3 ms·

Ask YC: How do you network with people?

5 points by paraschopra 18y ago

paraschopra 18y ago
I am intrigued how do you hackers here network with people both online and offline. Care to share tips, tricks, dos and donts?
- nostrademons 18y ago
  Hacker News. ;-)
  - paraschopra 18y ago
    :) Is hacker news sufficient to fulfill all the networking potential a hacker has?
    - nostrademons 18y ago
      Probably not. It is, however, sufficient to fulfill the networking potential a hacker has when he is not hacking. You need to have solid skills to back up all your connections. People don't get hired just because they know people; they get hired because they know people and can get the job done. (An occasional conference or face-to-face event probably wouldn't hurt, though. ;-))
      - iamdave 18y ago
        People don't get hired just because they know people wanna bet ;)
- thaumaturgy 18y ago
  I'm not in the S.V. area, but I've gradually built a small network of contacts over the last couple of years, doing work for people who refer other people to me. I recently decided to turn that into a club, and the Nevada County "Solopreneurs" was born. It's pretty new, so not that big yet, but so far everybody likes it. We meet socially once a week for lunch, with plans for an evening potluck with 10-to-15-minute presentations. Also, you mentioned having unique business cards; I got semitransparent plastic ones. They're tastefully done and they've been worth every penny.
iamdave 18y ago
My team goes to events, frequently. In the past month there were two technology mini-seminars, upcoming a conference and a BarCamp. All locally, and we've met some great people, including some of our investors.
- paraschopra 18y ago
  Great. I do it too. BarCamps are a great way to meet interesting people. But the challenge is how do you sustain the relationship. After couple of email exchanges, people just get bored of conversation.
  - iamdave 18y ago
    "Hey, nice meeting you at BarCamp, want to grab some coffee this week?" simple things like that. The whole point of BarCamp is for AdHoc social networking, restricting your relationships to email after the fact is defeating the purpose.
  - silencio 18y ago
    I met my boyfriend at a barcamp :) One thing that helps is a group/mailing list to keep in touch between barcamps. Twitter can be useful too. You don't have to be restricted to one-on-one emails.
skmurphy 18y ago
There are a number of different kinds of events. One of the nice things about the Bootstrappers Breakfast (http://www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com http://www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com) is that they take place in the morning and are more low key, allowing you to meet and compare notes in a quiet setting with 8-15 people so that you can get to know them a little better. A good way to be memorable is to follow up with someone within 48 hours with a piece of info or a person that can help them with a challenge they are facing. The best way to do that is to focus as much on them and their challenges as who you are and what you need when you talk with them. I jot notes on the back of their card or on a separate 3x5 card if we have a longer conversation so that I don't have to trust my memory.
ambition 18y ago
Networking is about more than distributing a business card and shaking hands. Don't schmooze. Reframe as "Make new friends" and you'll do well. When meeting someone new: - Give yourselves an "official" reason to talk again, e.g. something to follow up on. It can be small like a exchanging a link or two. - Give them an "unofficial" reason to talk again, e.g. they should want to talk to you again. Be funny/interesting/poised for success.

5 points by paraschopra 18y ago

I am intrigued how do you hackers here network with people both online and offline. Care to share tips, tricks, dos and donts?

nostrademons 18y ago
Hacker News. ;-)
- paraschopra 18y ago
  :) Is hacker news sufficient to fulfill all the networking potential a hacker has?
  - nostrademons 18y ago
    Probably not. It is, however, sufficient to fulfill the networking potential a hacker has when he is not hacking. You need to have solid skills to back up all your connections. People don't get hired just because they know people; they get hired because they know people and can get the job done. (An occasional conference or face-to-face event probably wouldn't hurt, though. ;-))
    - iamdave 18y ago
      People don't get hired just because they know people wanna bet ;)
thaumaturgy 18y ago
I'm not in the S.V. area, but I've gradually built a small network of contacts over the last couple of years, doing work for people who refer other people to me. I recently decided to turn that into a club, and the Nevada County "Solopreneurs" was born. It's pretty new, so not that big yet, but so far everybody likes it. We meet socially once a week for lunch, with plans for an evening potluck with 10-to-15-minute presentations. Also, you mentioned having unique business cards; I got semitransparent plastic ones. They're tastefully done and they've been worth every penny.

iamdave 18y ago

My team goes to events, frequently. In the past month there were two technology mini-seminars, upcoming a conference and a BarCamp. All locally, and we've met some great people, including some of our investors.

paraschopra 18y ago
Great. I do it too. BarCamps are a great way to meet interesting people. But the challenge is how do you sustain the relationship. After couple of email exchanges, people just get bored of conversation.
- iamdave 18y ago
  "Hey, nice meeting you at BarCamp, want to grab some coffee this week?" simple things like that. The whole point of BarCamp is for AdHoc social networking, restricting your relationships to email after the fact is defeating the purpose.
- silencio 18y ago
  I met my boyfriend at a barcamp :) One thing that helps is a group/mailing list to keep in touch between barcamps. Twitter can be useful too. You don't have to be restricted to one-on-one emails.

skmurphy 18y ago

There are a number of different kinds of events. One of the nice things about the Bootstrappers Breakfast (http://www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com http://www.bootstrappersbreakfast.com) is that they take place in the morning and are more low key, allowing you to meet and compare notes in a quiet setting with 8-15 people so that you can get to know them a little better. A good way to be memorable is to follow up with someone within 48 hours with a piece of info or a person that can help them with a challenge they are facing. The best way to do that is to focus as much on them and their challenges as who you are and what you need when you talk with them. I jot notes on the back of their card or on a separate 3x5 card if we have a longer conversation so that I don't have to trust my memory.

ambition 18y ago

Networking is about more than distributing a business card and shaking hands. Don't schmooze. Reframe as "Make new friends" and you'll do well. When meeting someone new: - Give yourselves an "official" reason to talk again, e.g. something to follow up on. It can be small like a exchanging a link or two. - Give them an "unofficial" reason to talk again, e.g. they should want to talk to you again. Be funny/interesting/poised for success.