Networking: Are You A Connector or a Collector?

My friends at E.Factor posted an article on Mashable recently, called Making Social Networking Matter, the first in a three-part series. 

For those who don't know, E.Factor is a place entrepreneurs can connect with other entrepreneurs both online (on their social networking platform) and in person (at their live events and in lounges opening up around the world -- already 2 in New York and 1 in Amsterdam).

On Mashable, Marion Freijsen and Adrie Reinders, two of the leaders behind E.Factor, write about the difference between being a connector and being a collector. What a great distinction.

There are those who network with the ultimate goal of quantity, who view gathering the most business cards and having the biggest Rolodex as the end of the process. 

Then there are those, like Marion, Adrie and my friend Bill Sobel, head of the NY: Media Information Exchange Group and who Fast Company called a "master connector" who see collecting a business card as the beginning of the process. They go beyond that to build a relationship with the person behind the card and add value to their lives by finding ways to connect them with others.

If your networking has stalled, you might try spending more time thinking about who you should CONNECT rather than how much more you can COLLECT.

By the way, if you're in New York City or even close by, join us at E.Factor's next event, The New Economy: Do or Die, on Wednesday, September 10. And wherever you live, if you're an entrepreneur or do business with entrepreneurs, you should definitely check out the new E.Factor site.