Advice

Why We’re Bad At Networking: Too Much Talk of Networking

by

Sometimes these posts come out of nowhere.  And they launch series.

I was discussing social capital on Twitter, as best one can at 140 characters a post while taking a walk, and one thing led to another.  Someone brought up why networking wasn’t preached enough (which is the subject of this post) and I realized it’s time to discuss why we’re bad at networking in the first place.

True it may not be “us we” that’s bad, but an amazing amount of people kind of are bad at it.  Worse there’s no excuse for it as we have the tools, technology, information, and we’re naturally social creatures.  If someone can use Facebook to declare their love of beer pong, they can network (as long as they remember to take down the beer pong stuff, seriously people).

So why is it some of us are just so bad at it?  Especially as so many people talk about it?

Read more

What I Learned From Dinklage

by

Sadly, this column is NOT about me and Peter Dinklage on a road trip where we learn valuable life lessons.  OK, that would probably be pretty cool (“He’s a Project Manager!  He is constructing a house entirely out of Emmys!  They’re on a trip to wackiness!”), but no, Dinklage is my phone.

I got a Droid Razr Max HD, and since it’s small and powerful and gorgeous,  I nicknamed it Dinklage for obvious reasons.

The phone has taught me some valuable lessons.  Without a road trip.  I share them because this phone is an example of buying a personal device based on what my friend Doug calls “Use Cases” – what we want to do and what we buy or make to address it.  In turn there’s a lot of lessons for technology and those of us who use it and work in it.

Read more

How Blogging DOESN’T Help Your Career

by

(The Roundup Of This Series is here).

So I’ve just spent about three months writing about how blogging helps your career.  I hope it was informative, inspiring, and at let me try out using more metaphorical writing techniques.

But there’s also the question – when does blogging NOT help your career?  There may be times, ways, things, and mistakes you can make that are actually bad for you.  Based on my experiences, I want to share this with you in the interest of fairness.

This may not mean you shouldn’t blog – but it does mean you might want to take some precautions to avoid problems.  This may not mean you won’t blog, but may mean it’s not going to help your career.  You have to assess risks and results.

So when does blogging not help or can even damage your career?

Read more