Networking is one of the best strategies for finding a new or better job. Right? Right. And, social networking clearly involves networking. Right? Right. So, social networking is the new and improved way to land the job of your dreams. Right? Wrong.

It’s hard to miss the buzz about social networking. The media has been all agog over the rapid rise of such websites as Friendster.com, MySpace.com, LinkedIn.com, YouTube and Tribe.net. They attract millions of visitors every month providing lots of opportunity for individual interaction and relationship building. While this activity is indeed networking, however, the most important aspect of its description is the adjective that defines it: “social.” The contacts and connections are mostly about finding a date, mate or long lost relative. That may be a ton of fun, but it’s unlikely to get you hired.

In the past, I’ve used the term e-networking to describe electronic or online networking, but given the rise of the social networking sites, I’ve decided to re-define it as “employment networking.”

E-Networking — employment networking — is unlike its very social cousin in three important ways:

• It has a different purpose
• It is performed in a different way
• It takes place on different sites.

Let’s explore each of those distinctions further.

Employment networking has a different purpose
Boiled down to its starkest terms, social networking has a social goal: to find a date, to connect with someone with whom you share a hobby or other interest, or to expand your circle of friends.

e-Networking, on the other hand, is done to connect you with those who can help you land a new or better job. These contacts include current and former colleagues, bosses and coworkers, and even recruiters. There is, of course, a social component to the interaction — you should treat these individuals with the same courtesy and respect you would like to receive — but its goal is employment, pure and simple.

Employment networking is performed in a different way
Social networking involves informal introductions and casual conversations in cyberspace. Think of it as a virtual "Truman Show" where people eagerly and pleasantly meet and greet one another through e-mail. There’s no obligation to participate, no downside to not doing so, and no performance standard to be met if you do participate.

E-Networking, in contrast, requires active participation, and the quality of your effort will determine the return you achieve from your investment of time. Why is that? Because in employment networking (whether it’s done online or off) the key to success is giving as good as you get. You have to share your knowledge, information and job contacts if you want others to share theirs.

No less important, that sharing must be done regularly so that it builds familiarity and trust among those with whom you are networking. Their confidence (in you) reassures them that they can safely refer you to a business associate or colleague. That reassurance is critical because sharing friends on a social networking site is not particularly risky; but putting someone in touch with a business contact is. It can harm your reputation or even jeopardize your employment, if the person you refer turns out to be less than business-like or worse.

Employment networking takes place on different sites
Since the purpose of e-networking is to find a new or better job, it must be accomplished where your effort is most likely to connect you with people who have knowledge of or access to genuine employment opportunities — your professional peers and the recruiters who focus on your career field and industry.

Hence, the best e-networking venues are the discussion forums and bulletin boards at the sites operated by:
• your national and state-level professional associations;
• your national and state-level trade groups;
• your technical school, college, and/or graduate school alumni organizations; and
• certain affinity sites that may be important to employers (e.g., women in technology, African American certified public accountants, veterans).

If you need help identifying the best associations and other networking groups for you (and the address of their Web-sites), try:
• the Association Directory at my site (www.weddles.com). It’s organized by career field and industry and is free to use.
• my WEDDLE’s 2005/6 Guide to Association Websites. This book describes the networking resources at over 1,800 professional, technical and trade associations in the U.S. and around the world. You can also read more about it at my site.

Finally, please don’t misread my comments above as a criticism of social networking; it’s not. Social networking takes time, however, and it won’t do much if anything to advance your job search. So, here’s my suggestion: First, devote some serious energy to e-networking and then, after that’s done, go ahead and relax with a little social networking … or, better yet, get out and meet the neighbors.