3 ways to improve your online connections Print
Articles - Networking Online
Written by Alex Cureton-Griffiths   
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:

Clean up your Facebook profile

Facebook started out as a tool for keeping up-to-date on what your friends are up to, but now that you're getting friend requests from your clients/boss/parents, what can you do? Ignoring them sends the wrong message, but giving them full access to your profile could lead to embarrassing repercussions.

Luckily, Facebook recently added friends lists, allowing you to precisely filter who can see what. Don't want your mum and dad to see that booze-addled night on Tongren Lu? Make a list, add some filters and add them to it.

Also, be careful who you invite to use Facebook applications. Just blindly ticking everyone and inviting them to rate their favorite Playboy bunny might not work too well with your buttoned-down boss.

Re-connect online with existing contacts

I've always thought all those Facebook apps were a useless pile of junk (I'm looking at you Vampires...) but even a small gesture, like feeding someone's fluff friend, can keep you fresh in people's minds and make it look like you care. With tools like SuperPoke you can regularly hug, throw cakes at or use the force with everyone on your friends list at the click of a button.

For a deeper gesture, try writing a recommendation on LinkedIn for someone you know well. They may reciprocate in kind, which can boost your search rankings.

Get Twittering

We've touched on Twitter before. It's basically a micro-blogging tool -- meaning you don't have to muck about setting up a blog and marketing yourself and your company that way. Just set up a Twitter account, type in what your doing and get other people following you. You can access Twitter from your phone, MSN, web browser and lots of other ways. Think of it as public, multi-user MSN.
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3.23 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."