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How many networks should a person ever have ?

Should it be just one for every posisble purpose, one subdivided with Google type circles or maybe more than one or maybe a variable number as circumstances dictate ?.

mattpalmer's picture

... and it should be as broad as possible.

nwillis's picture

Firstly my apologies for not responding sooner to your reply. I did think i had when i received the notification, but i must have fallen before the final fence.

Secondly, my thanks for your response. This simple question has been bugging me for several months. Especially since some of my work colleagues have now become personal friends.

 

Many Thanks

Nigel

ZinZin88's picture

Just the one network that includes people from all walks of life. There may be times when you need to be able to see who all the media people in your network are, or perhaps everyone in construction. So, if you keep your records electronically, it's a good idea to tag each entry with different keywords that will help you locate them by industry, or whatever categories will be most useful to you in the future. 

nwillis's picture

It;s just struck me after reading the good replies and listening to 3 networking podcasts, that i am confused on how to view some people in my network. I have some people within my company as Professional and Internal and i have some from other companies i have worked wth as Professional External, with my old friends and neighhbours etc as Personal.

But if i form relationships with people outside my work , such as recruiters and workpeople that have been of good service, how should i categorise these. they are ceratinly not part of my worklife , but my relationship with them is not purely personal/social.

Should i categorise as personal , everyone in my network that is not part of my work ? 

nwillis's picture

Waiting patiently for my bus this morning i was struck by my dilema. The word i want lookign for was relationship.

In my network for my neighbours , old school friend etc , are part of my personal network because that is my relationship with me.

For those in my office or company they are classed as professional-internal because that is my relationship with them and so for people in other companies i work with , that are professional-external because that is my relationship with them. But for people such as workpeople who to work for me such as house repairs or garden work or those that provide me with services such as recruiters, my relationship with them is that i am their customer. So for the moment at least to Personal, Professional-internal and professional-external i can add Customer. At least until i think of something more professional sounding.

 

Any other suggestons would still be welcome.

 

Thx