Developing a Strong Network

1. Developing a Strong Network 2012 Professional Development Series 4-5-12

2. Strong Network Bigger is not necessarily better. Meaningful connections. Simply trading business cards is NOT helpful.

3. Why Advice & Support Warm Introductions Project Partners

4. Creation of CYC CYC Team at OneCommunity Lead Community Agencies Q: How were principals chosen? A: The proposal writers’ networks.

5. Bill Callahan

6. Lynda Goff

7. Bart Gonzalez, CYC Corps Member at Lorain County Community College

8. Strengthen Existing Contacts Get to know people personally. Pick up the phone. Meet in person. Be engaging in your digital communications.

9. Strong Network Strategies Volunteer. Join or start an affinity group (book club, knitting club, gaming group). Participate in work projects that include partner organizations. Engage in online discussions. Go to events and really talk to people!

10. Volunteer • Organize an event. • Representing an organization. • On your own with a committee. • Volunteer at an event. • Coordinate a project. End Goal: You meeting and getting to know new people!

11. Affinity Group Expanding your network need not be limited to professional interests. To find a group, use Meetup.com, do a Google search, ask your network.

12. Online Discussions http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/inclusion http://media-democracy.net/ (Sign up for email alerts.) LinkedIn Group – Community Technology Instructors & Managers Local listservs

13. Online Discussion Tips Use an email signature with your org name, email and phone number. Don’t assume others know anything about your organization or project. Ask for advice. Give advice, graciously.

14. Attend Events Talkto people you do not know. “How did you find this group?” “Wow, its crowded, is this your first time here?” “What a fabulous purse. Where did you find it?”

15. Professional Online Networking

16. Watch, Listen, Learn, Adapt http://www.pyzam.com/funnypictures

17. Focus on Relationships http://www.innocentenglish.com/funny-amazing-pictures-videos/cute-kitten-puppy-animal-pics/cute-animals-2.html

18. Be Genuine

19. Professional Online Networking

21. Network Building on LinkedIn • Add new contacts regularly. • Post interesting status updates. • Write recommendations. • Join Groups. • Find those with real conversation. • Participate in the conversation. DO NOT self promote.

23. Network Building on Facebook Connect to colleagues. Mix personal and professional posts. Comment on others’ posts. Be helpful. Remove tags on photos you may not want colleagues to see.

25. Network Building on Twitter • Find others with similar interests. • Use at events. • Find hashtag of the event. • Follow interesting people using the hashtag. • Participate in the conversation. Post AND reply. • Find the other Twitter users DURING the event.

26. Network Building on Twitter Professional username. Mix personal and professional posts. Retweet. Thoughtful conversation.

27. Time Concern: Already don’t have enough time with my family. Possible Solution: Find an activity that involves the family and also has you meeting new people. Concern: I don’t have time! Possible Solution: Carefully choose one new activity with defined time commitment.

28. This module was created by Connect Your Community, a project of OneCommunity, funded by the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program.

29. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0