| In a good relationship between friends it is possible that, | | | | but more details show that this new contact is not the |
| for instance, the two friends will not see each other for | | | | invitation from Eric. |
| quite a while. The relation can take it. Both lives can | | | | "This is weird," thinks Eric and he decides to give John |
| take a different turn; one has a new job, the other a | | | | a call. But at the same moment he understands that |
| new relation and for some period both have less | | | | he has already lost an opportunity, because he should |
| contact. But after a while you meet again, and the | | | | have called before. But ... as we all know, you are |
| friendship is as ever before. | | | | busy, and you fail to reserve the right amount of |
| Networking is not quite like this. Take for instance this | | | | priority to this kind of issues ... |
| example; two people know each other for quite some | | | | "Hi John," |
| time. They have exchange links on a mutual business | | | | - Amazing, Eric, that has been quite some while! I just |
| network -- LinkedIn or openBC -- but they haven't met | | | | saw an e-mail from you recently... |
| lately. | | | | Both talk a bit, and John explains that he has sent an |
| But then, all of a sudden... | | | | e-mail to Eric's contact, requesting for some more |
| ... someone else connected to LinkedIn, who is linked to | | | | information. "I wanted to challenge him a bit," John said |
| "Eric" -- to give him a name -- requests to be | | | | to Eric, "... what he wanted to achieve with this |
| introduced to the network of the other -- "John". Eric | | | | connection?" |
| thinks that he knows John well enough and reckons | | | | "Yes," Eric replies, "but this means that you have |
| that he can forward the request (which is a normal | | | | rejected me as a trusted source!" Would you have |
| e-mail on LinkedIn) to John, He adds a little note and | | | | done the same when the president of your company |
| clicks on "SEND." | | | | would have passed a contact to you, the way I did?" |
| After a day when he doesn't get notified, he wonders | | | | But the moment Eric is telling this, he knows that there |
| whether this action has been settled. So he enters the | | | | is no point. In fact he realizes that he should have |
| network site and checks the connections. No change. | | | | phoned John before sending him the link. That was the |
| "Could it be possible," he wonders, "that John didn't | | | | ultimate opportunity to get back in contact and to |
| accept my mediation?" | | | | strengthen the relation. All else is second best... |
| There is always this chance. So, the next day he | | | | Eric will know this for the next time. A missed |
| checks again, just to be sure ... And indeed, Johns | | | | opportunity. |
| networks has been extended, by -- one connection -- | | | | |