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Networking in the Real World
6:21Social networks and websites can provide fantastic opportunities for networking, but there’s a limit to the interaction. Online networking is vital, but there’s no substitute for making a real human connection, and that’s why it’s important to make an effort to get offline and meet people in person.
Social networks and web sites
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can provide fantastic opportunities for networking,
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but there is a limit to the interaction.
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Online communication can often be disjointed,
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especially if you limit yourself to forums, chats,
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email, and other virtual forms of interaction.
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Online networking is vital,
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but there's no substitute for making a real human connection,
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and that's why it's important to make an effort
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to get offline and meet people in person.
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[Christopher Schmitt] Well I think you just said it.
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You get out of the laptop, right?
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So you're always in front of the laptop,
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and so your mind is always trying to
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find the latest blog, tutorial, or whatnot,
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and sometimes those get out of date
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and don't get updated.
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Sometimes the information changes so fast—
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like we just talked about responsive images and how much has changed within the last year,
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and it needs to be updated,
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and sometimes what's really popular in Google searches
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isn't really what you need to know, right?
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So you really need someone that can—
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a speaker at a conference who can hopefully—
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if they're expert enough, put it into context for you.
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Also it's a great way to network
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and meet like-minded folks
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who you probably wouldn't—normally wouldn't meet otherwise,
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so it's a really great way of doing that.
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So just the way the industry changes so fast is really a great way
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to just get up to date pretty fast
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and ask—not only just to speakers
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but there's a saying that
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sometimes the speaker isn't the smartest person in the room;
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it's the audience—is the smartest person in the room,
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and one of the things when I speak
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is that if there's a question I don't know,
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I make sure I tell people,
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"I don't know the answer to that one, but maybe someone here knows."
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Most of the time, they probably know the answer to it.
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So that's a great way to learn, get your answers,
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and move on,
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make a—not just—but be inspired to great things,
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and I feel like you get inspired by knowing, right?
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And knowing what you need to do to build great things.
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[Dan Gorgone] There are many opportunities to attend events
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where you can learn more about the job you want
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and the skills you need.
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No matter where you are,
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there should be a number of local meetings, workshops, and conferences.
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If you need help finding some events,
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let's think back to the activity
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where we used keywords and locations
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to search for competitors.
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Let's do the same search but instead of personal sites and social profiles,
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let's focus on the results that feature industry blogs,
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local events,
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and organizations.
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Each of these provide focused content related to the keywords you entered
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and often provide calendars
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of upcoming events, meetings, and other chances to network.
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[Dave Rupert] In Austin, Texas—where I live,
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there are—
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every Tuesday night,
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this guy, Damon—can I tell the story? >> Yeah, sure. Yeah, yeah.
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[Dave Rupert] This guy, Damon, came up with this concept.
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He negotiated with his wife
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one night a week
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to go out and work on side projects.
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So he got Tuesday night,
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so he can go to any meetup he wants,
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he can just sit in the coffee shop and code all night long.
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Wife watches the kids.
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So he kind of turned it into a thing,
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like, "Hey, we meet up here."
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Out of that—actually like 2 startups have been formed,
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like dudes just sitting there, coding together,
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and they launched and startup and they got millions in funding.
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A success story, right?
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So that's kind of the environment
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he incubated.
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So Cafe Bedouins is this thing where you just go out Tuesday night,
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you work on a side project.
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And so I've just been trying to go out and do that.
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There's more I can learn, you know?
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I mean, I need to—
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I don't know every class and every function and every method and—
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it's just to learn,
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just to make sure I have the basics covered,
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and that will no doubt help me in my day job and do something later.
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[Dan Gorgone] Networking with others in person
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can lead to opportunities to meet potential new partners
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or create new business.
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They can also lead to impromptu chats and discussions,
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brainstorms, and other constructive talks.
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The best part
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is that meeting in real life can establish or strengthen
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an existing connection that began online.
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Meeting in person gives people a chance to understand the personalities
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behind the online personas,
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but networking in real life also requires a different set of skills.
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While remaining hidden behind your laptop
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can offer a degree of anonymity and safety,
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real-life networking requires that you present yourself
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in a professional manner.
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If you hope to make a positive impression with the people you meet,
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make the effort that others might not.
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Don't dress down.
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At least go business casual.
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Don't show up late; be there on time or early
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to take advantage of the chance to say hello.
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If you're shy about meeting new people,
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do some research first.
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The event you're doing to should have a focus
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and perhaps some speakers with a particular background.
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Be friendly, introduce yourself,
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and ask for advice if necessary,
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but don't immediately venture into the territory
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where you ask to work together
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or anything too forward.
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Remember: These events are not just for you to meet them;
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it's for them to meet you, too.
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Whether you bring business cards or simply share your Twitter handle,
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give people a way to remember you, as well,
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in a positive way.
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Like courses or formal training,
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networking events might be something
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that your current employer will pay for you to attend;
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that is, as long as the events focus on workshops and seminars
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and not on cocktail parties.
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If you're finding it challenging to locate local events,
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consider starting up one of your own.
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Sites like Meetup.com have features built in
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for people to quickly organize and manage smaller events.
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Keep in mind that if you do a great job developing your own profile and expertise,
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you may be invited to speak at an event
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and the changes to network increase dramatically.
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Regardless of where you are,
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every event is an opportunity to make connections
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that will benefit your career,
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as well as your personal pursuits.
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