you realize that we were at about 2.3 million a few weeks ago!

Our rise in rankings on Technorati is result of a number of factors including the increased focus that we place on information that is uplifting for African Americans. My observation is that the traditional media is not fair and balanced when it comes to reporting on issues that impact the Black community. As such, our Electronic Village provides a welcome outlet for positive, proactive and honest dialogue on these issues. We will continue to move in that direction over the coming weeks.

The number of visitors to the Electronic Village continues to grow. Our decision to join social networking communities such as MyBlogLog led to increasing number of bloggers and blog readers coming to visit our village. We have never been a 'hot community' in the MyBlogLog family, however, we do consistency reach out to a growing number of 'contacts' in that venue. Currently, we have over 540 'contacts' from MyBlogLog community ... including most of the African American bloggers that we could locate based on their blog content or avatar photo. MyBlogLog has some useful widgets and statistics as well.

AfroSpear is a new afrocentric community of bloggers. The first AfroSpear action alert came out earlier this week as a result of a tragic police shooting down in the metro Atlanta area. I am interested to see how the focused energy of the AfroSpear is used over the coming weeks and months. I've added a distinct blogroll on the left-hand navigation bar showing those other blogs that participate in the AfroSpear. Of course, you can also tell from the AfroSpear logo when you have landed on a blog that supports the AfroSpear mission.

There are a number of bloggers that support the Electronic Village.

1. Danielle (Modern Musings) - I nominated Danielle for the Thinking Bloggers Award in the past. Most recently, she made me aware of the Wordless Wednesday meme. She took some extra time to walk me through some of the widget set-up for that weekly meme.


2. Keith (The 'D' Spot) - Keith is one of the most creative bloggers that I've come across. His writing skills are outstanding. He paints a picture with his words that is compelling and humorous. He mixes serious topics with not-so-serious topics. I try to visit his blog on a daily basis.


3. Paula (Paula Neal Mooney Blog) - Paula causes me to dream that I can monetize the Electronic Village. I haven't realized any success in making money from my blogging efforts yet! However, I regularly add ideas to this blog based on 'best practices' that I see on Paula's blog. Plus, she willingly shares the details on her efforts to make money.


4. field (The Field Negro) - field is a brother with an intense perspective on life that is forcefully displayed in his blog postings. We recently added Village Hero and Village Movie features that are direct result of 'best practices' that I found on The Field Negro blog. field is also part of the AfroSpear network.

There are many others. I plan to share updates on other blogs and bloggers regularly. In the meantime, you can see my various blogrolls over on the left-side of our village ... each of the bloggers listed in my blogrolls brings something special to the party.

At the end of the day, it comes down to you. You are the villagers that make this place worthwhile. Your village voices on our postings are important part of the flava that we are trying to create. I encourage you to subscribe to the Electronic Village so that you don't miss out on any of the vibe from our village!

I work to keep the Electronic Village relevant and timely. Please let me know if there are features that you've observed on other blogs that you think would work here in our village. Our success is directly tied to your insights, comments and voices. What say u?

5 More Blogs That Make Me Think

It hasn't been a full three months yet since my first blog post. It is wonderful to have an outlet such as this to share insights and thoughts on the issues of the day. My hope is that the Electronic Village becomes a daily destination for others in cyberspace interested in talking about Black culture, family, information technology, science fiction, small business development or any number of other topics. I ask that you imagine yourself sitting in the shade under our baobob tree ... enjoying libations and good company of other villagers ... sharing your comments, insights and thoughts.

We are pleased that our imagery appeals to a growing number of visiting villagers. One of the first people to visit with us was Jim Walton (Black in Business). Jim named the Electronic Village as one of the five blogs that make him think. Not Fearing Change did the same thing last month. It is humbling that both of these experienced bloggers feel we deserve The Thinking Blogger Award. My responsibility is to return the favor. I must abide by the rules of this award and name five blogs that make me think.

The first 5 blogs that make me think are still going strong.

Here are 5 more:

1. African American ~Black~ Opinion - This is actually a repeat from last time. However, I am even more intriqued by the direction that Bro. Rock is taking his blog. He is providing a portal for other bloggers in the Afrosphere to make their voices heard. This blog is one that I read daily. You may want to check 'em out regularly as well.
2. the field negro - I absolutely love the House Negro of the Day and Movie of the Day features that field announces every day. He recently shared his thoughts on 'patio negros' that caused some introspection on my part. I'm probably a 'patio negro' at this stage of my life. Come correct to the field negro ... or don't come at all. However, if your self-esteem is high, then I recommend the field negro blog to anyone interested in candor about race relations issues in our country.
3. Fort Wayne African American Independent Woman - credo is the creative genius behind this blog focused on local, regional, and national politics, race relations, community affairs, economic development for small businesses. She is generous in her comments here on the Electronic Village. She was the first to introduce me to the concept of the Afro-Spear. Her blog consistently gives me reasons to sit back and ponder the state of things.
4. The 'D' Spot - Keith is one of the best writers that I've seen in the blogosphere. He uses words to paint a picture. He takes the time to look at issues from a variety of perspectives in a humorous manner. The 'D' Spot focuses on issues related to Detroit, however, anyone that lives in any big city in America will find posts on this blog that resonate with them.
5. Paula Mooney - Paula has a self-titled blog that moves from topic to topic. Quite a few of her posts are about entertainment issues. However, I come back to her blog most of the time to pick up tips on how to monetize my blog. She has been very candid about the money she's earned from blogging. I find her tips easier to understand than many of the other power bloggers out there. Anyhow, I do recommend Paula's blog for any of us newbie bloggers that think we want to get some nickels and dimes back from our online efforts.

These are five more blogs that make me think. Obviously, there are dozens of other blogs and bloggers out there that we enjoy here in da Village. Many of the ones that we enjoy are included in our Afrosphere, Cool and Nubian blogrolls over in the left-hand navigation bar. However, the rules of this meme limit me to handing out the award to only five blogs. It is now the responsibility of these five villagers to write a post with links to 5 blogs that make them think.

Have you visited any of the five blogs listed above? Do you have any comments on them that you would like to share?

LinkedIn Brothers & Sisters

I accepted duty as a moderator for a new YahooGroup called LinkedIn African Americans. LinkedIn African Americans is a professional discussion and networking group for LinkedIn African Americans or for those looking to do business with us. LinkedIn African Americans is a moderated forum so once you are a member you won't have to worry about spam.

It is our intention to have a good, rich conversation and even a bit of fun in networking with other LinkedIn African American professionals. Click here to see my profile. Part of the issue in our community is lack of unity. Perhaps if we systemically improve our ability to network with one another we can also improve our chance of finding 'common ground' on any number of issues.

Those that know me realize that I believe that economic empowerment is the best likelihood for the uplifting of our people. Networking in forums such as LinkedIn provide foundation for the spirit of Ujamaa to permeate us. Let's take advantage of cyberspace for the positive movement of ourselves, our families, our community and our people.

Have you made the move to the LinkedIn Network? If not, perhaps now is the time!