A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING

Let me start by saying thank you for taking the time and opportunity to read this article that I have prepared for you all today. I wrote this piece in high hopes of helping some of you jump start your growth on this ever evolving social media platform. 😀 With that being said, welcome to the mind of the infamous Hive account@terminallyill, better known as Lucky, on and off of this roller coaster ride that we call Steemit. This article is part of a personal and professional growth series that I will be introducing to the community at a later date this coming month. Being that I work very closely with hundreds of new users on a weekly basis that have come to the Steemit platform, I felt that this would make a great addition to their bag of social media tools, helping them grow as best as possible on their journey. Networking and socializing efficiently and effectively is probably the biggest step forward that one can make towards becoming successful, not just on here, but in life outside of Steemit. In this article you will learn why networking is a key element to your success and also learn various ways that you can get your feet in the many doors that lead to opportunity! Prepare your mind, body and soul, to network for your net worth!

To understand exactly what this article is about, first and foremost you will need to have a comprehensive description and definition of the term "networking". For those of you who are not familiar, networking is the process of socializing, interacting and working with other individuals, promoting professional growth and advancement in various degrees. One very fine, shining example of networking with our fellow Steemians was the Steem Creator's Conference that was hosted by the legendary Hive account@steemcafe in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada just a week ago. This event brought many Steemit users from all over the world, from many different walks of life, together in one place, to mingle and help each other grow both personally and professionally. Now, let's go ahead and break out the textbook definition of networking while we are at it. 😉

By definition, networking is:

There it is, plain as day and clear as a flawless diamond. Networking is something that we all do on a daily basis in most cases, whether intentional or not. However, ask yourself these few questions. Are you networking effectively and efficiently while using the Steemit platform? Are you utilizing the many opportunities that are presented to you, to grow as efficiently as possible? Are you building powerful friendships and business relationships that can sky rocket your professional growth? Are you networking for your net worth?

Here comes the easiest part of the entire process my friends, the act of networking. Below I am going to list a few different ways that you can utilize the Steemit platform to help build yourself professionally. All of these are key elements to optimal growth, so do yourself a solid and DO NOT cut any corners. The more that you invest into networking while on your incredible journey across Steemit, the more of a return you will see on your investment, increasing your net worth. By the way, if you do not know what the term net worth means, here it is laid out on a silver platter. Your net worth by definition is the total value of all of your financial and non financial assets. Do you see what I am getting at now ladies and gentlemen? Let's keep on going!

Communication is by far the most important part of networking successfully in ANY environment you may end up in. However, not all conversation is necessarily effective or accepted with arms wide open. Surprisingly, a great amount of people fail to realize that the recipient of your conversation needs to "feel" that what you are saying to them has meaning and truth behind it. Many people in a professional sense need to feel that a conversation between you both is empowering, honest, uplifting, thought invoking and genuine. Whether on Steemit or Discord, always make a great effort to talk to others with the upmost of sincerity and confidence. Treat your peers respectfully and build a bond with them as you go. You will find that friendship, to some extent, is always the most fruitful of a return in the networking process. Also, you should always use your better judgement to act ethically and display good morals in any situation. Gaining the respect and support of your peers is the goal, so act accordingly and you will see great success in your future. Be a man (or woman) of your word and always reciprocate, giving back in some form or fashion to those who have given to you. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, my friends. Communication is the key to your success!

This one is yet another big concept that many people need to pack into their heads when it comes to networking. You absolutely have to communicate with other Steemians in order to network, which means you will want to utilize every single outlet that is available for you to do so. The more that you comment, resteem and upvote on other community member's content, the more they will typically reciprocate, returning the favor to you. Quality commenting is one of the most important things you can offer up as a curator and member of the community. Do not hit someone's hard work with copy and paste comments or one liners like "Awesome work bro.", as these are typically scoffed at, if not flagged by someone. Put yourself in the shoes of the recipient and imagine what you would want someone to say to you to help you build your confidence, among other things. So, when out and about, curate and comment in a professional and personal manner!

I am pretty sure 99.9% of the people reading this article are involved in at least one Discord server belonging to some group or project on the Steemit blockchain. In case you are not, here is some VERY solid advice on my end. JOIN SOME DISCORD GROUPS! The networking you can find on Discord is significantly faster and more personal than on the Steemit platform, giving you the ability to have a private conversation or even group conversations without burning through your bandwidth. Now, when you join these groups, DO NOT sit idle and quiet. Get out there and interact with people. Mingle. Introduce yourself to everyone, tell them your aspirations, offer to help others, support their projects and goals and do everything within your power to interact with people on a positive level. You do not want to be the guy or gal who sits in the corner alone while everyone else is having constructive conversation and getting things done. Even if it is just general conversation, join in and rub elbows with your community members, loosen up and have a little fun. Another VERY important piece of advice for you on something that is widely considered proper Discord etiquette is DO NOT join groups just to bomb their post promotion channels with your links, and then not interact with anyone. You don't want to be the person who only comes around when they need something, do you? You don't want to just walk into other people's headquarters with a tip jar without saying a word, do you? I'd hope not, because it honestly leaves a piss poor impression, damaging your ability to network efficiently and effectively. So, just follow these basic Discord guidelines and you will do just fine!

Some of you are probably thinking I am going a bit far, but in all honesty, there is more to networking than just trading business cards, you know? All of the before mentioned elements to proper networking on Steemit have proven to be a success for myself and many others. In a couple months, I have gone from 40 followers to nearly 700. Not from begging people to follow me, not by paying for them or any form of shenanigan. This is all organic from getting out there, networking and doing my part in the community. What am I getting at? That YOU can do the exact same thing. Get out in the community and help others while you are on your journey, and you will find it to be rewarding on numerous levels. Not just speaking financially either my friends. Helping other people with their projects, helping them learn new things or even just being a support structure for them can be some of the most self enriching experiences in life. So spread those wings and fly! 😄

This goes hand in hand with everything I have said thus far. If you want people to take you seriously and offer up their support, then you need to give them a good reason to. If you are on here to pursue blogging as a profession, then make sure that you always try your best to learn and improve your workmanship. Always provide a quality piece for people to indulge in. The same applies to music, vlogging, photography, you name it. Treat your work professionally and act professionally, and those are the people that you will attract. Ever heard of the term "birds of a feather all flock together"? It means that like minded people come together and form friendships, bonds and more. If you expect to attract professionals and business minded people, then you have to present yourself as such. The same applies for any end of the spectrum. Act professionally and genuine and you will not only attract like minded people, but will be treated as such.

So there it is everyone, the basics to networking on the Steemit platform, ensuring your personal and professional growth. These are ALL tried and true methods, not only by me, but by a great many other Steemians all over the world. If you take in the advice given in this article, I can almost guarantee you that you will see gains in followers, reputation, finances, friendships, workmanship and much, much more! So take the opportunity to get out there and network for your net worth. Show this community and world what you are made of and be the absolute best human being that you can possibly be! Knock them out my friends! As always, it has been an absolute pleasure to have you guys check out my material and support it, from the reading to the upvotes, the resteems and the comments, it is all greatly appreciated! I hope that this article lands in the hands of a new user out here, or someone struggling with growth, and it inspires them to spread their wings and fly! Thanks again my friend. Until next time everybody. This is Lucky, signing off. 😎

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