Why Face to Face Networking Still Beats Social Media Networking

Its 2014 and you can pretty much do anything online now. You can pay your bills, find love, buy groceries...you can even launch an extremely lucrative business via the internet. Some very special, and talented people have made our lives extremely convenient through the advancement of technology and the web. But convenient doesn't always mean better...does it?

Lets use a scenario. You are looking to hire a DJ for your sisters wedding. You google local DJ's and the first to pop up is Mr. DJ The Hit Man (get it...hit's :)) Any who, you check out his website, read the reviews, and he even has a video you can watch of a prior wedding he's performed at. Everything seems to check out and you hire Mr. DJ for your sisters wedding. On the day of the wedding you are starting to panic because Mr. DJ has yet to show up and its already 30 min prior to the ceremony. Five till Mr. DJ stumbles in looking as if he is still recovering from the night before. You also immediately notice that he looks nothing like the DJ in the video on his website. That's because he isn't. He is the guy in the corner falling asleep while he is supposed to be shadowing the experienced DJ. He apologizes for being late, but assures you he will only need 10 min to set up his equipment. 5 minutes later he is reluctant to tell you he does not have the extension chord he needs to perform his job and that he must have left it at home.

To make a long story short Mr. DJ is unable to perform at the wedding ceremony due to the time constraints, but he is able to make it back for the reception. He does not have any of the songs you all requested for him to play in honor of the bride and groom, and Mr. DJ does not interact with your guest in the manner his website described he would.

This is not to say that when you hire someone to provide a service over the internet they will not do a great job, or that everyone you meet face to face will. But what if you had attended a networking event in the past year and had actually met a DJ, interacted with him or her, and taken their business card? What if you had gone to a friend and asked if they knew any good DJ's? What if you had set up an actual meeting to meet Mr. DJ face to face? The point is, it is imperative that we do not get hung up with the perfect facades the internet sometimes exposes us too. It is always important to meet someone and create your impression of them based off of what you learn about them in the flesh vs. how they portray themselves on the internet. All it takes is money to build an amazing website, but it takes hard work and dedication to build a great business. Let's not forget Networking! It takes lots of that too :) You can join me tonight for my very own Network Wednesday event if you are in the Hampton Roads or surrounding area. Click the link below to register now. Your first time is free. Happy Networking folks. Until next Network Wednesday!
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-networking-games-tickets-12138571795?aff=eorg