When online networking becomes “real”

Yesterday I spent the morning in the company of 4 people that I got to know through Twitter. Margaret  and Jo – aka @mmid1 and @jocoach – live locally and Liz and Stu – aka @coachingconnect  and @youthcoachPCF had just cycled all the way from Devon – yes that’s Devon in the far south of England – roughly 500 miles away!  There’s a link to the blog of the journey below – check out who they have met on the way..

Those of us who met yesterday are all coaches. The conversation topics included whether coaching should be regulated, the desire for coaches to get together with other coaches – as evidenced by CoachingConnect and the Edinburgh Coaching Hub , learning from other coaches, potential for collaboration to blend skills and using social networking for coaching business.

Like all networking – no matter what form it takes – getting to know people and forming relationships which may then lead to doing business together should be at the heart. Sometimes that takes years – other times there is an instant win. Either way you don’t know what is possible for your business til you give it a go. It is worth remembering though that making a connection through online networks is only the start – not a cue to immediately try to sell something.

So the 5 of us had made a connection at some stage and were now getting the chance to sit round and chat responding both the words and the passion that can really only come from seeing someone’s body language or hearing it in their voice ( when written words can really do that that will open up all sorts of opportunities!). Wonderful.

You can read about the Big Bike  so far and follow Liz and Stu on the rest of the journey here