networking

Sydney, Australia is recently experiencing a large number of young visitors for World Youth Day 2008. Pope Benedict XVI landed in Australia yesterday for the festivities and ceremonies that will kick off tomorrow. This marks the fourth Papal visit to Australia.


Australia was chosen as the site of the 2008 World Youth Day celebrations and announced by Pope Benedict XVI during the conclusion of the 2005 World Youth Day celebrations in Cologne, Germany.

There has been significant criticism of the 2008 World Youth Day due to the quarter of a billion dollar funding arrangement from the Commonwealth and New South Wales State Governments. Both the Commonwealth and New South Wales State Governments have stated that the revenue generated by World Youth Day will offset these costs. Catholic schools and community centres have been kind enough to provide accomodation for the young group of people who are visiting Sydney. The NSW government have been busy trying to sort out the logistics, transportation and security issues, but so far everything seems to be going to plan.

World Youth Day was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1984, that would bring together millions of young people on pilgrimage to Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia, and Oceania.

According to Wikipedia, the idea behind World Youth Day, stemmed from Pope John Paul II's experience with his young friends in Srodowisko and their exploration of the personal and vocational dynamics of adolescence and young adulthood. Srodowisko saw youth groups evolve into networks of intellectual conversation. Both youngsters and intellectuals got involved in vacation excursions.


We (Sydney siders) have been warned that there may be delays in public transportation, so we have a few choices to make during this period. We either take a break, work from home or stay away from the city during this hectic time. Luckily for us (or unlucky) we actually live very close to work but also a walking distance from the Sydney CBD. We are starting to see a lot of young pilgrims walking about in our already busy city.

Simon and I walked through Darling Harbour in Sydney on the weekend and took some photos of the preparation and impending celebrations in the coming days. You can see some of the photographs I've taken against this post.

Networking

One news report stated that networking is an important part of getting the pilgrims to World Youth Day 2008. On hearing this, it actually got me thinking about the concept of networking and it's application in our daily lives, business and on the internet.

1. Purpose of Networking - Some people network to gain new friends or new business opportunities. On the internet, you may be involved in social networking to obtain or share knowledge with like-minded people, to promote your business/brand, or simply to make new friends. Why do you network with other people?

2. Networking Benefits - By getting to know other people, you may find some that are extremely helpful and a great support system to have. They may add content to your blog/website, promote your product or idea and are generally good allies to bounce off ideas or share information with. When you meet people like these, don't take them for granted. Like any relationship it's a two-way street, so always maintain a sense of professionalism and respect for each other. If one party is constantly giving, while the other is constantly taking, it will certainly destroy that networking relationship. Try to be fair and balance with how you both approach things. Have you found some great people you are currently networking with?

3. Places to Network - In life, people can network through mutual friends, work, religious affliations, at sporting events, clubs, pubs, or just about anywhere where you may start up a conversation. Through the internet there are many social media sites you can join up with, you have all heard of many of them before so I will not mention them on this post. Depending on what it is you wish to achieve will define the type of social networking site that will work for you. If you want to promote your website/blog or just who you are, I've found that visiting regularly sites of interest and leaving quality and constructive comments or participating in the forums can help get you noticed. What has worked for you?

4. Creating a list of Friends - These days a lot of people have their own list of friends or are on someone's list of friends. This is great, provided that you are on a list with a group of like-minded people who share your ideas and understand the areas you are interested in. There's nothing like getting a shout on Digg (from a friend) about a new 'hot sports car' if you're interested in saving the environment. Therefore, find a list or group of people where you have a common ground. You do not need to agree on the same thing or like exactly the same thing, but having the same basic fundamental view of certain concepts will certainly help. Do you have a small or big list of friends? How effective is it?

Now look around, start networking with those around you and find a connection. You might be surprised with what you find out, what you may learn and what opportunities it may open up for you.