Till six months ago - networking meant only one thing! Computer networks. Layer to layer protocols and stacks. Never really got the full hang of it, frankly!
Then came business school. Networking means talking to people and making acquaintances of them. There are events called 'Networking events' to facilitate people who want to make these superficial conversations - unite! There are websites like Linked in that help maintain and grow this 'network'.
When we started b-school, this was such a big deal. You had to land up at every party to make these so called insightful conversations that evaporated from people's brains when they woke up the next day. Though I must admit there are some people who are much better people when they're drunk - in sobriety - I don't even want to stare at their faces!
So networks again can be classified as professional or business related and social or fun networks. Very often you can cross-pollinate between the two types of networks. In fact it's the informal or fun network that gives you better insights into a problem than the formal or professional network.
There are some people who have mastered the art of networking. For a lot of others, it's a science. It's a formula. So they land up in these parties and start talking the same stuff. When you are standing with them, and they see a new node in the network walk in, you somehow seem to have become transparent to them - you are only a node in the network - if a peripheral node, too bad! There are some others who make you feel like you are the God, you are important! And they seem to give that impression to everyone they meet.
Just like a motorcycle, a network needs maintenance. It needs some oiling and service. Very often people walk in and older people walk out - a huge churn occurring all the time. The most important in networking is conversation. Conversations are your fuel in the tank. Networks don't work without conversations - they need to be interesting and likeable - to the listener of course!
I like stereotypes now. That's what business school teaches you. The idea is to get a general idea - that's why stereotypes are useful. Conversations are of several kinds in different settings. When a bunch of desis have a long conversation, especially in b-school like ours, we always end up analyzing the current situation in India - give a competitor analysis .. take the best case example of Singapore works and conclude and recommend how the problems facing India should be solved. When it's with a bunch of south Europeans - it's always single track - how do you get the women! When you speak to Americans, they talk so much in circles and bushes - you have to dig deep into the conversation to find information content in that! Now, these are stereotypes! I know there are a million exceptions and sometimes it's tough to tell which is an exception and what is a rule.
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