Facebook can be an effective way to grow your business and professional network! 

Networking is all about identifying Friendly Forces (allies and colleagues), creating trusting relationships and helping each other achieve your goals.

Most of us start using Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends. I know I did! 

When I became a veteran, I started connecting with other business owners, and learned that many had business Facebook pages, which I started to like and follow. I even started my own business Facebook page, where I occasionally share events, blogs, and information.

In 2020, when much of the world pivoted to virtual networking, and my offspring were stuck learning from home, I found that I had extra time to do things that interested me. 

I learned that several of my sisters in the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW International) were collaborating to run two monthly worldwide webinars. One focused on Intergenerational Dialogue and the other on Leadership. 

Since Leadership is one of my special interests, and I love meeting new people, especially those with different lived experiences than mine, I started attending these early morning online events while the rest of my household was asleep.

It turns out that many BPW members are on Facebook, but not necessarily on LinkedIn. My group of Facebook friends grew after each BPW International event.

In 2021, a young woman I connected to through the WE CAN Project at Queen’s University Coffee Konnections program, shared that she was working with other young women from India, who were all studying abroad, on scholarships. They planned to start a social enterprise to help women in India improve their lives through entrepreneurship.

I admitted that I didn’t know anything about starting that sort of program or doing business in India. I asked for her permission to share some of her story with my network, with a goal of finding someone in India that could help her.

Then I reached out to my BPW network, focusing on India. The first person to show up in my Facebook friends search was literally a woman doing this kind of work in India. I reached out, we had a Facebook live chat, and then I introduced the two women to each other.

Earlier this month I celebrated my birthday, people from all over the world (probably reminded by Facebook) reached out with birthday greetings. This reminded me that it was time to write a post on Networking with Facebook.

One of Facebook’s great features are the groups, whether it’s an open or private group. You can join a group on just about any topic imaginable. The people in the groups I enjoy belonging to, share resources and advice with each other. Some of them provide motivational aids, others run monthly learning challenges. 

If you’re interested in growing your network and you’re already on Facebook I encourage you to reach out and connect with others, by liking pages, joining groups, and commenting on other peoples’ posts.

Caution: There are predators and other creepy people on all social media platforms. Please do NOT share personal data, especially your address, workplace, or phone number online. Please do NOT participate in “fun” quizzes asking you for your pet’s name, or favourite foods. Online predators use this information to hack you accounts. If you remain cautious, you can safely network online. For more about interacting safely with people you meet online follow Matt Richardson on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

What's your favourite way to network?

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also enjoy:

​Virtual Networking: LinkedIn
Virtual Networking: Instagram
Social Media and Networking

To get a free copy of my eBook “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” click here (note it’s easier to sign up using a laptop than a phone).

In March 2020, after a week of social distancing, and spending a lot more time on social media than I used to, I realized a lot of my comments focused on the future.

I started blogging with a short post called The World After COVID 19. It’s almost two years later, and we’re still learning to adapt to life during a global pandemic.

I am privileged to live in the lands we call Canada. I have clean drinking water, food and income security, a safe home, and pretty decent internet connection. My loved ones are all relatively healthy.

The past two years have highlighted many inequities in the systems we have in place in our communities and workplaces.

There are many people living in Canada who don’t have access to the privileges I have. For example:

• There are communities living without potable (safe to drink) water.
• Food insecurity is rampant amongst those living in Northern, remote, and low-income communities.
• Many people have left the workforce to care for their children and other family members.

It’s February 2022, and I still aspire to help create a new, more inclusive and equitable normal.

• One where everyone is treated with respect, regardless of what they do for work, their level of education, what language they speak, or any other “difference.”
• Where all have an opportunity to earn a living wage, or to receive a guaranteed basic income.
• Where there is significantly less wage discrepancy between celebrities and those who actually make our society possible, people like the front-line workers at grocery stores, farms, and manufacturing plants.
• A world where we realize it makes more sense to use renewable energy sources, than to continue pouring money into the fossil fuel industry.
• A world where we care more about growing food than growing lawns.
• A world where everyone has a safe home, with potable water, electricity and food security.
• A world where all children can thrive.

I choose to help shape a better future by taking positive and constructive actions such as: helping employers learn how to create more inclusive and equitable workplaces, helping people learn how to find their ideal jobs, and by helping people learn how to start or grow their own businesses.

I believe that while many people have opportunities to thrive, Canada can do better. As individuals and organizations, we can consciously choose to:

• Amplify the voices of Black people, First Nations, Inuit, Metis, other people of colour and Disabled people.
• Create Accessible content, with closed captioning and alt text.
• Make hybrid learning environments the norm, allowing people to join in person or online, to help those with mobility challenges, comprised immune systems, or neurodiversity access learning.
• Listen to and learn from those who have been under-represented in workplaces, BIPOC, Disabled, Neurodiverse, LGBGTQ peoples and engage them in creating more inclusive and equitable workplaces.

I hope that everyone who reads this post finds positive methods of contributing to a better new normal for all.

We’re all human. We can’t be perfect; we’ll likely make mistakes as we strive for a better new normal. I also believe that each of us has the power to consciously choose to take actions and influence decision makers to create a better new normal.

I’d love to have you join me on this journey.

What action are you taking to create the future you’d like to live in?

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also enjoy:

Investing in Accessible Online Learning
​Thoughts on Gender Inclusion
Mastering the Art of the Pivot From Adversity to Awesomeness
The World After COVID 19

To get a free copy of my eBook “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” click here (note it’s easier to sign up using a laptop than a phone).