Feed Your Friends

Whenever I discuss networking with my colleagues, the topic invariably turns to the "open" vs. "closed" discussion - "Should I just network with anyone?" "Should I invite only those people whom I know really well into my LinkedIn or Plaxo network (which are the de facto Rolodexes of the new century)?" First used in 1967, the term "networking" means "...the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically, the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business."

To me, Will Rogers said it best when he said, "A stranger is just a friend I haven't met yet." That's the approach I take to networking. And with the pace of technology continuing at an ever-increasing rate, it is becoming easier to meet these new friends, on a much larger scale.

FriendFeed is one of those tools enabling this trend. It is essentially a content aggregator that displays what you and your friends / network are sharing on the Internet, at any given point in time (in this, it seems very similar to Plaxo's Pulse Page). As the fine folks at FriendFeed describe it:

"Sign up for FriendFeed, invite some friends, and get a customized feed made up of the content that your friends shared — from news articles to family photos to interesting links and videos. FriendFeed automatically imports shared stuff from sites across the web, so if your friend favorites a video on YouTube, you get a link and a thumbnail of the video in your feed. And if your friend likes a news story on Digg, you get a link in your feed. FriendFeed makes all the sites you already use a little more social. "

How does this help you in the offline world? Individuals can learn more about each other, and doesn't limit rapport development to what you can get over coffee or at a networking event. I think it is even more important now to discern what your personal brand really is, and how you want to market yourself. FriendFeed can be a great arrow in your networking quiver – check it out today, and see what your network is up to!

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