Business Networking Strategy

I am sure that many people will agree with me when I say that connections are at the heart of most success. Knowing the right people, being able to put a call in for help and support and putting people together are all at the heart of making the most of both business and social networking. But do you really know what a connection is and how to recognise one? Are you 'connection conscious'?

I had an interesting meeting with a group of policy makers and a press officer from Northern Ireland’s Department for Employment and Learning (DELNI) last month. I have been talking to the team there for a couple of months about their pilot to become the first Government Department to have a Facebook presence.

The furore surrounding last week's launch by Charles Clarke and Alan Milburn of 'The 2020 Vision' masked a new trend emerging in politics - the recognition of networking as a key tool to interact with voters. The recent instance of votes for 'housemates' on Big Brother outperforming votes in general elections has been a cause for concern for anyone interested in the democratic process. Any attempt to involve the public in policy making has to be applauded and surely networking is the ideal vehicle.

A politician friend, who does not wish to be named, said the following in response to my blog posted yesterday: The problem with political networking on line for politicians is its public nature. It is very easy to forget that your words can be read - and misquoted - when you are on your own with the computer. I suppose this is why so few politicians blog, and those that do often produce a tedious diatribe consisting of their daily engagements and toeing the party line.