As a professional in your field, it falls upon you to keep up with your industry, including what and who are new on the scene. Professional social networking was once something that occurred in person, at parties, conventions, through friends, coworkers, and bosses. While all of these are still great ways to meet and network with others in your field, there is something else rising as one of the most important ways to network: the Internet.
If you are as of yet unfamiliar with all the happenings online, check out a professional networking website or two. You may also find that a social networking website can offer similar networking benefits in your own field as well as in related industries. Keeping up with the Joneses isn't just about the grass anymore- you need to have the same ever-present online standing as everyone else. Think of it this way: you would not have gone into business without listing your phone number, doing a certain amount of advertising, listing your business on relevant directories, etc., so why would you neglect to have a presence on the Internet, which counts for just as much, if not more, as all of the media I just listed.
What does an online presence look like? There are actually a variety of ways that you can make sure that you are visible on the Web. There are both static and active parts to this. On the static end, you want to make sure that there is a representation of you or your company online. A well crafted website with informative and keyword rich content will help humans and search engines alike find you (and respect what they find). You also want to be listed in the relevant directories online, and have a profile on any industry sites.
On the active end, you want to actually be out there and interactive. Now, do you need to start chatting it up like a schoolgirl all over the forums? No, not at all. What you might consider is keeping a blog, either on your own website or on a social or professional networking website. Fresh content and input keeps you alive in the minds of the readers. You might choose to participate in interviews or conversations online that, rather than open to the public chatting, takes the form of published interviews or collaborative conversations on relevant topics. The more visible you are (and the better you look) online, the more likely it is that you (or your company) will be the first people to come to mind when folks are looking for the services or products that you provide.
