Out-of-Network Networking

Yvonne Battle-Felton

July 7, 2010

I tend to be idle on LinkedIn.

I update my profile, belong to groups, and accept Invitations to network. I rarely seek people out.

I’ve been thinking about Florence lately, I left music there.

In my quest to re-remember Florence, to see the terra cotta Della Robbia babies at the Hospital of the Innocents; to wander among the graves of the English Cemetery in Florence; to listen to strands of music in a crowded piazza, I am reminded about the nun who keeps the graves.

I Google her.

A search for her leads me to the—cemetery which I expect—and to her LinkedIn profile—which I don’t.

A PHD from Berkeley, A professor of medieval studies, a binder of books, a keeper of history, she continues to amaze me.

After visiting the cemetery’s website, I think I might be of service in helping her edit the site and write the history of some of the graves.

I try to connect with her.

We aren’t colleagues or friends, we don’t share the same networks, I don’t know her email address. My attempt at networking takes about ten minutes more than I plan.

After convincing LinkedIn that I know her while admitting I don’t know her well, I find a work around.

It’s an almost embarrassing solution that I hopefully remedy in my brief message to her.

Less than 4 hours later, she accepts.

We are connected.

I understand the rationale: its professional networking and I should in theory know who ever I connect with professionally. But how do you get to know people you don’t know yet?

Is it not acceptable to network with speakers at professional events?

Is networking always this challenging?

How do you handle it? Since networking has gone virtual, how do you network with people you want to know?

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