Lessons from Social Networking (in Person!)

The last few days of silence here at The Happy Accident are due to my being at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ conference here in L.A. It was fantastic – great faculty, wonderful attendees, fabulously organized.

It was also, as many professional conferences are, full of networking opportunities. Not surprisingly, the basics of the social interactions offline and online are very similar. If I had to break it down to five “rules,” it might look like this:

Don’t be scared to say hello
Listen. Always listen.
Be friendly and polite… but be you
Participate in the conversation
Add value to the encounter whenever possible

In person, of course, you can read body language in way you can’t online, and you can clearly tell when someone should not be approached (like when they’re flirting, perhaps?). But it does prove that the online world is not steeped in mystery… at least when it comes to how to be part of it.

I learned a lot at this conference, as I always do. Much of it is specific to writing for children, but a lot relates to social media, as well (and some relates to listening… and my own excitement sometimes getting the better of me!).

I look forward to sharing more from the conference in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, I’m glad to be back from travels and conferences so I can hang out here more with you.

Photo credit Lee Wind, originally posted on the SCBWI Conference Blog