In our jobs I guess that is a funny term to use. Many of us are the furthest from social creatures. We are locked away in our offices or bedrooms or living rooms, working our tiny fingers to the bone, typing and mousing our days away.
Some of us are unsocial by nature and some of us driven by a shiny vision of our personal networks and empires taking over the world or maybe just a tiny corner of the net.
Some of us have an external balance as well, perhaps a spouse or children who though they take time from our obsessive building, also provide a balance for us. They drag us from our computers kicking and screaming out into the real world. They are part of our social network.
In my case I have a sister (god help me). Who though beloved by me, believes that because I am self employed I can attend her church four times a week with her, go for drinks twice a week, go to the three birthday parties her friends have a week. Yeah, I figure her friends are all aging faster than anyone else because there ARE three birthday parties a week.
I also, she assumes, have time for the one mandatory picnic a week, usually with the glowy eyed people with the Charles Manson stares from her church (an exaggeration but very close to truth), and taking her dog to the vet, her cats to get neutered, answering the door and paying for the repairman of the week (this week it was a plumber) and in my spare time I can work.
Oh yeah also lest I forget, there is the once a week casual get together that ends up with her inviting some guy from work over (usually an idiot) and mentioning she has her own date coming to watch movies and I must entertain her acquaintance who has something in common with me, his hobby is computerized radio controlled cars. Oh yeah that is a real killer evening.
Well, no one can say I don’t have opportunities to network, albeit mostly unwelcome.
However, apart from this there is also the term networking in our jobs. I come to this finally after my personal litany of woes because of a casual statement made by redglow at a netpond show.
When talking about posting on Netpond, we were sharing our “first times”. Hers, to me was the best. She said she read and read and read until she knew less than nothing and then was ready to post. Smart huh? Well I thought so.
This statement came in the middle of a webmaster social networking opportunity. Why would I mention this? Well, because our jobs are solo mainly, unless you work in one of the “office” situations for a large sponsor, and we don’t honestly know each other. Unless you have gone to one of the conventions where I hear getting naked and pissing in the pool is not unheard of, you don’t know much about the people you do business with. Yet, doing business with other webmasters, trust is an important component.
Anyway, the netpond show is my weekly webmaster social networking opportunity. We gather on IRC type to each other get to know one another a bit and little gems like the one redglow gave us, slip out. They give us an idea of each other and our personalities. We listen to Sleazy’s topic of the week, clown around and get to know a little about the personalities behind those nicknames. It is our chance to social network in our community with people we share a lot in common with.
I can hear you saying but…but…I do just fine without that and it takes TIME. Sure it does. It takes time and can pay off in the long run. How so? Increased trust even a smidge, helps a lot in this business. People know your name and know you are not a total idiot (maybe partial, but not total) and they have a “connection” with you.
The boards work the same. You post, you try and help or you put forth your view. You ask questions and hopefully are not too silly. You are in essence social networking. Your name is there and hopefully you are treating it well by the things you say.
So, how does this pay off you ask? Let me give you one very tiny example.
After the Netpond show I got into a situation where a person I was doing some odds and ends for needed a theme replaced. It was important this wordpress theme be simple clean, good looking, and come with support. Easy you say? Well maybe, but this person needed something proper for their sites, unique and correctly coded for all browsers, and not costing 750+ dollars, the theme was to go into the moneymakers. So how can I choose who to recommend, how do I make sure this person gets treated right and the coders are going to deliver? There are a 1000 coders out there and many must be good, right?
Social networking is the answer of course. People whom I had gotten to know through the boards and through IRC at the Netpond show. People whom I had a firm connection with and had seen their work and knew they delivered what they promised and when they promised it.
That was my payoff for social networking. On the other hand because these guys are good, they don’t have time, they stay busy and yet because I spent time with them and had a connection they agreed to do this small project. Also because the person for whom I needed this project also posted on the boards and though she posts rarely, she does so with good sense and kindness it helped sway them.
Problem solved. I could be sure everyone in this transaction would be treated honestly, sure the coders would deliver exactly what was asked for because I knew them personally. I had seen the lengths they go to finish on time and as requested. I owe them now, but that also is part of social networking. A favor done here, one owed there they all balance out.
Everything hinged on nicknames that were known, reputations that were built, friends that were made. Familiarity and in this case friendship with the coders made me secure in being able to say “Yes, they will give you what you need and it will be right the first time and they will give it to you in the time frame they say they can deliver”. Social and business networking.
Familiarity with me, made the coders say “Ok, we will do this” even though they are overworked and pressed for time.
This is a tiny thing because I am a tadpole, yet it was important to me. I am pretty positive the whales in the pond do it much the same way. That personal connection is important, not essential, but important.
These relationships are not built through a single post, or an hour spent at the Netpond show once a week but those parts were integral to it. You develop social and business relationships and you grow that way, or you struggle on your own and miss so many good friends, and nice and talented people. Because we work alone doesn’t mean we have to be socially isolated.
Goodbye for now, I need to go and figure out a new disease of the week, there is a picnic with the glowy eyed church people this afternoon and I really don’t have the time!

Peace-Chimera

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