Escapee Speaks: The Golden Rule of Social Networking
One of the questions that I hear the most from aspiring Illustrators is “How do I network?”
That’s a pretty broad question, and it’s one that will take more than one post to answer. There is, however, one piece of advice to rule them all:
Build genuine relationships.
In other words, the one action you can apply to all forms of social networking, whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, or meeting people face-to-face, is to be authentic. Making the rounds with the narrow goal of simply building your contact list won’t get you very far, but working to connect with people on a human level will reward you with real relationships and a growing pool of resources and inspiration for years to come.
So, how do you do this?
Seek out those that genuinely interest you, and that you may have something in common with.
Be equally, if not more, focused on what you can give to the relationship as what you can get out of it.
Promote others when they do something great and help them when they are in need.
All this is to say that you have to mean it. Networking at its worst is called “spamming”. Networking at its best is called “community”.
Escapee has spoken.
What is your experience with successful social networking? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
For more on Social Networking, listen to Episode 5 of the EFII Podcast
But… but… that means all those plastic smile, narcissistic, used car salesman-types who send bulk “Friend” emails about themselves 12 times a week are doing it wrong!? Can that be true?
A Person I respect immensely said some things like that a long time ago… they killed him.
Thanks again, Escapee; If only the masses would listen.