When we speak about online presence at colleges and universities we are often asked for tips on networking. A lot of students assume that they are in no position to build a great network. They do not yet have a job; they do not yet have clients and co-workers. In other words; there is no one to connect with on Linkedin.

There is.

Networking is not something you do at special networking events. It is something you do all the time – and students are great at it.

Here are my tips on networking:

1) Network unstrategicallySome networking specialists will tell you to network with people who can make you reach your goals. If you want to work with Microsoft, network with people who can make that happen.
I favor an unstrategic approach to networking. Because:

- You do not really know what your goals will be. When I was in college I was absolutely sure I wanted to become a lawyer. A couple of years later I got my first real job (through my network) as a PR consultant. Spending all my time networking with dull lawyers would never have brought me that opportunity,

- You never know who will lead you somewhere great. When I first met Bastian (my colleague here at Your Online Presence) he – to me – was a graphic designer. I knew a lot of those and they have never really brought me anywhere. Bastian did.

- You cannot fake interest. Networking is give and take. If you meet somebody important that you really do not like. And that happens. Do not attempt to network with him. It is not good for you – or him for that matter.

When you network unstrategically, every single person you talk to is a potential part of your network. Even students talk to people.

2) Be interested in people
Networking is not developing a long list of contacts and using them to your advantage. It might sound a bit Buddhist, but in networking you really get what you give. When you meet new people your first thought should be; “how can I help her?” not; “how can she help me?”

Apart from the fact that you will feel great when you help others, helping will make sure you are remembered. It does not have to be saving life kind of help. Finding an article that helps your counterpart solve a problem will often do the trick.

3) Have a system
Unstrategic is not unsystematic. You should have a system to keep track of your network. I use Linkedin and Outlook. Just a name and a way to get in touch.

4) Stay in touch
Make a habit of flipping through your system of networking contacts every once in a while. That will inspire you to get in touch with some of them. Maybe you have seen an article that one of your connections would be interested in, maybe you should have coffee with somebody or maybe two of your connections would be interested in meeting.

Read more about networking in our free e-book: Found

Linkedin Skills is a new tool from Linkedin you should try out. It is pretty simple. You type a skill, search, and Linkedin returns:

• Key professionals
• Companies
• Jobs and
• Groups

All within the field. This is a great opportunity to learn more about whom to connect with, which groups to join and companies to look out for.

As far as I can tell, the tool works best if you are either American or globally oriented. I hope Linkedin will consider a location filter.

Anyway, spend some time during your 10 minutes (read about those 10 minutes in our free e-book) tomorrow playing around with Linkedin Skills.

Please tell us how you met the last person you connected with on Linkedin. Leave your story in the comments.

Often people ask us: “How do you create a great network on linkedin?” I know that the quick answer to that question is: “Connect with the people you meet.” However, many need some inspiration to building network.

That got me thinking. If we all told each other how we met the last person we connected with on Linkedin we end up with a lot of great ideas for people to get out their and network. I’ll go ahead – please leave your story in the comments.

My latest connection is a guy I met some years ago at a conference in Thailand. I was their because the PR company I worked with had just been admitted as a member to an international network of independent PR companies. Gary was a long-time member, and as I remember it he provided us with the ins and outs of the organisation over a couple of beers in the bar of the Peninsula hotel. I invited him to join my Linkedin network shortly after we returned home – but it took a couple of years for him to get back on that :-)

I also asked a few friends when I prepared for this. Here are their insights.

Tatiana: The last on I have known for a couple of years. We often met at past time activities that our kids took part in. Recently, I noticed that she had a Linkedin profil – and we connected.”

Maria (who just changed jobs): “The last couple of people I connected with are people at my new job. However, before that I often attended courses. They give out lists with contact information of participants and I got into the habit of selectively reaching out to the ones I had spoken to and found to be interesting.”

Please leave your story in the comments.

Connecting with others on Linkedin should be part of your 10-minutes a day routine. If you do not have a 10-minutes a day routine, find out what it is in our free e-book: Found!

Instead of beating yourself up about procrastinating, spend those valuable minutes promoting your online presence. Every day you should spend ten minutes updating your network.

You know those slow mornings. Actually, with me it is almost every morning. You get into the office, make yourself a cup of coffee, turn on your computer and get to… well not work, exactly. Instead you check the news, find out how the late game ended last night and see how the weather is going to be at the end of the week. It is all psychological stretching exercises before a busy day

Instead of wasting your time you should make those stretches count. We tell people that 10 minutes a day updating their online presence and network is enough. You could get that out of the way before you have finished the first cup of coffee of the day.

Doing what?

Well: Here are some ideas:

• Go through your Google Alerts and RSS feeds. If you see any interesting articles or blog posts, you put them in Delicious.Even write a comment to a post, if you feel up to it.
• Log onto LinkedIn. Is there anyone new contacts you should invite? You can also comment on something one of your connections is currently doing. To wrap it up, you write a bit about what you are doing (not that your are procrastinating) ask a question to your network, so they can see that you are active.
• You also have to log onto your blog and see if anyone commented on your blog post, and perhaps reply to the comments.

It all takes 10 minutes – no more, no less.