Be helpful, be passionate, be a friend.

Mike Fishbein‘s 3 Commandments of Networking could just as well be three tips for living your life!

Fishbein, founder of Startup College and author of multiple books, did a webinar tonight about online networking. I first found out about it earlier today, and I’m so glad I was able to listen in! Quite a lot of it was things I learned and practiced a couple of years ago in college, but I seriously needed to be reminded of all of it. It lit a small fire underneath me to get back into blogging.

Okay, so I played around with the wording of the 3 Commandments of Networking to suite my blog post title. In the webinar, Fishbein defined them as:

1. Be Helpful.
2. Build a Reputation.
3. Relationships are greater than connections.

#1 and #3 really stood out to me. It seems easy to forget that the people you’re trying to network with or be hired by are, well, people! You’re working so hard to get the help you need or the job you want. In the webinar, I was reminded how important it is to offer your help and not just ask for it. #3 ties in with this as well. If you only talk about the industry and jobs, you might miss out on a chance to build a real, long-lasting relationship with others. Creating a network that will last long past the day you’re hired seems much more beneficial.

One of my take-aways from this webinar was that I know more than I think I know! It’s easy to get discouraged looking at the countless blogs that cover similar topics to what you want to write about. I think, “Well, this person knows more than I do/is a better writer than I am/has so much more going for them than I do…so I just won’t blog today. Comparison is such a thief. I don’t need to be an expert to write a blog. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need to be long (trying to keep it under 500… #thestruggleisreal). It can even be about your journey of learning something new in your industry or area of interest. Instead of getting wrapped up in why you shouldn’t do it, focus on the benefits and don’t worry. Simply having a blog about something will show others in your network or future employers that your passionate and dedicated.

Taking this advice to heart and keeping my post short and sweet. What advice do fellow bloggers and networkers have on the topic? I’d love to hear!

Check out some of Mike’s recent books below.