I'm reading a book titled "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferrazzi. It's about, among other things, building your personal contact network. It's a refreshing change from the glad handing smarmy used car salesman approach that we see so often.

Basic advise? Do things for other people, and don't keep score about who owes you what. Know someone that could help a contact's business? Get them in touch with each other, etc.

By helping other people be successful, you make yourself valuable and people will want to help you back.

He also talks about career management, goal setting, and stuff like that, all in the context of building up contacts.

For example, say you have a goal. He recommends not only planning how you are going to accomplish that, but to set up a Contact Action Plan - that is those people you can or need to contact to help you achieve that goal.

Another interesting tidbit is that most people think of "networking" only when they are looking for a job. The best idea is to have a network in place long before you need a job.

Last point - he mentions early on that as a boy he worked at a country club as a caddie. What he observed there is that the wealthy help each other - they recommend their friends kids for schools, they share business ideas, etc. Ferrazzi states that the poor stay poor mostly because they lack the contacts to get in a better situation. They live in "isolation from the kind of people that can help you" improve yourself.

This does work. I talk to others who do programming and get ideas on how to improve whatever it is I am doing.

Also regarding jobs, a friend of mine got his kids cushy little summer jobs due to his contacts with the state.