Are you part of any good business networking groups?

I'll start: if you are looking to meet marketing or HR people, LinkedIn is an awesome networking group.

Hi

I would be interested in hearing more about netwroking groups. I will check out the site you mentioned since my background is HR.

Hi Cathy,

What goals do you have in mind for networking? What do you want to get out of it? For example: do you want to network with people having a certain background, your ultimate goal being to identify and hire best talent for your company?
I, for example, network on websites like workitmom.com for 3 reasons: 1/ to learn what small business owners (or people in charge with growing businesses) are struggling with when it comes to marketing/business growth, 2/ to offer help and an efficient networking platform for these individuals (www.mybeezoo.com - soon to be turned live) and 3/ meet diverse and creative people I can bounce off ideas with and help each other through that. More often than not, few of the people I meet through work or networking end up becoming my friends ... which is a nice perk
Depending on what you wish to get out of it, members of this group might be able to suggest some appropriate networking sites.
All the best,
Lorena.

I went to an eWomen Network luncheon last month, and I was very impressed. I saw a lot of conncections being made. I will consider joining when my product is on the market, because it's hard to network for something that isn't real yet! It has online networking opportunities, as well as live networking events in certain areas, like in Minneapolis, where I am.

Lorena- I am on linked in but have not mastered it yet. HR people are a target of mine though. Can you contact people without having a warm introduction or is that considered poor use of linked in?

Actually this is the way it works best: I can send you an invite to join my LinkedIn group, and if you go through my contacts and choose the ones you'd like to connect with, then you can send me an intro e-mail for them, and I can forward it to them. It works beautifully this way. Then, the people you selected will either accept your invite or not. The ones who accept it, will be in your network and you will be able to connect with them directly.
How does this sound? Send me your e-mail address to invite you to my LinkedIn network.

Hi Meri
I agree with Lorena. I am on LinkedIn and have a lot of contacts there. Add the recommendations and this is a great tool for hiring people. I don't have my resume posted anywhere, yet I get calls/emails weekly from people who find me n Linkedin, and I don't mind. This is a great way to see what's onthe market and what interest my profile generates.

I believe another great place to network is cafemom. There are so many places there where you can talk about your business and just make new friends. I have more but it is too early and I can't think right now, lol. I will be back tho after I have had my 1 cup of coffee.

I say Linked In is really good for professional networking, also there is Networking Times and you can learn more about networking that way.

Word of mouth is really best though, and if you can create a blog/website, that would be even better.

Facebook is good too, although that is more for socializing.

Hope that is helpful.

Giazz

Another place is Ryze.

Depending on your business, creating a Facebook (which Giazz mentioned) or MySpace page may also be a good option. For example, if you're a photographer looking to book senior portraits, or someone who tutors middle school or high school students, MySpace may be a good place to network and market your business.

While it may feel more like socializing than "true" networking it is still a great place to get the word out and you never know who you will meet as you add more friends to your network.