Collecting. Many people see social media as a way
to collect people like some individual might collect coins or stamps.
They don’t ask themselves, What value lies in connecting with this
person?
If a potential contact doesn’t move in the same business circles as
you do, is not in your industry and is not likely someone you would want
to stay in touch with if social media didn't exist, then adding him or
her to your network works against you by making it more difficult to
stay connected with more useful and valuable contacts.
Mooching. Everyone has a friend or family member
who is touch only when he or she wants a burdensome favor. It's common
to roll the eyes and avoid picking up the phone when the caller ID
flashes the name on the screen.
In contrast, I try to remain in touch with those in my online social
network though my contacts number several thousand. I occasionally drop a
line to various individuals to see what's going on in their lives. I
look for ways to help my network contacts, so that when I do need a
favor, they are more likely to do so willingly and cheerfully.
But more than that, my network is a population of people I genuinely
care about. It's not all about what they can do for me as much as it is
about staying digitally connected to people whom I couldn't possibly
call once a week.
