Sunday, May 11, 2008

Online Networks And Participation

It's fair to say that I spend quite a lot of time on internet networks of different kinds. Some I moderate, and others I just participate in existing forums. In the course it this, it is evident that I am not the only one who is spending a lot of time pursuing this online activity, and yet some things continue to happen that make me wonder if there is much thought goes into the purpose behind the activity.

On forums we have people posting to boards, complaining about the topics that are posted are not to their liking - yet they are not posting the topics that they want to discuss!

Since many of us are networking for business purposes, it is odd to me, how often in the context of a forum, people will respond to a message that clearly sets out how to get in contact with a poster, for a specific purpose. Yet the post will be met with an "I need help" response, to the forum - not to the address specifically laid out in very clear and easy to understand terms.

I've seen the same thing with my profile on Ryze, where I clearly state, "Send me a private message" if you want to contact me, yet I will get an automated message from Ryze to say that "someone wants to network with me" - but apparently haven't bothered to read my profile, or they would have noticed at least ONE of the several separate messages I have there to say that the "Network For Me" function won't work!

Why are we doing all this network participation, if we are not going to pay the most basic attention to what those with whom we might want to network? Connecting on a network, is not the end of the action, it is the start. What comes after that, will tell the story of how well we are networking...or if we are just passing time on nothing at all.

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