Networking: A necessary evil or a good idea?

This last weekend I did something I told myself I wasn't going to do ever since I learned about it; I joined Twitter.  Clearly I must be going insane right?  If you answered yes to that question you know me well; or you want to give me a hard time about it.  Either way, maybe you have had the same feelings I have about networking, "Just another way for people to share pointless updates about their lives."  I'm still not a big fan of the play-by-play status updates, or "I just went to the bathroom" updates as I call them, but there are better ways to use these networking sites, and people are using them this way too.

A plethora of information is being processed from thousands of people every second, and not all of it is meaningless.  More frequently these networking sites are being used to raise awareness of natural disasters and relief efforts, provide comfort, enstill hope, give strength, and many other meaningful purposes.  Even information on government and politics, international events, and health awareness.  Or for funny bone purposes videos of comedians, funny clips from our favorite TV shows/movies, and hilarious pictures of animals sleeping in positions originally thought impossible!  So how does this relate to me, well I'll tell you.

As an upcoming college graduate I've been looking a lot at jobs and been applying for internships and entry-level positions frequently.  What does job searching have to do with networking?  The two are practically synonymous.  You've probably heard just like I have, "It's not what you know, but who you know."  Companies that come to the career fairs are now saying to job seekers, "If you're interested in learning about us and being up-to-date on job listings follow us on Facebook and Twitter."  This is the reason I spent my weekend getting acquainted with LinkedIn and Twitter.

I'm a firm believer that knowledge is power, and even though there may be the often "I picked my nose" update, information in this form can still be useful; now you know not to shake hands with that individual. :P  In all seriousness, I believe that as we make ourselves aware of what is going on we will be instilled with power, not over other people or over something, but we will become masters of ourselves; we will become captains of our own destinies.  Deep huh?