The Changing Face of Networking

As SMX Advanced - Seattle wrapped up today, I noticed something. The new business cards I printed up for the event went largely undistributed. I am coming home with only two business cards from other people. A year ago, at SMX West, I gave out a stack of cards and came home with a stack. What has changed? One word: Twitter. And I'm not the only one who noticed it.

I first realized on the last day of SMX that I hadn't given out any business cards. I thought to myself, "Self, you have really failed at networking during this conference." Then I realized I had not failed, but rather the face of networking has changed - and in a short period of 15 months.

As I pondered the reasons why I had not given out cards, I realized that people weren't asking for them. And I wasn't asking for them from others, either. Instead, all anyone seemed to care about, including me, was a person's Twitter persona. I added a motherload of Twitter followers at the conference, and in turn followed numerous people with whom I came into contact.

I'm not the only one who noticed this phenomenon. At the Birds of a Feather lunch, @joannalord and @lisakinnard both mentioned that they had noticed it as well.

In the past, if you did not have a business card, you were not taken seriously. It seems now that if you do not have a Twitter profile, you are not taken seriously. I can hear the song now: "Twitter killed the business card.."

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