This seems similar to some of my thoughts: Networking for networking's sake: Bah. Networking to get something done (it can just as easily be (genuinely) help

This seems similar to some of my thoughts: Networking for networking's sake: Bah. Networking to get something done (it can just as easily be (genuinely) helping someone else out, as my own project): Yay! Networking for networking's sake I find to founded on the wrong purpose; at least for my personality, it puts the cart before the horse. OTOH, I can engaging in interesting, and deep, conversation with a wide variety of people and topics. But as soon as I start thinking about "what's in this for me", it all goes to crap. And people who approach me with that attitude just make me want to take a shower (euch, get it off!). Actually, I feel a bit torn between wanting to be helpful but knowing I'm being manipulated (hopefully not too successfully).