If you have an event you want to get featured on Shanghai Networking News, add it to our calendar and get in touch to let us know you want it featured.

What is a featured event?

Featured events are like normal event listings with the following differences:

• Highlighted at the top of the front page up to a month before they occur.
• Highlighted at the top of the newsletter up to a month before they occur.
• Highlighted in our event listings pages

How much does it cost to feature an event?

Generally we charge 500 RMB per event or the price of one admission, whichever is higher. Payment can be made via cash or bank transfer.

When it comes to networking events, which do you find are worth your time, effort and money? I've found that bigger doesn't always mean better. Usually, the smaller events, like NextStep, Oriented.com and various chambers reap much greater rewards that the larger, jointly-organised events. So, what's wrong with the bigger events?

1. Too much publicity - Great for events themselves, but not so great when you bump into all your competition. There may also be lots of people you already know, meaning more time catching up than mingling. (Not to say catching up is bad, but it can be easy to get bogged down)

We're currently in the process of our big site move and redesign -- that means faster load times and an easier interface to networking advice and Shanghai's networking events.

It may take a little while to get things up and running as they were before -- in the meantime, you can check http://shanghainn.com/thyme to check the latest events if they're not listed here.

{mosimage}Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, William Jefferson Blythe, Rolihlahla Mandela, Eldrick Woods. No idea who these people are? I can't blame you -- history knows them as Mother Teresa, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Tiger Woods. Your name can mean the difference between success and failure, so don't choose it lightly.

Now, if you're Chinese, it's relatively easy to adopt or change your English name. The question is, which name should you be using?

With the long May holiday weekend, we at Shanghai Networking News have been in a bit of a rut. It happens to everyone -- sometimes you just can't be bothered to get out there and start networking. That doesn't mean you can't strengthen your network though: Here are three ways to improve your connections online:

With Chinese New Year in full swing and the weather bitterly cold, things will be a bit quiet on the networking front for the next week or so. So, what can you do while you're not out there meeting new people? Just because you're not out there networking, doesn't mean you can't strengthen your network...

Really, if that's all we can say about baijiu then it's hardly a ringing endorsement. A while ago we mentioned you should never drink baijiu if you like your liver, but a recent tale heard at a NextStep mixer has prompted us to take a second look:

When going on business trips to underdeveloped areas in China, you're often encouraged to chow down on some of the local food -- which in some cases may not have been prepared all that hygienically. Lucky for you, baijiu can (apparently) act as a natural bug killer, stopping any food poisoning before it begins.

So, if you choose the dodgy food alone, you'll likely spend the next day on the toilet. If you go for the baijiu too, you'll probably spend the next day hugging the toilet. Not much of a choice, to be sure, but at least now you have an option!

By David J.P. Fisher

One of the secrets to business networking and building relationships is to become an expert at asking questions. This is especially true when you are first finding out about someone's business. You want to become a detective and really dig into what's going on in their professional life - because then you can find areas of opportunity where you can help them.

By Mike Aoki

Ever heard of the old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know?" How do you meet people in your profession? Well, one method is to meet people at industry seminars and conferences. Imagine being in a conference ballroom filled with people. How do you start a conversation with a total stranger?

By Mike D. Martin

One of the best (and least expensive) ways to increase your sales and your business is to have a stream of leads coming in through referrals. There are various types of referrals out there. The most common being from friends and family as well as past clients. But if you want to get serious about referrals, get a constant stream of referrals, you should create a referral network.