The fine art of business networking is now being mirrored on the Internet.
Web sites are springing up to help managers meet the right contacts. And in many cases colleagues can help make the connection.
“Chatting people up at networking events is of limited value, but obtaining introductions is the key to getting the ear of the people they want to reach,” Konstantin Guericke, co-founder of LinkedIn.com, told CNN.
“People join because they believe the most valuable new business contacts come through referrals from people they already know and trust.”
LinkedIn and others like Ryze.com and Itsnotwhatyouknow.com are the business equivalents of the popular Web site Friendster.com.
Most are free to join, profiles have no photos and your list of contacts is called your “tribe.”
LinkedIn, active in 80 countries with 48,000 regular users, does not allow people to cold-call each other. Instead mutual contacts can vet whether they want to refer you.
