This article was originally published several months ago as my contribution to the Do Amazing Things ebook. The free ebook features articles from 12 of HR’s leading thinkers, you’ll find ideas on collaboration and innovation, recruiting, networking, performance management and more! Click here to learn more.

Networking is one of the best ways to grow professionally – to learn new ideas, become a more well-rounded HR pro, and learn about new opportunities. If you do it right.

Unfortunately, most people think of networking as an exercise in collecting as many business cards as possible.

I want to teach you the right way to network. I want to help you become a networking ninja.

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Believe it or not, you’ve been building an employer brand your whole career. And even if you’re not that familiar with social media, you already understand the principles behind it.

Employer branding is simply talking to people about your culture. Social media is just online conversation.

Not so scary, is it?

You already talk about your culture. You’re in HR. That’s what you do. Social media just takes the conversation and moves it online.

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Image by Patrick Q

Frank Roche over at KnowHR wrote an interesting post last week on creating a company yearbook.

Apparently, he has hardcover books made for his small HR communications firm, iFractal, with all of the pictures they’ve taken over the course of the year. I think that’s awesome!

But it got me thinking… You don’t need to wait until the end of the year to do something like this.

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For the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with a Renegade HR Facebook page. Starting next week, I’m deleting the page.

I don’t want to make a big deal out of this, but I also didn’t want anyone who currently uses the page or noticed the link to it in the sidebar before to get confused. Here’s the rationale…

Right now, the page is kind of a lamer version of my Twitter account. I always forget to go on there, and quite frankly, I don’t like it as much as I like blogging or tweeting.

I had hoped that we would use it as a discussion forum, but our community seems to engage in discussions more here on Renegade HR and on Twitter than anything else – which is totally cool! But I feel bad keeping it out there and up and running since I neglect it so badly. I don’t think it’s a good representation of the quality you normally get from Renegade HR.

So I’m pulling it down.

If you’re currently one of the 130-ish people who are fans, I sincerely hope that you’ll connect and interact with me here, on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

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Photo by Mike Epp

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to talk to you about how to develop and implement an employer brand through social media.

In order to get the details, I think it’s important you understand how they fit into the bigger picture. Here’s what we’re going to be talking about:

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Yesterday I came across this brilliant presentation on Slideshare about the power of social media (many thanks to Michael Black for the hat tip).

The presentation is awesome. Watch the whole thing. Then ask yourself, “Is my company really engaged in social media?” If the answer is no, make sure you follow it up with, “Why the hell not?!?” and “How do we start?”

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Image by Kristen Thorpe

Worrying about social media is like a rocking chair. It will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere. (Credit: Van Wilder)

There are a lot of things HR pros worry about when it comes to social media:

• What if someone discloses confidential information?
• What if someone says something bad about the organization?
• What if we lose productivity because people are wasting time on Facebook and Twitter?
• What if an employee threatens someone or says something offensive?

These are the same issues HR peeps deal with in the real world. The only things that’s changed is the space where they happen.

Do you have a strategy for dealing with these problems in the real world? If not, worrying about social media is a waste time. If you do, worrying about social media is still a waste of time – you already have a strategy in place.

Instead, focus your energy on using social media to help your organization thrive.

(Also, check out this awesome social media policy by Kris Dunn)

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