This post is written by Mattaw of Moneybites.com. Moneybites shares tips, tricks, and ideas to make money online.
As most of you know, John was recently in Toronto. While there I joined him for some pho along with some of my fellow Toronto bloggers. No, this post won’t be about how great pho is, or a recap of the meetup, I’m sure you’ve all seen that before. Instead, what I want to talk about today are the benefits of networking in person (face to face) versus networking online (by using a computer). I feel that networking in person is very beneficial and therefore present to you three reasons why you should seriously consider networking in person.
The Friendship Aspect
First and foremost is the friendship aspect. It is super cool to meet other people in the same field as you. You’d be surprised how quickly friendships spring up among those that you network with.
For example, after your pho meetup (as mentioned before), the Toronto bloggers decided to get together this week again for another meal (Here is the link for the Facebook event. If you’re in Toronto, you should definitely attend!). Our first meetup forged a bond of friendship among many of us. What this does for you is gives you a person to talk to about your industry related questions and even a cool new friend to hang out with and spend some time with.
The point is you never know what kind of amazing people you can meet with networking in person. If you’re shy, try and go out on a limb, it’s definitely worth it.
The Business Aspect
Next there is the business aspect. Online, partnerships or joint ventures can be very important. What networking in person does is allows you to meet people for who they really are (to an extent, but online it’s easy for a first impression to be deceiving while in real life it’s harder.). This can help you find a better joint venture partner.
Also location comes into effect here. The nice thing about networking face to face, especially in your own community is that the potential partner lives closer to you. I know that I for one prefer a business lunch over a teleconference (but hey, that’s just me).
A lot of great partnerships have/can be made from meeting someone face to face. As with the friendship aspect there are a lot of amazing people out there and maybe by networking in person, you’ll find one that you’d make a great partner with.
The Location Factor
Finally there is the location factor. What I mean by this is how close the person you network is to yourself. While networking at conferences may be a bit different (because people are from all over), networking in your community is a great thing to do for your website.
Both business and friendship wise, knowing some people in person that are close to you is a huge plus. Friendship wise you can see them more often (be it for advice or just to hangout). Business wise a partner that is closer to you is usually better (as long as they are a good partner in the first place) purely for communication reasons. Either way by networking in person with people you are forging ties with people close to you (and can result in some amazing memories being created).
Wrap-Up
I hope I’ve convinced you why networking face to face (in person), is a definite plus for both friendship and your online career. John does a great job of this with his Dot Com Pho meetups. If you live in a town with a decent population try and see if there are any other bloggers there. Perhaps go and try to meet them, who knows your new friend or business partner could be just one meetup away.
Related reading: Tips To Network In Person More Effectively
Did you enjoy this post? Get John Chow Dot Com updates via email...
Stay up to date with all of John Chow’s tips for making money online and blog posts by subscribing via email. Your email will be kept private and never shared with anyone.
One of the most common complaint (or excuse) I hear from potential new bloggers is they don’t know how to install WordPress. Terms like FTP and CPanel are like a foreign language and setting up a database might as well be setting up the space shuttle for a launch. Because of the technology barrier, many would-be bloggers never start their blogs...
{ 22 comments }
Nice article Mattaw. I am looking forward to reading more of your blog posts.
Btw John, I forgot to congratualte you on hitting 30,000 RSS subscribers.
30k subscribers is just unreal!!!
networking – in person, ugghh
that’s my downfall, i come across as a babbling insecure idiot
Good post Mattaw. I haven’t met many people in my area but I’ve had a lot of good relationships built through conferences. Invaluable really.
networking in person can definitely help your business go through roof not only directly with the people you meet but the people they “know”.
good article
big jason
Putting a face and personality to a “screen name” or “email address” is everything.
I can’t make Sunday as I am in Niagra.
Keep me updated though, as I would like to come to the next meet up if you arrange one.
John,
Good Post. I recently had dinner and drinks with a CEO from Thailand, and two big influencers in Vancouver’s business community and I tied it all together using linkedin and e-mail… but nothing really happened until we had a few pints together! Combining offline and online is the way to go.
Excellent post. I’m trying to do this with a few people in Irvine, CA. There are a lot job fairs and places to get exposed however. Plus the internet has a ton of potential. I’m trying to do that with my blog, to put out the word I’m unemployed and really looking hard for a job.
You can’t really compare networking in person to doing it online. people will trust you at least twice as much if it’s a face to face relationship, meaning you cna get the best out of them.
Networking face to face always will bring you more business,and credibility.
Very nice article, Matthew. I think it goes without saying that person-to-person contact is highly rewarding in many ways. And it’s wonderful to see it outlined as such in this post.
In marketing, the amount of ground we’re able to cover via the web is tremendous. But having a face-to-face experience with someone is purely great, especially in today’s ever-growing worldwide economy. It’s something you can really take home with you. And it’s nice to see a post dedicated to just this.
Good article. I have already practiced it for quite long times. It really can make me able to enjoy my business more then before..
Networking is very important. It fuels business growth. I am glad that we (Toronto entrepreneurs) decided to continue with Dot Com Pho Toronto momentum. Thanks, John. Mattaw, thanks for this article.
“If you’re shy, try and go out on a limb, it’s definitely worth it.”
How true!
Many of us introverts have to work a bit harder to get comfortable networking. What I do get to places real early so that there is a small group, not a big crowd, and I always look to attend sit down events, or even sit down at cocktail sort of networking events, so I can get to know others one-on-one.
Great tips and thanks for your article. I can’t believe how many people think that email or talking to someone you don’t know on the phone is “networking”.
Well said. Social networking or networking will not be the same without meeting face to face. There is so much deception until we meet and then people are seen for who they are. I enjoyed the read. First time here, thanks Goran.
Not too sure what happened to my post, there is no mention that it was moderated or anything.
I was saying that I agreed with networking is not networking unless it is in person. If anyone has the time read a book called referal of a lifetime, the best book on networking
When you meet someone in person, then that will have the best effect other than email, call or others.
In today’s world, it’s extremely important to not forget the human side of online business. It’s easy to stay cooped up in the office, but human interaction in business/life is key.
I thought the title was “Networking in Prison” at first, in person makes a lot more sense though.
I’ve been wishing I was closer to your Dot Com Pho’s…maybe I’ll try one here. Anyone else in central Florida?
I’ve heard a lot of people saying they’re prefer hanging in front of computer than going out and meet other bloggers in person and that’s just crap. No matter where you live, you’ll find someone interesting to meet with. I, for example, met with a lot of great people that I enjoy talking to every day.