In Malcolm Gladwell’s new book on success– Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (Hardcover – Nov 18, 2008) he talks about the 10,000 hour rule. Experts are defined as those who have at least 10,000 hours of research and development in a chosen field.  Note that the experts listed below exemplify the type of expert level you would choose if you are very serious about successful networking.

Donna Fisher
www.donnafisher.com
An introvert who learned how to network. Over 12 years ago she established Donna Fisher Presents in order to fulfill her lifelong desire to teach and inspire people to be all they can be. With her two businesses she combines her love of music and motivation.

Jill Lublin
www.jilllublin.com
Praised as a modern-day Dale Carnegie and co-author of the bestselling books Networking Magic, Guerrilla Publicity. Guerrilla Publicity contains hundreds of proven techniques and sure-fire tactics for any business, large or small, to launch an effective and creative publicity campaign.

Michael Hughes
http://www.speakersgroup.com/michael_hughes_bio.html
Michael has done extensive research on, and is a specialist in, utilizing networking as a business strategy. He is author of the 110-page special report entitled “Networking for Results: How to Leverage Relationships into More Sales and Profits”.

Michael Goldberg
http://www.buildingblocksconsulting.com
Michael Goldberg is a networking expert focused on helping sales producers and managers grow their practice. Michael speaks at conferences, runs sales meetings, and delivers dynamic programs on Networking, Referral Marketing, Sales Presentations, and Leadership.

Raeus Cannon
http://www.raeuscannon.com
Raeus Jae Cannon, CNPT, specializes in speaking to Chamber of Commerce groups. Raeus has first-hand experience of moving from shy and introverted to realizing success as an entrepreneur, trainer, author, and keynote speaker. Audiences can easily relate to Raeus’ personal stories and laugh at her experiences.

Susan RoAne
http://www.susanroane.com
Susan RoAne is the leading authority and original expert on how to work a room. She help companies and organizations successfully develop, build and manage client relationships that increase business growth.

Will Kintish
http://www.kintish.co.uk
The UK’s leading authority in Business Networking Skills training. Kintish have helped thousands of people become confident and effective networkers by offering business networking tips, techniques and training.

Bill Cates
http://www.referralcoach.com
Bill Cates, CSP, has revolutionized the way financial professionals generate an abundance of high-quality referrals. Bill has trained over 50,000 financial professionals in his proven referral system. And they are using his ideas to build their practices with quality referrals.

Heshie Segal
http://www.jetnettingconnection.com
Heshie Segal teaches her clients how to turn a business card, a presentation, and even a chance meeting into lasting business. JetNetting is an innovative and highly specific system of preparatory networking resulting in the eradication of cold calling, awkwardness and relationship tensions.

Renee Rosenberg
http://www.fiveoclockclub.com/speakers/Rosenberg.html
Renee Rosenberg has over 24 years experience in career management, counseling, coaching, and workshop training and facilitation. An accomplished and entertaining speaker, Renee regularly presents on a variety of topics including: effective intergenerational communication, and using positive thinking, laughter and optimism as career and life tools.

Robyn Henderson
http://www.networkingtowin.com.au/index.html
Robyn Henderson is a Global Networking Specialist. She has authored and contributed to 19 books (including 10 on networking and business building and 3 on self esteem and confidence building).

David Nour
http://www.relationshipeconomics.net
David Nour is a social networking strategist and one of the foremost thought leaders on the quantifiable value of business relationships. David is solving global client challenges with intracompany, as well as externally focused, Strategic Relationship Planning™.

Diane Darling
http://www.dianedarling.com
As a speaker and author, Diane Darling humorously shares her insights and techniques that can be immediately implemented helping people succeed.She is also a monthly columnist for the Boston Business Journal.

Bob Burg
http://www.burg.com
Bob Burg is a highly sought-after speaker at corporate, financial services and direct sales conventions. Combining humor and entertainment with easily applied, proven systems for personal marketing, audiences come away ready to immediately profit from Bob’s instruction and coaching.

Ivan Misner
http://www.bni.com
Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization. BNI was founded in 1985. The organization now has thousands of chapters throughout every populated continent of the world. Each year, BNI generates millions of referrals resulting in billions of dollars worth of business for its members.

Julia Hubbel
http://www.principlednetworking.com/index_alt.htm
Julia Hubbel is a professional speaker, seminar leader and prize-winning journalist who specializes in creating lasting, collaborative relationships. Her approach allows anyone to meet and mingle easily and with confidence, forming long-term business and personal alliances.

Andrea Nierenberg
http://www.nierenberggroup.com/index.php
Andrea R. Nierenberg, bestselling author and world-renowned business authority, is the force behind The Nierenberg Group. Called a “networking success story” by The Wall Street Journal, Andrea Nierenberg is founder and president of The Nierenberg Group.

Liz Lynch
http://www.networkingexcellence.com
Liz Lynch is author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online (McGraw-Hill, 2009) and a sought-after speaker who brings a practical and insightful perspective to networking that has connected with a global audience.

Melissa Giovagnoli
http://www.networlding.com
Melissa is one of the world’s leading experts on the development of individual and community leadership networks as a means of growing and accelerating brand loyalty and performance improvement inside and outside organizations.

Andy Lopata

www.lopata.co.uk
A Vice President of the Professional Speakers Association of the UK and a Director of the online network Word of Mouse, Andy is the co-author of two books on networking. His second book ‘…and Death Came Third! The Definitive Guide to Networking and Speaking in Public’ received worldwide acclaim and reached number 2 on Amazon.co.uk on its launch.

Donna Messer
http://www.connectuscanada.com
Donna Messer has been networking for the past 20 years. Donna Messer is President of ConnectUs Communications Canada, one of North America’s largest and most effective business matching companies.

Scott Allen
http://thevirtualhandshake.com/home.html
A 20-year veteran technology entrepreneur, executive and consultant, Scott Allen is the Entrepreneurs Guide for About.com. Scott has offered training programs in conjunction with business networking sites LinkedIn, Ryze, and others, plus courses on creating a powerful personal presence and growing your personal network on the internet.

Don Gabor
http://www.dongabor.com
Don helps professionals from all disciplines grow their revenues by starting profitable conversations with people in business and social situations.  e is the author of the bestseller, How to Start a Conversation and Make Friends, (Fireside/Simon & Schuster) and ten other books and tapes on interpersonal communication skills.

Mike O’Neil
http://www.integratedalliances.com
Founded in 2003, Integrated Alliances (IA) is a world leader in LinkedIn-related training with classroom workshop education (offline), web-based educational webinars (online) with both public and private sessions plus a rapidly expanding coaching and consulting practice.

Neen James
http://www.neenjames.com
Neen specializes in helping people within organizations to achieve amazing results by improving productivity in every aspect of their operations. Author of several books including Strategic Networking, Network or Perish, How to Run a Home Based Business, as well as many articles, e-zines and audio programs.

Daphne Medik
http://www.dmmcommunication.nl
Marketing communication and sales strategy, training and coaching. Inspiring ideas, practical solutions.

Thomas Power
http://www.ecademy.com
Thomas Power is the founder of ecademy.com. Helping business people thrive is what Ecademy facilitates.

Gerard De Gier
http://www.biocareerevent.nl/page/122
He conducts yearly a large number of training sessions in the fields of networking, creative business thinking (under the heading of “New Ideas on Your Command”), senior management and marketing. He also wrote several books on creative thinking (in collaboration with Professor Roger de Bruijn) and on networking.

Patrick Carney
http://referrals.ducttapemarketing.com/
Patrick Carney is a professional artist, networker, speaker and referral training consultant. He owns the Referral Institute – San Diego. In each of these roles, his focus is showing business professionals how to harness the power of referral marketing.

Jochem Klijn
http://www.netwerken.nl
Jochem Klijn has his own Business Network (www.netwerken.nl), travels throughout The Netherlands giving Network -training, -seminars and -courses and sells his English version eBook and AudioBook all over the world through his website: www.thelawofnetworking.com.

Sabine Tobback
http://www.culturaldetective.com
Sabine founded a training and coaching institute devoted to intercultural management, personal skills, human resources management, and leadership. She has developed programmes on virtual team effectiveness.

Jan Vermeiren
www.networking-coach.com
Originally Jan labeled his way of working “Marketing and Networking Coaching”. Due to the spectacular success of the networking activities, the marketing aspect has disappeared, though it is still Jan’s second passion. Now the company is primarily known under the brand name Networking Coach.

What a simple concept, but, just like so many companies during the dot.com boom, companies today have what I call an "80′s mentality." They are actually stuck in an old network paradigm of paying for "passive" eyeballs to look at pictures or even video "passively" on a screen, and, then, somehow, miraculously, decide to "actively" go buy whatever the company is selling in their very friendly, fun ad.

Juxtapose the sliding hope of selling those old-fashioned ads, now, to online social networks and communities that create "active" participation where people move from visitors into loyal fans as the site and the people on the site become one of their favorite places to hang out. We have only touched the surface of online communities. If I had my way, these communities would be much more active and even facilitated by experts who further engage the participants through ongoing events—both live and online. I am now engaged with several large organizations helping them build online networks with their customers helping them grow their brands as well as their revenues with a socially responsible focus.

I have also been building my own communities that I use as feeders into other communities. To this end, anyone who wants to visit our online community can join at www.networlding2.org or on LinkedIn if you are socially responsible. These communities bring companies and people who practice the values of making a difference, integrity, innovation and collaboration together to make money while making a difference. The good news now its time for ANYONE and I mean ANYONE who really wants to grow a vibrant company and who is entrepreneurial and has even a small amount of investment capital, to throw his or her hat in the ring. May the best men or women win and, I believe like you do Terry, they will be people like you and me who get social networking and online community building.

Warmest Regards,

Melissa Giovagnoli

Social Media Visionary and Author

www.networlding.com

melissa@networlding.com

You have to ask yourself when you get to go from 9 degrees above 0 to 80 degree weather all in the span of four hours, what that sudden change can mean to your attitude toward networking. For me, I think of the conversation I had today with my friend, Tobby. She said it was so cold she was not even going out today. I also find that many of my professional friends have done similar things. It’s sad to think that weather can rule our moods and even our success perhaps when it comes to networking.

I know for anyone who has to either get a new job or a new business opportunity it is critical to have a good environment for networking. If you are one of the lucky ones who live in a warm climate I would suggest you just start thinking of people like my friend Tobby in Chicago. It’s fun to hibernate at times but when it has now been 4 months and you have been through no fewer than 8 blizzards, you will thank your lucky stars you can connect with your network in sunshine and warmth. The bottomline? Don’t take anything for granted. Signing off from "The Windy City."

Melissa Giovagnoli
President, Networlding
melissa@networlding.com
Feel free to offer your comments. Where do you think are the best places to network year round?

In Networlding we have seen that there are some people who hold all three attributes of being a great connector or somone who is very wise or someone who is very persuasive. The explosion of online networking has helped even further to bring out networkers who have stellar skills in all three of these areas.