May 29, 2008

Networking: go on, try it you’ll like it

The term Networking has a tendency to make most developers cringe and walk the other way. I say most, there must be some that don’t mind speaking to strangers about what they do, what they’re working on, what they’re interested in doing, where they see their industry going and developing relationships with others with or without similar interests. It doesn’t sound that hard.

The scary part is that networking is actually marketing…”ah, what, marketing, not me, no no no! I develop applications, I write the best code, I use great scripting languages and I read and comment on technical Web sites”. See any similarities here?

Just getting out and talking passionately about what you do is the best marketing there is. People are interested if you are excited about your subject. People want to know what’s new about it, why it’s special and why it’ll succeed. You might also learn a thing or two.

Learn from others by listening. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You know what you’re doing better than anyone else and there isn’t anything you could possibly learn from them. But, listening to what others say about their past experiences with any software is one of the best ways to gauge your own work or product.

Networking is easier than you think and very productive for your company and brand. Seeing smart people talk passionately about their work will excite others about your work, which will turn into leads, which could possibly turn into sales. If you are passionate about your work and can talk about it, you can successfully network.

Try it, you might like it.