DowntownWomensClub.com Reveals “What’s In and What’s Out” Networking Trends

Based on analysis of thousands of modern-day businesswomen, DowntownWomensClub.com identified 10 trends about "What's In and What's Out" in networking, such as: “Reverse Mentoring” IN “Rolodexing” OUT “Clicks & Mix” IN “Working the Room” OUT

Boston, MA (PRWEB) October 11, 2006 -- DowntownWomensClub.com (www.downtownwomensclub.com), the leading alternative to traditional networking for businesswomen, today released the top ten trends in online business networking based on analysis of the preferences and practices used by thousands of its members.

The top ten trends in business networking demonstrate how businesswomen leverage the latest technologies for more flexibility and professional success. For example, one trend is “Clicks & Mix,” in which female professionals use social networks like DowntownWomensClub.com’s DWC Faces (www.DWCFaces.com) to get acquainted online with the click of a mouse, then meet up at casual Downtown Women’s Club gatherings in cities nationwide so they can mix it up in person.

so online anonymity works against a networker. Our members know the importance of controlling your online image so that it is professional and easy to find. That’s why so many women have enrolled in DWC Faces, which allows them to manage their online image.

“’Clicks & Mix is just one of the many new ways businesswomen network today, “ says Diane K. Danielson, founder of DowntownWomensClub.com. “During the eight years since the first Downtown Women’s Club luncheon, I’ve seen a complete shift in online and offline networking techniques practiced by our members, some enabled by the Internet and others driven by the need for more flexibility and a better quality of life.”

The top ten trends in business networking online are a roadmap to what’s in and what’s out among today’s professional women. Here are the findings:

1.    “Clicks & Mix” is IN, “Working the Room” is OUT
“Working the room is an analog approach in a digital world” says Danielson, “Our members are clicking on DowntownWomensClub.com to make contacts online, which they can then reinforce with an in-person meeting at one of our networking events. That’s why we call it ’clicks & mix.’”

2.    “Online Networks” are IN, “Rolodexes” are OUT
“Our members are telling us that business cards get lost, left in the other purse or at the office, but with online social networks, their contact and other information is just a click away”: said Danielson.

3.    “Multiplication” is IN, “Addition” is OUT
“The way our members use online resources turbo-charges their networking,” said Danielson. “Message boards, job boards, and personal websites are just some of the ways our members get their message out to an audience that could reach thousands of business prospects. That’s multiplication - an improvement over building your contact database one addition at a time.”

4.    “Building relationships within Communities” is IN, “Building one-off Relationships” is OUT
DowntownWomensClub.com members prefer to work within groups of people, or teams, to develop meaningful contacts, rather than network individually. Danielson says she sees an increase of “smaller online and offline groups developing, even within the Downtown Women’s Club. It adds fun to networking.”

5.    Blending Work/Life is IN “Work/Life Balance” is OUT
“Who’s to say what ‘’balance’ is anymore. Visitors to DowntownWomensClub.com can stop by anytime, day or night. You’d be surprised by the timestamps on the job and message boards, but I’m not.” Danielson says..

6.    Boosting Your “Google Juice” is IN. “Online Anonymity” is OUT
“Visibility is destiny” says Danielson, “so online anonymity works against a networker. Our members know the importance of controlling your online image so that it is professional and easy to find. That’s why so many women have enrolled in DWC Faces, which allows them to manage their online image.”

7.    Reverse/Peer Mentoring is IN; “Worship” Mentoring is OUT
“Being in a virtual community allows freer communication,” says Danielson. “Our Boomer members can seek out information on new technologies or trends from younger members or from each other. Information is more easily traded in an atmosphere of mutual respect; no one’s on a pedestal.”

8.    Being Available is IN; “Being too busy” is OUT
“Online social and business networks save time and energy,” says Danielson. “Instead of driving to an event or sticking to someone else’s schedule for a meeting, our members can do what they want, when they want. As a result, they can make themselves more available to others.”

9.    What you Know is IN; “Who you know” is OUT
“”When it comes to problem solving, our Generation Y members are less concerned with who you are and who you know, and focused more on ‘what you know,’” says Danielson. .”Knowledge is key in the virtual world.”

10.    CLC’s (Coffee, Lunch and Cocktails) are IN; “Sit down Dinners are Out”
“The pace of life today leads our members to blend business and social experiences ‘on the fly,’ says Danielson, “and, with many of our members being working mothers, sit down dinners are hard to fit in their schedules”

A major factor in these new trends is DWC Faces, an online tool developed for DowntownWomensClub.com by FacesInABox.com, a company that customizes social network software for companies and associations. DWC Faces allows members to get to learn about each other, make valuable contacts, make new friends, control their online image and raise their professional profile in search engines like Google. DWC Faces is the latest enhancement to the DowntownWomenClub.com career women’s website, and is available for $49.99 a year. Membership also includes an e-newsletter; access to the job board, message boards, and reference library; complimentary teleclasses; a free one-year subscription to Pink Magazine; and other discounts and freebies.

About DowntownWomensClub.com
DowntownWomensClub.com (www.DowntownWomensClub.com) is a leader in “Networking to Go” - 24/7 online or in-person business and social networking that includes www.dwcfaces.com, a proprietary, Internet-searchable member directory for career women. It was founded in 1998 by Diane K. Danielson, an author, lawyer, entrepreneur, and software developer. Member-launched, customized local chapters currently include Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, LA, NYC, Pittsburgh, Providence, San Diego, San Francisco and Worcester, MA, with new locations in the pipeline.

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