Did you know that one of the most common dreams is about being naked at school or in public? For most of us, that's a pretty scary thought! Well, don't worry. "Networking in the Nude" has nothing to do with being naked in public. The point of the title of this article is that you can do effective networking from the comfort of your own home - in your pajamas, your underwear, or even your birthday suit! Networking can be broadly described as exchanging information with others. Effective networking involves exchanging useful information that leads to mutually beneficial relationships. Traditional networking means doing that systematically and with intent: you determine your goal and objectives, plan your activities, take specific actions, and (if you do everything right), you reap the rewards. Traditional networking also involves meeting people in person. People who love traditional networking may try to convince you that nothing is more effective than face-to-face communication. In many regards, that's true. It's natural for us to put more trust in people when we can look them in the eyes and see their smile. That's why traditional networking focuses on face-to-face contact. In a perfect world, that is the most effective way for everyone to build relationships. But it's not a perfect world. And not everyone is comfortable with in-person networking. Luckily, there are nontraditional networking activities that can be nearly as effective. These nontraditional networking activities might appeal to you if:

You don't enjoy talking to strangers or "schmoozing." Your schedule doesn't allow you to attend networking meetings and events. You don't want to bother with everything associated with traditional networking, such as: figuring out which events to attend; deciding what to wear; coming up with a clever "elevator speech"; hearing sales pitch after sales pitch from dozens of unskilled networkers interested only in promoting themselves and their business; handing out and collecting business cards; slapping a sticky nametag on your nice clothes; trying to figure out later which (if any) of the people you met are worth following up with. Addressing all forms of nontraditional networking is beyond the scope of this article. So we'll concentrate on one of the most powerful: virtual networking. This is the kind of networking you can do in the nude (unless you use a web cam, then it might not be such a good idea). It's done through your computer and the Internet. Besides not having to deal with people face-to-face, virtual networking allows you to create contact lists and join online communities comprised of people from all over the world. Most of these people you would never meet in any other way. Your virtual network can grow larger and faster than any form of traditional network. Other benefits of virtual networking: You can get to know people without having to meet or exchange contact information. Remaining anonymous, you can visit their websites or blogs, subscribe to their electronic newsletters, read their comments in online forums, etc. If these activities convince you that they are people you'd like to get to know better and perhaps do business with, you can then initiate contact and start to build relationships with them. Many websites, such as www.Ecademy.com, www.LinkedIn.com, www.Ryze.com and others, are set up specifically to

promote virtual networking. They offer simple ways to build contact lists and find people with whom to network, they provide information on effective networking strategies, and so forth. Managing your list of virtual contacts is easier than organizing a stash of business cards. Many email programs include electronic address books or other contact management features that allow you to store (and quickly retrieve) information about the people in your network. In other words, virtual networking eliminates the discomfort of meeting strangers and worrying about first impressions; it enables you to network whenever you want, regardless of your location; it makes information exchanges faster and easier; and it allows you to more easily manage of large numbers of contacts. Virtual networking can be done in many ways: Participate in virtual networking events such as webinars, teleseminars, and live online chat sessions. As technology improves, the need for in-person training events is disappearing. A great way to get to know the movers and shakers in your industry is to attend their virtual workshops and seminars. Ask questions, make comments, and get noticed (in a good way). After the event, send them a thank-you email with your feedback. Become a member of online discussion forums that focus on your area of expertise. Most of them allow you to use an alias if you want to remain anonymous. Most of them also allow you to include information in your "signature block” (such as a link to your website) that will enable readers to find out more about you. When joining a forum, be sure to read previous posts before making your own comments or asking questions. Once you're familiar with the forum environment and its members, start participating by offering advice in response to questions. The more valuable your contributions to the discussions, the better. Do NOT sell yourself or your services. Allow people to get to know you, like you, trust you. Then when they have a need for what you offer, they'll seek you out! Create your own website that offers valuable free content and showcases your expertise, services or products. Encourage interaction with your site visitors by inviting comments in response to a helpful blog or electronic newsletter. Let your personality show, so people will want to get to know you better. Remember, once they know you, like you and trust you, they'll be more inclined to do business with you. In Summary Virtual networking, just like traditional networking, is all about getting people to know you, like you and trust you. It's all about building mutually beneficial relationships. Put other people first, find ways to help, and give whenever you can. Do this, and you'll reap the rewards - even if you're networking in the nude!