It’s no surprise that as technology advances, we’re spending more time online — and less time socializing offline. Even when we are offline, we often have our eyes on a smartphone.

Guess what’s finally catching up with our online lifestyle? Networking. (Click here to tweet this thought.) We still have the nametags and handshakes in crowded conference rooms and bars, but online events are becoming increasingly popular, making it easier for companies, universities and organizations to bring their members together regardless of geographical distance.

And it’s only getting better! Here are four reasons online events are truly the future of networking:

1. Online networking events let us blend online with “real” life

Isn’t that what we all want? For online experiences to foster real-life relationships?

Mobile devices, texting and social media have blurred the lines between the physical and the online. Being present is still important, but our online interactions make it far more convenient to show up and interact.

Most in-person events seem to attract two types of people: those who miss half the event because they’re called away to respond to phone calls or messages, and those who have their heads buried in their devices most of the time. The latter group is already exchanging ideas and feedback online through hashtags, email threads and Facebook comments — so why not take that online chatter and bring it to the forefront?

2. Online connections are easier to make — and to maintain

Social media has redefined networking by allowing us to connect more easily to people we know. Online events are an extension of that trend, but allow us to find new, receptive people to add to our networks.

Adding someone on Twitter or LinkedIn is pretty easy. But converting conversations into valuable contact during a physical networking event is difficult. When we start to rub elbows, our memories often fail us. Paper business cards flow freely, but are easily lost or forgotten. Asking someone to “bump” phones usually brings strange looks, but it’s not even as awkward as trying to type someone’s email address into your phone without botching the spelling.

When events take place online, all the information you could possibly want is available in the cloud. Plus, connecting on LinkedIn or other social networks feels more natural and can be more meaningful after an initial online interaction.

3. Online events are accessible and inclusive

We’re so used to face-to-face interaction that it seems hard to replace. But online events can make it easier for participants to exchange information without ever leaving their homes or offices. In that way, online networking events are not only less expensive for companies, organizations and individuals; they also offer a better return on investment.

Potential participants are no longer discouraged by travel costs or tight schedules. If you have an Internet connection, you can attend from your home, office or even the road. For both hosts and attendees, taking events online can return major savings.

4. We value online interactions more than ever

As more of our interactions take place online, we’re gaining more trust in our networks. We’re building personal brands instead of hiding behind screen names. In fact, you often need that online brand to move forward with your career.

As a result, the value of online events is increasing. One survey reported that people were even willing to pay more to attend an online event than they would for a physical one. And when people actually want to attend networking events, that’s where you should show up, too.

What do you think? Would you rather attend an online or in-person networking event?

Ryan Healy is COO and Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist.

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We’ve come a long way from crowded hotel ballrooms and folders stuffed with resumes. More and more recruiters are using online events to find qualified candidates for the positions they want to fill. Suddenly, your best candidates are all in the right place at the right time, which means you can save time finding them.

If you haven’t caught onto this trend yet, it’s time to add online networking to your recruiting schedule or replace some of your in-person events with online ones. (Click here to tweet this thought.) Online networking allows you to go beyond your social media strategy and promote one-on-one engagement with potential hires. Even better, the convenience of online networking will win you over in a flash.

Not convinced? Here are seven reasons to try online networking to fill openings at your company:

1. It’s easy and convenient

Forget booking travel, schlepping boxes of swag and getting mediocre sleep on hotel mattresses. Online networking events allow you to connect with candidates without ever leaving your office — or even your house.

2. It’s the best way to meet qualified candidates

The candidates you’ll find at online networking events are tech-savvy and willing to try new methods of communication. Now, aren’t those exactly the kind of people you’re hoping to hire? We thought so.

3. You’ll meet more candidates without spending all day on your feet

Avoid getting stuck chatting with a candidate who just doesn’t fit your mission. Use the timed structure of online networking events to your advantage. With just a few minutes to connect with each candidate, you (and your potential hires) will be forced to get down to business.

4. It’s easy to access candidates

Online networking puts qualified candidates at your fingertips. You may even find you have access to a wider range of candidates — including those who may not be able to sneak out of their current jobs to meet you or attend an in-person info session.

5. Online networking events can promote your brand

Ready to recruit? When you host an online networking event, your company’s visual branding will be front and center. Candidates will get a taste of what your brand is all about just by attending the event.

6. Your candidates will be at ease

Job fairs and recruiting events can be nerve-wracking at best (and social anxiety nightmares at worst). Online networking takes the pressure off attendees, who can then focus on what matters most: their qualifications and experiences.

7. It shows off your innovative side

Look at you, using the latest technology to reach potential employees through the Web. You know the power of the old-fashioned meet-and-greet, but you’re willing to embrace new methods as well. Candidates will appreciate your willingness to experiment and admire your accessibility. And guess who might also be impressed? Your boss. That can never be a bad thing.

Ryan Healy is COO and Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist.

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Building networking relationships can be difficult, especially if you’re focused too heavily on how you will benefit. A more effective and natural move is to take on the role of helper and simply share your knowledge freely. It’s a no-brainer; you can speak about something you have mastery over and you aren’t asking for anything.

When you let go of the old-school exchange of cards and sales schmooze, networking becomes a whole lot less scary, especially when you move your networking online. (Click here to Tweet this idea)

Follow these three tips to network authentically and build lasting relationships online:

1. Find relevant LinkedIn and Facebook groups

Groups are where the action is on both LinkedIn and Facebook. Join relevant groups to connect with your peers and ideal customers. Listen in for a bit, get a feel for the group, then use your expertise to answer questions and get to know other group members.

Set aside time each day or week to dedicate to group activity, and you’ll quickly build a reputation as a go-to person on a given topic. You’ll build personal and professional relationships that keep you top-of-mind the next time someone needs to hire or is looking for a consultant.

Over time, make a point to seek out new groups to widen your circles and let go of those that are less relevant. Avoid showing up only when you have something to ask of the group, as you’ll quickly be pegged as “that” person who’s only concerned about what’s in it for them. Not cool.

2. Forge connections in the blogosphere

If you blog, you know how solitary blogging can be as you pour yourself into writing content, sharing it and waiting for responses. Reading blogs in your industry and actively commenting where appropriate is a great way to forge connections. Well thought out, genuine comments can get you noticed by bloggers.

Repeat commenters become a part of that person’s tribe and can lead to bigger opportunities as they get to know and trust you. Create a list of blogs to follow, including both bigger names and up-and-comers. Get to know them and leave comments when you have something to add to the dialogue.

Don’t go crazy and comment on everything — that can make you seem like a blog stalker. Also, make a point to add these bloggers to your social networks such as Google+ and Twitter.

3. Go beyond the retweet to get noticed

It’s no secret that getting active on social platforms like Twitter and Google+ is a low-risk way to engage with people you want in your network. But you can’t hop on and retweet a couple things, then hope you’ll land a spot as their business BFF.

For this strategy to be effective, you need to have a presence on the platform, with a fully built-out profile. Imagine you engage with someone you want to get to know better, and they visit your profile to learn more about you — but your profile is blank. Would you do that on an online dating site? Then don’t do it on Twitter, Google+ or any other social network.

Take time to select people to follow, fine-tune your profile, tweet or “+” your own content and get active commenting and sharing. Be yourself, add value and be consistent. If you need to, focus on one platform at first instead of dividing your focus across many.

Networking doesn’t have to be scary. It’s easy and enjoyable when you focus on your zone of genius and are authentic. Pick one of these ways to get yourself out there today and start building your network based on value and expertise, not schmooze.

Maggie Patterson is a PR strategist who helps entrepreneurs use DIY PR to grow their business. You can connect with her and learn more about DIY PR on her website and on Google+.

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While the best networking might happen in person or through acquaintances, email can be a great way to build new relationships and spread the love online.

So here are a few tips for networking via email:

1. Spot your prey

Unlike in-person networking, email networking lets you take on one relationship at a time sans business cards. While in person, this kind of attention to detail and information-gathering could be be jarring and suspicious; using your mouse and keyboard allows you to do your research and tailor your approach in a good way to make meaningful connections.

To apply this, use the Internet and mailing lists strategically to get links, email addresses, Twitter handles and other information about the people you want to connect with. Keep an eye out for portfolios and strategies that impress you, especially ones created by people you have something in common with.

Narrow down your interest to one or two industry leaders who really speak to you, and bookmark their information.

2. Survey the landscape

Now, take time to really study the business or person you’re interested in. Analyze their presence on social media—specifically, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn—and take note of what impresses you the most about how they have built their craft. Try to answer the following questions for yourself:

• How do they fit into the marketplace?

• How long have they been in action?

• What do their services consist of, and how could you help them?

This is the most important part of the process. It’s not about stalking a business and retracing its every step; it’s about taking in the whole picture so you can accurately assess where you can help. You’re essentially looking for a hole in their professional interests that you alone can fill…which leads us to step three.

3. Make your first contact

The final step in the process is to make contact. The perfect networking email will do the following:

• Explain how you got their information.

• Introduce yourself causally, but with pertinent details.

• Express a sense of humor or competence in your field.

• Offer a compliment or assistance.

Special note: don’t talk money or ask for a job in your first email! Express an interest in working together and compliment the person’s portfolio. (If you can’t think of anything to compliment, you’re networking with the wrong person!) This approach is designed for the natural situation in which you see someone’s work, like it and want to be near it, not to nag people for a job by email.

Here’s an example of a solid networking email:

Hello Ms. Sparks,

I came across your business card on the bulletin board in my favorite coffee shop, and I was struck by the diversity and sense of history in your online portfolio.

My name is Annemarie, and I am a freelance graphic designer in the Seattle, WA area with a background in substance abuse counseling. I also blog at www.myblog.com, but that’s just for fun!

I wanted to reach out and introduce myself in the event an opportunity to work together comes up. I also read this article on Forbes magazine and thought it might be interesting to you: www.interestingarticleonForbes.com.

Thank you for your time, and congratulations on your recent Historical Society award!

Sincerely,

Annemarie

Of course, if you’re not comfortable with this approach, you can always try networking on Twitter to make big things happen or looking at in-person networking in a new light. Most importantly, don’t overlook putting plenty of time into your own online portfolio so others will make an effort to network with you!

Have you ever cold-emailed someone you’d like to work with?

Sarah Greesonbach is a Content Management Specialist with a lot on the back burner (if you count LOLcats and Words with Friends). She curates and write the lifestyle and personal finance blog Life [Comma] Etc and is studying to be an Accredited Personal Financial Counselor.

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Are you failing to bring that relationship offline?

While there’s huge power in online networking, it’s really offline —or In Real Life (IRL), as some of us call it—that your connections have the potential to become true game-changers.

Of course, you can’t always meet someone face- to-face, especially now that our networks often include friends across the globe miles and miles away. But you can usually find some way to grow what began online into something deeper and more meaningful.

Once you’ve created even a smidge of a relationship on Twitter, here are a few ways to take it to the next level:

1. Communicate on other social networks, too

While Twitter is arguably the best social network for meeting people you don’t already know (as opposed to Facebook, where you’re likely to befriend people you already have some connection with), it’s not always the best place to have in-depth conversations.

If you’re genuinely interested in getting to know someone, see if they’re open to connecting on Facebook, where most of us tend to let our personal side show more than on Twitter. Or, if connecting professionally is what you’re after, invite the person to connect on LinkedIn (and don’t forget to include a personalized invite that reminds them how they know you). That could give you access to their entire professional network, which multiplies exponentially the value of that relationship.

Also look for other ways to interact online, like commenting on that person’s blog. That gives you the chance to show, in more than 140 characters, that you’re a thoughtful, smart person worth knowing, both on Twitter and elsewhere.

2. Move the conversation to email

Tweets work well for getting your foot in the door of someone else’s world, but they’re often not enough to get to know that person well. So when you want to deepen a relationship that began on Twitter, send that person an email and ask more about their projects. What are they working on? What are they excited about? What can you do that will help them succeed?

Once you open that channel of communication, it’s forever open. And email is a valuable channel. Because down the line, when you recognize a way to work with that person or find that you could use their advice, you can simply reply to the original email, and they’ll recognize you as a friend.

3. Talk on the phone

Yes, people actually still do that once in awhile. And it’s an especially good choice when you’ve connected online with someone who’s not all that comfortable with the online world. If you offer a phone conversation, you’re giving them a way to chat with you while staying in their comfort zone, which means they’ll probably be more open with you.

Of course, the phone isn’t for everyone; we’ve all had that phone call that turned totally awkward. But if you’ve got a lot in common with a new online friend and plenty to discuss, taking the time to dial their number (when they expect you to call) could work in your favor.

4. Suggest coffee or brunch

This only works if you live within driving distance (and yes, it’s worth driving a few hours for a high-potential networking meeting). Often, you won’t truly get to know someone until you meet them in person. You might have an idea of what they’re like from reading their blog or Twitter feed, but don’t be surprised if your lunch date doesn’t look, talk or act exactly like you expected when you finally sit face-to-face.

If you’re not within driving distance of an online friend you’d like to meet, try video-conferencing over Skype or Google. That gives you the intimacy of a private meeting where you can actually look at each other, yet you can do it from the convenience of your desk.

When suggesting this in-person face time, present it as though you have something to offer, even if you’re sure you’ll learn more from this contact than they will from you. How can you help them? At the very least, show the person how interested you are in their work and explain that you’d love to learn more about what they do.

The worst experiences are always when you meet someone in person for the first time, and all she does is talk about herself. That’s enough to make you want to revert back into your online hole, right? So make sure you’re not that person. Ask lots of questions—and learn to listen.

5. Use conferences as an excuse

Next time you go to a conference or meetup, go out of your way to get face time with the people you’ve already established relationships with online. Sure, you can meet new people, too, but if you’ve already interacted with someone on Twitter, your relationship is now at stage two; you’ve overcome the initial introductory hurdle. The person already knows a bit about you, hopefully likes you and trusts you. Maybe even wants to help you.

Coordinating online to meet in-person at an event requires a bit of work, as I learned earlier this year at the World Domination Summit. The people who get the most out of conferences tend to be those who sort through their online network ahead of time and prepare, even making a list of online friends they want to meet in person. After all, this is your one chance to have eye contact with the online personalities you respect and maybe even admire and to get to know them better.

You might even take it so far as to go to a conference or meetup with the sole intention of meeting a specific person you’ve chatted with online (even if they think your both being there is a coincidence). That’s not crazy; it’s smart networking. And if that person ends up being a catalyst for your career weeks, months or even years after you shook their hand for the first time, you’ll be glad you went out of your way to strengthen that connection.

Alexis Grant is managing editor of Brazen Life. Check out her online networking course, Become a Twitter Power User.

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Despite the mainstream adoption of social media globally, the basic principles of personal branding still apply. You have to define your brand, position yourself in the marketplace, and constantly reinvent your brand over time. You have to figure out what makes you special and then communicate that to the right people, who are interested in your story and message.

Social network profiles, and blogs, have made it easier to build a brand because you’re investing your time instead of thousands of dollars. In today’s competitive landscape, just having a presence isn’t enough. You have to maintain it for the rest of your existence and be committed to your career and business objectives.

I’ve been following the personal branding movement for over four years and have identified several trends that you need to become aware of if you want to remain competitive. Each trend will have a dramatic impact on your life moving forward and the sooner you build your brand, and take advantage of new technologies, the more prepared you will be for a successful future!

1. LinkedIn will replace resumes and job boards

About a week ago, I predicted the end of resumes and job boards in Forbes and the recruiting world retaliated. Although, you will still see job boards for time to come, the real pathway to employment is through the connections that we all share. Companies such as BranchOut.com and LinkedIn.com have put a “social graph” over our job search, which allows us to tap into the people we already know to get job referrals. Networking is clearly the key to getting the best jobs in the world, and applying through job boards isn’t going to get you anywhere.

Traditional resumes as we know them don’t fit into the new workplace paradigm. Forget the Microsoft Word resume and start building your online presence so that recruiters can find you and place you. Soon companies won’t even ask for your resume; they will ask for a single URL that should point them to a reason why they should hire you.

2. Your personal and professional lives will converge

Did you know that 96 percent of Americans under 50 are on Facebook? Facebook connects the world and even when we leave our laptop or desktop computers, we login through our mobile phones. Forty-six million Americans check their social networking sites multiple times each day. When you live online, your actions can affect the way people around you treat you, in and out of the workplace. Everything you publish, and whatever is published about you and can haunt your career for time to come. Rep. Anthony Weiner found this out the hard way. He, like many other politicians, celebrities and regular people, learned what you say online is in the public domain and can be used against you to ruin your reputation.

3. The recruitment process will have a mandatory online presence background check

A 2010 study by Jobvite  reported that approximately 80 percent of companies plan to use social networks in the background check process. Eventually, all companies will use the Internet to verify candidates and it will be as common as a drug test. If you aren’t found online, it will show that you aren’t as valuable to employers as other candidates. My advice is to build a website and manage your reputation before other people do it for you.

4. Online influence will be a determining factor of whether you get a job

A decade or so ago, if you had the right hard skills, you would be almost guaranteed a job. Then, when the market became more competitive, companies started looking for soft skills, including presentation, writing, organization and leadership. This way, companies could recruit the individuals who would be the best fit to the organization. Today, you need to have hard skills, soft skills and online influence. You might be hired based on the number of Twitter followers you have or if Lady Gaga retweets you. Individuals who have the largest and most influential networks bring more to a company – they bring an audience of potential buyers.

5. Relevancy will become our greatest challenge

It’s becoming a great challenge to keep up with the latest information and technology that’s pertinent to your career. I see relevancy becoming even more important but very challenging because our brains can’t process the sheer amount of information out there. I skim through eight hundred blog posts each day and that number isn’t going to decrease anytime soon. You need to know what’s going on in your marketplace and react to it. Consumers are expecting more from businesses and if you aren’t current then you’re irrelevant to the marketplace, which means that you will eventually go out of business or get laid off.
Dan Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding, LLC, a full-service personal branding agency. Dan is the author of “Me 2.0: 4 Steps to Building Your Future,” the founder of the Personal Branding Blog, and publisher of Personal Branding Magazine.

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