I just wanted to pose this question as a topic starter here since as a recruiter, I have made it my profession to network and would like to hear other ideas from you!

 Steven:

I like to stick my neck out by offering to help out in organizations I join.  The more active I become, the more people I meet (and the more people want/need to meet me). 

Also, any chance I get to get in front of a group, the better.  If I have a chance to introduce a speaker, draw a raffle winner or whatever, I'll jump at it.

My participation may have absolutely nothing to do with my work - I may not even mention it once - but the fact that people start seeing me means they'll come up to me with questions, which gives me a chance to learn about them and them about me.  Plus the organization gets another helping hand. 

Basically, becoming an essential part of any membership organization (as opposed to just a member) has brought me a lot of rewards.

The best thing I have done is to network with the attittude that I am not expecting something in return. I am networking to give and later, that will return to me if the people I come in contact with understand I am there to give, rather to get. 

Then, I follow up with a heartfelt card. A personal thank you card, some type of connection where the person getting the card really knows that I am thankful for meeting them.  I use the service sendoutcards and it has been easy to use and has impacted and grown my business.  If you are interested in this, please let me know.  I do not want to sell product on this post.  My email address is tueffert@aol.com and just mention sendoutcards.

Thanks