This is another follow-up to the article I wrote about on-line social networking:
http://theintegratedlab.com/2009/07/should-your-lab-care-about-on-line-social-networking/
In that post, I started the discussion by posting 5 common questions people ask about on-line social networking’s use for the lab. I already wrote about the first four:
Here, I will write about the last one. So, if the utter suspense was killing you, here’s the final installment. ;-)
Question # 5: If I get involved with on-line social networking, do I need to bother coming to ALMA (Association of Laboratory Manager) or other in-person meetings, anymore? (Information on ALMA is found at: http://www.labmanagers.org/home/index.shtml )
Answer:
Yes. In-person networking is the most powerful networking. You get the best information from people and form the strongest bonds with them. On-line networking is good when you don’t have someone to help you, but is not as strong. Here’s why:
When you meet people, in-person, you get to know them, and they get to know you. You develop a more personal bond. People you meet in-person and truly know are more likely to help you than strangers or than people you you’ve never met face-to-face. People you know are more likely to help you than people you don’t know. People you know are more likely to trust you than people you don’t. You also have a better idea if you can trust their answers if you ask a person you know than when you ask a lot of faceless people in an on-line forum.
Because you can’t see each others facial expressions and body language, it is much more difficult to build trust in the on-line communities. It takes many more interactions to build these on-line relationships than the ones you develop, face-to-face.
So, by combing the two, that is to say, by combing the in-person meetings you attend with the on-line groups you belong to, you make your network of people larger, and you make it more likely you’ll be able to get assistance when you need it.
