Network Roulette: Easy Networking Whenever & Wherever You Want

Brazen Careerists’ newest product, Network Roulette officially launches today and you should be really excited about it (I am)! We all know that networking is important. Some of us may be better at networking than others, but Brazen has pretty much taken most of the hassle out of traditional networking by putting it all online.

What is Network Roulette?

Network Roulette is online speed networking that’s actually useful. It’s simple – first, you’re randomly matched with other professionals after answering two simple questions: “What are you looking for?” and “What are you providing?” Next, participants have up to 3 minutes conversation to determine if the person on the other side can help their network. After, participants choose who to follow up with through their network dashboard. One of the coolest things about this is that when you go back to your dashboard after networking all of the contact information is stored for everyone you talked to. No need to grab business cards awkwardly at the end of a conversation.

It’s pretty spectacular. It’s efficient because you don’t have to leave your house, you can wear whatever you want, you can network when you’re available, and you don’t have to spend money. It’s free. Sure, you can hang out in the e-bar between network conversations, but you didn’t have to fill up your gas tank to get there or order a drink once you arrived.

Check out this silly animated video with lots of graphics to get a better idea of what this can do for you:

How it helped me

At first I was just really excited to be “meeting” so many people so quickly. I got to meet some new people I would never have ever known to connect with. I met people as far away as Japan (she was up very very early to participate!) and as close as in my own city (it’s always cool to meet someone new in your own neighborhood). I even got the chance to talk with some people I’d always wanted to talk with, but had no idea what to talk about or how to start the conversation. Sometimes I was connected to friends on Twitter that I never seem to get the chance to have conversations with in more than 140 characters at a time, so it was like getting to see an entirely different side of someone, getting into details, asking them questions I’ve always wanted to ask but never found the time.

As you may know I’m focusing more heavily on moving into the event planning field, so when I used Network Roulette I indicated that I was looking for people’s brains to pick about how they got into the event planning industry. While most people I talked to were not in event planning themselves, a surprisingly large percentage of the people I connected with knew at least one person in event planning or someone I should talk to. After only 2 Network Roulette sessions I had suggested people to follow on Twitter, advice from someone who’s wife is an event planner, email introductions to people working as event/conference organizers in big cities like Chicago, San Francisco & NYC, a potential business lead with someone in New York City after connecting with Penelope Trunk on Network Roulette, and an informational phone interview set up with Karen Hartline, the Mashable Events Director, who took the time to talk to me about how to get ahead in the industry and gave me some of the most invaluable advice  for my own freelance event planning work. Which, by the way, was put to good use as I’ve already secured my first event sponsor and started charging a fee per event. I would probably be in the negative if it weren’t for Karen, and the fabulous person that I met on Network Roulette that put me in touch with her.

Are you convinced yet?

Ok, so you can get in on the Network Roulette action any time at BrazenCareerist.com, and Brazen will also host topic-specific events for Network Roulette participants. A list of upcoming events is also available at BrazenCareerist.com — go get em!

Tips for setting up & getting the most out of Network Roulette:

1. First of all, JUST DO IT! Sign up for Network Roulette even if you think it won’t help you. Stop making excuses like, “But I don’t want to sign up for another website” or “I’m not going to meet anyone that can help me” or “That’s the same time Glee is on!” Seriously get over it, step out of your comfort zone, try something different and let yourself be surprised by the possibilities. According to Brazen, over 90% of participants found it just as useful or more useful than a real-life networking event. So really, what do you have to lose?
2. Actually take the time to fill out the “looking for” and “providing” fields. This is what people you’re matched with will read first to see if they want to
   

   Network Roulette start up screens - fill out the questions!

   start a conversation or “Next” you. If you leave these fields blank or write something really generally like “looking to make new friends and network” you’re missing out on the potential connections to be made because duh, everyone wants to network, so you’re not giving your networking match anything to base a conversation off of. You need to get a little more specific, even if you think it’s silly or irrelevant to networking. (For example, I wasn’t sure what I could offer people at first, but everyone has advice to give on something. I run a PechaKucha Night in my hometown, so I offered to provide advice about starting a PechaKucha Night in other cities–surprisingly I’ve had quite a few people ask about what it is and followed up to start an event in their hometown. Now that is action).

3. You only have 3 minutes to talk. Say hi! Get the conversation started early. Don’t just sit there staring at their profile information wondering what to talk about. You’re wasting precious networking time!
4. Have a notebook or Word doc open on the side so that you can take notes on your conversations. If someone recommends a person, a restaurant, or a website you should check out, “Fan” them on Brazen (there’s an easy button for that), write down that person’s name in your notebook, and jot down a few notes that you want to remember from the conversation. If want to continue the conversation, make a note to “follow up” and what you want to follow up about, and then go find them in your Brazen Network Roulette dashboard later.
5. Actually follow up with leads or connections you make. You’ll probably have fun just participating in Network Roulette itself, but you’re not actually networking unless you follow up with people. Have integrity; do what you say you’re going to do. If you offer to make an introduction, make sure that you send the email within a week. If someone says “Hey, I might know someone who would be interested in talking to you about that,” make sure you send them a personal message or email to follow up with them to get that “someone’s” name and contact information.

Have fun networking!