Ten Tips on Networking Online with other Credit Professionals

1. Using social networking sites including but not limited to LinkedIn to expand your visibility.
2. Complete all of your personal LinkedIn profile.
3. Remember the old adage about first impressions.  Make certain that the information you upload is as carefully drafted and crafted as your resume.
4. Start the process of building your online network by uploading your address book of contacts from whatever webmail you use.
5. Continue to search for more network connections by searching for colleagues at your current and former employers.
6. Join one or more of the many Groups in LinkedIn that specialize in B2B credit, or collections, or risk management, or finance, etc.
7. Once you have made a connection, make it an active link.  Send your connections periodic emails.  It is best not to always be soliciting information or advice.  Consider sending connections a message with a link to a helpful website or a link to an essay or article you found helpful.
8. If you are really ambitious, you can create your own Group and invite others to join, but this probably is not something you want to do as a new member on LinkedIn.
9. Once you have joined a Group, start participating.  If they have meetings, consider attending.  If the Group posts questions, answer some.  If the Group publishes essays, consider writing one.  
10. The key to networking on a social networking site involves remembering that networking requires effort and action.  What you don’t want is to have 100 connections and interact with only 5 of them, nor do you want to belong to 10 groups but never contribute to any as a member.

© 2011.  Michael C. Dennis.  All Rights Reserved.  Michael C. Dennis is the author of "1001 Collection Tools and Tips."