I monitor a number of LinkedIn groups (admittedly more of a “lurker” than a participant at this point…) and recently came across what I thought was an interesting application of networking that leveraged an online community to create an offline community. It remains to be seen how effective this effort will be, but it seems to be a good example of how participation in these groups can lead to personal and professional benefit.
In this case the group is Be A Speaker (a subgroup of Need A Speaker/Be A Speaker. One of the group members posted the following about a month ago: “Looking for advice on how to build my speaking calendar beyond 90 days. Always have engagements for the next three months and want advice on how to book out six months. Interested in joining a Master Mind group with other speakers to keep the pipeline full and share business driving ideas.”
It’s been a popular thread and led to the idea of taking the conversation offline through good, old-fashioned telephone contact. The original poster suggested a weekly conference call for 60 minutes where those interested could share and help each other build business. The organizer has indicated that she would set up the calls and have a topic each week that participants should be prepared to discuss. Interest remains high.
As I said, who knows what will happen with this, but I think it’s an intriguing idea particularly for those who work in professions that are more virtual than real (like me and other consultants).
In the “old days” it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to bring together a group of diverse, yet like-minded individuals, to share best practices and connect over a specific topic of interest where they could lend their expertise without (I’m assuming) competitive concerns.
What online groups are you involved with whose members are active, engaged and relevant? It just might be something you would want to consider.
