The way we've networked has changed over the last 2 months. What do you think about the shift to online networking?

I think you need to gain trust in people in these times they need to know like and trust you.

I love Online networking. It allows for more people from different places, which means your reach is much further. It also saves the drive time and often the expense (both monetary and health wise) of a meal out.

No, I don't like the shift to online networking. People can hide behind an online persona. 

The networking group I'm in moved from in-person breakfast meetings to online. And I've attended many other networkers online that I wouldn't normally have been able to get to because of travel time. Although I miss the personal contact, I like the online version: less travel time and no cost for gas and meals. Immediately after I'll connect with people I met on LinkedIn to get to know them, see how we could support each other, and build a relationship.

Being in-person at meetings creates a different kind of connection however, I do like online meeting options to attend networking.  It makes meetings more accessible when driving to many locations just doesn't work into your day's schedule.  Online still helps me stay visible to my community, keeps me involved, and reminds me to keep searching for referrals for others as a way to give back!  

Thanks to video networking I have connected with people across the U.S and in Europe, as well as in my own backyard. Keep your networking going by adding your contact information in the CHAT area as soon as you join the meeting. If you are leading a group of relative strangers,  remind people to CHAT their info, and ask your attendees to give a :30 second intro of who they are and what they hope to gain from the meeting or another icebreaker.  It will help close up the social distance and your video meeting will seem a little more like an in person networking opportunity. 

I have been able to expand my business by being willing to meet with people online, so I will continue to use it for connection and training opportunities. I will be happy to catch a cuppa once the risk is abated. I would rather be patient than a patient. 

The world of networking has changed, probably for good to on-line marketing.  "Content is King" and business owners need to start thinking macro and disseminating pertinent information with regularity.  Even when things open up, people will be looking up businesses and checking your "on-line presence" so be prepared!

I do 90% of my networking online. Meetings are with zoom and have been great. With more people looking for work these last few months I have been rather busy. More and more people are looking for online work/business. These people need some help with their online presence and other areas of online networking tips so I have shifted my focus from the travel biz to helping people on LinkedIn and growing my downline there. The travel biz is shut down due to the virus.

While I miss the face to face, in person networking, the Zoom option has been working well for the groups that I belong to.  It has improved attendance by eliminating the excuses for bad weather, traffic, etc.  We are still welcoming new people and exchanging contact info through the chat feature.  We are setting up one to one meetings via Zoom and still building relationships.  It has cut down on my expenses - no gas and no food expense for an online meeting! I will continue using Zoom for client meetings and other networking opportunities.

Actually, the shift to on-line and virtual networking is not new.  It has been around since at least the 1980s.  Some organizations are just being forced to come up to speed.  Large companies and companies with offices all over the country or world have used video conferencing (now in the form of Skype and other mobile application) to do business.  It is quite effective and very inexpensive.   

On-line ordering and fulfillment has also been around for a long time.  Most businesses, event the smallest have websites.  They may not have been using those sites most effectively to achieve the return on that investment and promote the business.  

So this is not really a change in business posture.  It is more a process of coming up to date with technology.