Networking opens up opportunities that can lead to anything from a new partner, a new job, friends or even investment. With the advent of Covid-19, new protocols of communications and safety practices have been adopted.
With the rules of the game now changed, networking is harder than it previously was. The networking game has moved from the physical to the digital.
This post provides a few tips on how to network online.
Online Communities
There are many online communities using anything from Facebook Groups, Meetup, Reddit or Discord. Finding them is easy as well. Most of the groups are public or if they are private they will usually contain information/instructions on how to join them. For example, if you are interested in bug bounty you can join Hackerone’s discord community.
Join Volunteer Organisations
There many organisations like Junior Chamber International or Rotary which have moved online. They do meetings and planning online with actions done physically but they are very much active. The way to join then is to find a local chapter near you. Usually Facebook or a Google Search will be your best bet.
MMO(RPGs)
MMOs are games that have been designed with interaction of a large number players in mind. It is inevitable that you will be making new friends there, which can translate to longer friendships with social media. Usually there is a clan or guild system in the games which will make this even easier.
Attend Online Conferences
Most of the online conferences are paid ones but there still are a few free ones. If not you can also look for webinars which are usually free. The important thing here is that you register for a conference around your area of interest. In most cases, the conferences are going to be done either in public on Youtube, Twitch or in private on Zoom. Either way attend sessions and ask questions. Later on try to get in touch with the speaker or anyone that caught your attention. This can be on Linkedin or Twitter or any means.
Chatroulette or Omegle
If you are not familiar with these two names, they are platforms built for you to meet strangers. I have put this last because with these platforms you have the risk to meet weird people. If you are in college then Omegle also has the option to chat with other college students. You will need to provide your college student email address as confirmation.
Anyway, just prepare yourself mentally beforehand 😀
That’s it! I have personally used those 3 tips and can vouch that they work!
