I recently ran across a nifty website called Linkedin. Linkedin is kind of similar to Facebook but is for professionals who want to network with others in their industry. I would encourage anyone who has a career where networking and relationships are important, to check it out.
You can find people you know by searching by name or importing your email list, then requesting that you get “connected”. When you get a “connection” in Linkedin, you can then view that person’s connections and profile. You can also ask to be introduced to a person who you don’t know. It is a bit of an online resume, but not exactly for job hunting, more for expanding your network of contacts. I have even run across a Disaboom group in Linkedin, specifically for people who have a disability or work closely with people with disabilities.
We all have different industry organizations such as NRRTS, APTA, and TXRPC which are awesome channels for networking within our respective areas of expertise. Linkedin is one more way to expand on some of those resources, by linking to some of your current contacts, or maybe discovering some contacts you have lost touch with. I would especially encourage suppliers, clinicians, and people who like to network to check out Linkedin.
Have you used Linkedin or another social media website? What traditional or non-traditional networking strategies do you use?
