Is it Neworking or Advertising? by Bill Rowe

Hello, Bill Rowe here.

I know this sounds like I might be ranting a bit but these are just my thoughts as I see how the internet should be used for business. So here goes.....

The question I have for you today is, is there a difference between "Networking" and "Advertising"?

If you don't know, the answer is yes!

I see this so much and I get the feeling that people just don't know the difference. Let me explain.

Advertising is promoting a product or a company that you are looking to add people to or have them purchase something.

Networking is meeting people and getting to know them.

There is a time and place for both of these. My recommendation is to start out by networking. By doing this you are establishing a relationship with someone. You talk to them. You find out what their interest are. You will learn soon enough if they are looking for something extra or not. If they are then that is the time to kindly let them know that you may be able to help them. If not they are probably not going to be interested in anything you might be selling. You can always connect with them based on some other interest or hobby and you can still maintain them as a contact. If you've made an impression on them they may contact you in the future.

Look at it this way. If you strike up a conversation with somebody and all they do is try to sell you something, and you are not looking, are you going to show an interest? Didn't think so.

If you are one of those that use business or social networks to advertise, keep this in mind. Even on the internet we are all still people. If you are out here looking to improve your life style thats great and I commend you for it. But if you learn to do it properly, you find your success rate much greater.

Thanks,

(Bill Rowe)