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[1:38] Mastering Social Networking: How to Build Professional and Personal Connections Online

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This article explains how to build professional and personal connections through social networking, including tips for using LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and ways to maintain and strengthen your network.

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These days, people don't just connect face to face. Many connections are made online through social media, which is known as social networking. In this section, you'll learn useful tips and vocabulary to help you network online. Create a professional profile on LinkedIn and then invite people to connect with you.

You can send messages directly to your contacts on LinkedIn. You can also request introductions to other people through LinkedIn. Follow a contact on Twitter or invite someone to follow you. Maintain good connections by replying to a tweet or retweeting.

You can also use Facebook to connect with professional contacts. It may be a good idea to create two accounts, one professional and one personal. Writing on or simply liking a contact's post shows that you are keeping your connection active.

Remember, it is still important to keep your network active by sending individual messages to contacts from time to time, even if it's just a quick note. Also, remember that a good networker is someone who doesn't make contacts solely for personal gain.

Let's take a quick quiz to review some of the vocabulary for social networking.

Listening Comprehension

maintain
network
noun
1. an open fabric of string or rope or wire woven together at regular intervals
Synonym: netmeshmeshingmeshwork
2. (broadcasting) a communication system consisting of a group of broadcasting stations that all transmit the same programs
e.g. the networks compete to broadcast important sports events
3. (electronics) a system of interconnected electronic components or circuits
Synonym: electronic network
4. a system of intersecting lines or channels
e.g. a railroad network
a network of canals
5. an interconnected system of things or people
e.g. he owned a network of shops
retirement meant dropping out of a whole network of people who had been part of my life
tangled in a web of cloth
Synonym: web
professional
noun
1. an authority qualified to teach apprentices
Synonym: master
2. a person engaged in one of the learned professions
Synonym: professional person
3. an athlete who plays for pay
Synonym: pro
contacts
connections