Create online water cooler moments

How to network online like a pro

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is about how to create online water cooler moments,
that is, little moments of connection with people you mostly
interact with virtually. This tip, like several other networking tips

(00:27):
we've discussed this week, comes from writer and investor J.
Kelly Howey's book Build Your Dream Network. If you think
about the proverbial office water cooler, it's where people gather
to share information and get to know each other. The
downside of a real physical water cooler is that you're
limited to the people in your actual office and realistically

(00:49):
on your corner of your floor. The online world is
much more vast. You could meet anyone at this virtual
water cooler, and by visit frequently, you increase the chances
of making real connections, even with fairly high profile people
in your industry. How we suggest that you should aim
to create multiple touch points when creating your own online

(01:13):
water cooler moments. She offers a menu of items to consider.
For instance, if the person is an influencer, follow their
posts on linked In, sign up for their newsletter, write
an Amazon review for their book. Even well read books
might have only a hundred or so reviews, which means
that yours will get seen. You can read and comment

(01:35):
on the person's blog posts or Instagram posts, and the
more you do this, the more your name will become
known to the blogger and their community. You can subscribe
to and spread the word about their podcasts, and of
course rate their podcasts on Apple Podcasts. You can share
their content on Facebook or by retweeting it. You can

(01:55):
use their particular hashtags. Many people search on Twitter or
Instagram for their hashtags, and we'll see this touch point.
This might not be true if the person has two
million followers, but someone in your industry with twenty followers,
of course they'll notice. You can participate in any online
sessions or webinars they're hosting, and as you're participating, share

(02:17):
your insights. Now, of course, you don't want to be
creepy about any of this. You probably don't want to
be the first person commenting on every post. But the
funny thing is that the more we see someone's name
and interact with them, even virtually, the more we feel
like we know them. I realized this the other day,
and I was trying to explain how I knew someone,
and it occurred to me that I had never actually

(02:40):
met her in real life, but we've exchanged enough online
comments and touch points that I felt like I knew her,
possibly better than I know some people I actually know,
like neighbors or my kids classmates parents. So how will
you create online water cooler movements? How will you connect
and grow your network virtually? Take a few minute today

(03:00):
to think about this, and take a few minutes every
day to invest in these activities. Over time, you'll start
to feel better connected, even without leaving your house, which
you still should do at some point, but that's not
the only route to robust network. In the meantime, this
is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the

(03:23):
most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear
from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's B the number four,

(03:45):
then Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me
an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at iHeart media dot
com that Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters.
Thanks so much. I look forward to staying in touch
Before Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For

(04:07):
more podcasts from i heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your
favorite shows.