You have a network: a good amount of people are in your LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter circles, and you know most of them in person. Right? You interact with most of them, if only to "like" their status, or comment on their promotions, right? On Twitter, you retweet stuff, right?

No?

If you aren't interacting with your network regularly in some semi-meaningful way, you are neglecting this very valuable group of people. And people that you neglect aren't really going to be there for you when you need them.

I just received a note from someone who has not NEEDED my input for some time, and thus, hasn't been heard from. But now, she needs me again.  Her business is up for an award and she needs my vote. Actually, she needs lots of votes.  So she is begging for me and all her other contacts to vote.

I can't speak for her other contacts, but I don't have a reason to do anything for her. She is an opportunistic networker--using the network she has only when it is opportune for her. Somehow, I doubt if I were to ask her for a favor, whether she would comply. She would most likely ignore me, since there is no opportunity for her to