I have been reflecting on some of the terminology used in networking and while terms like Maven and Connector are being commonly used I believe there is space for some additional terms and in particular I would propose the following three;
Super collector;
Someone who spends inordinate time connecting to people just for the sake of collecting them as a contact.
Trophy contact;
A contact that is held in such esteem as to be desirable to have and on some platforms to trade.
Blended Networking;
Combining on-line and live networking so as to create a deeper relationship with ones connections (the opposite feel of the first term.)
I am interested to see if there is more that we can add to our lexicon in order to better express some of the phenomena that we are seeing both the negative and the positive.
Link to this article:
http://blog.xing.com/2006/03/new-lexicon-for-social-software/trackback/
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this is the first time for me to go on surf on this website,and it is a pleasure to meet friends in Germany.
As a chinese in Beijing, I would like to know more about the new-elected prime mininster of your country.since she would pay he visit to China for the first time.
Bill,
In terms of Networking, I have also seen the concepts of “Strong ties” and “Weak ties”, with the idea that not everybody in your contacts is equal. Some people you can trust and rely on more than other.
Strong ties are good to help you grow your business while weak ties are a good way to get feedback and potentially new ideas.
I have also seen research that says that in business the more contacts the better, regardless of strong or weak, as the network is being developed in a “targetted” manner. So not talking to everybody who wants to listen to your story just in case they may bring up something useful, but rather only or mostly talking to people that you know ahead of time can be of help one way or another. These are obvious things, but it is interesting to know that researchers in the business community are confirming it.
I think that most of my contacts are “option contacts”
Maybe they have no “value” today, but in my mind I think that this contact could be interesting for my work.
Mr.
Bill,
Thanks for sharing your well observed thoughts.
Before I understood anything about this thing called “networking” I had no idea what it meant and how to do it.
Now, several years later, I realise that we are all connected. So the word, networking is redundant as the network already exists.
May I suggest that the lexicon entry for Networking is removed. In its place, may I propose that we consider ourselves to be Pathfinders and Pathfollowers?
Regards
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
Perhaps another metaphor regarding not so much finding the path as removing the road blocks.
I still believe tat the term networking its self is evolving into something more useful.
Another word for the lexicon is ‘orphan’ referring to someone without any contacts on the network.
Bill
Well, I’ve experienced a few folks that have contacted my contacts, pretending to be closer to me than they really are… I call these people Contact Sharks. They are closely related to Super Collectors, but please note – not all Super Collectors are Contact Sharks. Once I’ve identified someone as a Contact Shark, I cut them loose.
While the Super Collectors are harmless enough for the most part, the Contact Sharks are insidious and can kill a trusted Network rather quickly.
In real world Networking there are also those I refer to as The Blahbs. They can suck the life out of a group of people by lecturing endlessly on topics that they know virtually nothing about. These people can’t seem to shut themselves up, and while they think they are brilliant networkers, they tend to bully their audience, insult them, and totally avoid any discussion of anything remotely interesting to anyone. You can identify these people from a distance by the way they talk. Usually their heads are tilted back a bit, and their hands are expressively gesticulating as their mouths make the characteristic “Blah Blah Blah” sounds. If in doubt, check the eyes of their captive audience… if they are glassy and bored looking, or tend to dart to the exits repeatedly then you have found a real life “Blahb”.
At this point, those with weak hearts should head the other way, but if you are a brave soul, you can use the opportunity to swoop in and save the innocent Blahb victim(s) by interceding. Just saunter up, say excuse me and introduce yourself to the victim and ask them about them. No matter how the Blahb tries to pull you into the lecture, don’t respond or you’ll be trapped as well. The key is to approach fast enough to escape the severe gravity of the Blahb’s black hole of a mouth. Don’t make eye contact with the Blahb unless you are very strong willed. If the victim is stuck fast, move on quickly – don’t get sucked in. If your colleagues see you listening to the Blahb, they might mistakenly think he’s safe to approach. You’ll have done all that you could, and should sleep soundly at night knowing in your heart that you tried.
