Paul Coehlo, in his book The Zahir, talks about the Favour Bank - the most powerful bank in the world that touches every sphere of life. The Favour Bank provides a powerful metaphor for thinking about networking in our social and business lives. Here's how it works:
I make deposits into your account - not cash but contacts. I introduce you to Ms X, I help you meet Company Y etc. Yet, for this, I don't ask for anything in return. The results are that as you grow, I do too. As I help you, other people see you in a different way and make deposits into your account "always in the form of contacts, because the world is made up of contacts and nothing else". If you don't help me, I can't help you and so you "grow only half as much as you could have grown and certainly not as much as you would have liked to".
Netiquette And Ten Tips For Professional Networking
Have you ever asked yourself about how you should use the PWA network to support your business? How should a message be posted on the EPWN forum? You can find out about these topics and more at:
www.europeanpwn.net/epwn/european_governance.html
The WWW (Wide Wild World) of Business Networking
Want to join an online network but don't know which one? Christophe Langlois, EPWN member and founder of Visible Networking, provides a valuable analysis on his informative website www.visible-networking.com