Ruben Gamez (founder of bidsketch.com) actually did a course on Mixergy entitled "networking for introverts" :)
That course, and this article, were of tremendous interest to me personally.
I don't consider myself to be an introvert, but I had shunned networking as being lame, for losers and confined to desperado salesmen that would crowd into a vinyl floored foyer in cheap suits trying to sell each other financial services before they lost their houses.
What I'm starting to realise is that networking is the single most important business activity one can undertake.
I'm starting to believe that the more people you know and make connections with, the greater your chance of success in any industry or pursuit.
People have long said "it's not what you know, it's who you know" and I've always heard that as a defeatist remark - like you can't fight city hall type of thing.
What I never realised is that networking isn't hard and you can meet really influential people - that you can become one of the "people who know people" by simply being a friendly and helpful person.
There's no secret to it, no tricks and no "gaming the system", just "reach out and touch somebody".
Here's a very simple fact: what you know is very highly correlated to who you know.
Probably everyone on Hacker News would agree that learning Python is usually easier and a better career move than learning FORTRAN. But how do you know that? From the social influences in your life...people, the places you hang out on the internet, etc. But most business people couldn't tell you the difference between any two languages.
The difference is even greater with soft skills. Look at the job or salary negotiating advice that a typical career office or google will provide you, and compare that to, say, Ramit Sethi's or Patio11's advice. You're talking about a massive difference in value.
The more you are in touch with highly successful people, the more you'll be on the cutting edge of this kind of news, when it's the most valuable. If you have a weak network, though, you'll frequently be years behind without knowing it.
a general comment, so sorry for picking on this particular article when it is a wider problem.
when i read something that ends with a single line, trying to provoke comments, i feel like a dumb fish on a hook. my immediate, gut reaction is that i am being sold to. before: i am reading an opinion someone wanted to share. after: they are bullshitting me and will write whatever they think sells. it loses my trust instantly.
That course, and this article, were of tremendous interest to me personally.
I don't consider myself to be an introvert, but I had shunned networking as being lame, for losers and confined to desperado salesmen that would crowd into a vinyl floored foyer in cheap suits trying to sell each other financial services before they lost their houses.
What I'm starting to realise is that networking is the single most important business activity one can undertake.
I'm starting to believe that the more people you know and make connections with, the greater your chance of success in any industry or pursuit.
People have long said "it's not what you know, it's who you know" and I've always heard that as a defeatist remark - like you can't fight city hall type of thing.
What I never realised is that networking isn't hard and you can meet really influential people - that you can become one of the "people who know people" by simply being a friendly and helpful person.
There's no secret to it, no tricks and no "gaming the system", just "reach out and touch somebody".