Written by Melinda Cooper

I am going to my first real networking event in the morning and I have to admit… I am a little nervous. I’m a social girl and I can social network on Facebook and Twitter all day long, but can I network face-to-face? It’s not like I can go around the room and click on people and anonymously (for the most part) select ‘add as friend.’

So here I am searching on our *new* site up a storm under the ‘Networking’ category taking notes from Lorraine’s blogs (since she’s a self-proclaimed networking junkie). Trying to figure out if there is some special strategy to working a room.

So far I have collected these. Old to some but new to me.

https://roundpeg.biz/2009/04/chris-brogan-gets-networking/

– I especially like that No. 1 is ‘Be sexier.’ Wasn’t expecting that to show up on any type of networking top 10 list!

https://roundpeg.biz/2009/06/small-business-networking/

– This is a more recent blog but I wanted to know exactly who was going to be there. It’s sort of like a family reunion of sorts it seems and I don’t like to be blindsided by crazy aunts.

And to show I’m the fair-and-balanced journalist (Marilyn Weaver would be so proud)….

http://www.rachel-levy.com/how-to-network-effectively/

– Some super basic basics with some amusing bites

http://blog.shareresults.com/12-tips-for-social-media-newbies/

– A shorter (and better HTML-ed) version than the site it links to. Discusses the notorious Tila Tequila and uses emoticons. Easy to follow 🙂

I can now breathe a sigh of relief and go into tomorrow’s event feeling more prepared then before. It will probably be my first of many. Check out more networking events here. And who knows… maybe by this time tomorrow I’ll have added you as a friend.