You hear it all the time on TV, Verizon’s commercial about “their network”. Kind of a catchy commercial, if nothing else you remember the guy in the glasses standing their with the entire network of people behind him representing the Verizon network. For Verizon it is all about the network, the network is what keeps the company going. For social networking companies, it is all about the network too. In order for Social Networking companies to continue to expand their product and ensure their livelihood, they need to grow their network.

So with network in mind, you as an individual should do the same. You are your own product, and in order for you to expand professionally and make it in your chosen profession, you need to grow your own network. Often times we find ourselves in the situation where things are comfortable and easy, we take things for granted, we forget that we need to continuously grow and expand in order to get ahead. Many months ago, my co-worker Kevin gave a talk about Gorilla Marketing and part of the talk was about being passionate about what you do. That made me realize that I had become comfortable and had slacked on growing my network, so I put a plan in place to get back in the saddle and start growing.

The plan was simple, I was going to do what I needed to do to become more involved in the community in which I worked, I was going to meet new people, I was going to attend more conferences, I was going to blog much more. At first it was a little uncomfortable, but I got over it in a hurry. Since putting the plan in place, a multitude of doors have opened up for me that I did not even know were there. I have become involved in several community activities and meet so many great people, it has been amazing. Looking back, I realize now that this is what I should have been doing all along, growing my network. I guess it is better late than never.

So when you find yourself comfortable and secure it is time to face the challenge of growing your network, get out there and get involved, you will thank yourself for it later.