Networking Is Dead: Making Connections That Matter

Wilson (founder of Networlding) and Mohl (chief innovation officer at Performance Inspired Inc.) take a moderately successful storytelling approach to teach readers about social networking. “Meredith” and “Lance,” who work in social media marketing and accounting, both want to build a better network. “Dan,” a specialist, offers a new take on networking. Not limiting himself to why and what, Dan shows that it is the how of networking that’s important: making those introductions, creating those relationships, and showing “who you are over what you do for a living.” Despite the useful new ideas, Wilson and Mohl’s lessons are not radical. The narrative progresses from showing us the steps necessary to forge meaningful relationships to encouraging the reader to keep this process alive, review the lessons, and inspire others. Though the book provides an extra dimension and offers lessons that are often simple and strong, it lacks the informative punch that a more fully developed and straightforward book would have accomplished. (Nov.)