The World of Online Networking:

Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections

PRODUCED BY

MOUNT ACCOUNT INC.

 MOUNT ACCOUNT INC. 509.334.7336

Executive Summary
As business professionals, we all know the importance of
networking. However, what you may not know is that there
has been a major shift of networking styles from recent
technological advancements.

Online networking has changed the work environment for

the better by making it easier to connect with people from a
wider audience, granting the freedom to network at any time
and place, and giving more control over how you present
yourself. This new system of forming relationships has the
potential to benefit those who utilize their online social skills
in an effective manner.

Some professionals are skeptical of entering the online

world, but as a firm, we to need to respond to these changes
and adapt in order to stay on top of our professional connec-
tions and ahead of the industry.

This information will guide you to optimize your online pres-

ence by joining appropriate sites and using each to build a
network of contacts.
 MOUNT ACCOUNT INC. 509.334.7336

Table of Contents
A Combined Effort: Online and Offline ..............................3
Making Changes Now ...................................................... 4
Benefits ........................................................................... 5
Wider Audience........................................................... 5
Personalized Profile ...................................................... 6
Flexibilitiy................................................................... 7
Options ............................................................................ 8
LinkedIn..................................................................... 8
Facebook.................................................................... 8
Twitter........................................................................ 9
Meetup...................................................................... 9
Recommendation ........................................................... 10
Concluding Summary ..................................................... 10
References .................................................................... 11

List of Figures
Figure A............................................................................. 4
Figure B..............................................................................6
Figure C............................................................................. 7
 A Combined Effort:
Online and Offline
While online networking can make a huge difference in ex-
panding and strengthening your connections, it should be
noted that it cannot replace the work of face-to-face net-
working. We need to continue to meet with people in real life
to establish connections that cannot be accomplished over
words exchanged on a screen. Online networking should
be used as a supplement to offline networking to add to an
employees professional persona. It offers an additional way
to create and develop relationships in an efficient manner.

These tools should be used in conjunction

with networking offline as well, since they
help add to your in-person interactions
that are often the most effective at gener-
ating a strong bond with your contacts

- ADKNOWLEDGE.COM

Networking sites also keep users interested in others ca-

reer involvements and industry updates through the use of
posts, messages, and groups. Social media sites surround
us in this digital age and create an easy way to gather in-
formation on people and events. We can take advantage
of this by extending our solid foundation of communication
into the online world.
3 | Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections
Making Changes Now
More companies are expanding to social media sites than
ever before. Most use online platforms as a method of
advertising, but they are missing the opportunity to re-
search potential employees (Purdy, n.d.). Beyond job ap-
plicants, we can should be searching for possible business
partners, future clients, and industry leaders. This online
activity needs to
happen on both a
company and in-
dividual basis. As
employees, we can
have our own pro-
fessional profiles to
positively represent
the company and
make valuable con-
nections. Social me-
dia is a huge asset
and has increased
the quality and
quantity of contacts
Figure A (Statista, 2017).
If we all make use of our online resources, it will have a
favorable impact on our company. In order to establish a
reliable profile, we must start by getting involved in the
site to gain followers and build a reputation (Purdy, n.d.).
This way, when it comes time to exercise a relationship,
your contact will trust you and be more willing to help. It
is unpredictable when you will need a connection or ac-
cess to information, so it is essential that our employees
start participating in online networking.

Over 90 percent of companies are

presently using social networks as a
factor in their hiring efforts
- STATISTA.COM

Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections | 4

 Benefits
Wider Audience
The sheer breadth of people that we can encounter on-
line opens possibilities to relationships that we do not
have the ability to make offline. The internet provides
an opportunity to expand our networks to their full-
est potential while still maintaining quality contacts.

Now, instead of connecting at an in-per-

son event, you can reach hundreds, even
thousands, of potential customers online

- ENTREPRENEUR.COM

It is important to be connecting with the right people,

those who have a strong system of contacts that you
may be able to tap into as well (Netaround, 2016).
Some users try to add as many people as possible
which is based on the preconceived notion that your
number of contacts is most valuable. With the con-
siderable amount of people online, you must be criti-
cal when choosing who you accept into your network.

Another thing to consider is that even though these rela-

tionships are mostly web based, they still require effort in
order to uphold them (Adler, 2016). The benefit of having
an abundance of people to connect with comes with the
duty to make time for each person. It is amazing to have
access to a variety of users, for there is a high possibility
that you will find others who have similar career experienc-
es and will be useful to contact. Online networking opens
doors to people you may not have had the privilege of
crossing paths with. We have the ability to use this informa-
tion for our firm to find good employees or future clients.

5 | Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections

Personalized Profile
The advantage of having a distinctive profile is that it can
help you attract the attention of the right people. Many
people use the search function on sites to find other users
by typing in keywords. Having these keywords on your
profile will help you gain viewers and can lead to a con-
nection (The Alternate Board, n.d.). Besides your name
and username, you can add a short bio about yourself and
your business, interests, and background (Hines, 2010).

Figure B

These bits of information will let your contacts know a little

more about you without making you regurgitate the same
spiel in each new interaction. The advantage is that you get
to determine the details you want and what makes you look
good. The activity on your profile also reveals a lot about
you by showing people you talk to, the articles you read,
and the the topics that you discuss. This space also gives
you an ideal place to add our company website to promote
our name. A profile lets you be in charge of how you pres-
ent yourself and who is permitted to see this presentation.

Take advantage of [your profile] to share

only the best about yourself and your
brand

- KISSMETRICS.COM

Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections | 6

 Flexibility
There are many social platforms created for a multitude
of different purposes. It is nice to have options to choose
from, but it is also essential to join the appropriate site
for the purpose you are seeking. Some people may want
to keep up with the latest trends and breaking news while
others are searching for connections to grant a referral.

It is helpful that there is a site for almost everything.

Apart from having a choice in which sites you utilize, you
have the ability to access them anywhere you wish, whether
it be at work, home, or on the go (Smith, 2000, p. 11). And
the freedom doesnt stop there; you can use these sites at
any time during your day. Maybe you have free time to cap-
italize on in between sporadic moments in your schedule,
you can fill the time by sending messages or commenting
in a group. The networking operates around your timetable
instead of you having to create time to factor it into your day.

There is also one more piece of flexibility which shouldnt be

left out. Online networking makes gives you the power to
control how you wish to communicate with a contact (Smith,
2000, p. 13). If you are only comfortable commenting on
each others posts or messaging through a social media
site, you dont have to deal with the anxiety caused by face
to face communication. On the other hand, you may prefer
meeting in person and the online tools can make your plans
by the click of a button. Social platforms make it easy to
keep in touch with your connections in the ways you want.

Modified from Fastcompany.com Figure C

7 | Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections

Options
LinkedIn
LinkedIn offers more of a
professional setting than oth-
er forms of social media by
focusing on education, career
history, and job accomplish-
ments. Many of the conversa-
tions revolve around current
events, job opportunities,
industry trends and related
news. It is a good way to up-
date your connections on your
career happenings by seeing
where you are working and
what you are achieving. Be
sure to make use of the site
by posting articles, uploading
professional documents, and
joining groups to start con-
versations (Whitmore, 2015).
LinkedIn provides an opportu-
nity to network with people at
all stages of a career and ev-
ery step position of a business.
Connections with key contacts
will go far to help your online
presence and produce a poten-
tial favor down the road.
Tips:
Connect with people you trust because
they can impact your reputation
Send a personal message after you
have confirmed a connection so they
know who you are and get to know you
beyond your profile (Whitmore, 2015)
Use provided contact information to
reach out and meet up face-to-face to
cement a relationship (Thorman, 2013)
Upload a professional picture and use
an appropriate email
Insert keywords in your profile that
would come up in a search when people
are looking for connections (The Alter-
nate Board, n.d.)
Facebook
Facebook is a great site to
show both your profession-
al and personal side. Most of
your connections will be made
with people you already know
so it is important to strength-
en those preexisting bonds.
However, it is okay to take
advantage of the suggested
friends to expand your circle
of contacts. The site also has
groups and pages available to
join to enter conversations.
These communities offer a
chance to connect with others
that have similar interests.
Members are normally willing
to help out other members
(Thorman, 2013).
Tips:
Verify that your posts and pictures are
appropriate because others can view
them
Check your privacy settings and keep
your account private
Dont post about controversial topics or
make mean comments on others post-
ings (University of Texas, n.d.)
Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections | 8
 Twitter
Twitter is a site that has been
gaining popularity in the last
few years and offers a great
platform to be exposed to new
people. Following someone
on Twitter requires no prior
connection and offers an easy
and friendly way to meet new
people. It is also welcomed
to start a conversation with
anyone at any time (Thorman,
2013). For your profile, Twitter
is less intrusive in the amount
of information needed and is
up to the you to give out infor-
mation in the form of tweets
and retweets. For business
purposes, Twitter is an excel-
lent source of breaking news
and keeps up with industry
and job trends.
Tips:
Show what you are interested in by
following trends or industry leaders
and tweeting about them
Mention someones handle or
retweet their post to attract their
attention
Use hashtags to find information
on events and businesses or join a
conversation (Whitmore, 2015)
Save your searches to follow topics
of similar interest (Thorman, 2013)
9 | Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections
Meetup
Meetup is the best way to con-
nect with people online then
follow through by meeting
them in person. It is a great
combination of online and
offline networking. You simply
search the types of networking
events you are interested in
then enter your location. The
organizers are well connect-
ed and can introduce you to
the type of contacts you are
seeking (Thorman, 2013). It is
also easy to browse the types
of events being held in your
area and gives you flexibility in
choosing when and where you
want to go. The people attend-
ing will most likely be those
with similar careers interests
working in your area which
presents you with perfect
chance to grow your network
(Honigman, 2014)
Tips:
Be open to all kinds of meetups
that are relevant to your field or
spark your interest
Make yourself noticeable and go
out of your way to meet as many
people as possible
Obtain contact information for
those you want to stay in communi-
cation with
Recommendation
The site recommended to join is LinkedIn. This is the fa-
vorite site for business professionals and is a great way
to represent our company. LinkedIn is also the superior
platform because it emphasizes networking for career
purposes. The site is user friendly and is gaining popu-
larity rapidly. For example, LinkedIns number of users
has skyrocketed from 37 million to 467 million (Statista,
2016). Our employees should use the tips provided to
make LinkedIn a helpful tool for their business career
and increase their high-caliber contacts.

Concluding Summary
It is clear that the internet has expedited many process-
es that were once tedious. Being able to find information
instantaneously has benefited the way we live our lives.
When it comes to relationships though, there needs to
be effort and time taken to care for and develop them,
specifically those that are meaningful in our careers. The
online world may not be able to instantaneously create
friendships and connections with strangers quite yet, but
it offers us the unlimited opportunity to do so. The social
media platforms presented have so much to offer us in
terms of expressing our thoughts, exploring new ideas,
and finding people to support us while we try and accom-
plish our goals. It is time to get everyone involved online
to advance our company name and create a dependable
network.

MOUNT ACCOUNT INC.

Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections | 10

References
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Entrepreneur (February 2015). The Right Way to Network on Social Media.
Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241959
Hines, K. (December 2010). The 10 Elements of a Successful Social Media Profile.
Retrieved from https://blog.kissmetrics.com/successful-social-media-pro
file/
Honigman, B. (January 2014). 5 Strategies for Effective Networking in the Digital
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work/
MarketingProfs. (September 2012). 9 in 10 Online Businesses Network Online,
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Purdy, C. (n.d.). Professional Networking Tips: Get Started on Twitter. Retrieved
from https://www.monster.ca/career-advice/article/get-started-on-twit
ter-canada
Smith, R. (2000). Electronic Resumes & Online Networking. Franklin Lakes, NJ:
Career Press.
Statista (2016). Numbers of LinkedIn members from 1st quarter 2009 to 3rd
quarter 2016. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/274050/
quarterly-numbers-of-linkedin-members/
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Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/2727/online-recruiting/
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http://www.thealternativeboard.com/6-online-business-networking-tips/
Thorman, R. (September 2013). 6 Ways to Build Your Career Network Online.
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reers/2013/09/19/6-ways-to-build-your-career-network-online
Whitmore, J. (March 2015). The Best Way to Network on Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/244231
University of Texas (n.d). Social Media for Professional Networking. Retrieved
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dia-for-professional-networking

11 | Increasing Your Cyberspace Connections