Last night was quite a thrill for new media marketers, social media strategists, artists, entrepreneurs, bloggers, and fans of Seth Godin and Hugh MacLeod in NYC. We were part of a private event limited to 100 people at ilili.  The purpose of the event was to celebrate/commemorate MacLeod’s cartoon for Seth Godin’s Purple Cow Best Seller book.

Art which made this event possible.

Hugh MacLeod started working as a copywriter for a NYC firm, who soon after his arrival in NYC, started to illustrate on the back of business cards. His witty, unorthodox, and untamed approach to corporate worklife, technology, and society, have earned Hugh international acclaim and a unique place among contemporary artists. You can learn more about Hugh and read his blog here. I had the opportunity to chat with Hugh and ask him what is his favorite piece. He chose and spoke to me about two of his favorites. One of them is below. Available for sale, here. Seth Godin needs less of an introduction. He is a business champ! Seth has paved and radically shaped new media marketing and business. Not only with great ideas, writing, and speaking, but also superb start-ups. Make no mistake, Seth is in the Business Hall of Fame. Seth blogs everyday and everyday, he challenges our thinking.

Seth Godin and Me. Photo by David Par­met.

For more info and comments from the other guests, check the hashtag: #pur­ple­cow A cool sli­deshow from the event on Flickr by David Par­met.

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You have heard it said over and over again: “It’s not what you know but who you know that makes the difference.” This unknown proverb has become the wisdom of the ages, passed down from mentors, parents, coaches, and career counselors.

Networking is important and critical for success. Whether you are an artist, entrepreneur, student, leader, or professional, strong networking skills will eventually pay off. Opportunities multiply when you have a reliable and diverse network of friends and colleagues.

Technology, social media in particular, has allowed introverted types to interact socially with more confidence. Social networking websites have given users access to see and connect with others that they would have not been able to connect otherwise.

What networking is:
In his book, Endless Referrals, Bob Burg, provides my favorite definition of networking: “I like to define networking as cultivating mutually beneficial, give-and-take, win-win relationships… The end result may be to develop a large and diverse group of people who will gladly and continually refer a lot of business to us, while we do the same for them.” I have little to add to Burg’s words, except that networking is more about other people than it is about you. Networking is about relating and filling someone else’s need(s).

What networking is not:
Networking is not about popularity. Some people believe (or have been convinced by internet marketers and even consultants) that a high count of fans or followers will bring business knocking at the door.  Let me say it in another way: online favoritism (“I likes” and “retweets” will not get you that job you are targeting.

I have learned a lot from Seth Godin over the years. In a recent interview at the AMEX OPEN Forum, Godin was asked how social networking can benefit businesses. He ranted that networking is not about keeping score by adding a bunch of people on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and/or LinkedIn: “Networking is always important when it’s real. And it’s always a useless distraction when it’s fake.” What makes it real? Try engaging and doing something for someone else.

We can agree that social networking has revolutionized the web and continues to provide dozens of accessible and effective marketing tools for small and large businesses. It has also helped us reconnect with long-lost friends from school, college, and past co-workers.

Yet connecting with people online doesn’t just transfer into business. A valuable exchange needs to happen; an exchange of information, knowledge, and/or resources between two parties. That’s the first secret to successful networking.

For more successful and practical networking strategies read “10 Networking Tips to Standout in a Crowd” and “How to Become a Successful Networker.“

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