Web workers have different styles when it comes to maintaining our professional networks. Some people rely on a small, tight-knit group of like-minded contacts, adding new ones slowly and cautiously. Others focus on collecting additional contacts as rapidly as they can — keeping an eye on the Twitterholic rankings the entire time. Still others aim mainly at connecting with people who seem most important. They’re the ones looking over your shoulder at a conference while talking to you, hoping to find someone higher up in the primate social rankings.
Caterina Fake points at research that suggests different people have different styles in creating and maintaining friendships. Maybe these categories apply to professional relationships as well:
- Friendship Cultivators – friends mean a lot to them and they spend a significant amount of their time nurturing friendships. They’re always arranging get togethers and are in constant touch with friends online and on the phone
- Friendship Pruners – make and drop friends quickly according to how useful they are. Friendship Pruners name drop a lot – they like to be seen to be in social contact with the ‘in crowd’. They hate ‘dead wood’ so frequently prune names from their diaries, online buddy lists and mobile phones
- Friendship Harvesters – tend to have a very wide circle of friends that they get in touch with on a seasonal basis. They’re happy to leave long periods without contact and typically dedicate a set period of time every few weeks or months to a flurry of contact to keep up to date with friends’ news and gossip
- Friendship Gatherers – are quick to make friends but the least proactive at maintaining friendships. They gather friends wherever they go but are socially lazy and once friendship has been established they rely on the other party to keep it going. They often seek out Friendship Cultivators so they can ride on the back of their frequent social contact and arrangements.
What’s your style in maintaining your professional network: cultivator, pruner, harvester, or gatherer?
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