It is not a given that an “old boys’ network on steroids” will be all that different from the exclusionary networks that still hold sway today. I have observed and experienced a certain degree of insularity among younger colleagues, who tend to favor their age group and to devalue the expertise and experience of older professionals. A true networker honors known connections, but, equally important, also tries to expand his/her circle. Crowdsourcing is limited by the reach and perspective of those in the cloud. Just because it is now a “cloud” and not a Rolodex, does not make it better by definition. As for LinkedIn, it might not lend itself to blow-by-blow reporting of all aspects of one’s life, but I would argue that it does offer a place for sharing and for letting others get a glimpse of who you are, who you know and where your interests lie.
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It is not a given that an “old boys’ network on steroids” will be all that different from the exclusionary networks that still hold sway today. I have observed and experienced a certain degree of insularity among younger colleagues, who tend to favor their age group and to devalue the expertise and experience of older professionals. A true networker honors known connections, but, equally important, also tries to expand his/her circle. Crowdsourcing is limited by the reach and perspective of those in the cloud. Just because it is now a “cloud” and not a Rolodex, does not make it better by definition. As for LinkedIn, it might not lend itself to blow-by-blow reporting of all aspects of one’s life, but I would argue that it does offer a place for sharing and for letting others get a glimpse of who you are, who you know and where your interests lie.
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